at the Concerts Cathedral Basilica

TenebraeLondon, England Choir

Friday, November 4, 2011 8:00 PM Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter & Paul Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Tenebrae Choir, London Nigel Short, Director

Programme

The Evening-Watch, Op.43 No.1 Gustav Holst 1874-1934 Edited by Imogen Holst

The Body Farewell! I go to sleep; but when The Body The day-star springs, I’ll wake again. Amen! but hark, ere we two stray How many hours dost think ‘till day? The Soul Go, sleep in peace; and when thou liest The Soul Unnumber’d in thy dust, when all this frame Ah go; th’art weak, and sleepy. Heav’n Is but one dram, and what thou now descriest Is a plain watch, and without figures winds In sev’ral parts shall want a name, All ages up; who drew this circle, even Then may his peace be with thee, and each dust He fills it; days and hours are blinds. Writ in his book, who ne’er betray’d man’s trust! Yet this take with thee. The last gasp of time Is thy first breath, and man’s eternal prime. Henry Vaughan (1621-1695) Funeral Ikos b.1944

Why these bitter words of the dying, Why these bitter words of the dying ... O brethren, which they utter as they go hence? If thou hast shown mercy unto man, I am parted from my brethren. O man, that same mercy shall be shown thee there; All my friends do I abandon, and go hence. and if on an orphan thou hast shown compassion, But whither I go, that understand I not, neither the same shall there deliver thee from want. what shall become of me yonder; If in this life the naked thou hast clothed, only God, who hath summoned me knoweth. the same shall give thee shelter there, But make commemoration of me with the song: and sing the psalm: Alleluia. Alleluia. But whither now go the souls? Youth and the beauty of the body fade How dwell they now together there? at the hour of death, This mystery have I desired to learn, but none can impart aright. and the tongue then burneth fiercely, Do they call to mind their own people, as we do them? and the parched throat is inflamed. Or have they forgotten all those who mourn them The beauty of the eyes is quenched then, and make the song: the comeliness of the face all altered, Alleluia. the shapeliness of the neck destroyed; and the other parts have become numb, We go forth on the path eternal and as condemned, nor often say: with downcast faces, Alleluia. present ourselves before the only God eternal. With ecstasy are we inflamed Where then is comeliness? Where then is wealth? if we but hear that there is light eternal yonder; Where then is the glory of this world? that there is Paradise, There shall none of these things aid us, wherein every soul of Righteous Ones rejoiceth. but only to say oft the psalm: Alleluia. Let us all, also, enter into Christ, that all we may cry aloud thus unto God: Alleluia. Orthodox Service / Tavener Take him, earth, for cherishing Herbert Howells 1892 - 1983 Take him, earth, for cherishing, Not though ancient time decaying to thy tender breast receive him. wear away these bones to sand, Body of a man I bring thee, ashes that a man might measure noble even in its ruin. in the hollow of his hand: Once was this a spirit’s dwelling, Not though wandering winds and idle, by the breath of God created. drifting through the empty sky, High the heart that here was beating, scatter dust was nerve and sinew, Christ the prince of all its living. is it given to man to die. Guard him well, the dead I give thee, Once again the shining road not unmindful of his creature leads to ample Paradise; shall he ask it: he who made it open are the woods again, symbol of his mystery. that the serpent lost for men Comes the hour God hath appointed Take, O take him, mighty leader, to fulfil the hope of men, take again thy servant’s soul. then must thou, in very fashion, Grave his name, and pour the fragrant what I give, return again. balm upon the icy stone.

A Good-Night Richard Rodney Bennett b.1936 Close now thine eyes and rest secure; Thy soul is safe enough, thy body sure; He that loves thee, he that keeps And guards thee, never slumbers, never sleeps. The smiling conscience in a sleeping breast Has only peace, has only rest; The music and the mirth of kings Are all but very discords, when she sings; Then close thine eyes and rest secure; No sleep so sweet as thine, no rest so sure. Francis Quarles (1592–1644)

At the round earth’s imagined corners from Songs of Farewell Charles Hubert Hastings Parry 1848-1918

At the round earth’s imagined corners And never taste death’s woe, blow your trumpets, angels But let them sleep, Lord, and me mourn apace, and arise from death For, if above all these my sins abound, you numberless infinities of souls ‘Tis late to ask abundance of Thy grace and to your scattered bodies go! When we are there.

All whom the flood did and fire Here on this lowly ground, shall overthrow Teach me how to repent, for that’s as good All whom war, death, age, agues, tyrannies, As if Thoud’st sealed my pardon with Thy blood. despair, law, chance hath slain; John Donne (1572–1631) And you whose eyes shall behold God Lord, Let Me Know Mine End from Songs of Farewell Charles Hubert Hastings Parry

Lord, let me know mine end Take Thy plague away from me, and the number of my days, I am even consumed by means of Thy heavy hand. That I may be certified how long I have to live. When Thou with rebukes does chasten man for sin Thou hast made my days as it were a span long; Thou makest his beauty to consume away And mine age is as nothing in respect of Thee, Like as it were a moth fretting a garment; And verily, ev’ry man living is altogether vanity, Ev’ry man therefore is but vanity. For man walketh in a vain shadow Hear my pray’r, O Lord And disquieteth himself in vain, And with Thy ears consider my calling, He heapeth up riches and cannot tell Hold not Thy peace at my tears! who shall gather them. For I am a stranger with Thee and a sojourner And now, Lord, what is my hope? As all my fathers were. Truly my hope is even in Thee. O spare me a little, that I may recover Deliver me from all mine offences my strength before I go hence And make me not a rebuke to the foolish. And be no more seen. I became dumb and opened not my mouth Text – Psalm XXXIX V.V. 5—15 For it was Thy doing.

Interval Ubi Caritas Paul Mealor b. 1975 Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est. Where charity and love are, God is there. Congregavit nos in unum Christi amor. Christ’s love has gathered us into one. Exultemus, et in ipso jucundemur. Let us rejoice and be pleased in Him. Timeamus, et amemus Deum vivum. Let us fear, and let us love the living God. Et ex corde diligamus nos sincero. And may we love each other with a sincere heart Amen Amen.

A Spottless Rose Paul Mealor

A Spotless Rose is growing, The Rose which I am singing, Sprung from a tender root, Whereof Isaiah said, Of ancient seers’ foreshowing, Is from its sweet root springing Of Jesse promised fruit; In Mary, purest Maid; Its fairest bud unfolds to light Through God’s great love and Amid the cold, cold winter, might And in the dark midnight. The Blessed Babe she bare us In a cold, cold winter’s night.

León – from ‘Path of Miracles’ b.1971 Li soleus qui en moi luist est mes deduis, The sun that shines within me in my joy Et Dieus est mon conduis. and God is my guide.

We have walked In Jakobsland: Over river and sheep track, By hospice and hermit’s cave. We sleep on the earth and dream of the road, We wake to the road and we walk. Wind from the hills Dry as the road, Sun overhead, Too bright for the eye. Santiago – from ‘Path of Miracles’ Joby Talbot

The road climbs through changing land. By Fonfria del Camino, by Triacastela. Northern rains fall Towns are shadows On the deepening green of the slopes of the valley, The road leaves behind. Storms break the summer’s heat; It moves over the slate hills At Foncebadon a pass can be lost, Palas do Rei. Potomarin. In one night, to the snow. The names are shadows. The road climbs for days through Then, from the stream at Lavacolla the highlands of Bierzo, To the foot of Monte de Gozo, to the grassland and rocks A morning; of the Valcarce valley. From the foot of Monte de Gozo White broom and scrub-oak, To the summit of Monte de Gozo Laburnum and gorse The road climbs, Mark the bare hills Before the longed-for final descent Beside the road. To Santiago. At O Cebreiro, mountains. The road follows the ridgetop Herr Santiagu By meadows of fern, by fields of rye. Grot Sanctiagu Eultreya esuseya Deius aia nos.

Ver redit optatum Longed-for spring returns Cum gaudio, With joy Flore decoratum Adorned with flowers Purpureo; Shining; Aves edunt cantus The birds sing Quam dulciter, So sweetly, the woods burst in to leaf, Cantus est amoenus There is pleasant song Totaliter. On every side.

Jacobo dat parium The whole world freely gives thanks Omnis mundus gratis To James Ob cuius remedium Through his sacrifice, he, Miles pietatis The warrior of godliness, Cunctorum presidium Is a great defence to all Est ad vota satis. Through their prayers.

O beate Jacobe O blessed James, Virtus nostra vere Truly our strength, Nobis hostes remove Take our enemies from us Tuos ac tuere And protect your people, Ac devotos adibe And cause us, your faithful servants, Nos tibi placere. To please you.

Jacobo propicio James, let us hope for pardon Veniam speramus Through your favour, Et quas ex obsequio And let us give, Merito debemus The worthy praise, Patri tam eximio Which we rightfully owe Dignes laudes demus. To so excellent a father. Programme Notes

Gustav Holst (1874-1934) composed ‘The Evening-Watch’, subtitled ‘Dialogue between the Body and the Soul’ in 1924, and conducted its first performance at the 1925 Three Choirs Festival in Gloucester Cathedral. A setting of Henry Vaughan, it was planned as the first of a series of motets for unaccompanied double chorus, but only one other was composed. ‘The Body’ is represented by two solo voices, a tenor and an alto – singing in a metrically free, senza misura manner – and ‘The Soul’ by the full choir. The work has something of the austerity of Holst’s other works of this period, an impres-sion intensified by his instruction that the voices should sing sempre pp until near the end; but the final efflorescence of passion and vocal colour feels all the more powerful for the previous restraint.

Sir John Tavener’s (b.1944) ‘Funeral Ikos’, which has become one of his best-known shorter works, was composed in 1981 and is a calm, even serene setting of words from the Greek Orthodox service for the Burial of Priests, evoking (rather like Elgar’s They are at Rest) the bliss of the righteous in Para-dise. In order to place the words at the forefront of the experience, the music is of extreme simplicity, much of it in unison or with only the most exiguous of harmonies. The chant is shared between upper and lower voices and then the full choir, and each verse ends with a spell-binding Alleluia.

The motet Take him, earth, for cherishing has the dedication ‘To the honoured memory of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, President of the United States of America’. It was completed in London on 6th June 1964 and first performed at a memorial service in Washington, by the choir of the Cathedral Church of St. George, Kingston, Canada under the direction of Dr. George N. Maybee. Some nineteen years later, in 1983, the work was sung in Westminster Abbey at the Memorial Service of the composer himself. Herbert Howells wrote of this work: ‘Within the year following the tragic death of President Kennedy in Texas, plans were made for a dual American-Canadian Memorial Service to be held in Washington. I was asked to compose an a cappella work for the commemoration. The text was mine to choose, Biblical or other. Choice was settled when I recalled a poem by Prudentius (AD 348—413). I had already set it in medieval Latin, years earlier, as a study for Hymnus Paradisi (1938). But now I used none of that unpublished setting. Instead, I returned to Helen Waddell’s faultless translation. Here was the perfect text—the Prudentius Hymnus circa Exsequias Defuncti.’

Sir Richard Rodney Bennett (b.1936) composed ‘A Good-Night’, a setting of prose by the 17th-century writer Francis Quarles, in 1999 as his contribution to A Garland for Linda, a collaborative series of works written in memory of Linda McCartney (to which John Tavener also contributed). Bennett had known Linda McCartney, and this touching tribute is remarkable for its harmonic warmth and melodic simplicity.

Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry (1848-1918) has always been paid at least lip-service as one of the founding fathers of the English musical renaissance. For a long time, although his memory was kept green through such fine works as the choral song Jerusalem and the Coronation anthem I was glad, his large output of music was largely forgotten and unregarded. Recent years, however, have seen the be-ginning of a revaluation of Parry’s orchestral and choral works, foremost among which is his noble series of motets collectively entitled ‘Songs of Farewell’. Composed between 1913 and 1915, they are superbly written for unaccompanied voices; in their contrapuntal mastery and harmonic richness they must be ranked among the masterpieces of English choral music. The last two motets are the most ambitious: the fifth sets John Donne’s (1572-1631) ‘At the round earth’s imagined corners’, a vision of the Last Judgement. Parry’s contrapuntal gifts are displayed at their finest in the monumental seven-part writing that evokes the fanfares of the angelic trumpets, the rising from the grave of the ‘numberless infinities of souls’, and the distress of the sinner who has repented too late. The climax of the entire cycle, and the longest of the motets, is ‘Lord, let me know mine end’, a setting of verses from Psalm 39 for double choir. The two four-part (SATB) groups allowed Parry to compose antiphonal responses as well as very full eight- part harmony and very elaborate eight-part polyphony, as well as giving him a tremendously varied vocal palette from the leanest to the fullest textures. He took advantage of all these possibilities in a work that is a tour-de-force of a cappella technique. The final section, ‘O spare me a little’, has a wonderful luminous delicacy and poignancy that suggests that the composer, who by now was suffering from a serious heart condition, may have known he had less than three years to live.

Described in the New York Times as, ‘one of the most important composers to have emerged in Welsh choral music since William Mathias… A real and original talent’, Paul Mealor’s (b. 1975) music has rapidly entered the repertoire of choirs and singers around the world. Mealor was catapulted to interna-tional attention when 2.5 billion people (the largest audience in broadcasting history) heard his Motet, ‘Ubi Caritas’ performed by the choirs of Westminster Abbey and Her Majesty’s Chapel Royal, con-ducted by James O’Donnell at the Royal Wedding Ceremony of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Having heard a recording of Now sleeps the crimson petal, the royal couple were keen to hear this in the sevice; however, after some debate, it was felt that the Tennyson words weren’t appropriate for a religious service, so Mealor suggested resetting them to the sixth-century Christian prayer, ‘Ubi Caritas’ and this piece was born. This beautiful work is the fourth and last part of “Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal”, described by Paul Mealor as a set of ‘Four Madrigals on Rose Texts’. A Spotless Rose is the emotional heart of the cycle. The ‘Spotless Rose’ of the poem is the baby Jesus and this poem is a celebration of him and the Blessed Virgin. It has often been set as a Christmas carol. The first bars of Mealor’s setting represent in music the petals of a rose opening in all directions, before reaching a climax at the words, ‘fairest bud unfolds to light’

Born in London in 1971, Joby Talbot studied composition at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Simon Bainbridge, and privately with Brian Elias. His Luminescence for string orchestra was premiered in 1997 by the BBC Philharmonic under Sir Peter Maxwell-Davies and, since then, his music has been performed by, amongst others, the London Sinfonietta, The BBC Symphony Orchestra, The Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra, The Brunel Ensemble, Crouch End Festival Chorus, Evelyn Glennie, The Apollo Saxophone Quartet, and The Duke Quartet. The four movements of ‘Path of Miracles’ are titled with the names of the four main staging posts of the Camino Frances, though the textual themes within the movements extend beyond the mere geographical. Throughout the work, quotations from various mediaeval texts (principally the Codex Calixtinus and a 15th Century work in the Galician language - Miragres de Santiago) are woven together with passages from the Roman liturgy, and lines of poetry from Robert Dickinson, the work’s librettist. Talbot introduces his work with a vocal effect based on the Bunun aboriginal ‘Pasiputput’ from Taiwan, in which low voices rise in volume and pitch over an extended period, creating random overtones as the voices move into different pitches at fluctuating rates. In the fourth movement, ‘Leon’, towns pass by like shadows as the road seems to climb and climb, though Leon’s contented mood lingers. There seems no doubt that the journey will end, and at the first sight of Santiago, depicted in the next movement of that title, miles down from the summit of Monte de Gozo, the music initially draws inward, before bursting out in an explosion of joy. The pilgrim’s hymn is heard again, performed with the reverence and reflection of one who has finished such a long journey, and is quickly transformed into a spring revel from the Carmina Burana.

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Please join our family of Donors. www.CathedralPhilaConcerts.org TENEBRAE CHOIR

Hailed as “one of the country’s most outstanding vocal ensembles” (Evening Standard), Tenebrae has established itself as the chamber choir of choice for critics and audiences in the UK and around the world. Founded and directed by Nigel Short, the group blends the passion of a large cathedral choir with the precision of a chamber ensemble to create a unique and enchanting sound, one which is as dazzlingly effective in mediaeval chant as it is in contemporary works. With every performance exploiting the unique acoustic and atmosphere of each venue in which they perform with movement and light, often using candlelight as the sole means of illumination, the carefully chosen team of singers enable the audience to experience the power and intimacy of the human voice at its very best.

Formed in 2001, the group was launched to critical acclaim with a performance of Nigel Short’s own composition, The Dream of Herod. Since then they have collaborated with Sir John Tavener, Karl Jenkins, Pierre Thilloy, Alexander Levine, and Joby Talbot. Their dedication to the music of today is complemented by a commitment to the music of the past; from medieval chant to Romantic masterworks, they respond to the demands inherent in whatever they sing with equal passion and musicality.

The group has toured all over the world, visiting Ireland, France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, the USA and Bermuda, performing in many renowned festivals (BBC Proms, Montreux Choral Festival, Edinburgh Festival) and tailoring their distinctive performances to many venues (Royal Albert Hall, King’s College Chapel, Lausannes Cathedral). Working with the LSO under Sir , the English Concert, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Scottish Ensemble, and the Endymion ensemble, the choir have proved themselves as adept at larger orchestral works as the a capella repertoire for which they are so well known.

Recording on the Signum, LSO Live! and Warner Classics labels, the group has so far released twelve albums; from Christmas carols to solemn vespers, their revelatory performances have thrilled listeners across the world and ensured their continued position as one of the world’s favorite choirs. NIGEL SHORT

TENEBRAE is a dream realized for Nigel Short. Growing up in the Midlands (UK) Nigel began his musical life as a chorister at Solihull Parish Church going on to study singing and piano at the Royal College of Music in London. As a young counter-tenor he was soon working with various opera companies, was in demand as an oratorio and early music soloist, sang at Westminster Cathedral, with and various other specialist choral groups.

In 1993, Nigel joined the world-renowned vocal ensemble the King’s Singers. Whilst touring the world with them Nigel began to seriously consider the possibility of starting up a new choral group which would combine a larger force of singers with movement around the performance venue as well as considerations of lighting, ambience, time and space. It would not only mean that the singers were more physically involved in the performance but also that the audiences could become caught up in the experience. This would be a team that had all the discipline and precision of a world-class ensemble yet with the dynamic power and range of a large choral group. Such a team would be able to use ecclesiastical buildings as a performance space, combining his love of traditional choral repertoire with a more “theatrical” style of performing.

Like many such ideas, the realization of the dream eventually came about through discussions with like-minded musicians, singers and friends, who together realized the formation of TENEBRAE – a combination of talented composers and arrangers, pianists and organists, specialists of jazz and renaissance, instrumentalists and singers.

Nigel’s conducting work includes working with some of the UK’s notable orchestras such as the London Symphony and the Royal Philharmonic, and next season he will be in Madrid preparing ORCAM for a Mahler Symphony. Nigel is chorus master for the Royal College of Music Chorus, director of music at St Bartholomew the Great in London and also works with the amateur choir Vox Coelestis who put on regular charity performances throughout the UK. He frequently produces CDs for vocal ensembles. Nigel is married to the soprano Grace Davidson, and makes his home in London.

TENEBRAE CHOIR 2011 US Tour

Alison Hill Katy Hill Emilia Hughes Marie Macklin Amy Moore Katie Trethewey Amy Wood David Allsopp Mark Chambers Christopher Field Benjamin Alden Benedict Hymas Nicholas Madden Gabriel Crouch William Gaunt Stephen Kennedy James Mawson Richard Savage Concerts at the Cathedral Basilica Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul Patron Benefits and Recognition

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Our Inaugural Season continues with

The Williamson Voices of Westminster Choir College Sunday, November 20, 2011 3:30 PM

The Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra Saturday, March 10, 2012 8:00 PM Archdiocesan Choir of Philadelphia Sunday, April 22, 2012 3:30 PM

Artists and Dates subject to change

Call 215-587-3696 or visit www.CathedralPhilaConcerts.org Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, 18th Street at Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia PA 19103