A CHANTICLEER CHRISTMAS THURSDAY DECEMBER : PM MEMORIAL CHURCH R E L H O K A S I L Y B O T O H P Program Notes by Kip Cranna, Andrew Morgan, Joseph Jennings, Kory Reid, Gregory Peebles, and Jace Wittig Virga Jesse floruit Plainsong Gregorian Chant, named after Pope Gregory I (d .604), is the term applied to the vast repertoire of liturgical plainsong assembled over the course of several hundred years, roughly 700-1300 A.D. There are almost 3,000 extant chants in the Gregorian repertoire, with texts specific to each day of the liturgical year in the Roman Catholic Church. Virga Jesse floruit is an Alleluia for the Feast of the Annunciation during Paschal Time (which in fact is a rare occasion). Alleluia. Alleluia. Virga Jesse floruit: The rod of Jesse has blossomed: Virgo Deum et hominem genuit: a Virgin hath brought forth God and man: pacem Deus reddidit, God hath restored peace, in se reconcilians ima summis, reconciling in Himself the lowest with the highest, Alleluia. Alleluia. o Virgo virginum Josquin Desprez ( c. 1450–1521) Considered one of the greatest composers of the Renaissance, Josquin Desprez lived a life steeped in mystery for present-day scholars. The earliest surviving written record dates from 1459, which lists him as an “adult” singer at the cathedral in Milan, where he was employed until 1472. He subsequently worked at the chapel of Duke Galeazzo Sforza. Other posts included serving as a singer in the Papal Chapel in Rome and as court composer to Duke Ercole I of Ferrara. In 1503, Josquin moved to France, where he served as Provost of Notre Dame de Condé until his death in 1521. Despite the lack of historical evidence surrounding Josquin’s life, the fact that he was well respected by his contemporaries is certain. The great sixteenth-century printer of music, Petrucci, devoted as many as three of his books to the works of Josquin. No other composer was allotted by Petrucci more than one volume, and publications devoted to a single composer were extremely rare at the time. Like many of his contemporaries, Josquin was particularly taken with texts honoring the Virgin Mary, and seemed to capture the miracle of Immaculate Conception with particular mastery. His six-voice motet O Virgo virginum attests to Josquin’s wealth of creative ideas, contrasting the rich sonority of the lower three voices with the lighter sound of the upper parts—an early and rare example of the polychoral technique that became the hallmark of Venetian composers more than a century later. A tenacious cantus firmus melody, holding forth in the soprano part (or in the tenor line when only the lower voices are singing) provides steady momentum and harmonic stability. O Virgo virginum, quomodo fiet istud? O Virgin of virgins, how will this come to pass? Quia nec primam simile visa est, Since nothing like You was seen before, nec habere sequentem. nor has been since. Filiae Jerusalem, quid me admiramini? Daughters of Jerusalem, why do you marvel at me? Divinum est mysterium hoc This divine mystery you see quod cernitis. is sent from God. 2 angelus ad pastores ait a 12 Giovanni Gabrieli ( c. 1557–1612) The organist at Venice’s San Marco Cathedral, Giovanni Gabrieli was nephew to Andrea Gabrieli, who was pivotal in establishing the Venetian school of composition. Both Gabrielis learned from masters of the Franco-Flemish contrapuntal style that dominated the sixteenth century, but favored a more homophonic and sonorous writing style inspired by the vast space inside San Marco. Giovanni’s compositions—almost exclusively sacred—are perhaps the most consistently representative of this sound. Angelus ad pastores ait , a grand, twelve-part fanfare, employs rhythmic urgency and the unmistakably Venetian polychoral texture (here, two choirs of six voices each) to recreate the archangel Gabriel’s annunciation to the shepherds near Bethlehem, spreading the news of Christ’s birth. Angelus ad pastores ait: The angel said to the shepherds: Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum: “I announce to you a great joy: quia natus est vobis hodie Salvator mundi. that today is born for you the Savior of the world. Alleluia. Alleluia.” Gloria in excelsis Deo Glory to God in the highest et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis. Alleluia. and on Earth, peace to men of goodwill. Alleluia. Pastores loquebantur Jacob Clemens non Papa ( c. 1510–1555) Jacobus Clemens non Papa (so called to distinguish him from Pope Clemens VII and the poet Jacobus Papa, both of whom were contemporaries) was one of the most prolific composers of the early sixteenth century. Born in the Netherlands, he was especially skilled with motets. His writing shows an advanced use of harmonic language as well as an expressiveness of melody directly related to the text. His writing seems somewhat free from the rules applied to strictly imitative counterpoint—a technique very much in favor amongst other Franco-Flemish composers of the time. In Pastores loquebantur , imitation is somewhat limited to the beginning of each phrase or textual idea, followed by freer counterpoint and expressive text-painting that seems to reflect the journey of the shepherds as they traveled to Bethlehem. Pastores loquebantur ad invicem: The shepherds said to one another: transeamus usque Bethlehem, “Let us go now to Bethlehem et videamus hoc verbum, quod factum est, and see the Word which has come to pass, quod fecit Dominus et ostendit nobis. Noe, noe! which the Lord has done and revealed to us.” Noel, noel! Et venerunt festinantes, And they came with haste et invenerunt Mariam et Joseph, and found Mary and Joseph, et infantem positum in praesepio. and the infant lying in a manger. Et reversi sunt pastores, And the shepherds returned, laudantes et glorificantes Dominum. Noe, noe! praising and glorifying God. Noel, noel! rosa das rosas Alfonso X de Castille (1221–1284) Alfonso X de Castille, “The Learned,” was by all accounts a remarkable figure—a brilliant intellectual with a great capacity for sustained study. Aside from numerous advances in literature and science, Alfonso also served as an innovative and just administrator for his kingdom. Most notable was his work in the areas of societal, educational, and judicial reform, including the encouragement of employing the vernacular in learning and art. He was even accused of sacrificing his family and political position for the cause of advancing his liberal reforms. The reverent Rosa das rosas is taken from La Música de las Cantigas de Santa María del Rey Alfonso El Sabio, a collection of 400 songs compiled and written by Alfonso during the thirteenth century, mainly in viralai form (refrain/verse/refrain). “Rosa das rosas,” like every tenth song in the collection is a loor , or praise song, in which Alfonso contemplates the Virgin as an object of personal 3 adoration. The language is Gallo-Portuguese, a dialect familiar to Alfonso, and used as a literary language in the same way fourteenth-century Italian poets used the Provençal language of the troubadours. Rosa das rosas, et Fror das frores, Rose of all roses, and Flower of all flowers, Dona das donas, Sennor das sennores. Lady of all ladies, and Liege of all Lords. Rosa de beldad e de parecer, Rose of beauty and truth, et Fror d’alegría et de prazer; and Flower of joy and of youth; Dona en mui pïadosa seer, Lady enthroned in great holiness, Sennor en toller coitas et doores. Liege Lord, who bears our sorrows and sins. Esta Dona que tenno por Sennor This is the Lady I hold as Liege et de que quero seer trobador, and of whom I long to be the troubadour, se eu per ren poss’ auer seu amor, so that, in this, I may have Her love, dou ao demo os outros amores. giving myself over all other loves. rose of roses Fredrik Sixten (b. 1962) A native of Skövde, Sweden, Fredrik Sixten is a respected and sought-after composer around the world. Music captured his imagination from a very early age—he was first exposed to music in church, and sacred choral works comprise a sizeable portion of his writing. At the age of twenty, he attended the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm to study composition with celebrated Swedish composer Sven-David Sandström. Since completing his studies, Sixten has served as Organist and Music Director at several of Sweden’s most historical and prestigious cathedrals. He is the recipient of several awards, including the Gehrmans/Sensus Composer Award, the Gusav Auléns Prize, and the Stockholm Music Association’s “Composer of the Year” Award (2010). Sixten’s compositions—in a wide variety of genres—have been described as fresh, accessible, intelligent, and keenly aware of the musical needs of both the connoisseur and the layperson. Study of Sixten’s writing reveals his familiarity with traditional Swedish melodies, historical forms, the works of 20th century French masters (particularly Poulenc), and modern jazz. His English-language setting of Rose of Roses (inspired by the melody heard previously in Castille’s Rosa das rosas ) is at once modern and ancient, amalgamating ancient ideas and a new compositional voice. Castille’s Gallo-Portuguese text has been translated into English and adapted by the composer. Rose of roses is Sixten’s first composition for Chanticleer. Rose of roses, Flower of flowers, Lady of ladies, and Lord of lords. Rose of beauty and fine appearance, and Flower of happiness and pleasure, Lady of most merciful bearing, and Lord for revealing all woes and cares. We should love and serve her loyally, for She can guard us from falling. She makes us repent the errors we have committed as sinners.