- Hermann Schroeder
The Blessed Virgin's Expostulation - Henry Purcell
He Shall Feed His Flock - John Ness Beck
Magnificat on the III Toni - Heinrich Scheidemann
Hymns: #60 Conditor Alme Siderum, #266 Nova, Nova,
#56 Veni, Veni
The theme for today’s musical selections is Mary. With the
exception of the communion anthem, the other three pieces all offer different
composer’s take on the story of Mary. This coupled with the canticle and the scripture
readings offers a holistic approach to the wide array of emotions that must
have been going through her mind.
The communion anthem is a setting of Isaiah 40:11 by John
Ness Beck (1930-1987). John Ness Beck made his career as an arranger, composer,
and clinician. In 1972 he joined with John Tatgenhorst to form Beckenhorst
Press, a publishing company that focused on publishing high quality, accessible
church music. Just before his death Beck established the John Ness Beck
Foundation to recognize outstanding acheivements in traditional church music.
This foundation was started in memory of Joseph Clokey and Randall Thompson.
This anthem offers a beautiful alternative to the traditional setting from
Messiah.
As for the music on Mary, the prelude is the third of four
settings from Die Marianischen Antiphone
by Hermann Schroeder (1904-1984). Schroeder’s compositional style is similar to
Hindemith. He spent the majority of his career in Cologne. This setting of Alma redemptoris mater (Loving Mother of
the Redeemer) places the chorale tune in the pedal on a soft four foot flute.
The manuals are a different story, the left hand plays rising sevenths while
the right hand plays a winding pattern which rises and falls in a serpentine
pattern. This illustrates the line of text: “assist your people who have fallen
yet strive to rise again.” This highly
chromatic line against the very simple statement of the chorale shows the interesting
contrast between the peaceful image of the Virgin Mother and the great
responsibility that she bears.
Submitted by our Soprano soloist, Anne Shelly:
The Blessed Virgin’s
Expostulation is one piece in the set, Harmonia Sacra, published by Henry
Purcell in 1693. The text is a poem by
Nahum Tate, written as a dramatic representation of Luke 2:42 describing a time
that Mary couldn't find Jesus because he had stayed behind at the temple to
talk to the Elders. Although this is not
a traditional Advent text, I come back to it regularly at this time of year
because I can imagine Mary working through this tangle of emotions in
anticipation of Jesus’ birth. I am moved
by the interplay between her fear of the unknown and her confidence based on
heritage and faith. There is a
wonderful tension as the music shifts from minor to major back to minor keys as
Mary weighs that which sustains her against the challenges she faces. At the musical climax, Mary moves beyond
worrying about her son into the struggle of how to manage her fears. And we are left with no answers. I find it a compelling and complex image to
ponder at Advent.
The postlude is a setting of the Magnificat by Heinrich
Scheidemann (ca. 1595 – 1663). This setting of the Song of Mary is an exciting
illustration of the joyful side of Mary’s story. The writing is reminiscent of
the keyboard writings of Sweelinck and the influence of Scheidemann can clearly
be seen in the later writing of Buxtehude and even Bach. The registration that
I have chosen pits the bright stops of the Positive division with the weightier
stops of the Great. The middle section is just fun, each beat changes manuals
(an illustration of the baby leaping in the womb when Mary and Elizabeth meet?)
This combined with the presentation of the tune in whole notes in the pedal
illustrates his mastery of counterpoint.
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