Entente Cordiale 20th Century Choral Masterpieces from England and France Saturday 6th September 2014 Founded by graduates from Cambridge chapel choirs, the Godwine Choir was set up to capture the atmosphere of chamber music at university and bring it to London as part of professional life.

The group is comprised of twenty talented young singers who rehearse together weekly at St George the Martyr in Borough. We encourage every member to develop vocally by selecting a wide range of challenging repertoire, both well-known and little- heard.

This evening, The Godwine Choir performs an eclectic programme of 20th century repertoire. Entente Cordiale features evocative a capella works from both sides of the Channel. We hope this voyage will soothe, amuse and exhilarate in equal measure. We're incredibly excited to perform these pieces in St George the Martyr, a church of great majesty with a reverberant acoustic.

Find out more about us at godwinechoir.org PROGRAMME

Bring us, O Lord God | William Harris

Les Fleurs et les Arbres | Camille Saint-Saëns

Heraclitus | Charles Villiers Stanford

O Magnum Mysterium | Francis Poulenc

Ubi Caritas | Maurice Duruflé

My Love Dwelt in a Northern Land | Edward Elgar

Trois Chansons de Charles d'Orléans | Claude

INTERVAL

Nicolette | Maurice Ravel

There is an Old Belief | Charles Hubert Hastings Parry

Hymne à la Vierge | Pierre Villette

Justorum Animae | Gabriel Jackson

Trois Beaux Oiseaux du Paradis | Maurice Ravel

Valiant-for-Truth | Ralph Vaughan Williams

La Blanche Neige | Francis Poulenc

And So It Goes | Billy Joel arr. Bob Chilcott Our concert begins with William Harris' (1883-1973) rich but ethereal motet for double choir, Bring Us, O Lord God. After a quietly intense opening, Harris unfolds the text of John Donne's prayer with interwoven antiphonal writing to present a truly transcendental vision of heaven; the two choirs, separated through most of the piece, are brought together in a thrilling climax.

Les Fleurs et les Arbres is the second of a pair of choruses by Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921), who also wrote the text for both pieces. The works are ostensibly charming descriptions of Nature and its relationship with Art, but Les Fleurs et les Arbres also focusses on the consolation offered by the natural world.

In contrast, the poem set by Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924) in Heraclitus has an unusual provenance: it was written around 260BC by Callimachus of Cyrene as an epitaph for a friend, then translated and adapted by the Victorian schoolmaster William Johnson Cory. Yet Stanford's music beautifully matches the words, giving a subtle painting of grief, nostalgia and acceptance.

Haunting and atmospheric, O Magnum Mysterium was written by Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) in 1952, shortly before he began composing Dialogues des Carmélites, the opera which would dominate his life until 1956. In this first of four Christmas motets, Poulenc gives us a delicate, intimate picture of the Nativity.

Maurice Duruflé (1902-1986) was known as an outstanding organist throughout his life, working at Notre-Dame and St-Étienne-du-Mont in Paris. As a composer, he was deeply self-critical and so only a handful of pieces were produced in his long career. A set of motets is one of only four published choral works; all are based on Gregorian chants, and the first is the peaceful Ubi Caritas.

Today, the part-songs of Edward Elgar (1857-1934) are often sadly neglected, but the most famous is perhaps My Love Dwelt in a Northern Land. Elgar's lyrical writing wonderfully dramatises Andrew Lang's vivid narrative, leading us from its opening sadness to a moment of warmth, before an utterly desolate conclusion.

Claude Debussy's (1862-1918) Trois Chansons are settings of three Medieval poems by Charles, Duke of Orléans. All are strikingly different: the first is a languid, adoring love- song, the second a percussive call to a dance, and the third a furious outburst at the cruelty of winter. But in each of them, Debussy cleverly uses modal harmonies to reference the Middle Ages. The final song, Yver, vous n'estes qu'un villain, accelerates into a chaotic finale to finish our first half.

We commence the second half with a coquettish miniature detailing the misadventures of young Nicolette. This cautionary tale wittily rephrases a well-known fairy story. The music follows the text with comic aplomb, exploiting unusual vocal techniques to great effect. Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) penned both the words and the score in late 1914, dedicating them to his poet friend Tristan Klingsor. Sir Charles Parry’s (1848-1918) unique and profound sound world emerges from the remarkable fusion of German romanticism and Renaissance polyphony. The beautiful result is showcased in his 1908 motet There is an Old Belief, scored for 6 voices. Here he meditates on spirituality, life and death via exquisite melody and chromatic harmony. The work was performed at Parry’s funeral in St. Paul’s Cathedral, adding further poignancy to the sanguine closing chords.

Pierre Villette (1926-1998) is perhaps the least famous of our composers this evening. A gifted musician, he wrote some eighty-one pieces for choir, orchestra and chamber ensemble. Undoubtedly his most celebrated opus is the Hymne à la Vierge, which he completed in 1955. This strophic setting is deceptively complex, incorporating cross rhythms and jazz harmony.

First performed at Wells Cathedral in 2009, Justorum Animae is a minimalist vision of heaven. Cluster chords and intertwining rhythms combine to create a nebulous mood, angelic yet veiled. The central section introduces a dynamic urgency which mirrors the uncompromising pace of modern life. Such precisely crafted choral writing is quintessentially Gabriel Jackson (b 1962). Musically trained at Canterbury Cathedral and the Royal Academy, Jackson is currently Associate Composer with the BBC Singers.

Maurice Ravel only ever published three choral works. Trois Beaux Oiseaux du Paradis was his second. Composed in early 1915, this piece is an impressionist reflection on the deep sadness of World War I. Haunting solo melodies create a spine-tingling melancholy, intensified by the delicate choral legato. Gradually the initial warmth of sound and text melts away, leading us to the inevitable chilling climax.

Another wartime composition, Valiant-for-Truth has a decidedly more optimistic air. Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) set John Bunyan’s text during the darkest days of World War II. Frequent recitative passages carry the voice of the narrator, while the full choir speaks as Mr. Valiant-for-Truth. The motet culminates in an onomatopoeic evocation of entry into paradise, replete with vocal trumpet fanfares.

We next rediscover the unique surrealism of Francis Poulenc. This animated setting of Guillaume Apollinaire’s La Blanche Neige was Poulenc’s first foray into the unaccompanied choral medium. His musical deftness and attention to detail belies this inexperience. Crisp quaver passages and sparkling short phrases conjure crystal clear of the perfect winter’s day.

We finish with a well-loved arrangement of Billy Joel’s 1983 ballad And So It Goes. The text and music are deeply affecting in their simplicity, distilling the very essence of heartbreak. The British composer Bob Chilcott (b 1955) completed this version for the King’s Singers’ 25th anniversary. The hushed tones of twenty unaccompanied voices are devastatingly bittersweet, finally fading into silence. Bring us, O Lord God William Harris

Bring us, O Lord God, at our last awakening into the house and gate of heaven, to enter into that gate and dwell in that house, where there shall be no darkness nor dazzling, but one equal light; no noise nor silence, but one equal music; no fears nor hopes, but one equal possession; no ends nor beginnings, but one equal eternity, in the habitation of thy glory and dominion, world without end. Amen.

Les Fleurs et les Arbres Camille Saint-Saëns

Les fleurs et les arbres, The flowers and the trees, Les bronzes, les marbres, The bronzes, the marbles, Les ors, les émaux, The golds, the enamels, , les fontaines, The sea, the waterfalls, Les monts et les plaines The mountains and the plains Consolent nos maux. Console our pain.

Nature éternelle Eternal nature, Tu sembles plus belle You seem more beautiful Au sein des douleurs, To a heart in sorrow, Et l'art nous domine, And art reigns over us, Sa flamme illumine Its flame illuminates Le rire et les pleurs. The laughter and tears.

Heraclitus Charles Villiers Stanford

They told me, Heraclitus, they told me you were dead; They brought me bitter news to hear and bitter tears to shed; I wept, as I remembered, how often you and I Had tired the sun with talking, and sent him down the sky.

And now that thou art lying, my dear old Carian guest, A handful of grey ashes, long, long ago at rest, Still are thy pleasant voices, thy nightingales, awake; For Death, he taketh all away, but them he cannot take. O Magnum Mysterium Francis Poulenc

O magnum mysterium, O great mystery, et admirabile sacramentum, and wonderful sacrament, ut animalia viderent Dominum natum, that animals should see the new-born Lord, jacentem in praesepio! lying in a manger! Beata Virgo, cujus viscera Blessed is the Virgin whose womb meruerunt portare was worthy to bear Dominum Christum. Christ the Lord. Alleluia. Alleluia.

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

My Love Dwelt in a Northern Land Edward Elgar

My love dwelt in a Northern land, A dim tower in a forest green Was his, and far away the sand And gray wash of the waves were seen The woven forest boughs between:

And through the Northern summer night The sunset slowly died away, And herds of strange deer, silver white, Came gleaming through the forest gray, And fled like ghosts before the day.

And oft that month, we watch’d the moon Wax great and white o'er wood and lawn, And wane, with waning of the June, Till, like a brand for battle drawn, She fell, and flamed in a wild dawn. I know not if the forest green Still girdles round that castle gray, I know not if, the boughs between, The white deer vanish ere the day: The grass above my love is green, His heart is colder than the clay.

Trois Chansons de Charles d'Orléans

I. Dieu! qu’il la fait bon regarder

Dieu! qu’il la fait bon regarder God! what a vision she is La gracieuse bonne et belle; One imbued with grace, true and beautiful; Pour les gran biens que sont en elle For all the virtues that are hers Chascun est prest de la loüer. everyone is quick to praise her. Qui se pourroit d’elle lasser? Who could tire of her? Tousjours sa beauté renouvelle. Her beauty constantly renews itself. Par de ça, ne de là, la mer On neither side of the ocean Nescay dame ne damoiselle Do I know any girl or woman Qui soit en tous bien parfais telle. Who is in all virtues so perfect. C’est ung songe que d’i penser: It’s a dream even to think of her: Dieu! qu’il la fait bon regarder. God! what a vision she is.

II. Quant j’ai ouy le tabourin

Quant j’ai ouy le tabourin When I hear the tambourine Sonner pour s’en aller au may, Sound, calling us to May, En mon lit n’en ay fait affray In my bed I remain calm, Ne levé mon chief du coissin Not lifting my head from the pillow En disant: il est trop matin Saying: it is too early, Ung peu je me rendormiray: I’ll fall asleep again:

Quant j’ai ouy le tabourin When I hear the tambourine Sonner pour s’en aller au may, Sound, calling us to May, Jeunes gens partent leur butin; The young jump from partner to partner De non chaloir m’accointeray Not even bothering to remember you. A lui je m’abutineray. From him, I’ll move on, Trouvé l’ay plus prouchain voisin; Finding a lover that’s conveniently close by;

Quant j’ai ouy le tabourin When I hear the tambourine Sonner pour s’en aller au may, Sound, calling us to May, En mon lit n’en ay fait affray In my bed I remain calm, ne levé mon chief du coissin. Not lifting my head from the pillow. III. Yver, vous n’estes qu’un villain

Yver, vous n’estes qu’un villain! Winter, you’re nothing but a villain! Esté est plaisant et gentil Summer is pleasant and nice, En témoing de may et d’avril Joined to May and April, Qui l’accompaignent soir et main. Who go hand in hand. Esté revet champs bois et fleurs Summer dreams of fields, woods, and flowers, De salivrée de verdure Covered with green Et de maintes autres couleurs, And many other colours, Par l’ordonnance de nature. By nature’s command. Mais vous, Yver, trop estes plein But you, Winter, are too full De nége, vent, pluye et grézil. Of snow, wind, rain, and hail. On vous deust banir en éxil. You should be banished! Sans point flater je parle plein: Without exaggerating, I speak plainly: Yver, vous n’estes qu’un villain! Winter, you’re nothing but a villain!

INTERVAL

Nicolette Maurice Ravel

Nicolette, à la vesprée, Nicolette, one evening, S'allait promener au pré, Went to walk in the field, Cueillir la pâquerette, To gather daisies, la jonquille et la muguet. Jonquils and lilies of the valley, Toute sautillante, toute guillerette, Skipping, lively, Lorgnant ci, là de tous les côtés. Looking here, there and on all sides.

Rencontra vieux loup grognant, She met an old growling wolf, Tout hérissé, l'œil brillant: All hairy, shining eye: "Hé là! ma Nicolette, “Hey there! my Nicolette, viens tu pas chez Mère Grand?" won’t you come to Grandmother’s house?” A perte d'haleine, s'enfuit Nicolette, Until out of breath, Nicolette fled, Laissant là cornette et socques blancs. Leaving behind cornet and white clogs.

Rencontra page joli, She met a handsome page, Chausses bleues et pourpoint gris, Blue trousers and grey doublet: "Hé là! ma Nicolette, “Hey there! my Nicolette, veux tu pas d'un doux ami?" don’t you want a sweetheart?” Sage, s'en retourna, pauvre Nicolette, Wise, she turned away, poor Nicolette, Très lentement, le cœur bien marri. Very slowly, her heart very heavy. Rencontra seigneur chenu, She met a grey-haired lord, Tors, laid, puant et ventru: Twisted, ugly, stinking and fat: "Hé là! ma Nicolette, “Hey there! my Nicolette, veux tu pas tous ces écus?" don’t you want all these coins?” Vite fut en ses bras, bonne Nicolette Quickly she was in his arms, good Nicolette, Jamais au pré n'est plus revenue. Never to return to the field again.

There is an Old Belief Charles Hubert Hastings Parry

There is an old belief, That on some solemn shore, Beyond the sphere of grief Dear friends shall meet once more.

Beyond the sphere of Time and Sin And Fate's control, Serene in changeless prime Of body and of soul.

That creed I fain would keep That hope I'll ne'er forgo, Eternal be the sleep, If not to waken so.

Hymne à la Vierge Pierre Villette

Ô toute belle Vierge Marie, O beautiful Virgin Mary, Votre âme trouve en Dieu In God your soul discovers le parfait amour perfect love. Il vous revêt du manteau de la Grâce It cloaks you with the mantle of Grace comme une fiancée parée de ses joyaux. like a betrothed adorned with her jewels.

Alléluia, alléluia. Je vais chanter Alleluia, alleluia. I will sing ta louange, Seigneur, your praise, Lord, Car tu as pris soin de moi, For you have looked after me, Car tu m’as enveloppée du voile For you have covered me with the veil de l’innocence, of innocence, Car tu m’as faite avant le jour, For you have made me before the day, Car tu m’as fait précéder For you have made me go before le jaillissement des sources. the gushing of fountains. Vous êtes née avant les collines You were born before the hills, Ô sagesse de Dieu, porte du Salut O wisdom of God, the way to salvation. Heureux celui qui marche dans vos traces Happy is he who walks in your footsteps, Qui apprête son cœur Who prepares his heart a la voix de vos conseils. to listen to your advice. Avant les astres vous étiez présente You were present before the stars, Mère du Créateur Mother of the Creator, au profond du ciel. in the very depths of heaven. Quand Dieu fixait les limites du monde When God was creating the world, Vous partagiez son cœur Working with Him étant à l’œuvre avec lui. you shared His heart.

Justorum Animae Gabriel Jackson

Justorum animae in manu Dei sunt, The souls of the just are in the hand of God, et non tanget illos tormentum mortis. the torment of death shall not touch them. Visi sunt oculis insipientium mori, In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die; illi autem sunt in pace. but they are at peace.

Trois Beaux Oiseaux du Paradis Maurice Ravel

Trois beaux oiseaux du Paradis, Three lovely birds from Paradise (Mon ami z’il est à la guerre) (My belov'd is to the fighting gone) Trois beaux oiseaux du Paradis Three lovely birds from Paradise Ont passé par ici. Have flown along this way.

Le premier était plus bleu que ciel, The first was bluer than Heaven's blue (Mon ami z'il est à la guerre) (My belov'd is to the fighting gone) Le second était couleur de neige, The second white as the fallen snow Le troisième rouge vermeil. The third was wrapt in bright red glow.

"Beaux oiselets du Paradis, "Ye lovely birds from Paradise (Mon ami z'il est à la guerre) (My belov'd is to the fighting gone) Beaux oiselets du Paradis, Ye lovely birds from Paradise Qu'apportez par ici?" What bring ye then this way?"

"J'apporte un regard couleur d'azur. "I bring to thee a glance of azure (Ton ami z'il est à la guerre)" (Thy belov'd is to the fighting gone)" "Et moi, sur beau front couleur de neige, "And I on fairest snow white brow Un baiser dois mettre, encore plus pur" A fond kiss must leave, yet purer still." "Oiseau vermeil du Paradis, "Thou bright red bird from Paradise (Mon ami z'il est à la guerre) (My belov'd is to the fighting gone) Oiseau vermeil du Paradis, Thou bright red bird from Paradise Que portez-vous ainsi?" What bringest thou to me?"

"Un joli cœur tout cramoisi ... "A faithful heart all crimson red, (Ton ami z'il est à la guerre)" (Thy belov'd is to the fighting gone)" "Ah! je sens mon cœur qui froidit ... "Ah! I feel my heart glowing cold... Emportez-le aussi". Take it also with thee.“

Valiant-for-Truth Ralph Vaughan Williams

After this it was noised abroad that Mister Valiant-for-truth was taken with a summons and had this for a token that the summons was true, ‘That his pitcher was broken at the fountain’. When he understood it, he called for his friends, and told them of it. Then said he, “I am going to my Father’s, and though with great difficulty I am got hither, yet now I do not repent me of all the trouble I have been at to arrive where I am. My sword I give to him that shall succeed me in my pilgrimage, and my courage and skill to him that can get it. My marks and scars I carry with me, to be a witness for me that I have fought his battles who now will be my rewarder.” When the day that he must go hence was come, many accompanied him to the riverside, into which as he went he said, “Death, where is thy Sting?” And as he went down deeper he said, “Grave, where is thy Victory?” So he passed over, and all the trumpets sounded for him on the other side.

La Blanche Neige Francis Poulenc

Les anges les anges dans le ciel L’un est vêtu en officier Angels angels in the sky L’un est vêtu en cuisiner One dresses as an officer Et les autres chantent One dresses as a cook And the others sing Bel officier couleur du ciel Le doux printemps longtemps après Noël Handsome officer, colour of the sky Te médaillera d’un beau soleil For a long time after Christmas, sweet spring D’un beau soleil Will award you of a beautiful sun Of a beautiful sun Le cuisinier plume les oies Ah ! tombe neige The cook plucks the geese Tombe et que n’ai-je Ah! Fall, snow Ma bien aimée entre mes bras Fall and I have only My beloved in my arms And So It Goes Billy Joel arr. Bob Chilcott

In every heart there is a room A sanctuary safe and strong To heal the wounds from lovers past Until a new one comes along

I spoke to you in cautious tones You answered me with no pretence And still I feel I said too much My silence is my self defence

And every time I've held a rose It seems I only felt the thorns And so it goes, and so it goes And so will you soon I suppose

But if my silence made you leave Then that would be my worst mistake So I will share this room with you And you can have this heart to break

And this is why my eyes are closed It's just as well for all I've seen And so it goes, and so it goes And you're the only one who knows

So I would choose to be with you That's if the choice were mine to make But you can make decisions too And you can have this heart to break

And so it goes, and so it goes And you're the only one who knows CHOIr

Soprano Sara Anderson* Alto Emily Corran Camilla Biggs* Hannah Fiddy Sophie Hopkins Jo Hale Helen Hugh-Jones* Julia Nikolic* Libby Phippard

Tenor James Corbett Bass Hugh Collins Alex Davan Wetton Matthew Fright Jamie Hodgson Richard Pelmore* Edward Hughes* William Robertson Tom Medley David Young Travis Winstanley* Alex Ying

*Soloists

Conductors: Edward Hughes and Alex Davan Wetton

OUR THANKS

We would like to thank the staff at St George the Martyr for all their kind assistance and for allowing us to rehearse and perform in their church. COMING NEXT

We Will Remember Them Music and readings for Remembrance 7.30pm Saturday 1 November Join us in Queens’ College Chapel, Cambridge, as we take time to reflect with a series of music and readings for remembrance at the start of November.

Darkness into Light An Advent carol concert 8.00pm Saturday 13 December This December we anticipate the coming light of Christmas with a special performance of well-loved Advent carols.

Book tickets for our upcoming events godwinechoir.org Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/godwinechoir 7.30 pm Saturday 1st November Queens’ College Chapel, Cambridge We Will Remember Them

Reflective music and readings for All Souls' Tide and Remembrance

Pearsall Lay a Garland Ireland Greater Love Brahms Geistliches Lied

Free entry Reserve a seat at godwinechoir.org