Fitting music for Saturday before Easter

Dear Hwérs

* I am looking for a fitting piece to play - about 3-5 minutes for the service on the Saturday before Easter ( in Holland called Stille Zaterdag - Silent Saturday )

Anyone who can give me a hint ?

The service is real sober - no organ playing before or after the service.. so the musicpiece is should be meditative in general

kind regards

Hans

Stille Zaterdag - Silent Saturday )

If it's silent, how about nothing?
Steve

John Cage's 4' 33"?

This depends on the nature of the service being held. In some parts of the Anglican Church Holy Saturday (Easter Eve) is seen as an important feast:

“The EasterVigil marks the end of the emptiness of Holy Saturday, and leads
into the celebration of Christ’s resurrection. The singing of the Exsultet,
the ancient hymn of triumph and rejoicing, links this night of our Christian
redemption to the Passover night of Israel’s redemption out of Egypt.”

See https://www.churchofengland.org/media/41157/tseasterlit.pdf for some details.

Music suggestion: Silence at the start of the service.
Hymns, anthems to fit the liturgy. Include the Exsultet. Responsive procession with stations declaring "The Light of Christ" with the response "Thanks be to God"! (on successively higher notes) ending with a huge Alleluia.
Major joyful piece at the end.
Consider:
Jean Langlais - Incantation pour un jour Saint.
Jehan Alain Litanies

Iain

Hello Hans,

First thing that comes to mind is Hermann Schroeder's In stiller Nacht. Absolutely perfect for the sombre mood of your service. It's one of his Six Chorales, Op. 11. (Publisher: Schott.) Also in that same opus is Schönster Herr Jesu--equally sombre, meditative, very beautiful. Unfortunately, they are both quite brief. (Schönster Herr Jesu, played very slowly, just makes it to 3:00.) Perhaps you could play both? Together, they would give you about 5:00. Schroeder produced a treasure trove of lovely short organ works.

Best regards,
Scott