Dupre and bells

Our first prelude this week will feature the Bell Choir. I hope you enjoy the novelty of the Sundays when they play. I hope that the variety of instruments available to us - piano, harpsichord, organ, choir, and bells - helps keep your ears awake to the different sounds of the prelude. For me, the chance to listen rather than play the prelude always makes for a calmer worship experience simply because I've taken that extra moment to meditate and pray before the service begins.

The second prelude will be a setting of the hymn "Now the Green Blade Rises" by Marcel Dupre. It's a simple one-verse chorale, but it clearly incorporates a more modern chord structure so that you can hear the hymn in a new way.

Dupre (1886 - 1971) was a French organist and a famous organ virtuoso. Some of his compositions are considered among the most difficult pieces ever written for the organ. He was an academic and a performer, however, and not primarily a church organist. Those are some of the reasons his work is not often performed. However, the modern sound can provide a welcome change of pace from the Bach I've been playing through Lent up to this point.

I hope you enjoy the music on this 5th Sunday of Lent. Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter will be a big change musically from the past weeks!