October 26,2014 - Proper 25

Romance for horn Op. 36 - Camille Saint-Saens

Set Me as a Seal - Richard Nance

Horn Concerto No. 3 - W.A. Mozart

Hymns: #423 St. Denio, #517 Brother James' Air

              #538 Lucerna Laudonaie 

This week as we observe Morning Prayer the music is less focused on a clear period or composer but more on the medium that it was composed for. Joining us this Sunday is Paula Kinev, a fantastic horn player. The choir’s anthem calls for horn and I thought it would be nice for her to share a few other musical offerings with us.

The choir’s anthem, Set Me as a Seal was composed by Richard Nance for the wedding of fellow choral conductor Richard Sparks and his fiancé Kathryn Wold in 1996. The piece takes its text from the love poetry of the Bible, Song of Solomon. This oft set text opens with a lovely rising and falling line that reminds me of something be set or placed. It’s as though the composer lifts up the line and places on the heart of his or her intended. The B section sets the text “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it” in a flowing 9/8 in which the soprano and alto voices act as the water trying to quench love as the tenors valiantly try to finish the statement as they are nearly swallowed by the oppressive 2 against 3 rhythms. The men of the choir then take up the billowing figure followed by the ladies leading to a climax on the statement “cannot quench love” which takes us back to 4/4 and brings in the soaring horn solo. The instrumental interlude leads us to a return of the A section. The choir finishes solidly rising again to forte on the word strong and only tapering slightly as the horn and organ finish the piece. The composer makes no denial in his setting of the text that death also is strong, I think that may be why the piece stays strong to the end. The instrumental ending suggests to me that love merely tapers away into death. The metaphorical language of the Biblical text is usually taken to be interpreted as God’s love for His people Israel rather than the literal love story of two people. This reading offers further insight into the idea of love fading into death. The Bible tells us frequently in the New Testament that we have a place prepared for us where we shall be with God. This is the ultimate union of love in death. Something to think on as we approach the Feast of All Saints. 

October 19, 2014 - Proper 24

Prelude in G - Henry Purcell

Rejoice in the Lord Alway - Henry Purcell

Cantata 52: "Ich halt es mit dem lieben Gott" - J.S. Bach

Fugue in g minor BWV 578 - J.S. Bach

Hymns: #375 Du Lebensbrot, Herr Jesu, #602 Jesu, Jesu,

              #680 St. Anne

The music this week is from two different traditions in the Baroque period, the English world of Henry Purcell and the Lutheran traditions of J.S. Bach.

Henry Purcell (1659-1695) was born the son of a court musician and started his career as a chorister at the Chapel Royal. He studied with John Blow and in 1679 succeeded him as organist of Westminster Abbey. Blow stepped down from the job in favor of his more talented student. Upon Purcell’s death Blow returned to the post and composer Ode on the Death of Purcell. During his lifetime Purcell wrote chamber music, keyboard music, choral anthems, songs and music for the theatre. The anthem Rejoice in the Lord Alway Z49 was written between 1682 and 1685. It is a verse anthem setting of Philippians 4:4-7. The work opens with an orchestral (strings and continuo) prelude that has earned the piece the nickname Bell Anthem. The writing is reminiscent of the pealing of bells. As is the case with verse anthems, solo voices alternate with the full choir, in this case, a trio (alto, tenor, bass) which delivers the majority of the text while the full choir sings “Rejoice in the Lord alway and again I say rejoice.” In the full version there are instrumental interludes before each occurrence of the refrain but they have been cut in this version.

The prelude is also by Purcell. This Prelude in G can work as a piece for harpsichord or organ. Although written before the paired preludes and fugues of the later Baroque period, which is essentially what this is. The piece starts freely on the “diapasons;” a combination of the 8’principal and the 8’stopped diapason which is a flute. The fugue is played on a brighter registration with a combination of light principal stops. This gives a bit more clarity to the lines and allows the counterpoint to shine through.

The communion anthem is taken from Cantata 52 Falsche Welt, dir trau ich nicht “False word, I don’t trust you” by J.S. Bach (1685-1750). This cantata for solo soprano, two horns, three oboes, bassoon, strings and continuo was written in Leipzig and first performed on the November 24, 1726 for the 23 Sunday after Trinity. This was Bach’s first solo cantata to be presented in Leipzig  and was not particularly well received. The piece has seven movements. The opening Sinfonia is an early version of Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 without the violin piccolo solo. The fifth movement, Ich halt es mit dem lieben Gott , is accompanied by the trio of oboes. This is something that Bach did more with bass arias. One commentator wrote that the trio of oboes give is “a sense of solidarity, aligning oneself with the Lord and letting the world operate as it may.” The text for this aria, “I stay beside this dear God, let the world remain on its own. With God beside me, and me beside God, thus I myself can dispel the mockery of deceptive tongues.” paints a picture of a person that has found a sense of purpose and grounding in her faith to keep her from the false words of the world.

The postlude is Bach’s “Little” g minor fugue. The designation little is to differentiate it from the fugue paired with the fantasia that makes up BWV 542. This piece has been arranged for every medium imaginable from saxophone quartet to marching band and even as a piece for full orchestra. Its length coupled with the very clear entrances in the exposition and bouncy episodes makes it an ideal piece for teaching fugue in a theory class. Despite the somewhat boxy nature of the fugue theme, the piece has a great deal of energy and lightness, especially in the episodes with their cascading sixteenth notes. This piece is brilliant; it is musical and exciting without being long and rambling.

October 12, 2014 - Proper 23

Neuf Pieces: "Prelude sur une Antienne" - Jean Langlais

Gloria: "Laudamus Te" - Francis Poulenc

This is the Hour of Banquet and of Song-Richard DeLong

Hark! Ten Thousand Harps and Voices - arr. Diane Bish

Hymns: #7 Ratisbon, #763 Raquel, #569 Russia

The music this week is a little bit all over the place but it all fits together well. The prelude and gradual anthem are from the late French Romantic literature while the postlude and communion anthem are settings of great but lesser known hymns.

The communion anthem is a setting of This is the Hour of Banquet and of Song by Horatius Bonar (1808-1899). Bonar was born in Edinburgh and ordained in 1837. In 1843 he joined the Free Church of Scotland. He gained fame as a religious writer with the publication of the “Kelso Tracts” in addition to this he has authored over 600 hymns. The text is set to a new tune by the American organist and composer Richard DeLong (1951-1994). DeLong attended Ashland College and did his graduate work at Southern Methodist University. DeLong was a successful recitalist and accompanist as well as being a respected composer. He received several prominent commissions during his career. This hymn anthem sets the four verses of Bonar’s Eucharistic hymn simply but elegantly first in unison then all of the men of the choir. The third verse is a meditative a cappella setting that eludes to the fleeting nature of our celebration here on earth while the final verse for unison choir with descant points to the banquet to be celebrated in heaven. This text is made even more poignant by the notation in the front of the anthem which reads: “On the day THIS IS THE HOUR OF BANQUET AND OF SONG was scheduled to go to press, word was received in this office of the death of the composer.” It seems his thoughts had already turned toward the heavenly banquet as he lost his battle with AIDS.

The postlude is a setting of Lowell Mason’s (1792-1872) hymn tune “Harwell” which is often coupled with the text from 1806 by Thomas Kelly (1769-1855), Hark! Ten Thousand Harps and Voices. Lowell Mason is considered the father of church music and music education in America. He spent his life studying and then educating teachers and musicians on the practice of teaching music and is also responsible for the introduction of music into the public school. This arrangement by the American organist Diane Bish (b. 1941). Bish has hosted, produced, and starred in the television series “The Joy of Music” for more than 25 years. This show takes her all over the world and features performances by world class performers on a variety of different organs. Known almost as well for her flashy costumes as for her flawless playing Bish remains a prominent recitalist throughout the US and Europe. This arrangement shows the wide variety of colors and sounds that are available to the organist and the different approaches that can be taken to text painting in a hymn arrangement.

The prelude is taken from Jean Langlais’s (1907-1991) Neuf Pieces written between 1942 and 1943. The piece was written as Langlais’s response to World War II. His publisher wanted him to write something that would include Gregorian chant and Lutheran chorale tunes. The seventh piece in the collection Prelude sur une Antienne incorporates the chant “vos amici mei estis” a text taken from John 15:14 “You are my friends, if you do the things that I command you.” This simple yet haunting melody in 5/4 is set smoothly and quietly. A bleak but quiet commentary on the world that Langlais lived in at the time of the composition.

The gradual anthem also comes out of the French Romantic tradition but is a “preview” of the Poulenc Gloria which we will present in full on Sunday, November 2. I will do a full set of program notes for that piece then.

October 5, 2014 - Proper 22

Sonata No. 6: "Andante" - Felix Mendelssohn

The Creation: "Achieved is the Glorious Work"

                                                                            - F.J. Haydn

Teach Me, O Lord - Thomas Attwood

The Creation: "Chaos" - F.J. Haydn

Hymns: #628 St. Ethelwald, #431 Aldine, 

              #598 Mit Freuden Zart

The gradual anthem and postlude are both taken from Franz Joseph Haydn’s (1732-1809) monumental oratorio The Creation. Written between 1796 and 1798 this was Haydn’s response to hearing performances of Handel’s oratorios during his visits to England between 1791 and 1795. The text for the oratorio is taken from Genesis, Psalms and John Milton’s Paradise Lost. Haydn was given a poem by Johann Peter Salomon but the actual author is unknown. Haydn turned the text over to Baron van Swieten who wrote both an English and German version of the libretto.  The work is in three acts with the first two depicting the six days of Creation and the third part takes place in the Garden of Eden with soloists singing the roles of Adam and Eve.

The postlude is the famous overture “Chaos” which depicts the universe prior to the six days of creation.  The piece creates a great deal of tension by delaying cadence points at phrase endings.  The gradual anthem,  “Achieved is the Glorious Work” is the final movement of part 2. The stately opening of this chorus is actually sung two movements before and followed by a trio for the three angel soloists. This iteration opens with the stately opening theme and then quickly moves into a large double fugue. The movement brings the first and second part to a close stating that the creation of the world is completed and that God alone reigns on high. During Arthur Poister’s time at Hendrick’s Chapel the choir would launch into this triumphal chorus anytime he played the opening Bb arpeggio.

The communion anthem was written by Thomas Attwood(1765-1838). Attwood received his early training as a chorister in the Chapel Royal and later traveled to Vienna to study with Mozart. In 1796 he was appointed organist of St. Paul’s Chapel and composer to the Chapel Royal. In 1823 he was appointed professor at the Royal Academy of Music. Among his student was John Goss, another English church composer. Attwood’s style and influence can be seen in the compositions of Goss. This simple setting of Psalm 119 is a prayerful request for God to teach us his ways that we will “keep them unto the end.”

The prelude is the final movement of the final sonata of Mendelssohn’s (1809-1847) Mendelssohn and Attwood were friends. Mendelssohn dedicated his three preludes and fugues to the London organist.  This meditative movement is a bit of a strange way to end a sonata but when you consider the genesis of these works it makes sense. These pieces were not conceived as sonatas by the composer but were grouped that way by Mendelssohn’s London publisher to make them more appealing to British audiences.