5 p.m.
The Incarnation Choir sings Choral Evensong each Sunday afternoon. One of the gems of the Anglican liturgical tradition, Evensong is a perfect way to begin your week in rest and quietness amidst the beauty of Church of the Incarnation. A wine and cheese reception follows the service.
Music Information for Sunday, May 12 (Ascension Day, Observed)
Known primarily for his incidental music, composer Patrick Gowers also wrote a significant amount of church music in a highly original style. His anthem, Viri Galilæi, written for the consecration of Richard Harries as Bishop of Oxford at St Paul’s Cathedral in 1987, sets the text of the Ascension Day Introit as well as a verse from the well-known hymn "Hail, the conqueror mounts in triumph."
The piece opens with impressions of the glittering heavens, depicted through the organ part (played by two organists), which repeats a pattern of high-pitched undulations. As the piece unfolds, it crescendos into loud, triumphant fanfares, before eventually returning to a quiet awe, reflecting on the preceding event.
* During the summer, Choral Evensong is on hiatus from Memorial Day to Labor Day weekend.