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Sounds and Spaces
AGO Region VII Convention
Program Notes
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Dallas, TX
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June 17-20, 2007
Table of Contents
Carillon Recital – John Acker & Carol Anne Taylor . . . . . . . . 3
Orpheus Chamber Singers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Recital – Peter Sykes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Recital – Hyeon Jeong & James Diaz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Meyerson Evening
Cristina García Banegas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
S. Wayne Foster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Recital – Susan Ferré . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Recital – Dong-ill Shin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Recital – Jesse Eschbach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
UNT Collegium Musicum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Recital – George Baker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Workshop – Hymn Tune Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Recital – Matthew Dirst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Children’s Chorus of Greater Dallas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
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Carillon Recital – John Acker & Carol Anne Taylor
Sunday – 17 June 2007, 7:15 pm
Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe, Dallas
Preludio II
Matthias Van den Gheyn
The compositions of the Flemish composer Matthias van den Gheyn (1721-1785) were the first to reveal
the potential of the carillon as a unique and majestic instrument. Van den Gheyn’s ten preludes form a fundamental part of the carillon repertoire. Preludio II achieves a powerful, seemingly inevitable sense of forward
movement by combining several elements that are hallmarks of the composer’s style. These elements include
dynamic motion up and down the scales, intricate interweaving of melody and accompaniment, and the
use of diminished seventh chords (built of minor thirds) to establish dramatic suspense and tension.
Gaudi’s Chimneys
John Courter
The year 2002 marked the 150th anniversary of the birth of renowned Catalonian architect Antoni Gaudi
(1852-1926). Perhaps his best known work is the Temple de la Segrada Familia in Barcelona. One of the
unusual features of Gaudi’s work is his treatment of air vents and chimneys, many using fantastic shapes
and materials. Casa Batlló has four large chimneys joined together in a manner that suggest swivel-hipped
dancers. In Park Güell, a couple of the buildings have mushroom-shaped tops or chimneys. Güell Palace
has many different geometric shapes – spirals, cones, etc. in its chimneys. In celebration of the Gaudi Year
2002, American composer and carillonneur John Courter (FAGO) was commissioned to write a piece for
the opening carillon concert at the Catalan Palace on September 24. In these whimsical dances for carillon,
Courter has attempted to capture one memorable facet of Gaudi’s monumental work. John Courter has
been Professor of Music and College Organist at Berea College in Berea, Kentucky since 1971.
Questa dolce sirena
Jacob van Eyck
Jacob van Eyck was the renowned blind carillonneur of the city of Utrecht, The Netherlands. Sought
after as a teacher and as an expert on bells, he was famous for his keen sense of hearing; he collaborated with
the Hemony brothers in their development of the first truly well-tuned carillons.
Sketch I – Moderato (Three Sketches for Carillon)
Ronald Barnes
Ronald Barnes earned a Bachelor of Music degree in organ from the University of Nebraska and Master
of Arts in Musicology from Stanford University. Except for one summer of study with Robert Donnell
at Ottawa, he was self-taught as a carillonneur, but developed a fine mastery of the instrument. He was
Cathedral Carillonneur at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. from 1963-1976. Barnes headed
west in 1982 to preside over the Class of 1928 Carillon at the University of California, Berkeley, from which
he retired in 1995. He evolved as a performer, scholar, artist, teacher, and composer to become, not only
one whose entire professional career centered exclusively on the carillon, but also one of the world’s leading
exponents of the carillon art.
On the San Antonio River
Robert Byrnes
On the San Antonio River was Robert Byrnes first composition for carillon. During his wildly popular
presentation at the World Carillon Congress in Springfield, Illinois in 2000, Byrnes discussed his compositional techniques with a memorable blend of logic, craftsmanship and humor. He noted that this piece
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was the one in which he discovered that simply by changing one note at a time, an entire composition
could be radically altered. Although Byrnes did not write extensively for carillon, each of his works has been
well received by both carillonneurs and audiences alike. Byrnes served as University Carillonneur at the
University of Northern Iowa from 1972 until his death in 2004.
Aria Hexafonica (Suite II)
Henk Badings
Dutch composer Henk Badings (1907-1987) went to Belgium to study with Staf Nees (1901-1965) at the
Royal Carillon School in Mechelen. Suite II for Carillon was considered revolutionary when it was written
in 1951, and its contemporary appeal is still a result of that same quality. The composition is divided into
three movements – Toccata Octafonica, Aria Hexafonica, and Rondo Giocoso. Most of Badings works were
composed using the octatonic scale, which is uniquely suited to the overtones inherent in bells. However,
the hauntingly beautiful Aria Hexafonica is based upon a scale of six pitches, rather than on a scale of
eight pitches (octatonic).
Barb’ra Allen
Ronald Barnes
Ronald Barnes wrote an outstanding body of original carillon compositions, in addition to his many
arrangements for the instrument. From this interplay of composing and arranging evolved a hybrid – what
Barnes termed folksong preludes – which are in fact settings of lovely folksongs elaborate enough to be
considered independent compositions. This duet arrangement of Barb’ra Allen comes from a set entitled
Three Anglo-American Folksongs. The set also includes One Morning in May and Billy Boy.
Concerto Grosso
Tomaso Albinoni
arr. Ronald Barnes
Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni (1674-1745) was a Venetian Baroque composer. While famous in his day as an
opera composer, he is mainly remembered today for his instrumental music, especially his oboe concertos.
Orpheus Chamber Singers
Sunday – 17 June 2007, 8:15 pm
Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe, Dallas
After twenty years of study and employment in Rome, Tomás Luis de Victoria, the greatest Spanish
composer of the Renaissance, returned home to Spain in 1583 to serve as choirmaster and chaplain to King
Philip II’s sister, the Dowager Empress Maria, who was in retirement at the Royal Convent of the Barefoot
Nuns of St. Clare. Victoria wrote Officium Defunctorum, known commonly today as his Requiem, for the
Empress’s funeral mass. The work was Victoria’s last, and this masterpiece is generally regarded as the last
work – of any composer – in the Renaissance choral polyphonic style.
Grete Pedersen is considered to be one of Norway’s leading and most versatile conductors. She leads
both the Oslo Chamber Choir, which she founded in 1984, and the Norwegian Soloists’ Choir. Pedersen’s
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chamber chorus has become famous for its ground-breaking exploration of vocal folk music, bringing
the Norwegian solo folk singing tradition called “kveding” into a choral format. Jesus Gjør Meg Stille and
Kilden are from Pedersen’s multi-volume compilation of folk song, arranged by Pedersen and other leading
Scandinavian composers.
Oslo native Trond Kverno has devoted his career to Norwegian church music, and his works are today
among the most frequently performed in Norway. His setting of the ancient Marian hymn Ave Maris Stella
employs antiphonal treble and men’s choruses and ends with a versicle, a chanting of the first two lines of
the traditional Ave Maria prayer.
Swede Sven-David Sandström spent the first two decades of his career a devout disciple of the avant-garde
before adopting neo-Romanticism in the 1980s. At the beginning of this stylistic reorientation, he explored
the music of one of the greatest of all English composers, Henry Purcell. Sandström states, without alteration,
Purcell’s plaintive motet Hear My Prayer, O Lord before developing the final phrase into a thickly-textured
fantasia. Sandström’s style was, however, not completely transformed at this time, as he continued to include
avant-garde elements, such as extended vocal techniques. Requiring the performers to ornament certain
notes with exaggerated vibrato or by singing the lowest pitch possible amplifies the already deeply felt
emotion in his embellishment of Purcell’s motet.
Canadian composer Sid Robinovitch has been praised for his clever integration of folk and popular
elements into his works. Speaking of his blended style, he says, “I have a feel for popular music, and I
have a feel for classical; the common ground is their beauty, spontaneity, sincerity, and directness. It really
doesn’t matter where these qualities come from, and I don’t differentiate.” Prayer Before Sleep is the finale
of his six-movement Talmud Suite.
In 20th-century French religious composition, Francis Poulenc is rivaled in importance only by Olivier
Messiaen. But Poulenc did not embrace religious themes early in his career. Only after the tragic death of
a close friend and a pilgrimage to the shrine of the Black Madonna of Rocamadour in 1936 did he renew
his faith. Subsequently, he produced an impressive catalogue of deeply religious and intensely personal
choral works. On his musical style, Poulenc once commented, “I’m not one of those composers who have
made harmonic innovations like Igor [Stravinsky], Ravel, or Debussy, but I think there’s room for new
music which doesn’t mind using other people’s chords. Wasn’t that the case with Mozart – Schubert?” On
another occasion, he confidently stated, “I received from heaven the gift of knowing how to write for a
chorus.” This talent is certainly evident in Messe en sol-majeur, which demonstrates Poulenc’s passion for
lyrical melody and richly colored harmony.
Musicologist Hugh Ottaway describes Ralph Vaughan Williams as “the most important English composer of his generation” and “a key figure in the 20th-century revival of English music.” After study with
Stanford, Bruch, and Ravel, Vaughan Williams dismissed central European compositional trends, finding
inspiration instead in the English folk song and classical traditions. The richly expressive Three Shakespeare
Songs were written when Vaughan Williams was 79 years old and are diminutive masterpieces from his
prodigious choral output. In Full Fathom Five, eerie bells toll a requiem for a lost mariner. The text of The
Cloud-Capp’d Towers is taken from Prospero’s moving soliloquy in The Tempest and is a comment on life’s
brevity and man’s insignificance. Gravity gives way to mirth and frivolity – not to mention fairies! – in Over
Hill, Over Dale.
– David Britton
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Texts & Translations
Selections from Officium Defunctorum
Tomás Luis de Victoria
Taedet Animam Meam
Taedet animam meam vitae meae;
Dimittam adversum me eloquium meum,
Loquar in amaritudine animae meae.
Dicam Deo: Noli me condemnare:
Indica mihi cur me ita judices.
Numquid bonum tibi videtur,
Si calumnieris me et opprimas me,
Opus manuum tuarum,
Et consilium impiorum adjures?
Numquid oculi carnei tibi sunt:
Aut sicut videt homo, et tu vides?
Numquid sicut dies hominis dies tui,
Aut anni tui sicut humana sunt tempora,
Ut quaeras iniquitatem meam,
Et peccatum meum scruteris?
Et scias quia nihil impium fecerim,
Cum sit nemo qui de manu tua possit eruere.
My heart is weary of my life;
I will speak out at my own risk,
And express the bitterness in my soul.
I shall say to God: Do not condemn me,
But show me why you judge me this way.
Shall it seem a good thing to you to
Cheapen me and oppress me,
A man of your own making,
And to support the schemes of the wicked?
Are your eyes like human eyes?
Do even you see only as men do?
Is your life like the life of men,
And do your years pass like the days of men,
That you should search for faults in me,
And scrutinize my sins?
Surely you know that I have done nothing wrong
And that no one could rescue me from your hand.
Job 10, vv1-7 [Second Lesson at Matins for the Dead]
Versa Est in Luctum
Versa est in luctum cithara mea
Et organum meum in vocem flentium.
Parce mihi Domine, nihil enim sunt dies mei.
My harp is turned to mourning
And my organ into the voice of those that weep.
Spare me, O Lord, for my days are as nothing.
Job 30, v31; after Job 7, v16 [First Lesson at Matins for the Dead]
Lux Aeterna
Lux aeterna luceat eis, Domine,
Cum sanctis tuis in aeternam, Quia pius es.
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,
et lux perpetua luceat eis.
May eternal light shine upon them, O Lord,
With all the saints forevermore, for you are gracious.
Grant them eternal rest, O Lord,
And let perpetual light shine upon them.
from Missa Pro Defunctis
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Jesus Gjør Meg Stille
Norwegian Melody
Jesus, gjør, meg stille, stille!
Lad meg hvile i din trøst
Når meg Satan vil forvilde
Lad meg høre blot din røst!
Jesus, make me calm, calm!
Let me rest in your consolation
When Satan is trying to seduce me
Let me hear the sacrifice in your voice!
Tal du til mit trette hjerte,
Skjenk det, Herre, salig ro
O fordriv al nød og smerte,
Styrk mitt håp og øk min tro!
Speak to my weary heart,
Fill it, Lord, with glorious peace,
O banish all destitution and sorrow,
Strengthen my hope and increase my trust!
Vokt du meg for hver en fare
Når jeg tankeløs går frem
Fra den onde skjulte snare.
Frels meg du, min Gud og ven!
Guard me from every danger
When I thoughtlessly go astray
Down the evil hidden path.
Redeem me, my God and friend!
Jesus, dann min egen vije
Så den helt går opp i din,
At ei noget oss må skille,
Men du helt og fullt blir min!
Jesus, create my mind again
So it is just like yours,
That nothing may divide us,
That you entirely and fully become mine!
Kilden/The Source
Norwegian Melody
Jeg vet om en kilde som ingen kan tømme
Og ut frå denne rinner der levende strømme.
Så kom da enhver som et beger kan trenge,
Men kom uten penge, og dryg ei for lenge.
I know of a source that no one can empty
And from its edge pours the waters of life.
So come and everyone who desires can have a goblet,
But come without money, and don’t wait too long.
Den kilden er Jesus, den kjærlige, gode
Med liv og med fred og med sannhet og nåde.
Så drikk da, og styrk dig, det vil jeg dig råde
Men kom uten penge, og dryg ei for lenge.
The source is Jesus, the loving, goodness,
Along with life and peace and truthfulness and grace.
So drink then, and you will be strengthened, I promise you.
But come without money, and don’t wait too long.
Et kar til å øse med har du i bønnen
Gud Fader dig hører i navnet til Sønnen.
Det evige livet av nøde er lønnen,
Men kom uten penge, og dryg ei for lenge.
A vessel to scoop with, you bring to your prayer
God the Father hears all who call in the name of the Son.
That eternal life of fulfillment is the reward,
But come without money, and don’t wait too long.
Så kom da og tvett deg, i renhets kilde,
Men skynd deg for ellers det kan bli for silde.
Din evige frelse, du må ei forspille,
Men kom uten penge og dryg ei for lenge.
So come and wash yourself in the spring of pureness.
But hurry because it can get crowded as a school of herring.
Your eternal salvation, you cannot forfeit,
But come without money, and don’t wait too long.
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Ave Maris Stella
Ave Maris Stella
Chant, Mode I
Trond Kverno
Ave maris stella
Dei Mater alma,
Atque semper Virgo,
Felix caeli portas.
Hail, star of the sea,
Loving Mother of God,
Always a virgin,
Blissful gate of heaven.
Sumens illud Ave
Gabrielis ore,
Funda nos in pace,
Mutans Hevae nomen.
Receiving that Ave
From Gabriel’s lips,
Confirm us in peace,
Reversing Eva’s [Eve’s] name.
Solve vincla reis,
Profer lumen caecis:
Mala nostro pelle,
Bona cuncta posce.
Break the chains of sinners,
Bring light for the blind:
Drive away our evils,
And ask for all good.
Monstra te esse matrem:
Sumat per te preces;
Qui pro nobis natus,
Tulit esse tuus
Show yourself to be a Mother:
May He accept our prayers through you,
He who, born for us,
Chose to be yours.
Virgo singularis,
Inter omnes mitis,
Nos culpis solutos,
Mites fac et custos.
O incomparable Virgin,
Meek above all,
Make us, absolved from sin,
Gentle and undefiled.
Vitam praesta puram,
Iter para tutum:
Ut videntes Jesum,
Semper collaetemur.
Keep life pure,
Make our journey safe,
So that, seeing Jesus,
We may always rejoice together.
Sit laus Deo Patri,
Summo Christo decus,
Spiritui Sancto,
Tribus honor unus. Amen.
Let there be praise to God the Father,
Glory to Christ in the highest
To the Holy Spirit.
One honor to all three. Amen.
9th-Century Hymn
[Kverno only]
Ave, gratia plena, Dominus tecum.
Benedicta tu, in mulieribus.
Hail, full of grace, God is with you.
Blessed are you, among all women.
Luke 1, v28
Hear My Prayer, O Lord
Hear my prayer, O Lord
And let my crying come unto thee.
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Henry Purcell / Sven-David Sandström
Psalm 102, v1
Prayer Before Sleep
Baruch atah Adonai
Eloheinu melech ha-olam
Hamapil chavlei sheina
Al einai
Ut’numah al afapai
Vihi ratson milfanecha
Adonai Elohai Velohei Avotai
Shetashkiveini l’shalom
V’ta-amideini l’shalom
F’al y’vahaluni rayonai
Vchalomot ra-im
V’harhorim ra-im
U-t’he mitati shleima l’fanecha
V’ha-er einai
Pen ishan hamavet
Ki atah mae-ir
l’ishon bat-ayin
Baruch atah Adonai
Hame-ir la-olam kulo
Bichvodo
Sid Robinovitch
Exalted art thou, O my Lord
Who art God and King of the world,
Who weighs down my eyes
With gentle bonds of sleep,
And refreshes my tired spirit with slumber.
May ever it be thy will,
Lord my God, and God of all my fathers,
To lay me down in untroubled peace
And raise me up in peace once more.
Do not let dark imaginings disturb me
With thoughts of sin and despair.
O heal my fear and my suffering May my bed be enclosed in thy care.
Give light unto my eyes
Lest the sleep of death overtake me.
For it is thou who breathes life
Into man’s slumbering soul.
Exalted art thou, O Lord
Who illuminates all the world
With his Glory
From the Talmud
from Messe en sol-majeur
Kyrie
Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison. Kyrie eleison.
Benedictus
Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.
Hosanna in excelsis.
Agnus Dei
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi:
miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi:
dona nobis pacem.
Francis Poulenc
Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy.
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
grant us peace.
Ordinary of the Mass
Three Shakespeare Songs
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Full Fathom Five
Full fathom five thy father lies,
Of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes:
Nothing of him that doth fade,
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange.
Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell:
Hark! now I hear them, ding-dong bell.
The Tempest, Act I, Scene 2
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The Cloud-Capp’d Towers
The cloud-capp’d towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve,
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind: We are such stuff
As dreams are made on, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.
The Tempest, Act IV, Scene 1
Over Hill, Over Dale
Over hill, over dale,
thorough bush, thorough briar,
Over park, over pale,
thorough flood, thorough fire
I do wander everywhere.
Swifter than the moonè’s sphere;
And I serve the fairy queen,
To dew her orbs upon the green.
The cowslips tall her pensioners be;
In their gold coats spots you see;
Those be rubies, fairy favours,
In those freckles live their savours:
I must go seek some dew-drops here,
And hang a pearl in every cowslip’s ear.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act II, Scene 2
William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
Recital – Peter Sykes
Monday – 18 June 2007, 9:00 am
First United Methodist Church, Richardson
This recital presents works written since 2003 in a variety of styles. The Martinson and Locklair works
were written for organ dedication recitals, while the Veloso was written for an organ student’s graduate
recital and the Van Ness for an anniversary service. They all build on the heritage of the organ’s traditional
repertoire, while expanding expressive and coloristic possibilities with new textures and ideas taken from
other musical realms.
Michael J. Veloso writes, “I am far from the first composer to be fascinated by the organ’s capacity for
infinite sustain; the organ does not need to breathe, rebow, reattack or rewind to continue producing
sound. I wrote Transmigration with the intention of exploiting this feature, as the piece is built mainly
around the opening and closing of stops while the keys are held down, analogous to the entrances and
exits of instruments in an orchestral piece. The word ‘transmigration’ means the journey of the soul into
another body after death, a concept found in many religious traditions. While Transmigration was not
consciously about this idea of rebirth, it seemed a fitting title as the piece developed. The piece finds most
of its direct inspiration in ambient electronica, most notably the work of Brian Eno and Greg Davis.
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Transmigration was written for Joshua T. Lawton, and was premiered on December 12, 2005 in the Church
of the Redeemer, Newton, MA, on a 1989 Noack organ.”
(Available through www.mjveloso.com)
Joel Martinson writes:
Compositions always have a story, but the one behind the commission of this work, Out of the Depths
– Three Essays on a Chorale, is certainly the most unique in my experience. I was asked by Ernie Drown,
Director of Music of The Church of Christ at Dartmouth College, to compose a work for the dedication
of the church’s new 25-stop mechanical-action instrument by Orgues Létourneau to be played by Peter
Sykes, a mutual friend of ours. The leaders of the congregation decided to commission the piece in honor
of the organ’s donor, Mary Ives, who was able to underwrite her gift through a payment from the Libyan
government as compensation for the loss of her daughter Martha and her family in the Pan Am Flight 103
bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland, on 21 December 1988.
When Ernie contacted me about the work, he mentioned the idea of a piece which “starts with grief,
confusion, pain and despair, then gradually works its way to confidence, faith and peace.” Immediately, I
turned to Psalm 130, Out of the depths, I cry to thee, O Lord, as a basis for the piece. In the course of our
e-mail correspondence, Ernie suggested the possible use of Martin Luther’s 1523 hymn paraphrase of that
psalm and its accompanying tune, Aus tiefer Not, often attributed to Luther’s hand, as well. A popular
funeral hymn in the Reformation period and sung at Luther’s own burial, Aus tiefer Not, is widely known
to organists by the fugue in Felix Mendelssohn’s Sonata III in A Major. Having played that work myself,
I set out to compose a piece which would have allusions to the chorale melody, but be programmatic
work based on the psalm and Luther’s paraphrase of the text, rather than a set of variations on the chorale
melody. A three movement work with five distinct sections began to take shape, the number “five” playing
an important role in the overall piece: derived from the opening interval of the chorale – a fifth – and by
number of stanzas in Luther’s original text.
The opening movement, Prelude, with its ostinato in the pedal, takes its inspiration from “the depths”
and builds to a climactic cry, both in texture and in volume. The left hand’s plaintive melody with the
oboe is juxtaposed with chorale-like chords on the foundation stops at the beginning, gradually building
in dissonance and rhythmic intensity toward two statements of the opening five notes of the chorale
melody. The cries wind down and subside a bit faster than they built up and retreat back into the depths
from which they began.
The Intermezzo takes its inspiration from two ideas in the third stanza of the hymn – first, Hope, then,
Rest. Scherzo-like in nature, the first and last sections play off the Great flutes and Swell 8-foot stops exploiting the interval of the perfect fifth throughout, sometimes singly, sometimes stacked (creating the interval
of a major ninth). This hollow-sounding interval is used in combination with trills, providing a lighter
contrast to the heaviness and despair of the Prelude. The middle portion of this movement is minimalist in
nature, with chant-like right hand notes against slow-moving chords in the left hand and pedal a fifth apart.
A quote from the first phrase of another tune in early use with Luther’s text appears at the top of the chord.
The quiet section also builds to a climax at which point the chant-like melody is heard in the pedal.
The final movement, Fugue – Chorale, begins with a five-voice fugue once again derived from the first
five notes of the melody. After a passage created by contrapuntal density and octaves in the pedal, a toccatalike episode leads to a complete presentation of the harmonized chorale in the manuals over a pedal ostinato
derived from the head of the fugal subject. At the end of the statement, two final entries of the subject are
heard, moving toward a more major tonality.
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The work was premiered by Peter Sykes in a series of dedicatory recitals from April 8-10, 2005, at The
Church of Christ at Dartmouth College, Hannover, NH.
(Published by Kessler Park Press – www.kesslerparkpress.com)
Patricia Van Ness writes, Pastoral Suite (2006-2007) is an expansion of Four Prayers for Organ, a work
written in 2006 to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Peter Sykes’s music directorship at First Church
in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Almost immediately after the premiere the piece began expanding, first to
five, then six and ultimately seven movements; each is a prayer or meditation. The title Pastoral Suite
was given in response to the recurring theme of nature. It uses throughout signature compositional tools
of composed chant and chant-based polyphony. Also frequently present is use of the drone (bagpipes),
an element in pastoral music. Thematically, the first and seventh movements are affirmations; the second
and sixth are meditations, and the third and fifth chorales of praise. Movement Four is a short amen to
Movement Three. The music is an expression of my ongoing exploration into my concepts of the nature
of God. It is meant to reaffirm that not only are we beloved, but that the divine, pure love, imbues all in
heaven and earth.”
(Available as a free download from www.patriciavanness.com)
Salem Sonata by Dan Locklair reads on the title page, “Commissioned by Mark and Rosanne Welshimer
in celebration of the 2004 restoration of the 1800 Tannenberg organ at Old Salem (Winston-Salem, NC)
and in honor of Paula Welshimer Locklair, whose vision and dedication to the project made it a reality.”
(Silent since 1910, the organ was restored by Taylor and Boody Organbuilders in a five-year project
culminating in a weekend symposium featured on the TV series “CBS Sunday Morning.”) The first two
movements are based on a Moravian hymn tune sung at the dedication service of the church in November
1800, “Gregor’s 97th” (“We Join in Heartfelt, Amen”). The title of the first is taken from that hymn, the
title of the second from the Lord’s Prayer, which appears at the beginning of that service. The second two
are based on the tune “Almsgiving,” sung at the last service when the Tannenberg organ was played before
being taken down; the title of the third movement is taken from “Almsgiving” while the fourth is taken
from the final hymn (“Hark, the Voice of Jesus Crying”) sung at that service in January 1910. The work
was premiered by Peter Sykes at the rededication recital of the organ on March 19, 2004.
(Available through Subito Music Publishing – www.subitomusic.com)
Recital – Hyeon Jeong & James Diaz
Monday – 18 June 2007, 11:30 am
St. Andrew United Methodist Church, Plano
Louis Vierne composed his Troisième Symphonie in 1911 while vacationing at Marcel Dupre’s summer
home in St. Valery-en-Caux, Normandy. It received its premiere in March 1912 at the Salle Gaveau by
Dupré, to whom the work is dedicated. Its ominous, powerful opening, stated in octaves and with the full
organ, followed by a more lyrical secondary theme played on foundations with full swell, are treated to
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a thorough development in traditional sonata form, and seem to work together to reflect the imposing
architecture and beauty of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, where Vierne was organist.
Guy Bovet’s Trois Préludes Hambourgeois began as improvisations and were later written out by the composer from recordings or from memory. The inspiration for Sarasota came during a trip to Florida where he
heard stories of “alligators showing up in people’s backyards and eating dogs and babies.” On the same trip
he visited New Orleans and the Southern California coast, and as such jazz elements and a relaxed movie
atmosphere are mixed into the piece as well.
The composer and pianist William Bolcom was born in Seattle and entered the University of Washington
at age eleven to study piano and composition. He later studied with Darius Milhaud at Mills College and
both Milhaud and Olivier Messiaen at the Paris Conservatoire, and earned a doctorate in composition from
Stanford University. He has taught composition at the University of Michigan since 1973. Much of Bolcom’s
music is characterized by his use of modern idioms, and What a Friend We Have in Jesus is an ingenious
fusion of the Gospel idiom and art music. The Education Projects Committee of the Dallas Chapter commissioned and presented the first performance of William Bolcom’s Three Gospel Preludes to commemorate
the chapter’s 60th Anniversary in 1979.
The blind organist Gaston Litaize studied with Marcel Dupré at the Paris Conservatoire and later taught
at France’s National Institute for the Blind. In 1938 he won the second Prix de Rome, unprecedented at
the time for a person without sight. He went on his first tour of the United States in 1957. Litaize had great
facility for counterpoint, as evidenced in his beautiful Lied.
Jean Guillou’s Icarus was first an improvisation recorded for Philips (now re-issued on the CD Guilou
joue Guillou) and later written down note-for-note by the composer. According to Greek myth, Icarus was
imprisoned in a tower on the island of Crete with his father Daedalus. As it was impossible to escape by
the closely guarded ships, Daedalus sought to fly off the island by securing feathers to his arms and to his
son’s with wax. He gave his son instructions not to fly too close to the sun, lest its heat melt the wax that
secured the feathers. But Icarus, exultant in flight, soared up to the heavens, melted the wax, and plunged
into the sea.
One of the most famous composers in the history of film music, Bernard Herrmann is widely known
for his collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock, most notably for his scores to Vertigo, North by Northwest
and Psycho. He also wrote the scores for Citizen Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons, and The Devil and
Daniel Webster, which earned him his only Oscar. He was born in New York City, and at a young age was
supported in musical pursuits by his father, who took him to the opera and encouraged his violin study.
He decided to concentrate on music at the age of thirteen after winning a $100 composition prize. As a
conductor for the Columbia Broadcasting System in the 1930s through 50s, he introduced many new
orchestral works to American audiences, most notably the music of Charles Ives, virtually unknown to the
general public at the time.
Richard Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyrs serves as the prelude to Act III of Die Walküre. It depicts the
Valkyrs, with their winged helmets and shields, assembling on top of a mountain after carrying out their
task of bringing back the most heroic who died in battle to take them to Valhalla, where they become
einherjar, or heroic spirits of battle. Wagner’s practice of weighting the orchestration toward brass and
winds (contrary to the traditional backbone of strings, with winds and brass used primarily for coloration)
is typified in this famous excerpt, and lends itself well to the organ’s reed choruses.
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Meyerson Evening
Monday – 18 June 2007, 7:30 pm
Eugene McDermott Concert Hall in the Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas
Cristina García Banegas
Sounds and Spaces in Latinoamerica
This program presents a journey through Latin American organ music from the 16th through the 21st
centuries, showcasing the vast region’s particular, unique and diverse sounds which have been heard inside
and/or outside of churches over the years. Two programmatic themes are prominently explored:
1. the Canto a la inmaculada concepción de la Virgen María – Song to the Blessed Virgin Mary – heard
in the Ginastera, Correa de Arauxo, Pablo Bruna and Banegas works;
2. a tribute to the great organ composer J. S. Bach, in using the four letters of the German musical
alphabet to spell his name in music: BACH. (Note, in German, “B” stands for B-flat, and “H”
equals B-natural.) The Ginastera, Tosar, Banegas and Nepomuceno compositions reference to this
theme to some extent.
Various works on the program are rooted in the plainchant of liturgical hymns, in meditations, in the
verses included in the sacred service, in universal musical forms, in original rhythms and in the typical
timbres of the Iberian (Spanish and Portuguese), Flemish, Italian and Germanic aesthetics.
In the various organs imported into Latin America over the centuries, we find a rich palette of sounds
and a great diversity of timbres and colors, which continually delight and surprise us:
• the small 16th century “royal” instrument” used in processions
• small organs of Iberian origin with their “broken” ranks and their two “reeds” – the dulçaina and
trumpet
• Italian organs from the 18th to the 20th centuries
• French, Dutch and Belgian organs
• German organs from the 18th century on
• English organs from the 19th century on
• theater organs originating from the United States in the early 20th century, which were developed
to accompany silent films.
Couple all of the above foreign influences with traditional handicraft using bamboo materials and pipes
and native artistic contributions that live on even today, and one has a good idea of the extent and breadth
of the wide range of Latin American sounds.
Along with the influences of the organs themselves, we should consider the rich tapestry of rhythmic
ideas from all artistic expressions which have taken place in sacred and secular venues:
• percussion in processions
• folk celebrations with their typical dances following the liturgical service
• regional religious songs in native languages mixed with Latin
• traditional indigenous rituals arising from the time of their evangelization
All of these feed into the compositions written for the organ. We wouldn’t want these traditions to be
lost and, by making them known for others to enjoy, we hope to preserve this cultural heritage and be
able to obtain the necessary resources so that new instruments will continue to arrive in Latin America,
something which has been rather rare since the second half of the 20th century.
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S. Wayne Foster
Foster Returns to the Meyerson
Brian Sawyers composed Rising Sun in 1999 in response to a request made by his friend, Peter Biachhi,
who was at that time an assistant organist at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California. The result
is an electrifying work that combines innovative textures and rhythms in a free-form style. Sawyers derived
much inspiration for this work from the Hazel Wright Memorial Organ of the Crystal Cathedral, for
which he is a curator. He composed Rising Sun with a large organ in mind, but also believes the work can
be successfully performed on smaller instruments as well. The title also reflects the imagery of the Crystal
Cathedral bathed in varying degrees of sunlight throughout the day. The rhythmic impetus of Rising Sun
is a lilting Scottish dance motive, and the only recognizable theme is that of the Westminster Chimes,
heard in fragments throughout. For more information about Brian Sawyers and his organ music, contact
[email protected].
In this 300th anniversary year of Dietrich Buxtehude, we can find many reasons to celebrate the life of a
truly inventive composer that go beyond the decisive influence he wielded on the young Johann Sebastian
Bach. His numerous preludes and toccatas are studies in contrast, even though they all exhibit the same
musical characteristics of the early Toccata- rhapsodic, improvisatory free sections mixed with fugal passages.
What could easily become contrived is instead molded into musical drama by his ability to weave these
two elements together in unexpected ways. Praeludium in G Minor, BuxWV 149 undeniably counts as one
of his greatest masterpieces. Its thematic unity, formal rigor, and virtuosic imagination would suggest a
work from his later years.
Prelude and Fugue on Sine Nomine also pairs free, rhapsodic sections with strict fugal writing. The tune
Sine Nomine is undoubtedly the most widely sung tune of Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) and is most
strongly connected with the hymn “For All The Saints” by William Walsham How (1823-1897). A native of
Kennewick, Washington, Bruce Neswick holds degrees from Pacific Lutheran University (graduating magna
cum laude) and the Yale University School of Music and Institute of Sacred Music. A fellow of the American
Guild of Organists, Mr. Neswick has served the guild as a chapter dean, regional coordinator of education,
member of the national nominating board and the national improvisation competition and as a convention
performer. He is under management with Philip Truckenbrod Concert Artists and currently serves as Canon
Precentor for the Episcopal Cathedral in Atlanta, Georgia.
The eight organ sonatas of Alexandre Guilmant occupy an important place in French Symphonic
organ repertoire. What sets them apart from the symphonies of Widor and Vierne, and the larger works of
Franck, is Guilmant’s avowed neo-classicism at a time when the organ world around him seemed destined
to forget the past. Through his own performances and his numerous editions, he promoted the music of
Gabrieli, Palestrina, Merulo, Frescobaldi, Byrd, Scheidt, Muffat, Froberger, Buxtehude, Pachelbel, Bach,
Dandrieu, and Clérambault. This musicological affinity is seen in Guilmant’s compositional style by his
choice to write in the genre of the sonata or classical suite, and often avoiding the orchestral textures
favored by Widor and Franck. The Fifth Sonata in C Minor, Op. 80, was written in 1894, performed by
the composer for the inauguration of the Schola Cantorum organ in 1902, and is generally regarded as
one of his most successful compositions.
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Recital – Susan Ferré
Tuesday – 19 June 2007, 10:45 am
Episcopal School of Dallas
Stories from the Human Village
Narration will be provided by the performer during the recital.
Recital – Dong-ill Shin
Tuesday – 19 June 2007, 1:45 pm
Bentwood Trail Presbyterian Church, Dallas
César Franck wrote Trois Pièces for the inaugural concert of the Cavaillé-Coll organ built for the 1878
World’s Fair held at the Palais du Trocadéro in Paris. Other distinguished French organists – Alexandre
Guilmant, Charles-Marie Widor, Camille Saint-Saëns and Eugène Gigout – also participated in this event.
The Fantaisie is the first of the three works in Trois Pièces and is characteristic of other music in this genre,
with its free-flowing nature, profusion of melodies, ambiguous epilogue, and generally improvisatory feeling.
The Fantaisie is spun from three main themes:
A imposing and somewhat masculine in character;
B tender and feminine;
C mysterious and almost ghost-like in quality.
After the introduction of each of the themes, motives A and B are superposed in the development as the
two different characters conflict. After the development, these two motives are reconciled and the whole
piece concludes with the third theme – C – in mysterious serenity.
As with other blind French organists – Jean Langlais, André Marchal and Gaston Litaize – Louis Vierne
began his first musical formation at Institute National des Jeunes Aveugles. He studied organ with Widor
and was named Organist Titulaire at Notre Dame de Paris in 1900, holding this post until the end of his
life. (In fact, Vierne literally died on the organ bench, as he was just beginning to improvise on a given
theme on Notre Dame’s massive Cavaillé-Coll.)
Naïades is one of the twenty-four compositions which Vierne composed for his Pièces de Fantaisie. It
begins with the right hand playing rapidly-flowing 16th notes which are marked by staccato chords by the
left hand and pedal. Then the movement switches to the left hand as the right hand sings a lyrical theme
on 8' foundation stops. This virtuosic texture expands to both hands, exploring diverse tonalities in the
course of the piece. The Toccata, also from Pièces de Fantaisie, is virtuosic, incisive and outstanding. It has a
perpetual movement of 16th notes from start to finish, and bears a strong influence of the musical language
of Impressionism.
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Maurice Duruflé’s Suite pour Orgue, Op. 5 was composed in 1933 and is dedicated to his teacher Paul
Dukas. The Prélude consists of two different musical ideas, each in its own mode, which are developed
in alternation with each other, proceed through a number of different keys, and build to a great climax.
The stormy texture winds down, a recitative brings calm, and the movement ends with a statement of
the second musical idea which evokes the beginning section. The middle movement, Sicilienne, appears
simple at first, with its lyrical theme and eighth-note accompaniment, but it becomes animated with the
introduction of the second theme employing a tritone and 16th-notes. This material is extensively elaborated
upon, and a full repetition of the lyrical theme concludes the work, accompanied by 16th note triplets. The
Toccata reminds one of Maurice Ravel’s piano writing with its rapidly flowing passagework and energetic
syncopated rhythm. There are two contrasting themes, and they alternate throughout the piece. Its dramatic
figurations and pauses alongside with rhythmic drive make this one of the best French organ toccatas in the
20th century even thought the composer himself was never really satisfied with it, even in its revised form.
Recital – Jesse Eschbach
Tuesday – 19 June 2007, 4:00 pm
Main Auditorium, University of North Texas, Denton
Suite du Quatrième Ton
Jacques Boyvin
Boyvin’s sixteen suites, published in two volumes, were no doubt intended to alternate with Magnificat
versets. The Prélude, a typical Plein-Jeu piece, does reflect the earlier Titelouze practice of treating motivic
material in a series of contrapuntal entries, couched in the traditional Parisian ligature e durezza texture.
The ensuing Fugue Chromatique also reflects earlier practices, leading to the first “modern” movement
of the suite, the Récit grave de Nazar, ou de Tierce, ou de Cromhorne ([Lentement], Legerement,
Lentement). Here, the influences of French vocal music are strongly felt and the advice of the scholar Jean
Saint-Arroman is especially appropriate in terms of imitating French prosody practices in the articulation
of the solo voice. Since Tierce and Chromorne solos follow, I have elected to play this Récit on the Nasard.
Another Récit movement follows, alternating solos on the Tierce and Récit Trompette with trios divided
between the Pédale Flûte 8' and the solo stops. A brisk Duo, possibly a Gavotte, follows, allowing the
Grosse Tierce 31⁄5' to be heard. The tenor Récit in this suite is confided to the Cromorne, enveloped in
the lush jeu doux of 16', 8' and 4' prescribed by organists and theorists of the time. The suite ends with a
good-natured Grand-Jeu, in dialogue treatment of course, between the Positif and Grand-Orgue, thereby
implying a basic reed registration without the added mutation stops or the Tremblant Fort reserved for
larger dialogues played on three or even four manuals.
Prelude and Fugue in C Major, BWV 527
Johann Sebastian Bach
Only the genius Bach could take a common rising scale motion, couple it with a sixteenth-note rhythmic
figure, and create the masterpiece he did in the C Major Prelude. Written about the time of the Canonic
Variations on Von Himmel Hoch da komm’ ich her, Bach introduces the motive from the first measure of
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his chorale masterpiece (derived from the cantus firmus) when he reaches F Major. The traditional tonal
structure consisting of reintroducing motivic material in closely-related keys is enriched in the last portion
of the piece by tapping keys related to the parallel minor of the tonic key, thereby introducing a number
of A-flats, especially dissonant in this temperament. The fugue is one of the most dazzling displays of contrapuntal science known, even for Bach. A short, one measure subject, is heard throughout the first section of
the fugue rectus and in inversion before Bach again introduces tonal centers derived from the parallel minor
key. The reprise in C Major introduces the famous pedal line consisting of the subject in augmentation
while the subject in original note values in the manuals swirls in strettos, again in rectus and in inversion.
A contrapuntal tour de force!
Tierce en Taille
Nicolas de Grigny
Peter Williams once referred to the Tierce en Taille as the most remarkable genre ever to be produced in
17th century music. As with all of the Récit movements, the Tierce en Taille evolved rather quickly from the
fantasias and fugues of the middle 17th century, stimulated by the remarkable achievement of the Parisian
organbuilders who equipped their instruments with wide-scaled mutation stops. The fugal origin of these
pieces is often reflected in the introduction where each of the contrapuntal parts enters with the subject
before the solo voice on the tierce registration enters last. Gaspard Corrette (1703) gave superb advice for
playing these sensuous works: given the contrasting character of the various passages, a very flexible
approach to the pulse is recommended, holding back and “languishing” before pushing forward with the
more brilliant passages.
Offertoire sur les Grands Jeux
Nicolas de Grigny
This quintessential Offertoire, always played on the reed stops and invariably in dialogue between the
various manual divisions, is the most grandiose of all the offertories composed during the reign of Louis
XIV when there was no lack of spirited grand jeu pieces. This offertory formula, especially the sacrosanct
Grand-Jeu registration reserved for it, continued to be practiced through much of the nineteenth century
where the structure was often “updated” and composed as a sonata-allegro movement. This was, after all,
the place in the liturgy where the organist was allowed to “shine,” there being few liturgical constraints.
This structure begins as a fugue before Grigny solos out either the treble or bass of his texture on the
Grand-Orgue manual. Another exposition in four voices concludes the formal dialogue portion of the
offertoire, leading to a transition where the Récit and Echo manuals exchange a short figure back and
forth, concluding on the petit jeu of the Positif. The lengthy fugue that follows is not, as many have written
over the years, a gigue, but rather a loure, a species of gigue, but slower, composed in 6-4 with the quarter
clearly serving as the pulse unit, all according to Kirnberger. Like its close relative the gigue, dotted rhythms
prevail, and I have not hesitated to follow the advice of my mentor, Marie-Claire Alain, and dot the even
passages of quarter notes throughout this section. The work ends over lengthy pedal notes introducing the
pedal reeds, cadencing on AAA of the pedal ravalement.
18
UNT Collegium Musicum
Tuesday – 19 June 2007, 7:30 pm
Murchison Performing Arts Center, University of North Texas, Denton
Revised program and notes will be available at the concert.
Recital – George Baker
Wednesday – 20 June 2007, 8:45 am
Perkins Chapel, Southern Methodist University, Dallas
Homage to Jean Langlais (1907-1991)
This morning’s recital is devoted to works of Jean Langlais. George Baker was a disciple, protégé and
friend of Langlais. He worked with Langlais for two years, 1973-1975, and earned the Diplôme de Virtuosité
with Mention Maximum in the 1975 Classe de Jean Langlais at the Schola Cantorum, Paris. Langlais
dedicated two organ works to Baker: Prélude Grégorien (commissioned by Baker and composed in 1979)
and Jésus, mon Sauveur béni (no. 5 of Huit Chants de Bretagne, composed in 1974). Baker performed both
pieces at Sainte-Clotilde in Paris, and he was present at the 1975 Sainte-Clotilde recording of the complete
organ works of Franck by Langlais.
Jean Langlais needs no introduction to American organists. He played hundreds of recitals in the USA
from 1952 on, taught dozens of American students, and composed some three hundred organ works, of
which many were dedicated to his American students and close American friends. He was born February
15, 1907 in La Fontenelle, a small village in Brittany. His parents were very poor – a stone-cutter and
seamstress – and they lived in a tiny cottage. Despite their poverty, they were able to provide for their family,
and their strong religious faith helped to nourish Jean’s musical affinity for Gregorian chant and regional
folk songs. Blind from age two, Langlais entered the Institut National des Jeunes Aveugles (National Institute
for Blind Youth) in Paris at the age of ten. There he worked extremely hard for ten years, studying organ
with André Marchal and other musical disciplines with two blind students of Franck, Adolphe Marty and
Albert Mahaut. In 1927 he entered Dupré’s organ class and obtained a Premier Prix d’Orgue in 1930.
That same year, he began working on improvisation with Charles Tournemire at Sainte-Clotilde. Shortly
before Tournemire’s death in 1939, he asked Langlais to become his successor at Sainte-Clotilde. This wish
was finally fulfilled in 1945. Tournemire’s love of chant and modality, exhibited by his improvisations and
compositions, was a huge influence on Langlais’ musical style. Most of Langlais’ music contains modality
mixed with tonality, and many compositions are based on actual chant melodies.
Incantation pour un Jour Saint was composed in 1949 and dedicated to Rolande Falcinelli, Dupré’s
successor at the Conservatoire. The piece is based upon two chant themes taken from La Veilée pascale
(Easter Vigil office of Holy Saturday): Lumen Christi … Deo Gratias, and Kyrie, eleison … Christe, exaudi
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nos. To accompany the chant fragments, Langlais blends modern harmonies with medieval-sounding
open fifths and fourths and with parallel triads. The work ends with a final statement of Deo Gratias, with
the last chord sounding a glorious D Major on the tutti.
The Trois Paraphrases Grégoriennes (Opus 5) were composed during 1933-34 for the 1934 Les Amis de
l’Orgue composition competition. The competition required three pieces: the first inspired by the Messe
des Morts (Requiem Mass), the second of a slow character based upon the feast of the Holy Virgin Mary,
and the third based upon the great Latin hymn of praise, Te Deum. This triptyque contains perhaps the
most often-played works of Langlais, although it was only his second organ publication. Very evident in
these compositions is Tournemire’s improvisation training in the Gregorian paraphrase. At the beginning
of Mors et resurrection, Langlais inscribes a passage from St. Paul’s letters to the Corinthians: “Death, where
is thy victory?” Portions of chant from the introit and gradual of the Requiem mass are developed in the
piece, which begins simply and quietly and builds to a triumphant ending in E Major on the full organ.
In Ave Maria, Ave Maris Stella, Langlais uses and develops these two chants honoring the Blessed Virgin
Mary at the feast of the Annunciation, the first an antiphon and the second a hymn. The Ave Maria, heard
in the first section, symbolizes the angel Gabriel’s salutation to Mary. The middle section, representing
the tormented, anguished prayers of mankind, features the Sancta Maria, mater Dei portion of the same
antienne. The final section of the piece employs the Ave Maris Stella (Hail, Star of the Sea) on the clarinette
stop coupled to the pedal, leading to the sumptuous conclusion in F# Major, featuring a juxtaposition of
both chant themes. The Te Deum is probably Langlais’ best-known organ work. Based on the great Gregorian
hymn of thanksgiving and praise, the piece is tripartite in form. The first section contrasts unison chant
fragments with fortissimo detached chords, contrasting ancient modal with modern tonal. The second
section develops the chant fragment In te Domine speravi (In Thee, O Lord, have I trusted) in a chromatic
and modulatory manner, which leads back to the third and final section, where Langlais recalls the opening
chordal passages, combining several chant fragments.
The Poëmes Evangéliques d’après les textes sacrés, Op. 2, comprise the first published work of Langlais.
It is a triptyque composed in early 1932 for the composition competition of Les amis de l’Orgue.
(Unfortunately, it was eliminated in the first round, with a composition of Ermend-Bonnal winning first
prize! However afterwards, Marcel Dupré wrote a very complimentary letter of introduction to Editions
Hérelle, which quickly agreed to publish it and several other Langlais works.) With only the third of the
three based on chant, these pieces employ for inspiration passages from the Gospels. L’Annonciation cites
verses from the book of Mark describing the encounter between Mary and the angel Gabriel. There are
four sections of the piece: the Angel, the Virgin, the Heart of the Virgin, and the Magnificat. La Nativité
was first made popular in the USA during the 1938 concert tour of André Marchal in this country. In
it, Langlais musically portrays three scenes: the Angels, the Shepherds, and the Holy Family. It is a calm,
beautiful piece, with lush impressionistic harmonies and solos on the cromorne, hautbois and open flute.
Les Rameaux (the Palms) is subtitled, “Entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem.” It is a fugal fantasia, a form often
worked in Dupré’s classe d’improvisation, with the chant theme Hosanna Filio David (sung during the
procession of the palms) in the pedals in long equal values (representing the majesty of Christ) and rapid
eighth note passages in the hands (representing the excitement of the crowd). In the middle section, the
chant is developed in the manuals and returns to the pedals at the end for a stunning climax in C Major.
20
Workshop – Hymn Tune Settings
Wednesday – 20 June 2007, 11:30 am
Northridge Presbyterian Church, Dallas
“Magical” Hymn-tune Preludes
Welcome to Northridge Presbyterian Church. In the process of choosing organ and choral music for
this congregation over the past 27 years, I have come to prefer the use of organ settings of the hymntunes that are being sung by the congregation for the instrumental portions of the service. This practice
allows worshipers to recall (or anticipate) the texts which are being during the service rather than have
their attention diverted elsewhere. Although there are many (perhaps even too many!) hymn-tune settings
published these days, most fall into the category of what might be called Gebrauchsmusik – music for
practical use, but much of which often lacks a sense of inspiration. Although one must sift through a lot of
music to find the real gems, the reward is the discovery of a setting that will excite both the player and the
congregation. I am often pleased when I find even one such piece in a collection. That setting then finds its
way into the service almost every time that hymn-tune is sung. I hope you will find some inspired pieces
in the repertoire presented today. Although there were a few well-published composers whose works were
included, I have had to leave out others such as Michael Burkhardt, Charles Callahan, David Cherwien,
John Ferguson, Aaron David Miller, and others whose works often rise above the commonplace.
Fantasy on Brother James Air
Adolphus Hailstork
Commissioned by Anne Maynard Bowman in memory of the life and work of Rev. B. Hampton Bowman.
Composed for premiere at the 2007 Region VII AGO Convention.
Adolphus Hailstork is Eminent Scholar and Professor of Music at Old Dominion University in Norfolk,
Virginia. His compositions include three symphonies, two operas, a piano concerto, and numerous choral
works, including The Song of Deborah commissioned for the 1994 National AGO Convention in Dallas.
Manuscript
Hymn: Cristo Vivo / Christ Is Risen
PH, #109
This accompaniment has evolved over the course of several Easters, and my congregation’s ears always
perk up when they hear rhythm instruments playing along with either the organ or piano.
Schübler Chorales
J. S. Bach
Kommst du nun, Jesu, vom Himmel herunter (Lobe den Herren)
As we all know, at least five of the so-called Schübler Chorales were arranged by Bach from cantata
movements. Although he gave the title of an Advent hymn to this setting, it is from Cantata 137, “Lobe den
Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren” (“Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation”), and
will fit whenever that tune is sung. Depending upon the musical heritage of the denomination for which
you work, you will find a good number of German chorale tunes in your hymnal. There are Baroque-era
(and neo-Baroque) settings of all levels of difficulty to fit your needs.
(PH, # 482)
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Four Improvisations on Gregorian Themes
Everett Titcomb
Puer Natus Est
Everett Titcomb was for 50 years the Director of Music of the Boston Church of the Society of St. John
the Evangelist. He had a strong scholarly interest in plainchant and liturgy. “Puer Natus Est” is the Gregorian
chant Introit for the 3rd Mass of Christmas. It is not a hymn-tune, but is included just because this is a
beautiful piece to use as the prelude for a Christmas Eve (or Christmas Day) service. It rises and subsides in
the manner of other wonderful prelude pieces such as Frank Bridge’s “Adagio in E-major.”
Mills Music 46008 (now owned by Alfred Music, but the piece is out of print)
2nd Organ Sonata
Eugene Thayer
America: A Fugue
You will find this to be a useful addition to your repertoire for Sundays near national holidays when
the congregation might sing “My Country ‘Tis of Thee.” And best of all, it’s free for the copying at a good
library. It is certainly easier, and more formal, than Ives’ well-known variations.
from Music: The AGO & RCCO Magazine, X, 7; July, 1976, pp27-30. (PH, # 561)
113 Variations on Hymn Tunes for Organ
George Thalben-Ball
Picardy
This wonderful collection of brief hymn-tune settings runs the gamut from the simple to the more
fantasy-like setting such as this one in the style of Reger. Among other tunes in this volume are Darwall’s
148th, Dominus regit me, Dundee, Hanover, Hyfrydol, Irby, Lasst uns erfreuen, Monkland, Neander, Old
100th, Praise My Soul (Lauda Anima), Regent Square, St. Anne, St. Denio, Stracathro, Stuttgart, Ton-y-Botel,
and Vruechten.
Novello. (PH, # 5)
Prelude-Toccata on “Toulon”
Dennis Janzer
Commissioned by Northridge Presbyterian Church in celebration of its Centennial – 2005.
When we began to plan for our centennial service, we decided to commission three items: an organ
prelude, and anthem (a setting of Psalm 146 by Carlyle Sharpe), and a hymn text (“When the Founder
of Creation” by John Thornburg). Since the organ piece had to be commissioned long before the staff was
prepared to plan the service, I chose to ask for a setting “Toulon,” which Presbyterians sing with a text
attributed to John Calvin. We ended up using that as the opening hymn for the service. This piece is being
published by Wayne Leupold Editions in a collection called Hymn Treatments for Organ, Volume I, that
will also include settings of Lobe den Herren, New Britain (Amazing Grace), Finlandia, and Nettleton. The
catalogue number will be WL600116.
Manuscript. (PH, # 457)
Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ (Hymn Preludes for Organ)
Mark Sedio
Linstead
One of several tunes which was new to many hymnals published toward the end of the 20th-century,
Linstead gives a rollicking Jamaican feel to the text “Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ.” Mark Sedio,
Director of Music at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis and also serves on the music staff at Luther
Seminary in Saint Paul, retains the Jamaican feel of the tune in his setting. Other well-known tunes in this
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collection include Gabriel’s Message, Hyfrydol, Land of Rest, St. Louis, Tryggare kan ingen vara, Wer nur
den lieben Gott, and Wie schön leuchtet.
Augsburg Fortress 11-10718. (PH, # 516)
A Mighty Fortress
Charles W. Ore
Previously professor of music and chair of the Music Department at Concordia University in Seward,
Nebraska, Dr. Ore is currently the organist at First Presbyterian Church, Lincoln, Nebraska. Although
he has published numerous collections of hymn-tune settings marked by rhythmic vitality and harmonic
inventiveness, this separately-published setting of Ein feste Burg is one of his most exciting pieces.
Concordia 97-6061. (PH, # 259 & 260)
Built on a Rock: Keyboard Seasons
Curt Oliver
Two Variations on “Schmücke dich, O liebe Seele”
Curt Oliver is Director of Music and Organist, Macalester-Plymouth United Church (PCUSA and
UCC), St. Paul, MN. He has had many wonderful piano settings of hymn-tunes published. The second
variation which will be played is for a stanza not in the Presbyterian Hymnal, which begins “Hasten as a
bride to meet him … ” See how many wedding references you can find. Other variations in this volume
are on the tunes Der am Kreuz, Kirken den er et gammelt Hus, Liebster Jesu, O Welt, ich muss dich Lassen,
and Wie schön leuchtet.
Augsburg Fortress 11-10620. (PH, # 506)
Jazz December
Michael Hassell
Go, Tell It on the Mountain
Be prepared for your congregation to get very excited if you play Michael Hassell’s jazz-style settings of
hymn tunes on the piano. Michael Hassell is a composer, pianist, organist, theatrical producer/director,
and performer who has made his home in the Hampton Roads, Virginia area for more than twenty years.
Other tunes in this collections are Battle Hymn, Burleigh, Swing Low, Away in a Manger, I Wonder, Carol,
St. Louis, and Three Kings of Orient.
Augsburg Fortress 11-10796. (PH, # 29)
Organ, Timbrel, and Dance / Three Jazz Organ Preludes
Johannes Matthias Michel
Swing Five: Erhalt uns, Herr
Johannes Matthias Michel is music director of the Christuskirche, Mannheim, and Landeskantor of
northern Baden. He also conducts the Bachchoir Mannheim and the Chamber Choir Mannheim. He is also
the president of the Karg-Elert Society, and composer and editor of more than 150 publications in addition
to teaching organ at the State Academy of Music, Mannheim. You may find this setting, in the style of Dave
Brubeck’s 1961 “Take Five,” not very expressive of the texts associated with this tune, but it is a wonderful
experiment in a style not often heard in main-line churches. Also included in the present volume are settings
of Wunderbarer König (Bossa Nova) and In dir ist Freude (Afro-Cuban).
Concordia 97-6805. (PH, # 87 & 380)
Sousa for Organ
John Philip Sousa
The Revival March
trans. Joseph M. Linger
My congregation loves Sousa on the organ! (I will only do “Stars and Stripes Forever” as the postlude
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for a service if July 4 falls on the weekend.) But this lesser-known march, with “Sweet Bye and Bye” in the
trio, will get rave reviews whether used as a postlude or as a lighter piece on a recital. Other marches in
this collection include El Capitan, The Liberty Bell, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, Semper Fidelis, and The
Washington Post.
Belwin-Mills DM 00255 (Warner Bros)
Recital – Matthew Dirst
Wednesday – 20 June 2007, 3:30 pm
Episcopal Church of the Ascension, Dallas
Although most of Alessandro Scarlatti’s keyboard works are intended for the harpsichord, at least one
works well on the organ: the source for the A-major Toccata includes an introductory note that directs
organists to hold the notated arpeggios and repeated chords. This toccata comprises four sections, the first
two of which (marked Allegro and Presto) are linked tonally. The ensuing Partita alla Lombarda is actually
a little giga, and the work closes with an exuberant fuga.
In the preface to his first book of toccatas, Girolamo Frescobaldi explains that such works can be played
on any keyboard instrument, and that they may be adapted to suit almost any purpose. With their quickly
shifting moods and avoidance of strong sectional divisions, Frescobaldi’s toccatas are the instrumental
equivalent of the new style of solo song in the early 17th century. Toccata IV from Book II carries the designation “to be played at the Elevation,” and its beginning at least calls for the sound of the voce humana
(an Italian principal celeste).
Among Dietrich Buxtehude’s works for keyboard are several variation sets on secular tunes. In contrast
to his flamboyant and often quite learned organ praeludia, the keyboard variations are terse and lively,
and are suitable for any keyboard instrument. This set, perhaps the most fetching of the lot, begins with a
limpid Aria in C and comprises some ten variations.
Hugo Distler’s Trio Sonata for organ was written in 1939 with the composer’s house organ in mind.
Following the model of Bach’s trio sonatas, Distler infuses this venerable genre with counterpoint that is by
turns angular and elegant, cheerful and melancholy. The first movement provides the closest parallel with
18th-century chamber style, while the second and third movements feature sections with contrasting textures
and tempi.
The lone Pastorella of J. S. Bach begins in the familiar 12/8 rhythm of its Italian model (there’s even a
characteristic drone in the pedal) but the work actually comprises four separate though unlabeled movements in the manner of a French dance suite. The gentle opening thus yields to a sprightly Allemande,
which is followed by an Italianate Adagio and a concluding gigue.
Responding to the demand for new organ music in England, where he was widely celebrated as an organ
virtuoso, Felix Mendelssohn wrote six sonatas that are among the best works for the instrument from his
time. The Sonata in D Major includes a chorale-like introduction, an alluring slow movement reminiscent
of his “Songs without Words” for piano, and a rousing closing movement in sonata allegro form.
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Children’s Chorus of Greater Dallas
Wednesday – 20 June 2007, 4:45 pm
Zion Lutheran Church, Dallas
Texts & Translations
Jubilate Deo
Rejoice in God, Alleluia.
Michael Praetorius
Boosey & Hawkes OCTB6350
We Hasten, O Jesu (from Cantata No. 78)
We hasten with eager yet faltering footsteps,
O Jesu, O Master, for help unto thee.
J.S. Bach
Oxford University Press A234
English words by Laurence Davies
A Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28
Benjamin Britten
Boosey & Hawkes LCB 11
1. Procession
Hodie Christus natus est:
hodie Salvator apparuit:
hodie in terra canunt angeli:
lætantur archangeli:
hodie exsultant justi dicentes:
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Today Christ is born:
today the Saviour appears:
today on earth the angels sing:
the archangels announce:
today be exultant and say together:
Glory to God in the highest.
Halleluia! Halleluia! Halleluia!
2. Wolcum Yole!
Wolcum, Wolcum, Wolcum be thou hevenè king,
Wolcum Yole! Wolcum, born in one morning,
Wolcum for whom we sall sing!
Wolcum be ye, Stevene and Jon,
Wolcum, Innocentes every one,
Wolcum, Thomas marter one,
Wolcum be ye, good Newe Yere,
Wolcum, Twelfthe Day both in fere,
Wolcum, seintes lefe and dere,
Wolcum Yole, Wolcum Yole, Wolcum!
Candelmesse, Quene of bliss,
Wolcum bothe to more and lesse.
Wolcum, Wolcum, Wolcum be ye that are here,
Wolcum Yole, Wolcum alle and make good cheer,
Wolcum alle another yere, Wolcum Yole, Wolcum!
Anonymous
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3. There is no Rose
There is no rose of such vertu as is the rose that
bare Jesu.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
For in this rose conteinèd was heaven and earth in
litel space,
Res miranda, res miranda.
By that rose we may well see there be one God in
persons three,
Pares forma, pares forma,
The aungels sungen the shepherds to:
gloria in excelsis Deo.
Gaudeamus, gaudeamus.
Leave we all this werldly mirth, and follow we this
joyful birth.
Transeamus, transeamus, transeamus.
Alleluia, res miranda, pares forma, gaudeamus,
Transeamus.
Anonymous
4b. Balulalow
O my deare hert, young Jesu sweit, Prepare thy creddil in my spreit,
And I sall rock thee to my hert, And never mair from thee depart.
But I sall praise thee evermoir With sanges sweit unto thy gloir;
The knees of my hert sall I bow, And sing that richt Balulalow.
James, John and Robert Wedderburn
5. As dew in Aprille
I sing of a maiden that is makèles:
King of all kings to her son she ches
He came also stille there his moder was,
As dew in Aprille that falleth on the grass.
He came also stille to his moder’s bour,
As dew in Aprille that falleth on the flour.
He came also stille there his moder lay,
As dew in Aprille that falleth on the spray.
Moder and mayden was never none but she:
Well may such a lady Goddes moder be.
6. This little Babe
This little Babe so few days old, is come to rifle Satan’s fold;
All hell doth at his presence quake, though he himself for cold do shake;
For in this weak unarmed wise the gates of hell he will surprise.
With tears he fights and wins the field, His naked breast stands for a shield;
His battering shot are babish cries, His arrows looks of weeping eyes,
His martial ensigns Cold and Need, and feeble Flesh his warrior’s steed.
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Anonymous
His camp is pitchèd in a stall, His bulwark but a broken wall;
The crib his trench, haystalks his stakes; of shepherds he his muster makes;
And thus, as sure his foe to wound, the angels’ trumps alarum sound.
My soul, with Christ join thou in fight; stick to the tents that he hath pight.
Within his crib is surest ward; this little Babe will be thy guard.
If thou wilt foil thy foes with joy, then flit not from this heavenly Boy.
Diu Diu Dang A
Taiwanese Folk song
Arranged by the Dallas Asian American Youth Orchestra
A train races swiftly and enters a tunnel. Inside the tunnel, water droplets falling on the train car roof
make a sound: “diu-diu dang.” As the train rapidly progresses, the “ho-ho” voices of the train whistle mix
with the “diu diu dang” tune.
Niska Banja
Serbian Gypsy Dance
Arranged by Nick Page, Boosey & Hawkes OC4B6517
Let’s go to the baths of Nis
Where we shall kiss, kiss, kiss.
Al Shlosha D’Varim
Allan E. Naplan
Boosey & Hawkes M-051-46783-9
The world is sustained by three things, by truth, by justice and by peace.
There Is Sweet Music Here
There is sweet music here that softer falls
Than petals from blown roses on the grass,
Or night-dews on still waters between walls
Of shadowy granite, in a gleaming pass;
Music that gentlier on the spirit lies,
Than tired eyelids upon tired eyes:
Music that brings sweet sleep down from the blissful skies.
Here are cool mosses deep,
And through the moss the ivies creep,
And in the stream the long-leaved flowers weep,
And from the craggy ledge the poppy hangs in sleep.
Pirkei Avot (Mishnah)
Joel Martinson
Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892)
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Singing Questions
Alice Parker
Morning Star Music Publishers MSM-50-9928
Where does the music come from,
Where does it go?
What streams of cosmic dust
Contain the flow?
Why do we lose the way
To that pure sound
That makes the atoms whirl
And shakes the ground?
Where is the hidden source
Of tone and beat
That moves our hearts and minds,
Our dancing feet?
How can we find our way
Back to that spring
That flows in waves of song,
Bidding us “Sing?”
Who was the first to find
That inner voice
That turns the heart’s despair
Into “Rejoice?”
Alice Parker
Ask the Moon
from Three Settings of the Moon
There’s Old Man Winter now,
Climbing up the slope
Toward spring.
He goes without his clothes,
He lost them in the wind;
He is a tree.
See his hungry birds,
The jays and lonely owl?
And foxes, too –
Quick dark shadows in the moonlight,
Tracks of the scared,
Running mice and rabbits.
Listen!
Ron Nelson
Boosey & Hawkes OCTB6100
He’s singing now,
Hear his weird moan
In the trees,
And the boom, boom, boom of his ice
Round the lake,
Is his the coldest, oldest voice there is?
Ask the moon.
Come climb the hill with him;
A long, slow climb;
Just you and me.
It is so cold and bare
But when there’s less to see
We may see more
And see it there more clearly.
William Auden
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AGO
VII
2007
American Guild of Organists
Regional Convention
Dallas
June 17-20, 2007