The Hudson View Gardens Performing Arts Group

presents

The Street Singers

Sacred from the Golden Age of

2 pm Sunday June 26, 2016 Hudson View Gardens Lounge 128 Pinehurst Avenue at 183rd Street

Today's Concert

Canite tuba in Sion ...... Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (Italian; c.1525-1594) From the books of Joel and Isaiah and Psalm 84: “Sound the in Zion, for the day of the Lord is near! The crooked will become straight and the rough places plane. May the clouds rain justice and produce a savior. Save us, Lord! Alleluia.”

Beata viscera ...... Claudio Merulo (Italian; 1533-1604) A Communion for feasts of the Virgin Mary. “Blessed is the womb of Virgin Mary, that bore the eternal Father’s Son.”

Senior, le tue man sante ...... (Italian; c.1555-1612) “Lord, what humility, what zeal moved your holy hands to wash your servants’ feet! O creator of heaven, cleanse my heart of every wicked fault. O Virgin, whose son ascended glorious to heaven whence he descended, give this troubled soul the wings to follow him, freed from such great evils.”

Erat ejiciens ...... Manuel Cardoso (Portuguese; 1566-1650) Luke 11:14. “Jesus was casting out a demon from a dumb man, and when he had cast it out, the dumb man spoke, and the crowds marveled.”

Factor orbis ...... (S. Netherlands; c.1458-1505) Many Christmas themes and tunes woven together in a Christmas extravaganza. A few of them: “Creator of the world, hear us.” “Remove our sins on that bright day. Noel.” “Sound the trumpet in Zion.” “One will come, the thong of whose sandals I am unworthy to loosen.” “Crooked ways will be made straight, rough places plane.” “From Bethlehem will come the governor of Israel.” “You are blessed, Mary, who believed.” “On that day will be a great light. Alleluia. Noel, noel.”

Gaude virgo, mater Christi . . . (French; c.1452-1521) Five reasons for Mary to rejoice: conception without a man; birth without pain; the Resurrection; Christ’s ascension to heaven; her place of honor in heaven.

Gloria from Missa de Beata Virgine ...... Josquin des Prez A magnificent setting of the standard words of the “Gloria in excelsis Deo” with the customary addition of text relating to Mary. The “Amen” is something special.

Intermission

Peccavi super numerum arenae ...... (Flemish, in ; 1535-1596) From The Prayer of Manasseh and Psalm 50. “I have sinned beyond the number of the sands of the sea. I am not worthy to view the height of heaven, for I have provoked your wrath and done evil in your sight.”

Gaudent in coelis . . (Franco-Flemish; c.1532-1594) “The souls of the saints rejoice in heaven. For his love they shed their blood. Therefore, with Christ they exult without end. All saints of God, pray for us.”

Vidit Jacob Scalam ...... (Franco-Flemish; c.1510-1557) For the dedication of a church, from Genesis 28. “Jacob saw a ladder touching heaven, and angels descending, and said, ‘Truly this place is holy.’ Alleluia.”

Quis numerare queat ...... Jacob Obrecht “Who could count the cruel deeds of the wars? Let the good man count, who has suffered, but let the bad man count, who has inflicted them. God heard the groans of the people and gave peace from heaven. Therefore, rejoice and praise the Lord. And pray that the peace shall last forever, lest he draw the lash and the rein of peace fall. Amen.” It is unknown which peace or truce is being celebrated.

Laudate Dominum in Sanctis ejus . . . Antonio Lotti (Italian; 1666-1740) Psalm 150. “Praise the Lord in his holy places. Praise him in the firmament of his strength. Praise him in the sound of the trumpet, psaltery, , , dance, well-sounding cymbals. Let every breath praise the Lord!”

O decus ecclesiae ...... Henricus Isaac (S. Netherlands; c.1452-1517) “O Virgin, glory of the church, hail! Come, dear hope, you steadfast pillar of hope. Multitudes praise you; your name is spread far. May God grant you the world, that holy purple may color your brow, and a cloak may encircle your holy head like a diadem. Amen.” The piece is also a celebration of the hexachord, the forerunner of our “do re mi fa sol la” as one inner voice sings the hexachord up and down in long, slow notes: “ut, ut re, ut re mi … ut re mi fa sol la … la sol fa mi re ut” etc.

Thank you for listening!

Polyphonic Sacred Music

In polyphony (meaning “many sounds”), the dominant form of religious music in Europe during the Renaissance, each voice (soprano, alto, etc.) sings an interesting melodic line, with rhythmic complexity, and the voices intertwine to make a complex weaving of sound. The , writing with serious intent, put their best efforts into the music. The result is beautiful music that transcends the religious beliefs from which it springs.

The Renaissance Street Singers

The Renaissance Street Singers, founded in 1973 by John Hetland, perform polyphonic 15th- and 16th-century sacred music on the sidewalks and in the public spaces of New York. The motivation is a love for this music and the wish to share it with others. Concerts are two or three Sundays a month, usually from 2 to 4 p.m., always free.

For more information and a performance schedule, visit

www.StreetSingers.org