Festal Evensong

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Above: This evening the choir sings The Great Service by William Byrd. Read more about Byrd…and birds…below.

Today at Festal Evensong, Fr Spurlock preaches Sermon 13 of our 15-part series on prayer called “Lord, Teach Us to Pray.” Prior to Palm Sunday, the series focused on lines from the Lord’s Prayer. Three weeks ago, the series turned towards the types of prayer. The sermon today is on intercession and petition. See the complete list of sermons in the series here.

About Choral Evensong: Based on the services held daily in the medieval Church, Choral Evensong as arranged in the Book of Common Prayer of the Anglican Church has been sung regularly since the Sixteenth Century. Many people who are new to worship at Saint Thomas prefer to come to Choral Evensong because it is relatively contemplative. The service includes readings (just as would occur at Evening Prayer) and prayers led by a priest. An anthem as well as a setting of the Magnificat and the Nunc dimittis are sung by the choir. Read more about Choral Evensong here, or view the Choral Evensong Service Card posted to the bottom of this page, where links to the webcast will be posted during and after the service.

‚ñ∫There is no Mass following Choral Evensong on Sundays. If you would like to make your Holy Communion for the week, consider attending one of the morning Eucharists, or else at any of the other sixteen masses at Saint Thomas later this week.

Music notes: At Evensong we present a rare opportunity to hear William Byrd’s Great Service. Byrd’s staunch adherence to Catholicism did not prevent him from contributing memorably to the repertory of Anglican Church music. His four service settings range in style from the unpretentious Short Service, (to be sung at Evensong on Tuesday 8th May) to the magnificent so-called Great Service, a grandiose work which continues a tradition of opulent settings by Richard Farrant, John Sheppard, William Mundy and Robert Parsons. Byrd’s setting is on a massive scale, requiring five-part Decani and Cantoris groupings in antiphony, block homophony and sections with verse (solo) sections for added variety. The sheer scope of the work and the lavish scoring suggest that Byrd probably composed it for the Choir of the Chapel Royal.

Speaking of William Byrd: On Saturday, May 12, a team of Saint Thomas youth, William Byrd-ers, will travel to Cape May, N.J., to compete in the 29th annual World Series of Birding. They will compete against many other teams to see who can identify the most number of bird species in this 24 hour competition. William Byrd-ers are asking for your support in their effort to raise funds for their outreach budget. The youth have contributed to past projects that have included the refurbishment of a goat barn for the Convent of the Sisters of Saint Mary and the provision of playground equipment for the children of All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Smyrna, Tenn. If you would like to make a pledge towards this effort, speak with a youth group member or email Father Spurlock to learn how.

• Choral Services
• Worship Services