We are such good little Commonwealth citizens

[jaala]

I'm singing in a service to be held at St George's Cathedral in celebration of Queen Elizabeth's 80th birthday. Get this programme:

O God, our help in ages past

Jubilate in B-flat (Stanford)

The Two Fatherlands ("I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things above")

Zadok the Priest (Handel)

God Save the Queen

O Canada

Nothing like some good ol'-fashioned chest-thumping.

Comments

[reapermum.livejournal.com]

Good choice of music there. The Two Fatherlands is considered so nonPC that it never gets sung here. (Well not without a big row first)

[jaala]

It's somewhat bizarre that The Two Fatherlands is being sung at this service, actually, considering that it's supposed to be multicultural and multi-faith (mostly Jewish/Christian/Muslim).

[reapermum.livejournal.com]

I don't see how you can have a multi-faith service without upsetting most people there. I attended an ecumenical service once and over coffee after we were criticising the choice of hymns. "I couldn't sing verse three of that one, it's too Marian" "Well I found the other one completely heretical" We even had differences over the Lord's prayer (who or which is or art in heaven) And if the Christians can't agree what chance have you got adding in Jews and Muslims

[countertony.livejournal.com]

The mayor of my home town used to be a Jewish chap, and at the Mayor's annual service (in the local church) we had a group from the choir of the reform synagogue doing a song (not speaking Hebrew, I have no idea whether it was religious or not) as well as a hymn set by the church choir. It was utterly brilliant, as no-one gets enough music from other cultures and traditions round here.

[madrigalia.livejournal.com]

We sang it at the Convocation church service last year, if I recall correctly. However, the guest speaker during Convocation proper (I believe the viceroy of St. Kitts and Nevis?) was, without a doubt, far more zealous in pronouncing the glories of Christian faith than Perkin dared to be.

[gerald_duck]

The strange bit is that Jerusalem only became a hymn (rather than a poem) after Canada gained its independence; that's a British hymn, not a Commonwealth one, so far as I can tell, therefore. (-8

Apart from the oblique Christian reference in the first two lines, I'm not sure what about "Jerusalem" is intrinsically Christian, though. "Mostly Jewish/Christian/Muslim" nicely summarises Jerusalem, the place, after all!

[reapermum.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure what about "Jerusalem" is intrinsically Christian

Since Blake's Christianity is questionable, it's no wonder "Jerusalem" is iffy.

[madrigalia.livejournal.com]

Well, as I understood it, the song loosely adapted the legend that Jesus visted Glastonbury when he was a child; a theory Blake believed to be true.

Off-topic: I have written at least two grossly overdue term papers with that anthem on repeat. Something about it is suited to rapid intellectualism.

[countertony.livejournal.com]

Rah! It was a pity St George's day was before I got back to uni, or I'd have suggested some unreconstructed nationalism for the hymn list at chapel (I've made it to Senior Choral Scholar now, which is fun and means I get Capital Letters).

[sari-bear.livejournal.com]

Aw, I love O God Our Help In Ages Past. It reminds me of the Remembrance Day parade...

[forget-my-fate.livejournal.com]

That sounds like a nice program. I always enjoy some good Handel! (unless of course I'm the one singing it, then I curse Handel for writing impossible runs with no place to breathe. but otherwise, what a lovely man he was!)