Download About the Music The anthem, “Shepherd Me, Lord” by Gershon

About the Music
The anthem, “Shepherd Me, Lord” by Gershon Kingsley is an
uplifting and energetic piece. Kingsley, a contemporary German
American composer (b. 1922), is a pioneer of electronic music, the
Moog synthesizer, and founder of the First Moog Quartet. Kingsley
partnered with Jean-Jacques Perrey in electronic music. This duo,
Perrey and Kingsley, wrote rock-inspired compositions for Jewish
religious ceremonies. Kingsley is known for his famous “Popcorn," an
early synthpop instrumental, composed by in 1969 and first appearing
on his album Music to Moog By. The same year it was released and
recorded at Audio Fidelity Records label in New York City. The
composition received its title during a meeting between Kingsley and
Audio Fidelity; Kingsley indicated the track did not have a title and
someone suggested "Popcorn", with 'Pop' standing for pop music and
'corn' for kitsch.
The offertory, “The Lord is My Shepherd” is by American
composer Randall Thompson, 1899-1984. Thompson’s earliest works,
around 1915, were for a small organ. In 1916, Thompson entered
Harvard University where he applied for membership in the Glee Club,
but was rejected. Thompson spent much of his future career composing
choral music, which he once stated was "an attempt to strike back" at
the forces that turned him away. Later, he received a doctorate from
Eastman School of Music. By the end of the 1920s, Thompson was
awarded a Guggenheim Foundation grant, where he examined the state
of college level music education in America. The results published
College Music, helped reset the collegiate agenda in music education
nationwide. Thompson’s career as an educator was very influential: He
was head of Curtis and help professorships at Wellesley, University of
California in Berkeley, University of Virginia in Charlottesville,
Princeton, and Harvard, from whence he retired from teaching in 1965.
Thompson composed until a few months of his death at the age of 85.