At Saint Nicholas' it is usual to have an instrumental work at the beginning and at the end of the Sunday Eucharist. This music reflects careful preparation and genuine attention to the enhancement of worship. It is not a minor detail—any more than a powerful, well-constructed overture is minor in terms of announcing a play, an opera, a musical or a movie.
These Preludes and Postludes—often called "voluntaries" because they are freely chosen by the musician—perform these useful tasks:
- They attract the attention of the congregation and set the mood of the Sunday. On some Sundays the public worship of the church has a joyful and triumphant theme—for example Easter and Christmas. At other times of the year the mood is somber and penitential—for example Advent.
- The voluntaries announce the Sunday theme musically and reflect and comment on it musically. They may also introduce musical themes which may occur in a later point of the service.
- They unify the congregation's point of view.
- At the close of the service they move the congregation out into the world with a resounding affirmation of all that has been said and done in the liturgy.
Click to listen to P. Christiansen's "What a Wondrous Love is This, O My Soul. . ."
Next: The Liturgy of the Book