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MUSIC |
May
they sing of the ways of the LORD,
for the glory of the LORD is great.
Psalm 138:5
St. Paul’s Church is known, in part, for the outstanding acoustics
of its worship spaces. The main sanctuary is a room that inspires and rewards
singing and music making of all sorts while the chapel nurtures a sense of
musical intimacy with its wonderful resonance. In short, St. Paul's is a church
where music making is fundamental to our experience of worship and ministry.
(Indeed, the quality of the sanctuary acoustic is such that the church is
in high demand as a concert/recital space among performers from area music
schools and arts organizations: we host an average of 70 concerts per year.)
The goal of the music program at St. Paul’s is to produce outstanding
music, stimulating both congregational participation and spiritual energy.
With this in mind, we provide a range of musical opportunities:
The St.
Paul's Choir sings from September to June at the 9:00 and 11:00 Sunday
services as well as at special choral services. Such special services include:
the "Procession of Carols" service (normally on the Saturday before
Christmas; the choral "Midnight Mass" on Christmas Eve; and the
Good Friday service.
The St. Paul's Choir is composed of both professional and volunteer singers.
The choir rehearses on Sunday mornings at 8:00 (in preparation for the 9:00
service) and at 10:05 (in preparation for the 11:00 service). The Choir also
rehearses on two Thursday evenings per month. The Choir's repertoire includes
a wide variety of provocative, beautiful music that both challenges musically
and moves spiritually. The Choir's primary mission includes: being flexible
so as to accomodate singers' busy schedules (our professionals sing always,
but our volunteers sing when they are able -- some all the time, some occasionally);
cultivating the power of music in our lives; and welcoming all, regardless
of belief and/or religious identity.
The Children’s
Choir. All children are welcome to join the Children’s Choir, which
sings at various occasions including Christmas Eve, Easter Sunday, Sunday
School awards, and occasionally at the folk service. They also sing in the
annual Brookline Children's choir festival. Under the energetic and inspired
leadership of Julie Ann Starr, the choir
is a blessing both to the children who sing in it and to the church and community
as a whole.
St. Pauls’ organ was built in 1983 by the Bozeman/Gibson
Co., their Opus 23. The excellently voiced plenums and mutations are ideal
in the German Baroque and French Classic repertoires, while the ampleness
of 16- and 8-foot tone (including string registers on both Great and Swell)
and powerful reeds are useful in Romantic literature. Most importantly, it
is a very effective organ for the accompaniment of congregational singing.
(Click on the pipes to see the Organ Specifications.)
