Music for Candlemas at Church of the Advent

A Candlemas tapestry that hangs in the nave of the cathedral of Strasbourg (photograph by Tangopaso, from Wikimedia Commons, public domain)

This Sunday Schola Adventus, the resident choir at the Church of the Advent of Christ the King, will provide the music for the Procession and High Mass service for the celebration of Candlemas. Also known as the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus Christ and the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, this is a Christian Holy Day that commemorates the presentation of Jesus at the Temple. For the celebration of the High Mass, Director of Music Paul Ellison has arranged for Schola Adventus to sing William Byrd’s five-voice setting of the Mass text. They will also sing Byrd’s anthem “Senex puerum portabat” (the old man carried the boy), as depicted in the above image of a tapestry illustrating the Presentation of Jesus Christ. Ellison will also provide organ music for the Procession and Postlude, drawing upon compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach and Johannes Brahms.

The Church of the Advent of Christ the King is located at 261 Fell Street, between Franklin Street and Gough Street. The entry is diagonally across the street from the SFJAZZ Center. This is an inclusive parish of the Episcopal Church in the Anglo-Catholic tradition. The service will begin at 11 a.m. this coming Sunday, February 2. Those wishing further information may call 415-431-0454.