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.
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