Saturday, November 30, 2013

December 1, 2013 - Advent 1

Es ist ein Ros entsprunger - Johannes Brahms
Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying - F. Melius Christiansen
There Shall a Star of Jacob Come Forth
                                                               - Felix Mendelssohn
Messiah: "Overture" - G.F. Handel

Hymns: #59 Merton, #724 Besancon Carol, #57 Helmsley

The prelude is Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) setting of the chorale tune Es ist ein Ros entsprungen Op.122 No.8. This tune was first published in Alte Catholische Geisliche Kirchengasäng in 1599. The tune’s composer is unknown, the carol we have come to know as Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming was arranged by Michael Praetorius. The chorale preludes by Brahms were written in 1896 and published posthumously in 1902. The last piece in this collection is based on O Welt, ich muss dich lassen" ("O World, I Now Must Leave Thee") which some people believe to be Brahms making peace with the end of his life. This gentle setting alternates between manuals using the soft 8’ and 4’ stops of the organ and no pedals to paint a gentle picture of the blooming rose as the lines wind gently up and back down to where they began.

The postlude is the overture to Handel’s (1685-1759) Messiah. This piece is often performed at Christmas despite being written for a secular performance during Lent. The first section of the work deals with the prophesy and birth of Christ. Many of Handel’s oratorios begin with overtures. This one begins in the French overture style with angular dotted figures with the second half being a fugue. The dark mood of this overture captures the image of a world without hope, a world awaiting a savior and sets the tone for the dark prophesies of the cleansing that the world must undergo.

Wake, Awake for Night is Flying is a setting of the chorale tune Wachet Auf by the sixteenth century composer Philipp Nicolai. This setting is by the former director of the St. Olaf Choir, F. Melius Christiansen (1871-1955). Christiansen was born in Norway and moved to the United States in 1888. He studied at Augsburg College and in 1901 was recruited to work with the St. Olaf Choir making them one of the foremost a cappella choirs in the country. This arrangement uses texture and tone painting to illustrate the text of Nicolai’s Advent poem.

Mendelssohn’s (1809-1847) There Shall a Star of Jacob Come Forth also makes use of a chorale by Nicolai, Wie schon leuchtet der Morgenstern, called “The Queen of Chorale tunes” (Wachet Auf being the King). This chorus is taken from the unfinished oratorio Christus Op. 97 which is an oratorio, like Messiah based on the life of Christ. The anthem opens with a simple rising figure that then moves to a very dramatic middle section telling that this “star” shall destroy princes and cities. The work ends with a lush setting of the Nicolai chorale.

Saturday, November 23, 2013

November 24, 2013 - Christ the King Sunday

Trumpet Tune - Flor Peeters
I Was Glad - Charles Hubert H. Parry
Requiem: "In Paradisum" - Gabriel Faure
Elegie - Louis Vierne

Hymns: #494 Diadmeta, #382 General Seminary,
              #598 Mis Freuden zart

This week’s music transitions from the majesty and glory of Christ the King toward the more solemn attitude of Advent and a world awaiting a Savior – which makes it a world without a Savior. The music this week is all European, a Belgian trumpet tune, an English coronation anthem and a French communion anthem and postlude. Perhaps a better uniting factor for the music this week is that each piece captures a very definite mood. They are, in essence, character pieces.

Charles Hubert H. Parry’s (1848-1918) setting of Psalm 122 is the gradual anthem this week. I Was Glad was written for the coronation of King Edward VII in 1902 and was revised in 1911 for the coronation of King George V. The setting by Parry is different from those preceding it by Boyce and Purcell in Parry’s use of strategically placed performing groups. The opening was sung by the Abbey choir with a 430 voice “General choir” joining at “Jerusalem is builded.” “O pray for the peace of Jerusalem” is sung by a smaller semi-chorus and the “vivet”s are sung by the King’s Scholars and the king and queen pass under the rood screen. The final triumphant statement of “plenteousness” is aptly sung by the combined forces.  Though Parry is remembered for this anthem and Jerusalem another contribution is the one he made as a teacher. Vaughan Williams, Howells, and Holst are among the students that Parry taught while at the Royal College of Music. This anthem captures all of the joy and hope that comes with a new monarch – Godly or earthly. I think that it is a fitting close to the church year as we begin the new liturgical calendar.

On that same note, I thought it fitting to open the service with a festive trumpet tune. This one is by the Belgian composer, Flor Peeters(1903-1986). Peeters is primarily known for his church music and organ compositions.  Trumpet tunes are a standard part of the organ literature. They usually involve a call and response of some sort between a solo trumpet stop on the organ and the full organ sound. This piece does just that. There is a trumpet solo with accompaniment that alternates with contrasting themes played on the other keyboards. The piece is bright and festive but also has a bit of crunch to the harmonies with quick modulations The piece is joyful and declamatory, everything you need before singing Crown Him With Many Crowns.

In Paradisum is the final movement of Gabriel Faure’s (1845-1924) Requiem Op. 48. Faure states that he began work on the Requiem “for the pleasure of it” but he had lost both his parents in the two years before he began work on the piece. This Requiem, unlike the Mozart from a few weeks ago is about peace. The work is not a full liturgical mass and this movement takes its text from the Burial Service. Its text is:

“May angels lead you into paradise; upon your arrival, may the martyrs receive you and lead you to the holy city of Jerusalem. May the ranks of angels receive you, and with Lazarus, once a poor man, may you have eternal rest.”

And is also included in Durufle’s setting of the Requiem. It is traditionally sung in procession from the final blessing of the corpse from the church to the graveyard where the burial takes place. This movement makes extensive use of the harp (for us a solo flute stop) to create a picture of the ranks of angels that the text references. This piece is about hope and rest.

The Elegie by Louis Vierne (1870-1937) is taken from his collection of 24 pieces in Free Style written fro organ or harmonium. The piece is dedicated to Georges Krieger (1885-1914) a colleague of Vierne’s who died at a very young age. The piece is typical of Vierne’s writing. It is very chromatic and quite expressive. I thought that this piece paired well with the hope of the Faure and served as an excellent transitionary piece to the more somber season of Advent.

Friday, November 15, 2013

November 17, 2013 - Proper 28

Aria - Dale Wood
Messiah: "Why Do the Nations?" - G.F. Handel
My Lord What a Morning - Harry Burleigh

Hymns: VF109 Earth and All Stars, #9 Morning Song,
              LEVAS #210 Riverside

Two of the pieces this week were written by American composers and the third is taken, yet again, from Handel’s Messiah.

It’s amazing to me how many times I have turned to that work for the perfect piece on a text for the day. The work covers the entire life of Christ and is familiar enough to perform on an “easy” Sunday but has enough seldom sung choruses and arias that it can add variety to the service. I can’t help but wonder where I would turn if this piece had never been written. Why Do the Nations? is what is known as a “rage aria” which is similar to his dramatic opera arias with extensive runs and tremolos in the strings. The language of the aria is somewhat antiquated. It is the story of David being established on the throne despite the efforts of his enemies. Handel, however, uses it as a commentary on Christ with the nations rebelling against his teachings. This aria is immediately followed by the chorus Let Us Break Their Bonds Asunder which basically states that this whole idea is ridiculous and God will triumph. Oddly enough, the aria is generally included in performance but the chorus is not.

The prelude is an Aria by Dale Wood (1934-2003). To say that Wood was an active church musician is a huge understatement. Wood served as organist and choirmaster of several churches throughout the US and has sold more than eight million copies of his music. In addition to these duties he was also an active researcher and writer, contributing to many journals and serving as an editor of many hymnals still in use today. This piece shows Wood’s ability to craft a lovely melody and to set it in a way that is both interesting and playable. This piece is an aria, a song, for organ with the melody “sung” by the cromorne, a soft buzzy reed stop accompanied by the strings of the swell.

The communion anthem is Harry Burleigh’s (1866-1949) setting of My Lord What a Morning. Burleigh devoted his life to music. He was born in Erie, Pennsylvania and attended the National Conservatory of Music. It was here that he met Antonin Dvorak, the director of the school, and became his copyist. He frequently sang spirituals for Dvorak – possibly leading to the composition of Symphony 9. After graduation Burleigh went on to serve as a soloist in the 1904 premiere of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's musical Hiawatha's Wedding Feast. He served as an arranger, lecturer, church musician, and composer for the remainder of his life elevating spirituals to the level of art song. This beautiful song is both sad and hopeful at the same time. Sad in that the world is ending but hopeful (especially considering that it originated as a song sung by slaves) because it tells of leaving this world for heaven. This is the story of someone assured in their faith and future. It is a piece of personal promotion and reassurance rather than a piece warning others of the impending end of the world.

Friday, November 8, 2013

November 10, 2013 - Proper 27


Chorale Prelude on "Stuttgart" - Lee Hastings Bristol Jr.
Messiah: "And He Shall Purify" - G.F. Handel
Requiem: "Lacrymosa" - W.A. Mozart
Concerto in g minor: "Allegro" - G. F. Handel

Hymns: #414 Stuttgart, #413 Rendez a Dieu,
              #404 Old 124th

The music this week is primarily British, with the exception of the Lacrymosa from the Mozart Requiem which is one last “leftover” of our performance last week. This week also marks the beginning of the choir’s next project, Part I of Messiah.

And He Shall Purify ends what Leonard Van Camp calls “Scene Two: The Purifying Messiah is Prophesied.” The chorus is preceded by the bass recitative, Thus Saith the Lord and the alto aria But Who May Abide which tells us that he will be “like a refiner’s fire” and that is how “he shall purify.” The text for this movement is taken from Malachi 3 which, in a rather frightening way describes the process by which the people of God will be redeemed from the wicked lives they are leading. It is hard to imagine that this movement is actually a repurposed love duet for two sopranos from an Italian opera but Handel originally composed this for the text “Life is a flower; it comes with the morning and dies with the spring of a single day. The chorus sails along alternating between light and bouncy melismatic lines and big chordal sections. This chorus, for me, has always offered a continued picture of the flames of the “refiner’s fire” purifying the “sons of Levi” (priests) and provides a fitting close to this scene and a “fiery” transition in to the much calmer and infinitely more pleasant scene to come.

The postlude is also by G.F. Handel (1685-1759) but the arrangement is from the organist William T. Best. It is the final movement of Handel’s Opus 4 No. 3 Concerto in g minor. These concerti are the most authentically Handel of the fifteen that he wrote. Their primary function was as part of an oratorio performance. The six concerti in this group were published in 1738. This concerto was probably written to be played as part of Handel’s Esther with the composer playing the solo keyboard part. The arrangement that I am playing today is for organ only and was arranged by the English organ virtuoso William T. Best(1826-1897). Best was a church organist, composer, and recitalist who was highly respected for his technical prowess and his knowledge and understanding of the literature. This arrangement is very different from the original, with its added pedal cadenza that would have hardly been possible on the limited pedal boards of an English organ. The same fire that is heard in the Messiah chorus can be found here in the winding pedal line of this dramatic finale.

The prelude is a setting of the opening hymn by Lee Hastings Bristol Jr. (1923-1979). Bristol was educated at Hamilton College and Trinity College of Music in London. He worked in public relations for the Bristol-Meyers Company and served as president of Westminster Choir College. In addition to his life as a musician, composer, and business man he was also a lay preacher in the Episcopal Church.  This Chorale Prelude on “Stuttgart” is a beautiful and contemplative piece that has a great deal of forward motion in the line without ever feeling like it is rushing. The hymn tune is attributed to Christian F. Witt because of its appearance in Psalmodia Sacra (1715), a collection compiled and edited by Witt which contained many tunes written by him. This lilting setting in 6/8 occasionally sends the listener searching for the tune as it is passed around alternating with a freely composed ritornello. It is a chance to explore some of the different “pastorale” sounds of the instrument.

The communion anthem is, as previously stated, a remnant of last Sunday’s performance. The Lacrymosa from W.A. Mozart’s (1756-1791) Requiem in d minor K626 is perhaps one of the most beautiful melodies in the Western canon. The Lacrimosa is the penultimate portion of the Dies Irae text, and in this setting combines the final two sections. Mozart brilliantly set the text for this “day of weeping” with a beautiful line that soars up and over to die away quietly. This movement is often shrouded in mystery and myth, not only is it a beautiful piece but Mozart died having completed only the first nine bars and sketches for the rest. In the 1960’s sketches for an “Amen” fugue to be placed at the end of the Sequence were found. Some scholars said that this was for another unfinished mass but recent scholarship suggests that it is likely that this fugue was meant to go at the end of this movement so that each major section of the work ended in a fugue.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

November 3, 2013 - All Saint's

Requiem K626 - W. A. Mozart


Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria in 1756 to Leopold, a musician and composer and Anna Maria Pertl. He demonstrated musical abilities at an early age and by the time he was six his father had taken him and his talented sister Nannerl to play in the courts of Bavaria and Vienna. 1763 was a busy year for the young prodigy. His father took him on an extended tour of Europe where he met several important musicians and composers including Johann Christoph Bach (son of Johann Sebastian). It was also the year that Mozart’s first compositions were published. In 1769 Mozart embarked on the first of three tours of Italy to learn to compose Italian opera, something which at the time was an essential skill for a composer. The final tour ended in 1773 at which point Mozart was truly beginning to flourish as a composer. He returned to Salzburg and took a position as court composer. In 1777 he decided to leave Salzburg but ultimately returned to a better post than the one he had left. In 1781 after the very successful premier of Idomeneo in Munich, Mozart was summoned to Vienna. It was here that Mozart met his wife, Constanze, a soprano and the daughter of old family friends. Though Mozart continued to compose, his concert appearances grew less frequent and despite artistic success the young family was very poor. Mozart was forced to borrow money from family and friends and began to make journeys to Dresden and Berlin in search of opportunities. 1791 brought with it the successful performance of The Magic Flute which the composer conducted just after returning from Prague. This premier was somewhat overshadowed by Mozart’s illness. The sickness progressed and Mozart died in his home on December 5, 1791 leaving the Requiem unfinished.

The Requiem K626 has long been shrouded in mystery. It was commissioned by Count Franz von Walsegg, a rather unscrupulous musician and nobleman who had a habit of anonymously commissioning works and passing them off as his own. Mozart never knew who had commissioned the work; he was approached by a stranger and in such dire financial straits that he didn’t question it. Stories that Mozart believed he was “writing his own Requiem” are just that, stories. He was very busy during his final year with two operas and his clarinet concerto and only after conducting the premier of The Magic Flute was he able to again focus on his commission. Unfortunately, Mozart died before the work was finished. He wrote the Introit and Kyrie but only the vocal parts, figured bass and sketches of the orchestration for the Sequence and Offertory. It was not, as Amadeus would suggest, completed by Salieri. Mozart’s friend Franz Xaver Sussmayr who had studied with the composer was contacted by Constanze to complete the work from Mozart’s sketches so that she could receive the money from the commission. Sussmayr completed the Lacrymosa, Sanctus and Benedictus as well as an unknown amount of the Agnus Dei. The final Communion portion is entirely by Sussmayr but is just a reworking of the opening music. The piece has gone on to occupy a very important place in the canon of choral literature and is frequently performed. Efforts have been made in recent years to find a more authentic reading of the piece, restoring a large fugal “Amen” to the Lacrymosa and completing it with bits of other works. The version presented today is the traditional version with Sussmayr’s work completing the piece.