|
Program notes - Masterworks for Double Choir |
|
The idea of antiphonal choirs, positioned facing each other, is as old as choral music itself, as it was the model set up by monasteries for the singing of the daily office very early in the history of the Christian church. The double choirs that grew out of this monastic model remained dominant within the church for hundreds of years, and this is what we explore in tonight’s concert. By adding two singers to each section of St. Martin’s, I am able to build two 16-voice choirs (four voices per part in all eight parts). The resulting 32 singers compose an ensemble that is the largest St. Martin's has ever been or likely ever will be -- and indeed, this could not properly be called a “chamber choir” were it not that what you are witnessing is essentially two chamber choirs performing together. Choir I (on your right) is made up of the “firsts” (higher voices) of each section, and Choir II (on your left) is made up of the “seconds” (lower voices) of each section; so I encourage you to listen to the timbre this produces. Ideally, Choir I will sound brighter and lighter to your ears, Choir II darker and heavier. But I have been pleased through the rehearsal process to notice that both choirs, and the combined effect of both, still retain what I consider to be the characteristic “St. Martin's sound” of well-blended voices singing with little vibrato, restrained overall dynamics, and purity of tone.
Psalm 110, Dixit Dominus .............................................................................. Gregorian Plainchant, Tone I Illustrating what I wrote above regarding the antiphonal singing of monastic choirs, the concert begins with Gregorian Plainchant sung in this way. You will notice the first half of each verse sung by one choir, and the second half by the other. What I have done that is not monastically authentic is alternating each verse with men and women, since monasteries are typically of one gender only. Quam pulchra es amica mea ................................................................ Giovanni Gabrieli (c. 1554/57-1612) As seen in the cover art
of this program, St. Marks Cathedral in Psalm 137, Super flumina Babylonis As England underwent the Protestant Reformation, the composer William Byrd remained secretly and staunchly a Roman Catholic, in spite of the dangers associated with this, which included imprisonment and even death. Although he received the favor of Queen Elizabeth, who was clearly aware of, but tolerated his non-conformism, it is well known that he suffered privately a great deal. His Latin works, written for secret recusant communities, far outnumbered the English works he wrote as Elizabeth’s court composer. Perhaps the most curious of these was his addition to an anthem sent to him by his continental friend and composer Philippe de Monte, a Franco-Flemish composer. De Monte’s intent with this composition was clearly that of a sympathetic gift, almost in code, acknowledging Byrd’s sense of isolation. The lines “How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?” and “For those who led us away captive asked us for a song,” is a not-very-thinly veiled reference to Byrd’s being a Catholic composer in a Protestant land; and the image of weeping, and hanging up one’s harps, as one recalls the past is powerfully meant to sympathize with Byrd’s predicament. De Monte set the first four verses of the Psalm. Byrd replied by continuing the anthem, setting verses that clearly state his intention not to betray his faith, such as “If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill.” Heilig ........................................................................................................... Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) Warum toben die Heiden ................................................................................................ Felix Mendelssohn I have pointed out many times the dearth of a cappella choral music during the Baroque and Classical eras (in fact, my special fascination with these rare gems has led to several concerts on the topic, including one next season entitled “Enlightenment
A Cappella”). And, although the Baroque era continued to feature double choir works, the Classical era basically saw them disappear. Mendelssohn, a Romantic era composer credited with the resurrection of Bach’s music, is similarly to be credited with being the first composer since the Renaissance to take
a cappella choral music seriously, as well as reviving the double choir tradition. Although much more famous for his orchestral compositions, I truly believe that Mendelssohn’s
chief musical legacy rests in the above accomplishments. Agnus Dei from Mass for Double Choir ............................................................. Frank Martin (1890-1974) The two greatest a cappella mass settings of the 20th century, in my opinion, were both written in 1922 – the Frank Martin
Mass for Double Choir, and the Ralph Vaughan Williams Mass in G
minor. I could easily have performed either of these works in their entirety tonight. But, as 2008 marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Vaughan Williams, my choice was clear. I could not let the evening pass, however, without at least a taste of Martin’s stunning work. The
Agnus Dei is my personal favorite movement, though it is by far the simplest in construction, with the second choir singing a soft ostinato throughout, forming the harmonic foundation over which the first choir, mostly in unison, weaves its melodic spell. This work is uppermost in my mind as a work I would like performed at my funeral. It is a lush, almost impressionistic setting of the Medieval poet Edmund Spenser’s ethereal depiction of the Christian idea of heaven. Most impressive to me is the gradual building of intensity from the beginning, with its gentle puffs of sound on the word “Faire,” to the climactic double choir exchanges of “Angels and Archangels.” The work then subsides into the airy beauty of the opening, ending with the words “How then can mortall tongue hope to expresse/The image of such endlesse perfectnesse?” My answer to this rhetorical question is that Harris has done as good a job of rendering heavenly beauty as is possible in this world – especially as sung by St. Martin’s Chamber Choir! As observed above, 2008 is the 50th anniversary of Ralph Vaughan William’s death. Because RVW is my favorite composer (on those days when it is not Brahms), St. Martin’s is marking this milestone in numerous ways. In April we performed his
Serenade to Music with the Boulder Philharmonic at Macky Auditorium; tonight we render his monumental
Mass in G minor; and in September, for our first concert of the 2008-2009 Season, we join forces with the Musica Sacra Chamber Orchestra in a tribute concert that will include RVW’s
Flos Campi, Five Mystical Songs, and Three Shakespeare
Songs, among other works.
This theme, especially the upward leap and downward steps at the end, are heard throughout the mass in various guises, most notably at the very end of the Agnus
Dei, when the altos come full circle in reprising the theme to the words
“dona nobis pacem” in the last few chords of the work. Timothy J.
Krueger © 2008 Timothy J. Krueger |
