Music at WPC-
Sunday, October 12, 2025
Proper 23
​Voluntary: “Air” Robert Cundick (1926-2016)
Offertory: "My Song is Love Unknown," James Kirkby
Voluntary: "Recessional," Robert Cundick
​
Hymns
Opening Hymn: 130- Let Every Christian Pray LAUDES DOMINI
Sequence Hymn: 272- God of the Sparrow ROEDER
Closing Hymn: 413- All Who Love and Serve Your City CHARLESTOWN
​
Next Week's Music at WPC:
Sunday, October 19- Nik Stackpole, Organ; WPC Choir
Prelude- About the Composer
Robert Cundick (1926–2016) was an influential American composer and organist, best known for his contributions to sacred and choral music within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). A native of Utah, Cundick earned his degrees from the University of Utah, where he studied composition under Leroy Robertson, another major figure in Mormon music. After serving as an organist at the Salt Lake Tabernacle for many years, Cundick became recognized for his rich harmonic language, lyrical melodies, and skillful blending of traditional hymnody with modern sensibilities. His works include organ solos, cantatas, choral anthems, and large-scale sacred pieces that reflect deep faith and craftsmanship. Cundick’s music is marked by clarity, reverence, and a distinctly American sense of spiritual optimism, leaving a lasting impact on both LDS worship and the broader landscape of sacred composition.
Offertory- About the Text
The hymn text “My Song Is Love Unknown” was written by the English poet and priest Samuel Crossman in the 1660s and first published in The Young Man’s Meditation in 1664. Deeply devotional and personal in tone, the text reflects on the mystery and paradox of Christ’s love—a love “unknown,” beyond full human understanding. Written in seven stanzas, the poem contrasts Christ’s selfless sacrifice with the world’s rejection of him, expressing both wonder and sorrow. Its first-person perspective makes it unusually intimate for its time, inviting the singer to enter personally into the Passion narrative. The text’s simplicity and emotional honesty have made it enduringly powerful, especially when paired with John Ireland’s hauntingly beautiful tune LOVE UNKNOWN (1919), which perfectly captures the tender awe and quiet majesty of Crossman’s words.
Postlude- About the Music
Robert Cundick’s Recessional is one of his most frequently performed and beloved organ works, often heard at the conclusion of worship services and recitals alike. True to its title, the piece is both stately and jubilant, unfolding in a dignified march-like style that showcases Cundick’s gift for melodic clarity and harmonic richness. It reflects his deep understanding of the organ’s grandeur and expressive range—combining bold fanfare motifs, rhythmic vitality, and carefully voiced counterpoint. Recessional exemplifies Cundick’s ability to write music that is both accessible and artistically refined, bridging traditional hymn-based idioms with a contemporary harmonic palette. Its confident, triumphant character captures the spirit of joyful dismissal—sending listeners forth with a sense of reverence, resolve, and radiant energy.