Choral music enriches worship at St. Martin’s.
St. Martin’s parishioners include an abundance of gifted musicians who love to incorporate others into their midst. The choir sings at the Sunday 10am service, with accompaniment by organ, piano and occasionally guitar, string bass, praise band, violin, and flute (and we’re open to other instruments too). Anthems range from Renaissance motets to contemporary Christian music. On the fourth Sunday of the month, we have more interactive service, designed to be accessible to a wide variety of ages. We also have a Pop-Up Choir on Fourth Sundays, which means anyone can join the choir to sing the anthem; just show up at 9:15am to learn the song.
Jeffrey Jubenville leads the program as Music Director and organist. He works with Choir Director Suzanne Jubenville.
Our sanctuary also includes a Baldwin grand piano and an organ built by the the Bond Organ Company.
♫ CLEF NOTES ♫
Notes from our Music Directors for Sunday, March 8, 2026
On this Third Sunday of Lent, the image of thirst is vivid in our readings: in Exodus, God brings water from the rock; in John’s Gospel, Jesus offers the Samaritan woman “living water” of eternal life. The choir will sing “Sicut cervus,” by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c. 1525–1594), one of the most important composers of the Renaissance and a central figure in the music of the Catholic Church during the Counter-Reformation. At a time when church leaders were concerned that complex polyphony obscured sacred texts, his style demonstrated that intricate vocal writing could still allow the words to be clear. The Latin text is from Psalm 42 (“as the deer desires the springs of water, so my own soul longs for you, O God”). The flowing lines of Palestrina’s imitative polyphony evoke the movement of water itself, giving voice to the soul’s deep longing for God. Jeffrey continues to feature the music of Dan Locklair, with the organ aria “God moves in mysterious ways…”). This is the first movement from a diptych entitled “In Mystery and Wonder” commissioned in 2003 by the organ builders Casavant Freres d’Saint-Hyacinthe in Quebec, on the occasion of the company’s 125th anniversary. This opening movement is a meditative chaconne (listen for the repeated chord pattern); in the larger work, it is followed by a rhythmic toccata.
—Stay tuned for our next installment!
