Evensong in Eastertide May 18 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Monrovia

The choir of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Monrovia, along with guest singers, will present a free public performance of Henry Purcell’s Declare His Honour on Sunday, May 18, at 4 p.m. The Rev. Neil A. Tadken will be celebrant and cantor. The concert will be held at the historic church, 122 S. California Avenue at Foothill Boulevard. A freewill offering will be taken, and a wine and cheese reception will follow in Guild Hall.
Based on the services held daily in the medieval Church, Evensong has been regularly sung since the 16th Century. The tradition has produced a magnificent repertoire of choral music. Declare His Honour is part of Purcell’s 1688 verse anthem O sing unto the Lord. The text is derived from Psalm 96, which includes the exhortation, “Declare his honour unto the heathen and his wonders unto all people.”
“This magnificent anthem makes extensive use of our fine solo voices,” says Music Director and composer Kent Bennett Jones, who will accompany the singers on the church’s three-manual, forty-two-rank Bascom & Vaughan pipe organ. “As always, St. Luke’s world-class acoustics will enhance the experience for our audience.”
Purcell’s works have influenced composers and musicians from his own contemporaries to the present day. In 2009 Pete Townshend of The Who identified Purcell’s harmonies as an influence on the band’s music. Sting recorded the composer’s The Cold Song for his 2009 album If on a Winter’s Night, and an adaptation of one of Purcell’s processionals for synthesizer is the theme music for the film A Clockwork Orange.

-Courtesy Photo

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