The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Entrance Holy light on earth’s horizon
Kyrie Kyrie II from Paschal Mass (Alan Rees)
Gloria Glory to God in the Highest (John L Bell)
Psalm Ps 44 (Stephen Dean)
Gospel Acclamation Advent Gospel Acclamation (Andrew Wright), with chanted verse
Preparation of the Gifts Ave Maria (Sergei Rachmaninoff, 1873-1943)
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen German Mass (Schubert, arr. Proulx)
Agnus Dei Hurd Mass (Bob Hurd)
Communion The Almighty works marvels for me (Peter Jones)
Postcommunion Magnificat Octavi Toni (Orlande de Lassus, c.1532-1594)
Recessional Hail Queen of Heaven

We took a break from our summer break, to sing for today’s feast. A good turnout, and a little bit of thinking ahead in rehearsals in July, meant that we took both Rachmaninov’s Bogoroditse Devo (sung to the Latin text of Ave Maria) and the Lassus Magnificat in our stride.

Peter Jones’s very different setting of the Magnificat, with its gentle ostinato refrain and verses for cantor, was just right as a realisation of today’s Communion antiphon. Hail, Queen of Heaven, on the other hand, seemed not to rouse the assembly to full throat the way it often has in the past: I'm not sure whether that reflects a dwindling of it in popular memory, or just that the summer holiday congregation was a bit smaller than for a regular Sunday.