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Program notes - "My Spirit Rejoices" |
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A Note from the Artistic Director I. Gregorian Vespers Vespers is the office sung at monasteries and convents at the hour of sunset, and its principal features include the extended selection of Psalmody (Psalms 109-113; only two of the five will be chanted tonight - enough to provide the desired atmosphere), and the canticle Magnificat. Between many of these chants would normally come spoken prayers, responsories, and readings, but these will be omitted tonight, as the intent is not actually to perform a service, but to present the music from the service. Also for this reason, the printed texts have been omitted for this section, as it is my intention for the listener to enter into the spirit of the evening, to let the cares of the world drop away as the sounds of the women fill the space with a sort of timeless beauty. Introit: Deus in adjutorium (Solemn Tone) II. Ancient Magnificat Settings: The Tradition of Alternatim Quite early in Christian history it became the practice to chant the great canticles — the Magnificat, the Te Deum, etc. — antiphonally, alternating from one group of singers to another. Our first four settings of the Magnificat, presented here with little interruption, illustrate how this "alternatim" tradition developed, from a simple alternation between two halves of a choir (Simple Faux-bourdon), to an alternation of verses between unadorned plainchant and harmonized plainchant (John Holmes' Faux-bourdon setting), to an alternation between plainchant and through-composed verses (Alard du Gaucquier's setting), to a setting that is completely through-composed (i.e., bearing no relation to the plainchant anymore), but alternating between the two sides of the traditional English choir, called Decani and Cantoris (John Farrant's setting). •Simple Faux-bourdon (c. 1300) III. Related Marian Hymns Following in the same tradition of Alternatim, we present two related Marian hymns. The first is generally sung on Good Friday, or in Lent, viewing the crucifixion through the eyes of Christ's mother. I have chosen to ignore several repeats in the music, which result in the cutting of several verses (5-8 and 13-16) for brevity's sake. This setting demonstrates that the alternatim practice was still going on as late as the 18th century. The second is an alternatim setting of a beloved hymn of praise, used for Feasts of the Blessed Virgin, Ave maris Stella. The setting by Asola is one that I first encountered little more than four months ago, but instantly grew to like. •Stabat Mater - Claudio Casciolini (c. 1670-1759) IV. Protestant Magnificat Settings The Magnificat was preserved by Protestants as part of their liturgies, especially among Anglicans, who developed a great love for the canticle and its use in the service of Evensong, which was a combination of the monastic offices of Vespers and Compline. Two examples will be presented from this Anglican tradition, one by Dr. Benjamin Cooke, who was for over thirty years the organist-choirmaster of Westminster Abbey; and the other by the Edwardian composer Charles Wood, professor of composition at Cambridge. This latter is to a revised version of the text, a metrical (rhymed) version done by the 17th century English poets Sternhold and Hopkins. It is a curious text, not in common use, and it is a mystery as to why Charles Wood opted to set it. Still, among his half-dozen settings of the Magnificat, it is the most "feminine," if I may use that term inoffensively, displaying the greatest tenderness; and I have a soft place in my heart for it. Finally, the setting of the Magnificat by Hugo Distler comes from his great Christmas work, Die Weihnachtsgeschichte (The Christmas Story) of 1938. It features an alto soloist (portraying Mary) singing a German version of the Magnificat, while the choir sings a very lush, atmospheric arrangement of the Christmas carol Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen ("Lo, how a rose e'er blooming") underneath. It is a brilliant and very poignant marriage of the two ideas, and one of those works that grows in its potential appreciation with each repeated hearing. Luckily, there is an excellent recording of it available tonight for those interested in a closer examination: St. Martin's best-selling CD A Marian Christmas! •Benjamin Cooke (1734-1793) V. The Annunciation The Magnificat, first recorded in the second chapter of Luke's gospel, is Mary's song of praise as a response to the news that she is to bear the world's Savior, the Messiah of the Hebrews. This news was delivered to her by the angel Gabriel, who, upon his manifestation to her, hails her as the chosen one of God. This hail (Ave Maria) itself has come to be one of the more important Christians texts - to Roman Catholics especially - and other songs related to the scene of the Annunciation, as it is called, have come to take their place as well. Here are three, a German folk song set by Brahms about Gabriel's greeting to Mary; a Basque folk tune narrating the same story; and a setting of the traditional Ave Maria by the Spanish Renaissance composer Tomas Luis da Victoria. Among settings of the latter, this is probably my favorite, as its tenderness and gentleness are perfect complements to the young mother-to-be. •The Angel's Greeting - Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) VI. Anglican Evensong For most Anglicans, there is no service more beautiful than Evensong. I myself have loved the service passionately ever since I first came into contact with it in England during my graduate studies. Basically put, the service consists of a set of sung prayers (the Preces & Responses) separated into two portions of the service; a paired setting of the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis, as responses to the two readings; an anthem and a hymn, usually the Phos hilaron ("Hail Gladdening Light"), but in tonight's case, another hymn about light (Christe, qui lux es). In 2003, we began offering choral Evensong at my church, St. Andrew's Episcopal, on the first Tuesday of every month between September and May, at 5:30 p.m.. Available for this service initially, I had three eager singers: myself (bass), my wife (alto), and Brock Erickson (tenor), a fellow admirer of the glories of Evensong. As the amount of choral music for alto, tenor, and bass is extremely limited, I decided to write a setting of the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis myself, for our use, and this was soon followed by a setting of the Preces & Responses as well, for the same trio. We present those pieces tonight, along with an alternatim hymn-setting by the Tudor composer Robert Whyte, and the incomparable motet Ubi caritas by the 20th century French composer Maurice Duruflé to round out the program. •Preces - Timothy]. Krueger (2003) Timothy J. Krueger © 2004 Timothy J. Krueger |