Blaxhall Choral Evensong: Candlemas

posted by Bill Gloyn: 

The usual Choral Evensong in Snape church by the Alde River Singers would have fallen on 29th December, so it seemed better to hold it in February instead.  Blaxhall church will be candlelit as usual for Candlemas Sunday — a quite wonderful sight.

Although Candlemas will be celebrated at the Benefice Eucharist in Great Glemham at 10.00 that morning, the Evensong will certainly contain references to the story of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple of Jerusalem.  This was a formal event that took place forty days after the birth of a child, and was especially important for a first-born son.  It marked the giving of the child to God for his service.

The tradition was for the priests to give the child back to the parents, in exchange for a sacrifice — in Joseph and Mary's case, a pair of doves.  More wealthy parents were expected to offer larger animals.

The service will have music for congregation and choir that reflects the sacrifice that those parents made — and that others have made over the years. The anthem, Expectans Expectavi ("I waited patiently"), is set to a poem by Charles Sorley, a young soldier in the Suffolk Regiment, who was killed at the age of 20 in the Battle of Loos in the First World War.

It is a timely reminder of the sacrifice that has been given, and is still given, by those who serve humankind throughout the world.

Our organist is local maestro Geoff Lavery.

If you would like to sing, please come and join us at St Peter's Church for the rehearsal at 16.00.  Do let Bill Gloyn, who leads the Singers, know at bill@gloyn.com