HOPKINS CENTER presents Handel Society of Dartmouth College Dr. Robert Duff conductor Celebration for the Season with special guests Hanover Chamber Orchestra Daniel Weiser piano Charles Stanton baritone Erma Gattie Mellinger mezzo-soprano This performance is made possible in part by generous support from the Gordon Russell 1955 Fund; the Handel Society Foundation; and the Friends of the Handel Society Fund. Tuesday, November 29, 2005 • 7 pm Spaulding Auditorium • Dartmouth College PROGRAM Hodie Christus Natus Est Giovanni Gabrieli (c. 1554-1612) Resonet in Laudibus Orlande de Lassus (c. 1530-1594) Richte, mich Gott Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) Denn er hat seinen Engeln befohlen *** Venez, mes enfants Noël d’Alsace arr. Donald Patriquin (b. 1938) Silent Devotion and Response Ernest Bloch (1880-1959) from The Sacred Service Estampie Natalis Vaclav Nelhybel (1919-1996) Concertato Singers of the Handel Society of Dartmouth College Meg Williams soprano, Jocelyn Burke alto and Terrence Wilson tenor *** Go Where I Send Thee Spiritual arr. André Thomas (xxxx-xxxx) Alex Cook baritone • INTERMISSION • Fantasia on ‘Greensleeves’ Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) from Sir John in Love In Terra Pax Gerald Finzi (1901-1956) Erma Gattie Mellinger mezzo-soprano and Charles Stanton baritone A Spotless Rose Herbert Howells (1892-1983) Tyler Harwell baritone In the Bleak Midwinter Harold Darke (1888-1976) Rebecca Rotello soprano, Jeffrey Parsonnet tenor The Holly and the Ivy Traditional Carol arr. Eric Thiman (1901-1975) Fantasia on Christmas Carols Ralph Vaughan Williams Charles Stanton baritone PROGRAM NOTES This year’s Celebration for the Season by the Handel eight-part a capella chorus, both Richte, mich Gott Society presents seasonal music for chorus, orchestra and Denn er hat seinen Engeln befohlen are in a form and brass and continues our annual holiday tradi- that blends elements from polyphonic Lutheran tion. church music and German folk songs with the an- Hodie Christus Natus Est Giovanni Gabrieli tiphonal, responsorial style of earlier Italian liturgical Giovanni Gabrieli (c. 1555-1612) is best known for music. the compositions written during his time as organ- Silent Devotion and Response Ernest Bloch ist at St. Marks’s in Venice. From this period comes The Swiss-American composer Ernest Bloch is un- Hodie Christus Natus Est, a motet that typifies the doubtedly the greatest composer of Jewish concert style of composition popular in the late Renaissance music of the 20th century. Bloch’s extraordinary mu- and early Baroque eras called cori spezatti. In this sical training included studies with Émile Dalcroze, style of writing, various musical forces are set apart Ivan Knorr, Munich and Ludwig Thuille, and he en- from each other spatially and are set musically in al- joyed an association in Paris with Claude Debussy. teration. Silent Devotion and Response is excerpted from The The text of Gabrieli’s setting is taken from the anti- Sacred Service (Avodath Hakodesh) by Bloch, which phon for Vespers on the Feast of the Nativity of Our dates from 1930-33. The work is based on the Sab- Lord. In this setting, Gabrieli adds one additional line bath Morning Service for the Reform congregation, “…et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis,” which and its text is taken from the American Union Prayer later becomes customary in many depictions of the Book for Jewish Worship. Christmas story including Handel’s Messiah. Estampie Natalis Vaclav Nelhybel Resonet in Laudibus Orlande de Lassus Internationally renowned composer Vaclav Nelhybel Resonet in Laudibus, another joyful Christmas motet, was born on September 24, 1919 in Polanka, Czecho- is based on the traditional melody Joseph lieber, Joseph slovakia. After studies in conducting and musicology, mein, hilf mir wiegen mein Kindelein. It first appeared Nelhybel was affiliated as composer and conductor in a manuscript at Leipzig University (dated c. 1500) with Swiss National Radio and later as the first mu- as part of a mystery play acted in church around the sical director of Radio Free Europe in Munich. In manger. This melody can be heard imitatively and 1957, Nelhybel immigrated to the United States and fragmented in all five voices in the first section of this became an American citizen in 1962. three-part motet. Estampie Natalis, written in 1976, is scored for mixed Richte, mich Gott Felix Mendelssohn chorus, soprano, alto and tenor soloists, piccolo, vio- Denn er hat seinen Engeln befohlen lin, cello and percussion. The most striking character- It may come as a surprise to music lovers acquainted istic of this setting is the manner in which the modal with Felix Mendelssohn primarily as an instrumen- chant-like melody interplays with the movement and tal composer that nearly a quarter of his work was pulsation of the accompanying instruments through choral music. While his instrumental compositions various rhythms and meters. The result of this treat- were (and still are) extraordinarily popular, Mendels- ment is a vigorous rhythm drive, which is typical of sohn’s contribution to the choral repertory is no less Nelhybel’s music in general. Though frequently dis- impressive. sonant in texture, Nelhybel’s music always gravitates Both of tonight’s psalm settings were composed in toward tonal centers, which makes it so appealing to 1944 for the Cathedral Choir of Berlin. Scored for performers and listeners alike. PROGRAM NOTES CONTINUED In Terra Pax Gerald Finzi chant-like melody harmonized in parallel thirds and Gerald Finzi was one of the great 19th century Eng- fourths. Darke’s well-regarded setting of Christina lish composers who shaped a remarkable renaissance Rossetti’s poem In the Bleak Midwinter was made fa- in English music that began toward the end of the mous by the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge. 19th century and included composers such as Finzi’s Fantasia on Ralph Vaughan Williams contemporaries Gustav Holst, Benjamin Britten and Christmas Carols Peter Warlock. We all love Christmas carols and welcome our an- In terra pax is probably Finzi’s best known work. This nual reacquaintance with them during the holiday work was composed from 1951-1954 and sets Rob- season. Ralph Vaughan Williams’ 1912 Fantasia on ert Bridges’ poem Noel: Christmas Eve, 1913. Within Christmas Carols welcomes back three English carols the poem, interpolations from the Christmas story which Vaughan Williams himself had collected: The according to St. Luke have been placed. The intro- Truth Sent From Above, Come All You Worthy Gentle- spective words of Bridge’s poem are assigned to the men and On Christmas Night, as well as fragments of baritone solo, while the soprano solo and chorus take carols such as The First Nowell. the part of the angels in the biblical text. The poem Vaughan Williams had a lifelong fascination with reminded Finzi greatly of a particular Christmas Eve English folk music. He began to collect, arrange and party he had attended as a young man living on Cho- publish English folk tunes as early as 1903, which sen Hill Farm in Gloucestershire. They had all come made him a pioneer in the field of ethnomusicology. out at midnight into the crisp, cold air, and had heard During his field studies, Vaughan Williams catalogued bells ringing across the countryside from all the vil- some 800 folk tunes, of which these four carols from lages. These bells became the wonderful “glory to Herefordshire and Sussex are representative. God in the highest” section of In terra pax. The Fantasia is a charming and moving short work Carol Settings that stitches together both familiar and new music, Our program this evening features four carols from capturing Christmas like few other works. From the England that are set by the contemporary Canadian opening solo for cello and the solo baritone telling composer Donald Patriquin, and English composers us of “the Truth sent from above” to the choir fad- Herbert Howells, Harold Darke and Eric Thiman. ing into the distance as it wishes us all a “Happy New A Spotless Rose, composed between 1918 and 1920, is Year,” the celebration of this season is celebrated and one of Howell’s best known works, with its sinuous honored. Dr. Robert Duff TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS Hodie Christus Natus Est Giovanni Gabrieli Hodie Christus natus est; Today Christ is born; Hodie salvator apparuit; Today the Saviour has appeared; Hodie in terra canunt Angeli, Today the Angels sing, Laetantur Archangeli; The Archangels rejoice; Exultant justi, dicentes: Today the righeous rejoice, saying: Gloria in excelcis Deo, Glory to God in the highest Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis. And on earth peace to all of good will. TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS CONTINUED Resonet in Laudibus Orlande de Lassus Resonet in laudibus Let Zion resound in praises Cum jucundis plausibus With the joyful acclaim Sion cum fidelibus: Of the faithful: Apparuit, genuit Maria. He whom Mary bore has appeared. Sunt impleta quae praedixit Gabriel. The prophecies of Gabriel are fulfilled. Eja! Virgo Deum genuit: O joy, O joy! The Virgin has given bith to God: Quod divina voluit clementia. That which divine mercy willed. Hodie apparuit in Israel, Today a king has appeared in Israel, Per Mariam Virginam est natus Rex. Born of the Virgin Mary. Magnum nomen Domini, Emmanuel, Great is the name of the Lord, Emmanuel, Quod annuntiatum est per Gabriel. Which was announced by Gabriel. Eja, eja! O joy, O joy! Richte, mich Gott Felix Mendelssohn Richte mich, Gott, und führe meine Do me justice, O God, and fight my fight Sache wider das Unheilige; Against a faithless people; Und errette mich vonden falschen From the deceitful and impious man Und bösen Leuten. Rescue me. Denn du bist der Gott, For you, O God, Du bist der Gott meiner Stärke, Are my strength. Warum verstößest du mich? Why do you keep me so far away? Warum lässest du mich so traurig gehn, Why must I go about in mourning, Wenn mein Feind mich drängt? With the enemy oppressing me? Sende dein Licht und deine Warheit; Send forth your light and your fidelity; Daß sie mich leiten They shall lead me on Zu deinem heiligen Berge And bring me to your holy mountain, Und zu deiner Wohnung.