directed by Dr. Fredrick Lokken
Email us:
BellevueChamberChorus @yahoo.com
|
directed by Dr. Fredrick Lokken
Email us:
BellevueChamberChorus @yahoo.com |
|
|
|
December 2008: The World Rejoices
Part I
O beatum et sacrosanctum diem……………………………………….
Peter Philips (1561-1628)
A Spotless Rose……………………………………………………..Herbert
Howells (1892-1983)
soloists
–
Larry Richardson (12/20),
Michael Bezruchka (12/21)
Ein Kind ist uns geboren…………………………………………….Heinrich
Schütz (1585-1672)
Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen….………………………………...Michael
Praetorius (ca.1571-1621)
Hugo Distler (1908-1942)
Jan Sändstrom (b.1954)
solo quartet – Bethany Staats, Vanessa Bradford, Mike Grube, Frank
Trujillo
Jul, Jul, Strålande Jul……………………Gustaf
Nordqvist (1886-1946); piano arr. Dan Davison
Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy
(from
The Nutcracker)....…Peter
Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Kristine Anderson, piano
Ave Maria……………………………………………………………………Javier
Busto (b.1949)
O magnum mysterium………………………………………………………David
Childs (b.1969)
Hodie Christus natus est
…………………………………………....Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)
Part II
Betelehemu………….…Nigerian
carol; Via Olatunji, Wendell Whalum, arr. Barrington Brooks
De Tierra Lejana Venimos……….……………………Puerto
Rican carol, arr. Gary Fry (b.1955)
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear………..Edmund
Sears, Richard Willis, arr. Kristine Anderson
Kristine Anderson, piano
Hanukkah Blessings
(Baruch
Atah)…………………………………………..Ron
Jeffers (b.1943)
Lo V’chayil………………………………………………………………………...Elliot
Z. Levine
S’vivon…………………………………………………….…………traditional,
arr. Steve Barnett
Winter Solstice Moon………………………………………………….David
Frank Long (b.1966)
Bun gând s-o gânditu……………………....traditional
Romanian carol, arr. Tudor Jarda (b.1922)
Here We Come A-Wassailing…………………
traditional English carol, arr. John Rutter (b.1945)
Special thanks to Ulrika Claesson
and Susan Dolacky for Swedish language assistance,
and Gabriel Dumitrescu for Romanian
language coaching.
Welcome to
The World Rejoices,
a musical celebration of the diverse traditions of the holiday season.
Our program explores the joyous sounds and many moods of
Christmas, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, and the New Year around the globe.
We begin with music from English composers, both early and modern.
Peter Philips fled his native London at the age of 21 to escape
persecution for his Catholic faith, settling in Antwerp and later
Brussels. His jubilant
O beatum et sacrosanctum diem
dates from 1612, and displays continental influence: dramatic,
sectional, and concise, filled with stark contrasts as opposed to fluid
counterpoint. Note
especially his exciting word-painting at “in sono tubae” (with the sound
of trumpets).
O blessed and most holy day
on which our Lord deigned to be born of the Virgin Mary for our
sake:
Let the whole world therefore rejoice,
and let us sing to him with the sound of trumpets, strings, harp,
and organ.
Let us rejoice with the numerous hosts of angels ceaselessly singing
his praise.
Alleluia.
Herbert Howells was one of England’s great 20th century composers,
particularly known for his large output of Anglican church music, much
of which was strongly influenced by Renaissance models. His lovely
A Spotless Rose
(a setting of an anonymous 14th century text) is the
most well-known of his three Christmas Carol-Anthems written in 1919.
Moving across the channel to
Germany, we perform first one of the wonderful Christmas motets by the
great 17th
century composer Heinrich Schütz.
From his collection of “Kleine Geistliche Konzerte” (Little
Sacred Concertos) published in 1636, the lively
Ein Kind ist
uns geboren
is marked by
striking rhythmic contrasts, mood changes, and the composer’s typical
careful sensitivity to textual meaning and stresses.
Ein Kind ist uns geboren,
ein Sohn ist uns gegeben,
welches Herrschaft ist auf seiner Schulter;
und er heißt Wunderbar, Rat, Kraft, Held,
Ewig-Vater, Friedefürst.
Auf dass seine Herrschaft gross werden
und des Friedens kein Ende,
Auf dem Stuhle David, und seinem Königreiche,
Dass er zurichte und stärke
mit Gericht und Gerechtigkeit
Solches wird tun der Eifer des Herren Zebaoth.
For unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given;
and the government will be upon his shoulder;
and his name will be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his kingdom and
of peace there shall be no end,
Upon the throne of David and his kingdom
to establish and uphold it with justice and
righteousness.
The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will do this.
Isaiah 9:6,7
The familiar German carol
Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen (Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming)
originated in the 15th or early 16th century. We
perform it in three versions: the familiar chorale setting by Michael
Praetorius from 1609; a gently lilting setting by Hugo Distler (in his
centennial anniversary year) from his 1933 cantata
Die
Weihnachtsgeschichte (The Christmas Story); and a wonderfully mystical version
by the
contemporary Swede Jan
Sändstrom, in which the familiar chorale is slowed to half tempo over a
Also from Sweden comes the beloved
Jul, Jul, Strålande Jul,
sometimes described as the Swedish
Silent Night.
Published in 1921, the text reflects the recent horrors of WWI.
Puyallup choral educator and
Jul, jul, strålande jul, glans över vita skogar,
Kom, kom, signade jul, sänk dina vita vingar.
Shining Christmas, light above white forests,
Glowing bows in the houses of God,
Hymns that are sung from time to time,
Eternal desire of light and peace.
Come, holy Christmas, lower your white wings.
Above the blood and sounds of war.
Over the sighs from humankind.
Over the young whose days go past.
Come, holy Christmas, lower your white wings.
We experience Christmas in Russia in a piano arrangement of the
delightful
Dance of the Sugarplum
The first half of our program concludes with three settings of
traditional Latin texts. Born in the Basque region of Spain, and
initially trained as a physician, Javier Busto over the past twenty
years has gained
international recognition as a choral conductor and
composer, as evidenced by his sumptuous
Ave Maria.
Ave Maria, gratia plena.
ora pro nobis peccatoribus,
nunc et in hora mortis nostrae.
Amen
Hail, Mary, full of grace!
The Lord is with you.
Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen
New Zealand-born and trained David Childs, now on the faculty of
Vanderbilt University, is emerging as a significant contemporary choral
composer. His stunning version of
O magnum mysterium recalls
medieval styles as it utilizes some of the original
chant melody.
O magnum mysterium, et admirabile
sacramentum, ut animalia viderent Dominum
natum, jacentem in praesepio!
Beata Virgo, cujus viscera
meruerunt portare Dominum Christum.
Domine, audivi auditum tuum
Et timui consideravi opera tua
Et expavi in medio duorum animalium.
O great mystery and wondrous sign,
that animals should see the birth of the Lord,
lying in the manger!
Blessed virgin, whose womb was worthy
to bear the Lord Jesus Christ: Alleluia.
Lord, I hear your instruction and considered
your works,
And I trembled in the midst of two animals.
Francis Poulenc’s rousing
Hodie Christus natus est
(from his “Quatre Motets pour le Temps de Noël” of 1952) shows the
Frenchman at his idiosyncratic best, repeating brief phrases with slight
variations,
Hodie Christus natus est:
Today Christ is born.
Today the Savior has appeared.
Today on earth the angels sing,
the archangels rejoice.
Today the righteous exult, saying:
Glory to God in the highest!
Alleluia!
The exciting
Betelehemu,
written in the Yoruba dialect, gives us a taste of the joyous sounds and
rhythms of Christmas in Africa.
We are glad that we have a Father to trust and rely on.
Where was Jesus born?
Bethlehem, the city of wonder.
That is where he was born for sure.
Praise be to Him. We thank you for this day, gracious Father.
Praise be to you, merciful Father.
Moving to the New World,
De Tierra Lejana Venimos is a traditional Puerto Rican carol about the journey of
the Wise Men to the manger.
Associated with the Feast of the Epiphany, the custom is for children to
set out food and drink for the Magi and their camels, for it is the Wise
Men who will bring
Written in 1849 by Unitarian minister Edmund H. Sears (1810-1876), the
text of
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear again reflects a period of international strife; revolution
in Europe and the United States' war with Mexico inspired the emphasis
on the angels’ message of peace, especially in the less familiar later
stanzas
(“And man, at war with man, hears not The love-song which they bring: O hush the noise, ye
men of strife, And hear the angels sing.”)
None of that tumultuous background is heard in the lyrical and
elegant arrangement played by Kristine Anderson.
The next set of pieces celebrate the Jewish festival of Hanukkah (or
Chanukah), which begins this year at sundown on December 21.
A relatively minor holiday in the Jewish calendar, it
commemorates the rededication of the temple in
Jerusalem after the
Maccabean Revolt in the
2nd century BCE. The festival
is observed by lighting the eight candles of the
Menorah, one light for each
night of the holiday, to remember the miracle of the temple lamp which
burned for eight days on only one day’s supply of oil. Oregon composer
Ron Jeffers’ majestic
Hanukkah Blessings is a setting of the three blessings that are
traditionally recited as the Menorah
is lit.
Blessed are you (Baruch
Atah), Lord our God, King
of the universe,
who has sanctified us by your commandments,
and has commanded us to light the candle of Hanukkah.
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe,
who has performed miracles for our ancestors
in the days of this season.
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe,
Who has granted us life and has sustained us,
And has allowed us to reach this season.
Lo V’chayil
is an excerpt from the book of Zechariah which is chanted
during the Shabbat (Sabbath) of Hannukah, serving as an early rabbinical
counterbalance to the model of Maccabean warrior priests.
Elliot Z. Levine (member of the a cappella vocal sextet Western
Wind, which specializes in Jewish vocal
music) creates a simple but moving setting of the text.
Not by might, nor by
power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts.
S’vivon
is the Hebrew word for the
four-sided top, more commonly known as a “draydle” (Yiddish), which
Jewish children traditionally play with during the Hanukkah season.
On each face of the top is a Hebrew letter: N, G, H, or Sh, which
stand for the words “Neis Gadol Haya Sham” (A great miracle
S'vivon, sov, sov, sov.
Little draydle, spin, spin, spin.
Chanukah is a joyous holiday.
This happy holiday is for all people.
A great miracle happened there.
The winter solstice event has been celebrated for millennia across
cultures as a rebirth of light and the forces of nature.
Los Angeles based composer David Long recognizes the event’s
significance in Native
The practice of going house to house to sing songs,
consume food and drink, and engage in general revelry during the
Christmas and New Year’s period is also an ancient custom, as described
in our final two numbers.
Bun gând s-o
gânditu (“A Good Idea”), from Tudor Jarda’s
arrangements of
Three Secular Christmas Carols
from Transylvania, depicts the old Romanian version
of the ritual, called
colindatul. Musically, the piece demonstrates
the constantly shifting asymmetrical meters of much of Eastern European
folk music.
Finally, John Rutter’s sparkling arrangement of
Here We Come
A-Wassailing
imitates the effect of the wassailers’ approach from a
distance and subsequent departure, and also carries our good wishes for
love, joy, a little wassail, and a happy New Year to all of you!
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