Christmas at St. Olaf 2010 Hail the heav’n born Prince of Peace. The loneliness of a Prince of Peace Must be profound. It is a rose in winter, A melody in a silent night, An infant cradled with the animals, Out of sight and out of mind In this world’s restless throb. Where, in the shards of a broken world, Is any Prince of Peace’s realm? Where the waiting kingdom? Where the citizens of peace? It must seem to such a prince A cruel and bitter joke: The land of peace so uninhabited Though all are called to make it home. Humanity can lose its way -- Like some poor planet gone awry Spinning backwards into its own darkness, Not forward toward the sun. Where there is no peace, how can one be Prince of Peace? Only by creating it, by making it anew. And can it be? Will God speak yet again and say “Let there be peace?” Yes, yes, yes. Here is the word made flesh! Child Emmanuel comes among us like a sun, Not cursing those who walk in darkness, But bringing them great light; Not demanding that we learn unaided how to sing But bringing us a song; Not scorning our burned-over, unused soil, But planting, tending, nurturing seeds, ’Till his own peace takes root in us, And roses everywhere take bloom. Born to raise each child of earth Born to give us second birth. the 99th annual St. Olaf Christmas Festival St. Olaf College · Northfield, Minnesota or many people over the years, the celebration of the Advent-Christmas- Epiphany season has begun with the annual St. Olaf Christmas Festival, a cherished tradition of the college for nearly a century. The first festival in 1912 was a musical program for the college community, planned and directed by F. Melius Christiansen, founder of the St. Olaf Music Department. The festival continues as an outgrowth of Christian conviction and an expression of the rich musical heritage at St. Olaf, a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Tonight the St. Olaf Choir, the St. Olaf Orchestra, the St. Olaf Cantorei, the St. Olaf Chapel Choir, the Manitou Singers, and the Viking Chorus will perform both as individual groups and as a massed ensemble. Please hold your applause until the end, and refrain from using cameras and video or audio recorders. Please turn off all pagers and cellular phones. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light Messiah, Prince of Peace Daniel Kallman Reading John 1:1–5, 14a Lo, How a Rose Michael Praetorius arr. Robert Scholz Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming This night a wondrous revelation From tender stem hath sprung! A great and mighty wonder, Of Jesse’s lineage coming Makes known to me God’s love and grace; As prophets long have sung. A full and holy cure, It came, a flow’ret bright, The Child that merits adoration Amid the cold of winter, The Virgin bears the Infant, When half-spent was the night. Brings light to our benighted race. The Word Incarnate sure. Isaiah twas foretold it, The Rose I have in mind; With Mary we behold it, The Virgin Mother kind. To show God’s love aright, Born for us She bore for all a Savior, When half-spent was the night. — C.F. Nachtenhöfer, St. Germanus, Given to us 15th Century German Carol Narration Pastor W. Bruce Benson Speak a Word to Us, Isaiah arr. John Ferguson — John Thornburg His rule is peace and freedom And justice, truth, and love Isaiah’s Voice Born to raise John Ferguson A word of comfort echoes; It is Isaiah’s voice each child of earth Speaking the balm of pardon And God’s forgiving choice. The valley lifted up; Uneven ground made level; Glory revealed. Rejoice! Wake, Awake, for Night Is Flying God’s word will come to pass. Philipp Nicolai Fleeting is human nature, arr. F. Melius Christiansen Like withered, fading grass. Ageless the holy promise: Wake, awake, for night is flying! God’s word will come to pass. The watchmen on the heights are crying, Awake, Jerusalem, arise! And with a shepherd’s arms, Midnight’s solemn hour is tolling, God gathers and sustains us His chariot wheels are nearer rolling; Close to his heart so vast. He comes; prepare, ye virgins wise. Rise up with willing feet. Nestled in fields of amber, Go forth, the Bridegroom meet, When winter’s zephyr blows, Hallelujah! There is a bloom so vivid Bear through the night your well-trimmed light, Within the grass a rose. Speed forth to join the marriage rite. — John Thornburg Isaiah’s Voice Hear Thy praise, O Lord, ascending Words by John Thornburg From earth and heavenly voices, blending Copyright © MorningStar Music Publishers With harps and lute and psaltery. Published online by permission. By Thy pearly gates in wonder We stand and swell the voice of thunder, In bursts of choral melody; Born to give us No vision ever brought, No ear hath ever caught Such bliss and joy: second birth We raise the song, we swell the throng To praise Thee ages all along. — Philipp Nicolai trans. William Cook, alt. Prepare the Way arr. Christopher Aspaas Truth shall spring Prepare the way, O Zion! You awful deeps rise high; Sink low, you tow’ring mountains, out of the earth The Lord is drawing nigh; The righteous King of glory, Foretold in sacred story. And righteousness O blest is He that came In God the Father’s Name. look down from heaven Fling wide your gates, O Zion, What Child And hail your glorious King; Paul Lohman His tidings of salvation To ev’ry people bring, What child is this, who, laid to rest, Who, waiting yet in sadness, On Mary’s lap is sleeping? Would sing his praise in gladness. Whom angels greet with anthems sweet While shepherds watch are keeping? O blest is He that came This, this is Christ the king, In God the Father’s Name. Whom shepherds guard and angels sing; Haste, haste to bring him laud, Awaken, Lord, our spirit, The babe, the son of Mary! This bright and holy morn! He comes, the Prince anointed, Why lies he in such mean estate The Christ, the virgin-born, Where ox and ass are feeding? Grim death to vanquish for us, Good Christian fear; for sinners here To open heav’n before us! The silent Word is pleading. This, this is Christ the king, O blest is He that came Whom shepherds guard and angels sing; In God the Father’s Name. Hail, hail the Word made flesh, Prepare the Way! The babe, the son of Mary! — Frans M. Franzèn, trans. Augustus Nelson (adapted) So bring him incense, gold, and myrrh; — Elizabeth Cruciger, Come, peasant, king, to own him. trans. Arthur T. Russell (adapted) The King of kings salvation brings; Let loving hearts enthrone him. This, this is Christ the king, Whom shepherds guard and angels sing; Joy, joy for Christ is born, The babe, the son of Mary! — William C. Dix Carol of the Drum See, Amid the Winter Snow Katherine K. Davis Robert Scholz “Come,” they told me, See, amid the winter snow, Pa-rum-pa-pum-pum, Born for us on earth below; “Our newborn King to see! See, the gentle Lamb appears, Pa-rum-pa-pum-pum, Promised from eternal years: Our finest gifts we’ll bring, Pa-rum-pa-pum-pum, Refrain: To lay before the King! Hail, O ever-blessed morn; Pa-rum-pa-pum-pum, Hail, redemption’s happy dawn; So to honor him, Sing through all Jerusalem: Pa-rum-pa-pum-pum, Christ is born in Bethlehem. When we come.” Calves Low within a manger lies “Baby Jesu, He who built the starry skies; Pa-rum-pa-pum-pum, He who, throned in height sublime, I’m a poor boy too, Reigns above the cherubim: Pa-rum-pa-pum-pum, with lions I have no gift to bring, Refrain Pa-rum-pa-pum-pum, That’s fit to give a king, rest secure Say, you humble shepherds, say, Pa-rum-pa-pum-pum. What’s your joyful news today? Shall I play for you, Tell us why you left your sheep Pa-rum-pa-pum-pum, On the lonely mountain steep. On my drum?” Peace “As we watched at dead of night Mary nodded, All around us shone a light; Pa-rum-pa-pum-pum, Angels singing Peace on earth, and Ox and ass kept time, Told us of a Savior’s birth.” Pa-rum-pa-pum-pum, I played my drum for Him, Refrain amity Pa-rum-pa-pum-pum, I played my best for Him, Sacred infant, king most dear, Pa-rum-pa-pum-pum. What a tender love was here, endure Then He smiled at me, Thus to come from highest bliss Pa-rum-pa-pum-pum, Down to such a world as this! Me and my drum! — Katherine K. Davis, Henry Refrain Onorati and Harry Simeone — E. Caswell Carol of the Drum Words and Music by Katherine K. Davis Copyright © 1949, 1969 Alfred Music Publishing All Rights Reserved. Published online by permission. O Come, All Ye Faithful attr. John Francis Wade Glory to God arr. John Ferguson descant David Willcocks in the highest All stand and sing: O come, all ye faithful, Joyful and triumphant! Reading O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem; Luke 2: 1–20 Come and behold him, Born the king of angels: Chichester Psalms (Movement I) Refrain: Leonard Bernstein O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him, Urah, hanevel, v’chinor! O come, let us adore him, Awake, psaltery and harp! Christ the Lord! A-irah shaḥar I will rouse the dawn! Sing, choirs of angels, Sing in exultation, Hariu l’Adonai kol haarets.