An
Invitation
Music in
worship must be offered to the very best of our ability. This
ideal, central
to the incarnational theology of the Oxford
Movement, is upheld at Christ Church as the parish community
takes seriously its understanding of the “Holiness of Beauty.” Situated
on the campus of Yale University in downtown New Haven, Connecticut,
Christ Church has been a prominent voice in the city for 150
years. Christ Church grew out of the Oxford (High-Church) Movement
and architect Henry Vaughan’s brownstone church is one
of America’s great Gothic Revival churches. In fidelity
to the paradigms of the Oxford Movement, Christ Church maintains
the highest standard of liturgical, homiletical, and musical
excellence in its worship. We actively seek to offer a glimpse
of beauty – of holiness – to all who will enter the
doors. Vere non est hic aliud, nisi domus Dei et porta coeli.
(Genesis 28:17b)
Christ Church
ministers to many beyond those whose names appear on the parish
membership
rolls. In particular, it is a refuge
for clergy and church musicians; individuals who are involved
in the leading of worship at other parish churches on Sunday
mornings can be seen regularly attending and taking part in our
mid-week services and at Evensong. Sunday night Compline provides
a haven for ever-increasing numbers of students from Yale University – over
one-hundred attend each Sunday night – and for many others
from all stations of life. At Evensong and at Compline there
is no proselytizing of any kind; we believe that the beauty of
the ancient liturgy itself, sung within our glorious building,
will transport the worshipper to new realms.
Through its
unyielding commitment to the church’s liturgical
offerings and by its enormous generosity, the parish community
ensures that Christ Church will continue to join its voice with
Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven in one
unending hymn of praise.
We invite you to join us.
What else can I do than sing hymns to God? If I were a nightingale,
I would do the part of a nightingale; if I were a swan, I would
do as a swan. But I am a rational creature and ought to praise
God; this is my work, I do it; I will not desert this post as
long as I am permitted to hold it; and I beseech you to join
me in the same song.
— Epictetus
(70 ad)
Choral Music in the Worship of Christ Church
The ministry and charge of the Christ Church Choir is simple:
to make musical offerings during the liturgy at Christ Church,
rendered at the very highest standard.
In the long
and venerable Anglican choral tradition, the choir assumes
a leadership role
in the worship of the Almighty. Through
its singing of settings of the Communion Service – or Mass,
anthems, motets, canticles, and Psalms, the choir is making an
offering on behalf of the congregation. In this regard, an incarnational – even
sacramental – role is taken on by the choir as they offer
their own talents in the rendering of sacred music that is more
expressive than a congregation is capable of offering on its
own. When a composer’s particular insight into the holy
is expressed through the choir, new realms of the “Holy” are
revealed and the worshipper can be transported to where glimpses
of the holy become very real. Congregational participation in
hymn singing, and in congregation settings of the music for Eucharist,
serves to expand the musical resources and increase the tapestry
of offerings which are endemic to the worship at Christ Church.
The Christ Church Choir
The Christ Church Choir sings the Solemn Mass on Sundays and
Feast Days, and sings the Choral Office at Evensong and Compline.
The fully-professional choir is comprised of students from Yale
University, most of them working on advanced degrees, and professionals
from the New Haven community. The worship at Christ Church, deeply
sacramental, incarnational, and devotional, makes full use of
the rich resources of the Book of Common Prayer and, true to
the ideals of the Oxford Movement, music plays a very important
part in the liturgy. The choir sings Psalms (to both plainsong
and Anglican Chant), settings of the Mass Ordinary, the Gregorian
Minor Propers, canticles, and anthems and motets drawn from all
periods of music history while placing an emphasis on the music
from our own rich Anglican heritage.
The Interim Organist
Thomas Murray is University
Organist and Professor of Music at Yale
University where he teaches and performs on the renowned Skinner
organ in Woolsey Hall. Widely known for his interpretations of
Romantic repertoire and orchestral transcriptions, his recordings
are highly acclaimed. High Fidelity has credited him with “ .
. . consummate skill and artistry in treating the organ as a great
orchestra” and American Record Guide said: “Murray's performance
and his handling of the immense resources of the Woolsey Hall
organ are beyond superlatives . . . the shape of every phrase,
the use of every color . . . could not be more perfect.”
Professor
Murray has appeared in recitals and lectures at six national conventions
of the AGO, which named him International Artist of the Year for
1986. As the recipient of this award he followed such luminaries
as Marie-Claire Alain, Jean Guillou and Dame Gillian Weir. In
2003 he was named an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Organists
in England , and in 2005 he was awarded the Gustave Stoeckel Award
for excellence in teaching from the Yale University School of
Music. At times during his career Professor Murray has also
been active as a choral conductor. Prior to joining the Yale faculty
in 1981 he trained one of the most respected American choirs of
men and boys at St. Paul 's Episcopal Cathedral in Boston . At
Yale he directed the University Choir for five years.
Professor
Murray has made numerous recordings on the AFKA, Gothic, and JAV
Labels.
