Justin Appel

Dear Friends,

Today’s Old Testament reading involves Isaiah’s vision of God in the temple, the text which forms the basis of that ‘ordinary’ part of the Eucharistic Prayers, the Sanctus. That text, together with the introductory sentence reads like this in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer:

Therefore with Angels and Archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify thy glorious Name; evermore praising thee, and saying: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts, heaven and earth are full of thy glory: Glory be to thee, O Lord most High. Amen.

This text has received quite a variety of aesthetic explorations historically, from esoteric, lofty treatments of the topic to intimate, sentimental expressions.

An example of the latter is the Missa ad praesepe (‘Mass at the manger’) by the English composer George Malcolm, a delightful pastorale setting that includes a certain British warmth-with-reserve.

For another modern, yet more austere setting, the Missa Trinitatis Sanctae by the British organist and psychoanalyst Francis Grier explores a more mystical vision of God’s glory.

I have found both of these settings to be uplifting and moving interpretations of Isaiah’s words, and I trust you will benefit from them.

Yours in Christ,
Justin