We are approaching the season of Passiontide. This Sunday is often described as ‘Passion Sunday’ and so our observance of Lent begins to take on a different register as we begin to turn our thoughts to Holy Week and the story of the Passion. This year, for the first time in many years, St Mary’s will be hosting a performance of Stainer’s Crucifixion on Saturday 6 April at 6.00pm. The choir will be made up of volunteers (including me!), directed by Robert Howarth, our Director of Music, with Felix Leach (Tenor) and Giles Underwood (Bass).

John Stainer was the Organist and Director of Music at the University Church from 1861-1871. He eventually became the Organist at St Paul’s Cathedral. In February 1887, as part of a series of Lenten services, the choir of Marylebone Parish Church in London gave the first performance of a Passiontide cantata that was to become an established favourite in churches throughout the country, and still lives on today, The Crucifixion: A Meditation on the Sacred Passion of the Holy Redeemer.

In composing this cantata, Stainer aimed to provide an extended Passiontide meditation, which could be performed by ordinary choirs, and to which congregations could relate. Though perhaps rather more modest than Bach’s Passions, The Crucifixion is clearly modelled on the same scheme of choruses, chorales, recitatives and arias. The libretto was compiled by a clergyman, the Revd William Sparrow-Simpson. It drew on the Gospel accounts for the passion narrative. While some of the music is a little sentimental (John Stainer himself was rather less complimentary about it later in his life), it still retains a power to move and inspire the listener. It draws us to meditate on the passion of Christ.

This performance is also intended to raise money for the project at Littlemore (tickets will be available on the door). If you want to sing, you are welcome to join us in the rehearsal at 2.00pm. For the last twelve months, we have partnered with the parish of Littlemore to support their building project as they seek to open the parish church to the local community, and to support people who are isolated or living below the breadline. There will be a cake-sale and tea immediately before the performance from 5.00pm-6.00pm. We will then listen to the performance, and this will be an opportunity for us to prepare for the season of Passiontide and our observance of Holy Week. 

‘God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whoso believeth in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life. 
For God sent not his Son into the world
to condemn the world;
but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3.16-17)