Sunday, November 1
Today, for All Saints, we sing four movements from one of Western music’s great sacred monuments: Mozart’s Requiem. Famously left unfinished at the composer’s death, the legend that Mozart wrote his own Requiem near the end of his life grew steadily in the 19th century, though it’s not technically true. Regardless, it stands as one of the great settings of the ancient text, a poignant exploration of loss and memory.
Introit — Requiem aeternam (Introit)
“Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.” Mozart opens in D minor, the chorus entering softly in homophonic chords over a quiet, syncopated pulse. The middle section, Te decet hymnus (“A hymn befits you, O God, in Zion”), lifts into a brighter key with a single soprano line above the chorus, before the opening prayer and its music return.
Dies Irae (Anthem)
“Day of wrath, that day shall dissolve the world in ashes, as David and the Sibyl foretold.” The chorus declaims in driving, rhythmic unison and octaves, short repeated-note phrases hammering the words, accents falling against the beat. At Quantus tremor est futurus (“How great the trembling shall be”), the sound pulls back, quieter and more awestruck, before the force returns.
Tuba Mirum (Offertory)
“The trumpet, scattering a wondrous sound through the tombs of every land, will summon all before the throne.” After the full chorus, Mozart narrows to solo voices: a low solo voice carries the summons in long, declamatory phrases, and the solo quartet answers with Mors stupebit et natura (“Death and nature shall be astounded”), entering in turn in a quasi-operatic style.
Lacrimosa (Communion)
“That day of tears, when guilty humanity shall rise from the ashes to be judged: spare them, O God. Merciful Jesus, Lord, grant them rest. Amen.” Slow 12/8, D minor. The vocal lines are built from sighing, descending figures—appoggiaturas that lean and fall, sounding much like dropping tears—over chromatically shifting harmonies. Mozart wrote only the first eight bars before his death; his student Franz Xaver Süssmayr completed it, including the closing Amen.
– Justin Smith
Sunday, October 25
Today’s music gathers around the first verses of John’s Gospel — the Prologue we hear read this morning (John 1:1–14) — and around the wonder that runs through it: before there was anything, there was the Word. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… All things came into being through him.”
The choir’s anthem, *The Word Was God* by Rosephanye Powell (b. 1962), sets exactly those words (John 1:1–3) and lets us hear creation happen. First performed in 1993 and published in 1996, it has become one of the most beloved American anthems of the last thirty years. Powell, a professor of voice at Auburn University and one of America’s leading choral composers, paints the text in sound: the anthem begins in bare unison — one voice for the one God, and for the nothingness that existed before creation — then gathers voices, rhythm, and syncopated energy drawn from African American sacred traditions as the world is spoken into being. A calmer middle section proclaims that “all things were made by him,” before six entrances of “In the beginning was the Word” — one for each day of creation — build to a climax and a held silence, and the anthem’s whole argument lands: “and the Word was God!”
Against the choir’s word-filled proclamation stands Psalm 19, which insists the heavens declare God’s glory *without* words: “There is no speech, nor are there words… yet their voice goes out through all the earth” (Ps 19:3–4). We hear the psalm today in Beethoven’s *Die Ehre Gottes aus der Natur* (“The Glory of God in Nature”) — No. 4 of his Six Songs, Op. 48 (1801–02), on a poem by Christian Fürchtegott Gellert (1757) that closely paraphrases the psalm’s opening: the heavens and the seas praising God, the countless stars, and the sun emerging from its tent to run its course “like a hero.” Better known as “Die Himmel rühmen” or, in English, “The Heavens Are Telling,” it is played today in an arrangement for B♭ clarinet and organ, the clarinet taking what was the singer’s line. That turns out to be exactly the point: a song about creation’s praise, carried by an instrument rather than a voice — Psalm 19’s silent declaration made literal, even as Gellert dares to call it a “göttlich Wort,” a *divine word*, proclaimed by earth and sea.
– Justin Smith
Sunday, August 23
Today’s service music is both traditional and new. Traditional, because our wonderful choir offers a sturdy, straightforward anthem from the loft in the Anthem slot. Howard Helvey’s no-nonsense arrangement of the early American tune “Take up your cross, your Savior said,” reminiscent in style and construction of the shape-note singing we worshipped with as a congregation this past May. The hymn tune might not be familiar, but the text should be – it’s a paraphrase of Matthew 16:24, one of the lectionary readings for today’s service. The tune itself, sturdy and sternly composed, is a perfect musical image for that text, which instructs us to face head-on the daily challenges, sacrifices, and commitment of following Jesus, rather than turning away when life gets hard.
The rest of the music today – the “new” part – comes from some of the immensely talented young people in our community. The group, Harmonious Hearts, is a collection of classically trained musicians who attend Charlotte Latin School together. I think they’re terrific, though I admit I might be biased because my son, Nicholas Smith, plays with them! They’ve been looking to share their prodigious musical gifts with the Charlotte community, and so I thought of Trinity’s wonderfully welcoming and open community. I’ll let their own beautiful, thoughtfully constructed mission statement do the rest of the introducing. I hope you enjoy their ministry today.
Harmonious Hearts
“Founded in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2024, we are a community-centered music organization dedicated to using the universal language of song to uplift, unite, and inspire. From our first neighborhood performance to the expanding calendar of events we now coordinate, our work is rooted in the belief that music can transform individual lives and strengthen our city’s social fabric. Neighborhood outreach extends our work beyond just concert halls. Our team organizes pop-up performances in parks, senior living centers, and community centers, bringing live music to people where they are and creating shared moments of joy. We also run targeted programs for seniors, veterans, and individuals experiencing homelessness, using music therapy-informed practices to support emotional well-being, reduce isolation, and encourage connection.
Inclusivity and diversity inform everything we do. We intentionally program a wide array of musical genres, including classical and jazz music, so our offerings reflect Charlotte’s rich cultural tapestry. We partner with artists and cultural organizations across the region to amplify underrepresented voices and ensure every community sees itself reflected on stages. We measure success not only in attendance numbers but in stories of personal transformation: a child discovering confidence through their first solo, an elderly audience member whose spirits are lifted by familiar songs, neighbors who meet for the first time and leave as friends.
These human moments drive our ongoing commitment to service and inform the evolution of our programs. Looking ahead, we aim to expand our reach throughout the greater Charlotte region, scale school and therapeutic initiatives, and incubate new artist-led residency programs that give creatives the resources to engage deeply with neighborhoods over time. We will continue to champion music as a force for creativity, healing, and human connection, building a more vibrant, compassionate, and harmonious community for all.”
– Justin Smith
Sunday, August 16
Thrilled to be back in the loft with my dear friends and colleagues, helping to lead worship once again this Sunday. We have a wonderful season of music planned and, it should be said, are OPEN TO ALL regardless of prior singing experience. Join us!
Our introit is the same piece we’ve opened the fall with for the last four years of my tenure at Trinity – the Houston composer David White’s mystical, magical Spirit moving over chaos. The text and music convey the welcoming of God into our presence through song, with tinkling bells and a newly composed hymn tune that serve to remind us of our work in the choir loft and the joy we take in it.
The anthem is short and sweet (necessarily so, since today is also our first rehearsal of the new season!). It’s a harmonization of an Orthodox chant setting a line from the Galatians reading today, where Paul compares being baptized in Christ to putting on new clothes.
If you’d like to give us a try, there is no audition and no prerequisites! Simply email me and show up at 9:30am next Sunday!
– Justin Smith