November 23, 2014 - Christ the King Sunday

Trumet Tune in C Major - David N. Johnson

Lauda Sion - Felix Mendelssohn

In Nomine Jesu - Jacob Handl

Hymns: #494 Diademata, #382 General Seminary, 

              Soon and Very Soon

This week’s choral music is heavily influenced by the choral music of early Italian masters but neither piece was written by them. The Lauda Sion of Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) owes a great deal to the settings of Palestrina and Gibbons despite the lack of 16^th century counterpoint in this movement the influence of Gabrieli’s homophonic antiphonal style is evident and the presence of the chant melody later in the work is also a nod to the Venetian masters. In Nomine Jesu by Jacob Handl (1550-1591) combines the Franco-Flemish tradtion with that of the Venetian school. The prelude was written by American organist and teacher, David N Johnson (1922-1987.)

Mendelssohn is most often remembered for his symphonies, his Songs Without Words for the piano and for his choral music. His two large scale oratorios, Elijah, and St. Paul along with dozens of other psalm settings and cantatas. Lauda Sion Op. 73 was written in 1846 while Mendelssohn was hard at work on his oratorio Elijah. It was written for the 600^th anniversary of Corpus Christi and has a text by Thomas Aquinas. This text is one of only four sequences that survived The Council of Trent (another being the Dies Irae.) This lesser known work examines the mysteries of the Eucharist and utilizes the familiar chant melody associated with this text later on in the piece. The joyful homophonic opening in C major calls to mind the writings of Gabrieli for organ, brass, and choir with their big, full sounds.

Jacob Handl [Gallus] was born in 1550 in what is now Ribnica, Slovenia. He was educated at the Cistercian Monastery and went on to live at the Benedictine Melk Abbey. His career included Viennese Court composer, Kapellmeister to the Bishop of Moravia, and organist in Prague.  He composed more than 500 pieces during his short life of only 41 years and was known for his combination of Franco-Flemish style and the music of the Venetian school.

The prelude was written by David N. Johnson (1922-1987) and is one of his many Trumpet Tunes, this one in C major. As with most pieces in this style the piece goes back and forth between solo trumpet with accompaniment in the left hand and pedal to loud bold statements on the full chorus of the organ. David N. Johnson has ties to the Syracuse area. In 1951 he received his Master’s degree and in 1956 his PhD from Syracuse University. From 1960-1967 he was a lecturer at the university and in 1967 he succeeded Arthur Poister as professor of organ. In 1969 he moved to Arizona to teach at Arizona State at Tempe.