Growth and perspective are beautiful parts of any life – and of any community. Today’s piano selections all hold meaning that fit into this Sunday’s theme of spring cleaning and transformation. Growth sometimes asks us to let things go but it also invites us to look more closely at what can be deepened, reshaped, or carried forward.
Today’s service started with a solo piano version of Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing as the prelude. While this classic hymn might have been familiar to anyone who has ever attended a Christian church, I wanted the melody to be in the ears and minds of those for whom it was new. Renowned church composer and arranger Joseph Martin created an ethereal arrangement that turns the musically square tune – referring to its very vertical sense of rhythm, like a slow march – into something flowing and flexible, letting us hear the song immediately before singing without getting tired of it. This hymn was composed in 1758, by Robert Robinson, whose teenage years were spent engaging in frivolities and debauchery. However, upon hearing a sermon on divine grace from preacher/orator George Whitefield (one of the fathers of the Methodist church), Robertson converted and became a pastor himself by the age of twenty-two. The original lyrics were explicitly Christian, but when creating a new Unitarian Universalist hymnal (which we now know as Singing the Living Tradition), the strong bones of this hymn were recognized, and once portions of the original lyrics were rewritten, a beautiful hybrid of traditional and new became part of the UU repertoire.
Turn! Turn! Turn! may be the only example I can think of of an unaltered Bible verse that’s been adapted into a wildly popular hit pop song. The Byrds’ performance of Pete Seeger’s composition became a chart topper in the middle of the Vietnam War and the formation of the 1960’s counterculture. Whether interpreted as a protest song or voicing the idea that change happens, it’s a catchy reminder that transformation unfolds within a larger rhythm. The form and layout of the music mirror the song’s meaning: the repetition of “To everything, turn, turn, turn…” creates a cyclical pattern, echoing the changing of seasons.
Turn! Turn! Turn! was originally meant to be an accompanied vocal solo today, but due to a cold – or perhaps the Willamette Valley’s allergy triggers! – it became a solo piano reflection instead. David Lanz’s rendition (performed here by the arranger) is a particularly lovely way to experience this old favorite.
Both Sides Now is universally loved for so many reasons: its poignant melody and harmonies, its poetic lyrics, and its themes of vulnerability, uncertainty, and perspective. What once seemed simple becomes more complicated upon closer inspection. Our views and beliefs evolve the more we learn. Earlier experiences are not erased, but broadened with greater understanding. When placed in the context of Rev. Alex’s sermon, it begs the questions “When is it time to let something go? And what are we holding on to – and why does it matter?”
The arrangement of Both Sides Now that I played today is from the 2021 film CODA [the acronym for Children of Deaf Adults – swept industry awards a few years ago with its moving portrayal of a gifted singer born to deaf parents. Any and all times that Joni Mitchell has sung Both Sides Now will always be the gold standard against which all other performances are measured against…but I challenge you to not tear up when watching this video of Emilia Jones singing and signing Both Sides Now for her deaf family during her conservatory audition. They can’t hear her gorgeous voice, but they can appreciate the deep meaning behind the words she sings, and understand the weight they carry as her character grows up.
I had a different postlude planned for today, but after the Time for All Ages included the messages that today was Palm Sunday and that being Unitarian Universalist and Christian (or any other religion) need not be mutually exclusive, I had two immediate thoughts. The first was that I would have to play “Hosanna” from Jesus Christ Superstar for the postlude, which was immediately followed by my asking myself question “the UUFC community will know this song…right?” Sometimes I play selections pulled from the musical theatre world that aren’t as well known, but I made a little bet with myself that if I played “Hosanna” today, it would be recognized. I was delighted to see a number of congregants gathered by the piano who not only were familiar with the song but who were heartily singing along!