Music at WPC-
Sunday, January 18, 2026
Epiphany II
​Voluntary: "Journey of Hope," Brenda Austin (b. 1972)
Offertory: "You Are the One," Thomas Keesecker (b. 1956)
Voluntary: "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty," Matthew Machemer
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Hymns
Opening Hymn: 411- Arise, Your Light Is Come FESTAL SONG
Sequence Hymn: 492- Baptized in Water BUNESSAN
Closing Hymn: 442- The Church's One Foundation AURELIA
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Next Week's Music at WPC:
Sunday, January 25- Nik Stackpole, Organ; WPC Choir
Prelude- About the Music
Felix Mendelssohn’s Prelude No. 2 in G major from his Six Preludes and Fugues, Op. 35 (published in 1837) reflects his admiration for the contrapuntal craftsmanship of J. S. Bach while maintaining the clarity, grace, and lyricism characteristic of his own Romantic voice. The prelude unfolds with flowing keyboard figurations and a gentle, luminous harmonic language, demonstrating Mendelssohn’s gift for combining technical elegance with expressive warmth rather than stormy virtuosity. Its balanced phrasing, transparent textures, and unfussy formal design provide a natural lead-in to the corresponding fugue, exemplifying Mendelssohn’s mission to revitalize Baroque idioms for 19th-century audiences. Today, the piece remains a favorite among pianists and organists alike for its poised beauty and historical significance, bridging eras through refined musical logic and understated charm.
Offertory- About the Composer
Richard Shephard (1949–2021) was a distinguished English composer, educator, and church musician whose contributions to contemporary sacred music have left a lasting mark on Anglican choral tradition. Known for his accessible yet finely crafted style, Shephard wrote a substantial catalog of anthems, canticles, and larger choral works that blend lyrical melodic writing with colorful harmonies and clear textual sensitivity, making them favorites of parish choirs, cathedrals, and collegiate chapels alike. His career included significant posts at Salisbury Cathedral, York Minster, and later as Chamberlain of York Minster, complementing his decades-long involvement in music education through the York Minster School. Whether through the warmth of pieces like Never Weather-Beaten Sail or the festive brilliance of his service music, Shephard’s music embodies a modern continuation of the English choral heritage—singable, dignified, and attentive to the spiritual and emotional contours of liturgical texts.
Postlude- About the Composer
J. G. Walther’s Lobe den Herren is a lively and celebratory organ setting based on the well-loved chorale “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty.” A cousin of J. S. Bach and an important figure in the early 18th-century German organ tradition, Walther approached chorale-based works with both scholarly insight and a delight in ornamented melody, and this piece is no exception. The chorale tune appears clearly in the upper voice, enriched by graceful Baroque figurations and supported by rhythmic harmonic writing that propels the music forward without heaviness. Stylistically, the work embodies the elegance and clarity of the central German Baroque: expressive but disciplined, contrapuntal without excessive density, and always faithful to the character of the hymn. Lobe den Herren remains a favorite among organists for its accessible virtuosity and its ability to color worship with a sense of joy, festivity, and reverence rooted in the chorale tradition.