March 17, 2013 - Lent 5

Variations on a Shape Note Hymn - Samuel Barber
Wondrous Love - Paul J. Christiansen
Let Nothing Ever Grieve Thee - Johannes Brahms
Zwolf Stucke: "Toccata" - Max Reger

Hymns: #1 Christe Sanctorum, #474 Rockingham,
              #610 Beach Spring

This week’s music combines the German Romantic with the American folk tradition. The gradual anthem is a setting of an American folk hymn from the Sacred Harp tradition, Wondrous Love. This hymn has the feel of a spiritual with the modality and text of an Appalachian Folk tune. The arrangement is by Paul J. Christiansen, the son of the famed F. Melius Christiansen, conductor of the St. Olaf Choir. Paul J. spent the bulk of his career developing the Concordia Choir into one of the world’s finest a cappella undergraduate choirs. Christiansen was known for his rigorous two hour daily rehearsals working to get the exact shape of the phrase and the exact tone that he wanted on each chord. Christiansen was recognized as a foremost authority on the application of artistic discipline to choral work. The arrangement is simple. The hymn tune is sung first as a solo and then the choir enters in a simple four part chorale setting of the second verse. The piece closes with a coda starting with a soprano solo and ending as it started with a tenor solo.

The prelude is also based on this hymn tune. The American composer Samuel Barber (1910-1981) wrote Wondrous Love: Variations on a Shape-Note Hymn for the inauguration of a three manual Holtkamp being built for Christ Church in Grosse Point, Michigan. The piece is dedicated to Richard Roecklein, the organist at the church who gave Barber a book of Bach’s chorale preludes so that he could view these as an example for the piece to be written. The work opens with a statement of the chorale in four parts and is followed by four variations. The first and the third are very lyrical and gentle while the second has the feeling of a fuguing tune – very typical of the Sacred Harp style and reminiscent of early American writing. The final variation is very beautiful and highly chromatic with a descending fourth motif throughout. This piece makes use of many of the softer ensemble sounds available on the organ and transports the modal language of this folk hymn to the modern language of the American composition school.

The communion anthem and postlude are both from the German Romantic School. For the postlude, I have again gone to the Op. 59 Zwolf Stucke. This central movement of the suite is a dramatic toccata paired with a typical Reger crescendo fugue. As with most of Reger’s writing the dynamics are constantly fluctuating. The piece grows and blooms into arpeggiated chords on full organ.

In 1901 Reger moved to Munich where his career took off. It was here that he gained notoriety both as a performer and a composer. He was a highly sought after collaborative pianist and organist. This also served as a highly creative period for him as a composer. He was able to write virtually uninterrupted. In 1905 Reger’s father died. Despite this personal tragedy, an even brighter future lay in store for Reger in Munich.

The communion anthem is Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Lass dich nichts nicht dauren (Let Nothing Ever Grieve Thee). This piece is typical of Brahms early choral writing. It is in ABA from and shows Brahms grasp of contrapuntal writing. The piece is in 4/2 – likely an homage to the older style of counterpoint which this piece is imitating. The piece ends with an extended “Amen” which is beautiful enough to warrant programming the piece closes the work on a plaintive and meditative note that leaves the listener with a great feeling of peace despite the text which precedes it. Although the text is about comfort I can’t help but think when I listen that if I am being comforted there must be a reason – something has clearly happened which makes me need to be comforted. The amen gives peace and tranquility after a more plaintive but lovely “amen.”