Creationtide Service

Each Autumn the church observes a special period called Creationtide set aside to honour God as the Creator and Sustainer of all life and also to raise awareness of the urgent ecological challenges facing us all.

We shall be marking this with a special Creationtide Service of seasonal readings and music on Sunday 12th October at 5:30pm.

St Bride’s Choir will be joined by St Bride’s Orchestra to perform extracts from Haydn’s most famous and most accomplished work – The Creation – which retells and celebrates the story of creation as portrayed in the Book of Genesis. We are delighted that the choir will be boosted by members of the EC4 Music Chamber Choir and Coro, the London Chamber Choir.

All are welcome to join us for refreshments which will be served after the event.

Creationtide is a time to rejoice in the gift of creation, to reflect on our place within it, and to renew our calling to care for the Earth.

Through prayer, worship, and practical action, we seek to respond faithfully to the climate and biodiversity crises and nurture the wellbeing of nature and all living things.

Music

The eighteenth century German composer Joseph Haydn was much inspired by the dramatic oratorios of his fellow countryman Handel. He had heard them during his visits to London and wanted to try the form for himself.

Haydn had been brought to London by the German impresario Johann Salomon who had written a poem called The Creation of the World as a potential oratorio libretto.

It was based on biblical texts from Genesis and the Psalms and John Milton’s epic poem, Paradise Lost. Salomon originally offered the text to Handel but Handel declined it saying it was too long.

Haydn, however, jumped at the chance and asked his friend Baron van Swieten to translate it into German. However, both were determined that there should be both German and English versions, so van Swieten translated it back into English when the work was printed. Sadly, Milton’s poetry did not fare the double translation process very well which resulted in some awkward passages!

The work takes us through the six days of God’s creation described in Genesis and into the seventh when Adam and Eve marvel at the result.

At our service you will hear extracted highlights from Parts I & II which not only complement the theme of our service but also demonstrate why the work was such a huge success at its premiere and why it remains a much-loved and admired choral piece.

Admission

Like all our services here at St Bride’s this event is open to all, ticketless and free to attend.

Support St Bride’s

There will be a retiring collection at the end of the service to support the work, ministry and music-making of St Bride’s and help maintain our magnificent Wren church.

St Bride’s is wholly reliant on and deeply grateful for the generous support of our visitors and congregation.

Donations can be made by cash or contactless at church or via JustGiving.

Do please Gift Aid your donation if you are eligible which generates an extra 25p in every £1 donated.

Additional Information

Directions to St Bride’s Church and information about accessibility are available on our Visit Us page. Attendees are free to come and go quietly as they wish.