BHPC’s Chancel Choir, section leaders, and guest instrumentalists share a special musical offering at the 10:30 am service Sunday, October 19. My Song Shall Be Alway of the Lovingkindness, a multi-movement anthem setting of Psalm 89 by Georg Frederic Händel, reminds us of God’s abiding love and compassion, and the call to faithful, merciful, and ethical leadership at every level.

The piece was written while Händel was the composer-in-residence for the Duke of Chandos, whose court in Cannons (north London) supported the work of several notable artists and writers. While Messiah and later oratorios are Händel’s best-known settings of scripture, he composed an additional thirty or more pieces of English church music during his life including a set of eleven Chandos Anthems between 1717-18. They are small-scaled, imaginative pieces that demonstrate the composer’s imagination and early compositional skill.