Lily Among Thorns Westminster Kantorei Westminster Baroque Orchestra Amanda Quist, conductor

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Saturday, November 17, 2018 8 p.m. Bristol Chapel Westminster Choir College Princeton, N.J. 2 Conductor’s Note

Tonight’s program is a study in contrast. “Lily among thorns” takes its title from the Biblical text found in Song of Solomon, a passage set by many composers. Incorporated in tonight’s program by Palestrina in his parody mass, the lily has been used metaphorically throughout centuries to symbolize purity, and is juxtaposed with the thorn, the symbol of pain, highlighting its emergence from struggle with virtue and beauty. The concept of contrast in music mirrors good and evil; contrast pervades artistic composition, like a relief sculpture, allowing those who experience it to appreciate consonance and beauty more deeply after having experienced pain and darkness. A 1997 article titled “That Crown of Thorns” published by the Riemenschneider Bach Institute’s BACH Journal 28, by Timothy A. Smith, references the symbol below. Bach’s monogram includes his initials, JSB, inscribed both forward and backward, intertwined with a crown topping the image. The crown of thorns and the cross are symbols of suffering found throughout the music of Bach, whether in form, musical gesture, key selection, or text. 45 is no exception, making use of the acrostic form, sharp keys, and painting the journey of the soul through the cantata from dark to light. Palestrina, the Italian composer whose music is revered by many as the finest example of stile antico in its polyphonic perfection, is juxtaposed in the first half of our program by Carlo Gesualdo, along with a set of Italian . Gesualdo’s music is in many ways the exact opposite of Palestrina’s within a similar time period, with its unprepared dissonance, highly chromatic harmony, and delivery of the unexpected. Like the symmetry found in his cantata, our program begins and ends with the music of J.S. Bach, and we hope leaving the listener with a sense of a completed journey, from dark to light. — Amanda Quist

Program

Prélude Sonata I in E Flat, BWV 525 Johann Sebastian Bach I. Allegro (1685 – 1750) III Vivace Michael Ryan, organ

I. Missa Sicut Lilium Inter Spinas Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Kyrie (1525 – 1594) Sanctus & Benedictus Agnus Dei Program 3

II. O dolce mio tesoro Carlo Gesualdo (1566 – 1613)

Chi la gagliarda Baldassare Donato (1525 – 1603)

El grillo Josquin de Prez (1455 – 1521)

Vecchie letrose (1490 – 1562) Ari Carrillo, recorder John Swedberg, violin Matthew Marinelli, guitar Sam Scheibe, percussion

III.

Sicut cervus Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525 – 1594)

Os justi meditabitur (1824 – 1896)

Intermission

Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch, was gut ist, BWV 45 Johann Sebastian Bach 1. Coro: Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch, was gut ist (1685 – 1750)

2. Recitativo: Der Höchste läßt mich seinen Willen wißen John Swedberg, tenor

3. Aria: Weiß ich Gottes Rechte Kevin Schneider, tenor

4. Arioso: Es werden viele zu mir sagen Matthew Lee, baritone

5. Aria: Wer Gott bekennt aus wahrem Herzensgrund Vivienne Longstreet, alto

6. Recitativo: So wird denn Herz und Mund selbst von mir Richter sein Rachel Feldman, alto

7. Chorale: Gib, dass ich tu mit Fleiß

Westminster Baroque Orchestra 4 Program Notes

Missa Sicut Lilium Inter Spinas, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Kyrie eleison. Lord, have mercy. Christe eleison. Christ, have mercy. Kyrie eleison. Lord, have mercy. Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth. Holy, holy, holy, 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 Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

Revered as the master of Renaissance stile antico, a style that employed equal-voice , Palestrina played a central role in establishing the music of the Counter-Reformation. His mass settings, such as the Missa Sicut Lilium Inter Spinas, embody the central compositional principles encouraged by the Catholic church at the time: textual clarity achieved by carefully prepared dissonances within a texture of rising and falling melodic lines. This parody mass borrows its title and melody from a and translates as “Lily Among Thorns.” The opening melody presents the symbolic struggle of a lily attempting to emerge out of a group of thorns. The melody repeatedly tries to move upward but is forced to descend into a more harmonically stable line. The lily, historically a sign of purity related to Easter, represents the hope and peace of Christ after the resurrection. Used within a context of carefully prepared dissonances, the lily struggles in a world of uncertainty, plagued by humanity and is a reminder of the struggle for good in a world that, at times, appears anything but pure. O dolce mio tesoro, Carlo Gesualdo O dolce mio tesoro, Oh, my sweet treasure, non mirar s’io mi moro, do not look at me while I die, che il tuo vitale sguardo for your life-giving gaze non fa che mi consumi il foco ond’ardo. will make the fire that burns me, consumes me. Ah no, mìrami pur, anima mia, Ah, no, look at me, my soul— che vita allor mi fia la morte mia. for life then my death gives me. Chi la gagliarda, Baldassare Donato Chi la gagliarda, donna, vo’imparare? Whoever wants to learn about the galliard, Venite a noi che siamo mastri fini, Come to us, who are fine teachers, Che di sera e di matina mai manchiamo For at night and in the morning Mai manchiamo, di sonare: We never fail to play: Tan tan tan tarira, tan ti ru ra. Tan tan tan tarira, tan ti ru ra. El grillo, Josquin de Prez El grillo è buon cantore, The cricket is a good singer Che tienne longo verso, Who can sustain a long phrase. Dalle beve grillo canta. Drink, cricket, and sing some more El grillo è buon cantore The cricket is a good singer. Ma non fa come gli altri uccelli, But unlike the other singers, the birds, Come li han cantato un poco, Who after having sung a bit Van' de fatto in altro loco Fly off to another place, Sempre el grillo sta pur saldo, The cricket is ever constant. Quando la maggior è'l caldo When the heat is the greatest, Al' hor canta sol per amore. Then he sings only for love.

Vecchie letrose, Adrian Willaert Vecchie letrose, non valete niente Crabby old people, all you are good for Se non a far l'aguaito per la chiazza. Is prying and meddling in the village square. Tira, tira, tir'alla mazza, Beat, beat, beat with their canes, Vecchie letrose, scannaros'e pazze! Crazy gossips! Program Notes 5

Carlo Gesualdo composed primarily secular music with chromaticism and dissonance that implies a tonal landscape closer to the one used in modern day. O dolce mio tesoro highlights Gesualdo’s ability to use melody, harmony and rhetoric to paint the literal and figurative meaning of the text, an illustrative compositional technique known as a madrigalism. A striking example of this is the text “il fuoco.” The vocal lines employ a cacophony of fast moving notes that literally represent the fire burning within one of the two lovers characterized in the piece. The other three settings, written by earlier Renaissance composers, also use madrigalisms to tell a story representative of the text but uses tonality in a way more characteristic of the time period. Sicut cervus, Palestrina Sicut cervus desiderat ad fontes aquarum, As a deer pants for water, Ita desiderat anima mea ad te deus. so my soul longs for thee O God. Sitivit anima mea ad Deum fortem vivum: My soul has thirsted for the living God: quando veniam et apparebo ante faciem Dei? When shall I come and appear before the face of my God? Fuerunt mihi lacrymae meae panes die ac nocte, My tears have been my bread by day and by night, dum dicitur mihi quotidie: While it is said to me daily: Ubi est Deus tuus? Where is your God? Os justi meditabitur, Anton Bruckner Os justi meditabitur sapientiam, The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, et lingua ejus loquetur judicium. and his tongue speaks what is just. Lex Dei ejus in corde ipsius The law of his God is in his heart; et non supplantabuntur gressus ejus. and his steps will not be impeded.

Just as Palestrina lived during a time of church music reform during the Counter-Reformation, Anton Bruckner composed sacred during the Cecilian movement in Germany. A reaction to the Enlightenment, the Cecilian movement attempted to refocus the music in the Catholic church through simplified compositional styles where the text and ideas of the liturgy surfaced instead of the artistic individuality of the composer. Appreciating the similarities in circumstances, Bruckner looked back to the music of Palestrina which is why, though years apart, many similarities are recognizable between these two motets. Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch was gut ist BWV 45, J. S. Bach 1. Coro: Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch was gut ist Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch, was gut ist und was der Herr von dir fordert, It has been told to you, mankind, what is good and what the Lord nämlich: expects from you, namely: Gottes Wort halten und Liebe üben und demütig sein vor deinem to keep God's word and practice love and be humble before your Gott. God. 2. Recitativo: Der Höchste läßt mich seinen Willen wißen Der Höchste läßt mich seinen Willen wißen und was ihm wohlgefällt; The Highest lets me know His will and what pleases Him well Er hat sein Wort zur Richtschnur dargestellt, His as a plumbline presented wornach mein Fuß soll sein geflissen allzeit einherzugehn mit Furcht, by which my foot shall be intent at all times to proceed with fear, mit Demut und mit Liebe als Proben des Gehorsams, with humility and with love, as tests obedience I practice, den ich übe, Uum als ein treuer Knecht dereinsten zu bestehn. so that a faithful servant in the future, I would prove to be.

3. Aria: Weiß ich Gottes Rechte Weiß ich Gottes Rechte, If I know God’s justice, Was ists, das mir helfen kann, what is there that can help me when He demand of me, wenn er mir als seinem Knechte fordert scharfe Rechnung an. His servant, a strict account. Seele, denke dich zu retten, Soul, think to save yourself. auf Gehorsam folget Lohn; Upon obedience, follows reward. Qual und Hohn drohet deinem Übertreten! Torment and scorn threaten your transgressions. 4. Arioso: Es werden viele zu mir sagen Es werden viele zu mir sagen an jenem Tage: Herr, Herr, haben wir There will be many who say to me on that day: nicht in deinem Namen geweissagt, Lord! Lord, have we not prophesied in Your Name, haben wir nicht in deinem Namen Teufel ausgetrieben, have we not in Your Name cast out devils? haben wir nicht in deinem Namen viel Taten getan? Have we not in Your Name done many deeds? Denn werde ich ihnen bekennen: Ich habe euch noch nie erkannt, Then I will acknowledge them: I have never known you; weichet alle von mir, ihr Übeltäter! depart from me, all you evil-doers. 6 Program Notes

5. Aria: Wer Gott bekennt aus wahrem Herzensgrun Wer Gott bekennt aus wahrem Herzensgrund, Whoever acknowledges God from the very bottom of his heart will den will er auch bekennen. be acknowledged by Him. Denn der muß ewig brennen, For he must burn forever der einzig mit dem Mund ihn Herren nennt. who merely with his mouth calls Him Lord. 6. Recitativo: So wird denn Herz und Mund selbst von mir Richter sein So wird denn Herz und Mund selbst von mir Richter sein, Then heart and mouth themselves will be my judge Und Gott will mir den Lohn nach meinem Sinn erteilen: and God will allot the reward to me Trifft nun mein Wandel nicht nach seinen Worten ein, According to my state of mind were my behavior not to accord with His words Wer will hernach der Seelen Schaden heilen? Who would thereafter redeem the loss of my soul? Was mach ich mir denn selber Hindernis? Why then do I make a hindrance of myself? Des Herren Wille muß geschehen, Doch ist sein Beistand auch gewiß, The will of the Lord must be done Daß er sein Werk durch mich mög wohl vollendet sehen. Yet His assistance is also certain so that we may see His workmanship 7. Chorale: Gib, daß ich tu mit Fleiß Gib, daß ich tu mit Fleiß, Grant that I do with diligence was mir zu tun gebühret, what is proper for me to do, Worzu mich dein Befehl in meinem Stande führet! wherever your command leads me in my situation! Gib, daß ichs tue bald, Grant that I do it soon, zu der Zeit, da ich soll; at the time when I should; und wenn ichs tu, so gib, and when I do it, daß es gerate wohl! then grant that it prospers!

When J. S. Bach moved to Leipzig in 1723, he assumed responsibility for four different churches in town. Part of this new job required him to compose , multi-movement works for solo, chorus and instruments, to be used within the regular Sunday liturgy. He wrote Cantata 45 for the 8th Sunday of Trinity. As with many of Bach’s cantatas, BWV 45 follows an acrostic form that begins and ends with a movement for chorus and is structured around the bass aria framed by two recitatives. The subjects and instrumental ritornello derive from the chorale melody which appears in its entirety in the very last movement of the work in a chorale, or hymn-like presentation. Placing the chorale at the end of the cantata acts as a way to translate the message of the entire cantata to the congregation. Symmetrically, this chorale mirrors the opening fugue. The opening fugue contains text about the strict law of God. Bach exemplifies the strictness of the law by choosing to set the text as a fugue, a compositional process that evolved from the Renaissance idea of canon, another word for law. Although Bach starts with the firm, declamation of the law, the chorale melody at the end leave the congregation with a more hopeful application still applicable today: If we are following what is right, just, and showing love to others, may my efforts find support and prosper. — Program notes by Johanna Olson

About the Artists

Westminster Baroque Orchestra Principal Flute Melanie Williams Concertmaster (Violin 1) Evan Few Flute Mi-Li Chang Violin 2 Chiara Stauffer Principal Oboe Meg Owens Viola Alissa Smith Oboe David Dickey Cello Ana Kim Harpsichord Kerry Heimann Violone Nate Chase Organ Timothy Morrow and Michael Ryan About the Artists 7

DR. AMANDA QUIST is associate professor and chair of She has been invited to serve as a conductor as part of the 2019 the Conducting, Organ, and Sacred Music Department at ACDA International Exchange Program in South Africa, as Westminster Choir College. She conducts the Westminster a clinician for the 2019 ASPIRE International Youth Music Chapel Choir and Westminster Kantorei, and she teaches Festival in Australia and as a juror for the 2019 Penabur graduate and undergraduate conducting. Dr. Quist is the International Choir Festival in Indonesia. recipient of Westminster Choir College of Rider University’s Composed of students at Westminster Choir College, 2014 Distinguished Teaching Award and the 2018 Mazzotti WESTMINSTER KANTOREI is an award-winning Award for Women’s Leadership, and she is the Carol F. Spinelli chamber choir specializing in early and contemporary music. Conducting Fellow. The ensemble performs regularly with leading performers in With Westminster Kantorei, an award-winning early music early music including the Dark Horse Consort, Juilliard415 ensemble, she has performed at the American Choral Directors and others. It was selected as a finalist for the 2014 American Association’s (ACDA) Eastern Division Conference, Boston Prize, whose judges stated that Westminster Kantorei is “truly Early Music Festival, the American Handel Festival, and outstanding,” and described the choir as having a “finely- in France and England. The choir recently released its first measured and delicate balance of voices, and a mastery of commercial recording, Lumina, on the Westminster Choir stylistic performance practice.” College label and distributed by Naxos. During her work with The ensemble’s 2018-2019 season includes performances on the Westminster Symphonic Choir, Dr. Quist collaborated the Westminster Choir College campus in Princeton and an with the New York Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra, appearance as a guest artist for Bach to the Future, a Baroque Dresden Staatskapelle, and composers Ola Gjeilo and Tarik festival hosted by the Choir School of Delaware. In February O’Regan. Her work as chorus master for the premiere of Toshio 2019, Kantorei will perform for the Interkultur International Hosokawa’s opera Matsukaze at the Spoleto Festival USA and Choral Festival. The choir’s 2017–2018 season included the the Lincoln Center Festival garnered praise from The New York release of its first solo recording, Lumina, hailed by infodad. Times and Charleston City Paper, who described the chorus’ com as a recording “sung with great beauty of sound and performance as “beautifully prepared, gripping,” a “gossamer excellent articulation ... a CD to cherish” and by National web of voices” and “bridging the vocal and instrumental textures Medal of Arts recipient Morten Lauridsen as “superb, a with perfect intonation.” She has also served as chorus master splendid recording, highly recommended.” In addition to for the Philadelphia Symphonic Choir, preparing the ensemble concerts in Princeton, the ensemble performed at the American for performances with The Philadelphia Orchestra of Mahler’s Choral Directors Association’s Eastern Division Conference in Symphony No. 3, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Pittsburgh, where it was selected to premiere the Raymond Amahl and the Night Visitors, conducted by Bramwell Tovey. Brock Memorial Commission by composer Tarik O’Regan. Dr. Quist is director of the Westminster Vocal Institute, a Recent seasons have included performances at the 2017 Boston highly regarded summer program for talented high school Early Music Festival and the American Handel Festival, as students, and she was previously director of choral activities at well as a series of performances of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion San José State University. Her other honors include the James with the Westminster Choir and the New York Philharmonic, Mulholland National Choral Award and the Audrey Davidson conducted by Kurt Masur. Additionally, as part of a 2016 Early Music Award. Her research focus is voice science and concert tour in France and England, Westminster Kantorei pedagogy in choral singing, and she has presented lectures on this performed at the Festival en L’Île in Paris, and in Windsor and other topics across the country. An active guest conductor Castle’s Saint George’s Chapel. The ensemble has also served as and clinician, her recent and upcoming appearances include the demonstration choir for a master class with Eric Whitacre conducting the National Association for Music Education for at the Choir College, and it has collaborated with Princeton (NAfME) All National Honor Choir; All State Honor Choirs of University Libraries in bringing to life newly acquired editions Texas, California, Washington, Vermont, Missouri, Delaware of works by Lassus and Wert. and Colorado; All-Collegiate Honor Choirs in California, Massachusetts and Georgia; and serving as headliner for music Westminster Kantorei has premiered works by a number of conferences across the United States. Dr. Quist is the National contemporary composers, including Christian Carey, Daniel American Choral Directors Association’s (ACDA) repertoire Elder, Doug Helvering, Blake Hensen, and the internationally & resources coordinator for collegiate activities, and her choral acclaimed Swedish composer Sven-David Sandström. Learn series is published through Walton Music. more at www.rider.edu/kantorei 8 About the Artists

Westminster Kantorei Amanda Quist, conductor Johanna Olson, graduate assistant conductor Timothy Morrow and Michael Ryan, accompanists SOPRANO Emma Daniels, Chicago, IL Christina Han, Bayside, NY* Lindsey Wildman, Santa Cruz, CA Jessica Forbes, Fort Myers, FL Lindsey Reinhard, Yardley, PA Rachel Woody, Greeneville, TN Julianne Fournier, North Attleboro, MA Sophia Santiago, West Friendship, MD ALTO Katie Arnold, Wantage, NJ Vivienne Longstreet, South Orange, NJ Emily Tiberi, Pittsburgh, PA Wendy Darr, Little Rock, AR Jillian Newton, Muskegon, MI Gloria Wan, Vancouver, BC Rachel Feldman, Cheshire, CT Johanna Olson, Springfield, VA* TENOR Chris Bonanni, Mullica Hill, NJ Jonathan Hartwell, Middletown, DE Kevin Schneider, South Windsor, CT Sam Denler, Somers, NY Michael Martin, Cooper City, FL John Swedberg, Dayton, NJ* Chris Fludd, Freeport, NY Timothy Morrow, Basking Ridge, NJ BASS Ari Carrillo, Philadelphia, PA Matthew Lee, Fort Worth, TX * Sam Scheibe, Moorestown, NJ Chris Clark, Staten Island, NY Matthew Marinelli, San Antonio, TX David Sherman, Marlboro, NJ James Harris, Bristow, VA Michael Ryan, East Greenwich, RI * Indicates section leader Roster approved 10/08/18

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Rider University’s WESTMINSTER COLLEGE for pre-college students. RIDER UNIVERSITY is a OF THE ARTS inspires and empowers innovative private co-educational, student-centered university that artists and leaders to transform their communities emphasizes purposeful connections between academic through the arts. With world-class programs in art, study and real world learning experience. Rider dance, music, music theatre and theatre, and based in prepares graduates to thrive professionally, to be lifelong Princeton and Lawrenceville, New Jersey, the College independent learners, and to be responsible citizens consists of three divisions: Westminster Choir College, who embrace diversity, support the common good and The School of Fine and Performing Arts, and contribute meaningfully to the changing world in which Westminster Conservatory of Music, a music school they live and work.

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