Music, Architecture, and Culture of Emmanuel Church
Emmanuel Church, built in 1861, was the very first building on Newbury street and yet it remains the crown jewel of a block filled with fancy shops, iconic buildings, and public gardens. When Alexander Rice Etsy completed this building he set the tone for Boston's beautiful Back bay neighborhood. Although the tone of Back Bay has changed, Etsy's work stands a fervent reminder of the rich cultural history that the modern neighborhood is built upon. Etsy was one of New England's most iconic architects, his Gothic revivalist style is sprinkled throughout all of Boston, and yet Emmanuel Church sticks out as one of his most lasting works. One reason that the building continues to thrive is the fact that the church community treats money as no object when it comes to repairs, hiring architectural firms like Allen & Collens, Campbell & Aldrich, and artist Ninian Comper. The church community appropriatly fills this historic artisan structure with concerts, classes, and more in appreciation of the arts.
"The arts have always been important to the spiritual life at Emmanuel, but in the 1960s we explicitly added art and music to our mission as another expression of healing ministry and outreach." - Emmanuel Church Mission
The most visually striking part of both the church and the chapel is its collection of stained glass. Known as Frederic Crowninshield's masterpiece, The Pilgrims Progress stands 20 feet tall and shines light over the entire sanctuary. The work was a marvel of its time and may only be outdone by Tiffany & Co.'s piece that stands out despite it being tucked in the back. The detail and color are far more vibrant in person and it was described by my tourguide as, "the closest thing anyone has ever created to a depicition of heaven". With these two works of art, Emmanuel church had already made a name for itself but Ninian Comper's chapel escalated the building into a landmark. Comper is credited with the design of the entire chapel but nothing stands out more than her stained glass depiction of the female saints. It is most known for being one of the first ever chapels to exclusively honor heriones of the bible but the artistry has earned this chapel the title as, "the hidden gem of Boston". While it would probably be a misrepresentation to call the stained glass collection a palimpsest, De Certeau's notion of a "patchwork quilt" depicts this eclectic and cross-generational potpourri of glass art rather well. Although, unlike in De Certeau's cynical account, the diverse collection comes together to enhance the greater structure that is Emmanuel church.
Where this church has a presence as a physical landmark, it has a presence in the Boston classical music scene tenfold. According to my guide, "this church has been a center for musical studies since the day it was built". Whether or not its musical history is as old as they claim, today it remains a pilar of the Boston music community due to the Emmanuel Music collective, which plays all of Bach's 200 sacred cantatas. That group, founded in 1970 by Craig Smith, along with the church's many esteemed choirs is clearly a haven for religious music.