"The Little Church Around the Corner"
One East 29th Street, New York
Music Notes: July 14, 2002
Commemoration of the Oxford Movement
On the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
"On 14th July 1833, Mr. Keble preached the assize sermon in the University Pulpit. It was published under the title of National Apostasy. I have ever considered and kept the day as the start of the religious movement of 1833." Thus wrote John Henry Newman (1801-90) in his autobiographical Apologia.
The day is well worth considering and keeping, for the "religious movement of 1833", which came to be known as the Oxford Movement, though often controversial and divisive, profoundly influenced Anglican religious life. The Church of the Transfiguration has from its beginnings been steeped in the ideals of the Oxford Movement, making this church a particularly appropriate place to continue Newman's custom of observing July 14th. The hymns at today's service are an integral part of our commemoration.
The hymn was greatly reinvigorated in the 19th century, having suffered considerable neglect in the preceding centuries. Thus, hymns were an important component of the Oxford Movement, and two of its founders and principal exponents, John Keble (1792-1866) and John Henry Newman, were gifted writers of hymn texts. Our first hymn today, New every morning is the love, is a fine example of Keble's work in this genre. Keble was intrigued by the idea of the priest/poet, and assumed this role, inspired by the life and works of George Herbert (1593-1633), a metaphysical poet who took holy orders in the Church of England in 1630. The hymn King of glory, King of peace, is a classic poem by Herbert. It was originally entitled Praise, and appeared as the second poem in The Temple, published in 1633. It is often thought that this hymn is a meditation on Psalm 116.
Firmly I believe and truly, and Praise to the Holiest in the height are among Newman's best-known and best-loved hymn texts. They are both found within his splendid extended poem, the Dream of Gerontius, which traces the journey of an aged monk through the gate of death and into the presence of Christ. The work was first published in the Roman Catholic periodical The Month (May and June, 1865), and later made famous when it was set to music by Sir Edward Elgar (1857-1934). Our setting of Firmly I believe and truly is Nashotah House, by Joseph Kucharsky, current organist at Nashotah House Seminary in Wisconsin. A letter of December 27, 1842 located in the Wisconsin State Historical Society Archives (Kemper Collection) indicates that both John Henry Newman and Edward Pusey (another key figure of the Oxford Movement) knew of and were greatly interested in the Nashotah House Mission. Thus, the hymn in this particular setting links the Oxford Movement in both England and the Americas.
The Missa Marialis has been chosen as the Mass setting for today, alluding to the renewed interest in plainsong in the 19th-century. Plainsong was taken up in earnest in the later phases of the Oxford Movement, at once re-establishing a great link with the musical legacy of the early church and setting forth its timelessness as a vehicle for the Common Prayer of the Church.
The day is well worth considering and keeping, for the "religious movement of 1833", which came to be known as the Oxford Movement, though often controversial and divisive, profoundly influenced Anglican religious life. The Church of the Transfiguration has from its beginnings been steeped in the ideals of the Oxford Movement, making this church a particularly appropriate place to continue Newman's custom of observing July 14th. The hymns at today's service are an integral part of our commemoration.
The hymn was greatly reinvigorated in the 19th century, having suffered considerable neglect in the preceding centuries. Thus, hymns were an important component of the Oxford Movement, and two of its founders and principal exponents, John Keble (1792-1866) and John Henry Newman, were gifted writers of hymn texts. Our first hymn today, New every morning is the love, is a fine example of Keble's work in this genre. Keble was intrigued by the idea of the priest/poet, and assumed this role, inspired by the life and works of George Herbert (1593-1633), a metaphysical poet who took holy orders in the Church of England in 1630. The hymn King of glory, King of peace, is a classic poem by Herbert. It was originally entitled Praise, and appeared as the second poem in The Temple, published in 1633. It is often thought that this hymn is a meditation on Psalm 116.
Firmly I believe and truly, and Praise to the Holiest in the height are among Newman's best-known and best-loved hymn texts. They are both found within his splendid extended poem, the Dream of Gerontius, which traces the journey of an aged monk through the gate of death and into the presence of Christ. The work was first published in the Roman Catholic periodical The Month (May and June, 1865), and later made famous when it was set to music by Sir Edward Elgar (1857-1934). Our setting of Firmly I believe and truly is Nashotah House, by Joseph Kucharsky, current organist at Nashotah House Seminary in Wisconsin. A letter of December 27, 1842 located in the Wisconsin State Historical Society Archives (Kemper Collection) indicates that both John Henry Newman and Edward Pusey (another key figure of the Oxford Movement) knew of and were greatly interested in the Nashotah House Mission. Thus, the hymn in this particular setting links the Oxford Movement in both England and the Americas.
The Missa Marialis has been chosen as the Mass setting for today, alluding to the renewed interest in plainsong in the 19th-century. Plainsong was taken up in earnest in the later phases of the Oxford Movement, at once re-establishing a great link with the musical legacy of the early church and setting forth its timelessness as a vehicle for the Common Prayer of the Church.
