Composing history: new music marks 140th anniversary at All Saints

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This article was published 25/11/2023 (685 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Alongside the old familiar carols, this year Winnipeg-based composer Mark Holmes à Court will also sing — and hear — one of his own compositions at his church’s annual Advent service next weekend.

On Sunday, Dec. 3, Holmes à Court’s piece titled St. John the Baptist will be one of 10 sung by the 22 members of All Saints Anglican Church choir at their 4 p.m. Advent procession of lessons and carols.

“I like being part of the structure of telling the story,” says the 28-year-old choral composer of his commission commemorating the 70th annual Advent procession and the 140th anniversary of the downtown church.

Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and ends on Dec. 24. This year, the first Sunday of Advent falls on Dec. 3.

Using the text of a short poem by 17th century English poet Anne Killigrew, the Winnipegger’s a cappella carol, written in four parts, focuses on the austere life of St. John the Baptist and his devotion to God. It is included in the fifth of the nine lessons, which begins with the story of the fall of humanity, moves through the Hebrew Bible, and then focuses on the life and death of Jesus and the promise of a new Jerusalem.

Instead of singing solely from the choir loft, members of the choir process from the back of the sanctuary to sing from various points in the nearly century-old building, moving the sound around the room to symbolize the unfolding story, explains organist and choir director Dietrich Bartel.

“The choir starts at the back of the church and moves from west to east, representing the movement from darkness to light,” says Bartel, music minister at All Saints Anglican Church since 1996.

“That’s the idea of the procession — to move from one place to the next.”

This year’s procession will only be the second for Holmes à Court, who joined the choir’s bass section in December 2021, a week or two after the Advent event.

“As a choir member, I like the change of sound, depending on where we were,” recalls Holmes à Court, who has previously written music for the Good Friday service at St. Benedict’s Table, which meets Sunday evenings in the same building.

“It feels like we’re in an Advent or Christmassy mood and you’re gearing up to the coming holidays.”

Thought to be the first Advent procession in Canada, the annual event at All Saints Anglican Church began in 1953 under the direction of organist and choirmaster H. Hugh Bancroft, who brought the idea to Winnipeg after attending an Advent procession in Cambridge, England.

In its early days, clergy from other Anglican churches delivered the readings and church members from across the diocese attended, says Bartel.

“Apparently the church was wall-to-wall people,” he says of the early history of the procession.

“It still draws from congregations all over the city and not just Anglicans. People start their Advent this way.”

The afternoon service includes music composed over the last five centuries or so, but having a new piece included adds more layers of meaning, says Bartel.

“It definitely brings new energy,” he says of the piece commissioned for the procession.

“This is something we haven’t done before.”

The same goes for Holmes à Court, who will sing alongside others performing the melodies and harmonies that only lived in his head until now.

“I get to see it come to light,” says Holmes à Court, who studied composition and guitar at Canadian Mennonite University and went on to complete a master’s degree in composition at York University.

The composition has already wormed its way into Bartel’s ear, who admits waking up with the tune in his head. He sees possibilities for singing the piece during other parts of the liturgical year and believes it could be used well beyond the Winnipeg congregation.

For Holmes à Court, who works in craft services for movie productions, hearing his own composition inside his own church gives him a new appreciation for the creative aspects of worship.

“I’m happy to contribute to the wealth of expression and ways of looking at Scripture and be able to share it with the congregation and anyone who wants to listen,” he says.

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After a three-year absence due to pandemic restrictions, a 95-member community choir led by Westminster United Church’s Stuart Sladden sings Handel’s Messiah at Covenant Christian Reformed Church, 653 Knowles Ave., for three performances Dec. 15 to 17. Accompanied by a 20-piece orchestra, this year the choir also performs a shorter Sunday matinee version of the classic oratorio, featuring the Christmas section and the Hallelujah Chorus, suitable for families with young children, says organizer Trisha Booy.

“It’s such an iconic work that a lot of people love and want to hear, especially at Christmas,” says Booy, who will play harpsichord for the performances.

Tickets are available at https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/covenant-christian-reformed-church/events/handels-messiah-2023/ All proceeds will be donated to Harvest Manitoba.

brenda.suderman@freepress.mb.ca

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