The Planets Requiem

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Planets Requiem CELEBRATING MUSIC Requiem The Planets JOHANNES MULLER-STOSCH, CONDUCTOR CHOIRS PREPARED BY JONATHAN TALBERG & ADAM JONATHAN CON SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014 8:00PM CARPENTER PERFORMING ARTS CENTER PLEASE SILENCE ALL ELECTRONIC MOBILE DEVICES. PROGRAM PRESENTATION OF THE CELEBRATING MUSIC HONOREE Carolyn Bremer—Director, Bob Cole Conservatory Of Music Maurice Durufle (1902-1986) Requiem, Op. 9 I. Introït II. Kyrie III. Domine Jesu Christe IV. Sanctus V. Pie Jesu VI. Agnus Dei VII. Lux æterna VIII. Libera me IX. In Paradisum Bob Cole Conservatory Symphony Orchestra Bob Cole Conservatory Chamber Choir CSULB University Choir Johannes Müller-Stosch—conductor INTERMISSION Gustav Holst (1874-1934) The Planets, Op. 32 I. Mars, the Bringer of War II. Venus, the Bringer of Peace III. Mercury, the Winged Messenger IV. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity V. Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age VI. Uranus, the Magician VII. Neptune, the Mystic Bob Cole Conservatory Symphony Orchestra Johannes Müller-Stosch, conductor 3 TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS Requiem I. Introit Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, et lux perpetua luceat eis. And let perpetual light shine upon them. Te decet hymnus, Deus, in Sion, A hymn becomes you, O God, in Zion, et tibi reddetur votum in Jerusalem. And to you shall a vow be repaid in Jerusalem. Exaudi orationem meam, Hear my prayer; ad te omnis care veniet. To you shall all flesh come. Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, et lux perpetua luceat eis. And let perpetual light shine upon them II. Kyrie Kyrie eleison. Lord, have mercy on us. Christe eleison. Christ, have mercy on us. Kyrie eleison. Lord have mercy on us. III. Domine Jesu Christe Domine Jesu Christe, rex gloriae, Lord Jesus Christ, King of glory, libera animas omnium fidelium defunctorum Free the souls of all the faithful departed De poenis inferni et de profundo lacu. From infernal punishment and the deep pit. Libera eas de ore leonis, Free them from the mouth of the lion; Ne absorbeat eas tartarus, Do not let Tartarus swallow them, Ne cadant in obscurum; Nor let them fall into darkness; Sed signifer sanctus Michael But may the standard-bearer Saint Michael Eepraesentet eas in lucem sanctam, Lead them into the holy light Quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini ejus. Which you once promised to Abraham and his seed. Hostias et preces tibi, Domine, O Lord, we offer you sacrifices Aaudis offerimus. And prayers of praise. Tu suscipe pro animabus illis, Accept them on behalf of those souls Quarum hodie memoriam facimus; Whom we remember today; Fac eas, Domine, de morte transire ad vitam Let them, O Lord, pass over from death to life, Quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini ejus. As you once promised to Abraham and his seed. IV. Sanctus Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Holy, Holy, Holy, Dominus Deus Sabaoth; Lord God of Hosts; Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in excelsis. Hosanna in the highest. Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in excelsis. Hosanna in the highest. V. Pie Jesu Pie Jesu Domine, dona eis requiem; Merciful Lord Jesus, grant them rest; Dona eis requiem sempiternam. Grant them eternal rest. VI. Agnus Dei Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Dona eis requiem sempiternam. Grant them eternal rest. 4 VII. Lux aeterna Lux aeterna luceat eis, Domine, May everlasting light shine upon them, O Lord, Cum sanctis tuis in aeternum, With your Saints forever, Quia pius es. For you are kind. Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, Et lux perpetua luceat eis, And may everlasting light shine upon them, Cum sanctis tuis in aeternum, With your Saints forever, Quia pius es. For you are merciful VIII. Libera me Libera me, Domine,de morte aeterna, Deliver me, O Lord, from eternal death in die illa tremenda, on that fearful day, Quando coeli movendi sunt et terra, When the heavens and the earth shall be moved, Dum veneris judicare saeculum per ignem. When thou shalt come to judge the world by fire. Tremens factus sum ego, I am made to tremble and I fear, et timeo, Waiting until the judgment be upon us, Dum discussio venerit atque ventura ira, and the coming wrath, Quando coeli movendi sunt et terra. When the heavens and the earth shall be moved. Dies illa, dies irae, calamitatis et miseriae, Day of mourning, day of wrath, calamity and misery, Dies magna et amara valde, Day of great and exceeding bitterness, Dum veneris judicare saeculum per ignem. When thou shalt come to judge the world by fire. Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, Et lux perpetua luceat eis. And let perpetual light shine upon them. IX. In Paradisum In Paradisum deducant Angeli; May Angels lead you into paradise; In tuo adventu suscipiant te Martyres May the Martyrs receive you at your coming Et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem. And lead you to the holy city of Jerusalem. Chorus Angelorum te suscipiat, May a choir of Angels receive you, Et cum Lazaro quondam paupere And with Lazarus, who once was poor, Aeternam habeas requiem. May you have eternal rest. PROGRAM NOTES Requiem, Op. 9 Born in the commune of Louviers, Eure in Northern France on January 11, 1902, Maurice Duruflé was a renowned French organist and composer whose beloved Requiem, Op. 9, has had a lasting legacy in the choral repertoire. He received his education in composition at the Paris Conservatoire and studied privately with notable French organists and composers Charles Tournemire and Louis Vierne, under whom he gained a deeply-routed appreciation for Gregorian chant. With only fourteen published works, Duruflé’s re-editing of his compositions revealed he was a perfectionist; he was a modest composer and master at setting plainchant as well as a virtuoso organist. This Requiem is based on the Gregorian chants from the Mass for the Dead, presenting the liturgical text for many of the movements. The voice holds a primary role, employing the subtle movements and fluid lines of plainchant, and the orchestra a secondary, supporting role, establishing the overall mood of each movement. 5 As if interrupting an on-going performance, the Introït starts with the rhythmic, calming motion of the violas, leading the melodic voices of the choir, as if in an ascent to the heavens, eliding into the Kyrie with its angelic polyphony eliciting a sense of serenity. Opening with the dark, ominous timbres of the low horns is the Domine Christe Jesu, which call for the dramatic decree of the baritones in the “Hostias”. The Sanctus follows, gracefully soaring to a climax at the “Hosana in excelsis.” In the haunting Pie Jesu, female voices chant in a melancholic lullaby in a duet with the cello before settling into the Agnus Dei, delicately floating above the tranquil harp accompaniment. The Lux aeterna begins with a consoling, melodic oboe solo in the style of chant introducing the choir’s soft praise before falling into the distress of the Libera me, largely expressed by the pleading baritones. In Paradisum closes the Requiem with the angelic harp and ethereal soprano sound, establishing the affirmation of belief in eternal life. Unlike the Requiem masses of Mozart, Berlioz and Verdi, Duruflé followed in Fauré’s footsteps by choosing not to compose a work high in drama but of a pastoral hue, representing, according to the composer, “the ideas of peace, of hope and of faith.” Duruflé models his work on Fauré’s setting of the Requiem by omitting the Dies irae sequence, except for the closing prayer, Pie Jesu; including the Libera me, a responsory said after the Mass before burial; and closing with the antiphon In Paradisum, also sung after the Mass as the body is taken out of the church. These distinct changes offer a mood of calm contemplation, quintessential to the French writing style. Like Fauré, Duruflé sets the Pie Jesu for female voices, like Fauré’s Pie Jesu soprano solo, and features the baritones in the Libera me, resembling Fauré’s Libera me baritone solo. The principal difference between the two is that Duruflé’s setting is entirely composed on Gregorian chant themes. Completed and premiered in 1947, Duruflé’s Requiem became a favorite in the concert repertory, singularly launching the composer to fame. The paradox of Duruflé’s renown, though, is that, while his organ and choral works are often performed, he is overlooked in favor of Fauré in the academic canon of Western music. This may be in part due to Duruflé’s critical attitude toward his compositions, resulting in his small output. Despite this absence, Duruflé’s contributions to Western music remain celebrated and distinguished as brilliant works —note by Tyff Hoeft The Planets, Op. 32 “Never compose anything unless the not composing of it becomes a positive nuisance to you.” —Gustav Holst Perhaps The Planets was a “positive nuisance” to Gustav Holst (1874-1934). The choice to attempt a work such as The Planets was deeply rooted in his youth: his mother was a passionate supporter of Theosophy, a philosophy concerning the presumed mysteries of nature and being, including an interest in astrology. Nothing about Holst’s early life revealed anything remotely that a major composer was in the making. Holst was born in England, to a family of English-Swedish origin. As a child, he was often sick and therefore had a relatively unpleasant childhood. Although he played the violin for a short time, he was intrigued by the piano and began to study the instrument as soon as he was tall enough to reach the keys.
Recommended publications
  • The Role of Alan Leo and Sepharial in the Development of Esoteric Astrology (Part I) Temple Richmond
    Summer 2005 The Role of Alan Leo and Sepharial in the Development of Esoteric Astrology (Part I) Temple Richmond Abstract for the inclusion of these two astrologers and none other in the Tibetan’s discussion of eso- The names of late 19th–early 20th century teric astrological technique. Some historical British Theosophists and astrologers Alan Leo context is needed, though, to set the stage for and Sepharial are known to students of Alice understanding why this is so. This historical Bailey for their frequent mention in Bailey’s context arises from the sequential nature with Esoteric Astrology. This study explains why which the Ageless Wisdom is in process of these two figures merit such references and being revealed. demonstrates that of the two, Leo cultivated a much more intensively Theosophical focus and As Djwhal Khul, the Tibetan Master, has in so doing, may very well have paved the way pointed out, our Planetary Hierarchy is in for the eventual articulation of the esoteric as- process of imparting to Humanity portions of trological doctrine by the Tibetan Master the initiatory wisdom with which it has been Djwhal Khul. Specific elements of Alan Leo’s invested. Though it could be argued that all cosmology and his astrological system are the religions and scientific advances of the compared and contrasted to that of Bailey, and world each and collectively constitute a release Leo’s lasting mark on astrology as the infusion of Hierarchical wisdom into the world, more of Theosophical concepts and the notion of recently there have been two distinct efforts of free will into astrological literature is explored.
    [Show full text]
  • Prophecy, Cosmology and the New Age Movement: the Extent and Nature of Contemporary Belief in Astrology
    PROPHECY, COSMOLOGY AND THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT: THE EXTENT AND NATURE OF CONTEMPORARY BELIEF IN ASTROLOGY NICHOLAS CAMPION A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of the West of England, Bristol for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Bath Spa University College Study of Religions Department, Bath Spa University College June 2004 Acknowledgments I would like to acknowledge helpful comments and assistance from Sue Blackmore, Geoffrey Dean, Ronnie Dreyer, Beatrice Duckworth, Kim Farnell, Chris French, Patrice Guinard, Kate Holden, Ken Irving, Suzy Parr and Michelle Pender. I would also like to gratefully thank the Astrological Association of Great Britain (AA), The North West Astrology Conference (NORWAC), the United Astrology Congress (UAC), the International Society for Astrological Research (ISAR) and the National Council for Geocosmic Research (NCGR) for their sponsorship of my research at their conferences. I would also like to thank the organisers and participants of the Norwegian and Yugoslavian astrological conferences in Oslo and Belgrade in 2002. Ill Abstract Most research indicates that almost 100% of British adults know their birth-sign. Astrology is an accepted part of popular culture and is an essential feature of tabloid newspapers and women's magazines, yet is regarded as a rival or, at worst, a threat, by the mainstream churches. Sceptical secular humanists likewise view it as a potential danger to social order. Sociologists of religion routinely classify it as a cult, religion, new religious movement or New Age belief. Yet, once such assumptions have been aired, the subject is rarely investigated further. If, though, astrology is characterised as New Age, an investigation of its nature may shed light on wider questions, such as whether many Christians are right to see New Age as a competitor in the religious market place.
    [Show full text]
  • Zoller Marc E Jones Newage
    CULTURE AND COSMOS A Journal of the History of Astrology and Cultural Astronomy Vol. 2 no 2 Autumn/Winter 1998 Published by Culture and Cosmos and the Sophia Centre Press, in partnership with the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, in association with the Sophia Centre for the Study of Cosmology in Culture, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Faculty of Humanities and the Performing Arts Lampeter, Ceredigion, Wales, SA48 7ED, UK. www.cultureandcosmos.org Cite this paper as: Zoller, Robert, ‘Marc Edmund Jones and New Age Astrology in America’, Culture and Cosmos , Vol. 2 no 2, Autumn/Winter 1998, pp. 39-57. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue card for this book is available from the British Library All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Publishers. ISSN 1368-6534 Printed in Great Britain by Lightning Source Copyright 2018 Culture and Cosmos All rights reserved Marc Edmund Jones and New Age Astrology in America Robert Zoller Abstract. Although astrologers and astrological concepts were instrumental in formulating the core assumptions of the modern New Age movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the increasing number of scholarly studies of the New Age movement pay almost no attention to astrology. 1 The only two English language histories of modern astrology set out the role of the English astrologer Alan Leo (1860-1917) in creating an astrology designed to facilitate spiritual evolution and the coming of the New Age.
    [Show full text]
  • Reshaping Karma: an Indic Metaphysical Paradigm in Traditional and Modern Astrology
    Reshaping karma: an Indic metaphysical paradigm in traditional and modern astrology Martin Gansten Abstract Despite its Hellenistic origins, horoscopic astrology has nowhere gained as firm and lasting acceptance as in India. It is argued that this acceptance is conditioned by the conformity of astrological practice – comprising both descriptive and prescriptive aspects – to the doctrine of action or karman central to the Indic religions. The relation of astrology to this doctrine is examined with regard to questions on causality, determinism and moral freedom. Traditional conceptions of karman are then contrasted with fin-de-siècle Theosophical notions of ‘karma’ as a fundamentallly evolutive, spiritual force, used to redirect the practice of astro- logy from prediction towards esoteric interpretation. It is noted that this modern development constitutes a reversal of the European medieval and Renaissance compromise between theology and astrology. oroscopic astrology is now commonly agreed to have been invented or H discovered – depending on what view one takes of its legitimacy – in Hellenistic Egypt, around the second century BCE.1 Some three centuries later it had made its way into northern India.2 The Indian linguistic evidence clearly demonstrates the foreign origins of the discipline: from the earliest times, Sanskrit astrological literature abounds with Greek technical terms, in much the same way that modern books on computers and computer science in almost any language abound in (American) English jargon. The very word for astrology itself – horā – is of Greek derivation (ὥρα), as are the terms for its core technical concepts: kendra (κέντρον, angle), paṇaphara (ἐπαναφορά, succedent), āpoklima (ἀπόκλιμα, cadent), trikoṇa (τρίγωνον, trine), meṣūraṇa (μεσουράνημα, midheaven), kemadruma (κενοδρομία, being void of course), 1 Pingree, David, From Astral Omens to Astrology: From Babylon to Bīkāner [hereafter Pingree, Astral Omens] (Roma: Istituto Italiano per l’Africa e l’Oriente), p.
    [Show full text]
  • IDEAS of ORDER: the MEANING and APPEAL of CONTEMPORARY ASTROLOGICAL BELIEF by TRACY A. THORNTON a THESIS Presented to the Folkl
    IDEAS OF ORDER: THE MEANING AND APPEAL OF CONTEMPORARY ASTROLOGICAL BELIEF by TRACY A. THORNTON A THESIS Presented to the Folklore Program and the Graduate School of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts June 2016 THESIS APPROVAL PAGE Student: Tracy A. Thornton Title: Ideas of Order: The Meaning and Appeal of Contemporary Astrological Belief This thesis has been accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts degree in the Folklore Program by: Daniel Wojcik Chair John Baumann Member and Scott L. Pratt Dean of the Graduate School Original approval signatures are on file with the University of Oregon Graduate School. Degree awarded June 2016 ii © 2016 Tracy A. Thornton iii THESIS ABSTRACT Tracy A. Thornton Master of Arts Folklore Program June 2016 Title: Ideas of Order: The Meaning and Appeal of Contemporary Astrological Belief Astrology is a belief system that has existed for almost 2,500 years. This enduring form of belief has not been effectively studied by scholars and thus we know little about why beliefs commonly stigmatized as superstitions continue to appeal to people today. My research, based on fieldwork and interviews with astrologers in the Portland, Oregon area, demonstrates that the longevity of this belief system may be attributed to its ability to provide meaning and purpose to people. Throughout history, astrology has been adapted to and has evolved within the cultures in which it exists, and its latest adaptation reveals a close connection to the New Age movement. Astrological worldviews, which assume a correlation between predictable celestial cycles and human activity, are rooted in a premise of fatalism, but this analysis reveals a nuanced view of fate that often is empowering rather than limiting.
    [Show full text]
  • Alan Leo Theosophist Astrologer Mason
    THE LIFE AND WORK ALAN LEO — — THE OSOP HIST A STRO LOG E R MA SON B ESSIE LEO A ND OTHER S “1 11 1-1 A FOREWORD B Y A NNI E B E S ANT From the unrea l lea d us to the R ea l , From d arkn es s lea d us to Li g ht, From dea th lea d us to Immorta li ty . L ONDON M D S T G Y C O E RN A ROLO OFFI E , 0 P L B L L I E C R CU S C . 4 , IM ERIA UI DINGS , UDGATE , 4 THE TRA DE S U P P L l E D B Y L N F . L R 8: L E C . CO . P OW E , 7 , IM ERIA ARCADE , 1 9 1 9 . P AG E FO R EW O R D : AN A P P R E C I ATI ON 7 ' ALAN LE O S FA ITH HAP . P A RE N A GE AND E A R LY LI FE C . I T E Y D I I . AR L AY S I N A STRO LOG Y MA AN III. RRIAG E D HO ME L I FE THE P IV . A SSI N G OF A LAN LE O V O M R I N I S N S . S E E M CE C E M P V I. RE I N I S CE N CE S AND A P R E C I ATI ON S V II THE HORO S O P E O LA N E O .
    [Show full text]
  • The Role of Alan Leo and Sepharial in the Development of Esoteric Astrology (Part II) Temple Richmond
    Winter 2006 The Role of Alan Leo and Sepharial in the Development of Esoteric Astrology (Part II) Temple Richmond Abstract teric astrological system ultimately revealed by Alice Bailey was at least in portions earlier he names of late 19th–early 20th century grasped by Alan Leo. TB ritish Theosophists and astrologers Alan Leo and Sepharial are known to students of Following upon the important distinction made Alice Bailey for their frequent mention in Bai- between soul and personality in both Leo and ley’s Esoteric Astrology. This study explains Bailey, an astrological symbolism reflective of why these two figures merit such references this distinction was specified in both. Re- and demonstrates that of the two, Leo culti- markably, the astrological symbolisms are very vated a much more intensively Theosophical much the same. Leo posited the Sun as the symbol of the individuality (his word for soul), focus and in so doing, may very well have 1 paved the way for the eventual articulation of and the Moon for the personality. The Ti- betan via Alice Bailey posited the Sun for the the esoteric astrological doctrine by the Ti- 2 betan Master Djwhal Khul. Specific elements causal body or soul (or sometimes even the monad),3 though for the personality ray as of Alan Leo’s cosmology and his astrological 4 system are compared and contrasted to that of well. The Moon he consistently connected with form and matter,5 with the type of body or Bailey, and Leo’s lasting mark on astrology as 6 the infusion of Theosophical concepts and the bodies through which the soul is manifesting, notion of free will into astrological literature and any of the personality vehicles (meaning are explored.
    [Show full text]
  • Part 1 (1948-1969)
    THE FACULTY OF ASTROLOGICAL STUDIES A HISTORY LIZ HENTY D.F.Astrol.S. Acknowledgements This history could not have been written without unlimited access to all the Faculty archive material. This comprised not just the official records of Council Minutes, course material and examination papers but a large amount of correspondance. The letters between the Councillors helped humanise and enliven what would otherwise have been a rather impersonal chronology of events. My thanks then go to the Faculty itself and also to everyone who shared their personal reminiscences with me. © Liz Henty, 2010 CONTENTS Part 1. Faculty History, 1948-1969 1 Introduction 1 ‘Character is Destiny’ : Astrology in Britain at the turn of the Twentieth Century 1 Foundation of the Faculty of Astrological Studies 4 Early Meetings of the Committee of the Faculty of Astrological Studies 7 The Faculty Council 13 The External Course 15 The Faculty 1954 - 1969 - The Margaret Hone Years 21 The Faculty as seen from outside 25 Awards 25 Notes on Part I 27 Appendix 1. Chart for the Foundation of the Faculty of Astrological Studies 28 Appendix 2. The Faculty of Astrological Studies Constitution, Adopted by the Council, September 19th, 1953. Ratified, May 4th 1954 29 Appendix 3. Statement written by Margaret Hone for the Council Meeting at 6.30 p.m. 6th June 1957 31 Appendix 4. Foreword and Statement for the Faculty Council Minutes written by Mrs Hone in July 1967 34 Appendix 5. Article from the Daily Telegraph & Morning Post, Monday, December 18th, 1950. 38 Part 2. Faculty History, 1970-1981 39 The Jeff Mayo Years 39 The ‘New Council’, 1973 – 1979 45 Faculty History, 1948-1969 Personal Reminiscences 52 The Faculty’s Progress 1979 – 1981 56 Notes on Part 2 60 Appendix 6.
    [Show full text]