Music at Nativity, Huntsville, AL

08/31/2026

Some rousing singing this morning at Nativity on the hymn "Take up your cross, the Savior said" (BOURBON).

Some techniques used in the organ accompaniment to make the hymn come alive:
• creating a multi-layered texture with punctuated bass beneath purposefully articulated upper lines
• varying registration to portray text
• establishing a vigorous character and tempo with an improvised introduction
• a structured interlude consisting of 4-bar phrases to provide extra processional time (and an accidental drawing of the zimbelstern!)
• varied harmonic treatment of each stanza to provide variety and subtle changes of character

08/23/2026

The Nativity Chancel Choir had a productive and enriching retreat in Sewanee this weekend, visiting St. Mary's Convent as well as St. Augustine's Chapel and All Saints Chapel at the University of the South.

08/15/2026

The core of our Music at Nativity is the weekly offering of sacred music that enriches, adorns, and beautifies the liturgies and worship of our church community. This academic year, you can experience the following during services at Nativity:
• 203 hymns
• 103 choral pieces
• 102 organ voluntaries
• 50 sung Psalms
• 34 liturgical chants
• 6 Mass settings

You can peruse the entire Service Music List for the 2026–2027 season here: https://tinyurl.com/MusicAtNativity2026-2027 . We hope you'll join us for worship at Nativity!

08/13/2026

Former WLRH host and organist 𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐞𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐡 will perform Market Music tomorrow (Aug 13) in a program featuring music of Jehan Alain!

08/10/2026

Our young singers at Nativity had a ⚾today and did a super job singing the national anthem at the Trash Pandas game at Toyota Field!!

This Fall, consider enriching your child's life with the gift of music by enrolling them in the Nativity Chorister program! Choristers rehearse on Wednesdays from 5-6pm (our first rehearsal of the season is September 9). Each chorister also has the option to receive weekly individual coaching in voice, piano, or organ at no charge, to supplement their choral music education. In return, they enrich the worship life of Nativity by performing approximately once a month in services or concerts.

FALL 2026 REGISTRATION:
tinyurl.com/NativityChoristersFall2026

08/04/2026

Interested in making music at Nativity this coming year? We've got a wonderfully diverse and beauty-filled season of choral music ahead. To prepare for this season, the Chancel Choir is taking a summer retreat up the mountain to beautiful Sewanee, TN, for several hours of rehearsal, food, and fellowship. Contact Director of Music Aaron Tan [[email protected]] for more details!

07/27/2026

We LOVE to SING and make a joyful noise at Nativity every week! Our congregation raised the roof this morning at both services in two rousing numbers: the traditional folk hymn "Praise him" and Harry Emerson Fosdick's powerful "God of grace and god of glory," sung to the grand Welsh tune CWM RHONNDA.

We are also very thankful to the Cursillo band at Nativity for faithfully playing these past two months at the 8:45am service and imparting an authentically Alabaman vibe and sound to worship. Today was their final Sunday this summer, and we look forward to having them back again next year!

07/24/2026

From today's Market Music recital! Full video: https://youtu.be/vYucQOvIlzQ

Join us every Thursday at 5:15pm for some fun music across from The Greene Street Market at Nativity!

07/03/2026

🎊🇺🇸🎉Happy birthday, America!🎉🇺🇸🎊
Hear all the bells (chimes, harp, zimbelstern) and whistles of our 1942 Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ in Aaron Tan's new transcription of Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever" march. It was premiered last night at Nativity's Market Music series, in an all-American program celebrating Independence Day.

Recorded July 2, 2026The Episcopal Church of the NativityHuntsvil...

07/01/2026

Organists have the ability to play on multiple keyboards at the same time to highlight various colors and textures in symphonic music. Here's a snippet of the famous piccolo solo of Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever" march simultaneously using all four keyboards (3 for hands and 1 for feet) of our historic American classic-style Aeolian Skinner instrument at Nativity.

View Aaron's live recording of the entire piece here! https://youtu.be/CylFRIKM_4A?feature=shared