Conductor: Philip Honnor An English $ Christmas ( with the * Amici Ensemble * Elieen Spencer — Leader Rebecca Frawley — Soprano John Garrett — Bass-baritone Honor Wright — Harp Benjamin Britten: A Ceremony of Carols Gerald Finzi: In Terra Pax Ralph Vaughan Williams: The First Nowell St Paul’s Hall, Queensgate, Huddersfield Saturday, 11th December 1993 The Huddersfield Singers President J. Gordon Sykes Conductor Philip Honnor Patrons The Earl of Harewood The Lord Saville The Lord St Oswald Seasonal Patrons Armitage, Sykes & Hinchcliffe, Solicitors Brearley-Greens, Estate Agents Brook Dyeing Company Ltd Mrs J. M. Kaye Philip Lawton Mentor Business Systems Ltd Revell Ward Wheawill & Sudworth, Chartered Accountants Yorkshire Bank PLC The Huddersfield Singers are urgently in need of sponsors and advertisers, and would be most grateful for any help which may be offered. Sums in excess of £25 would be greatly appreciated. Interested parties should contact the Secretary: Mrs G. L. Greenwood, 46 Holmcliffe Avenue, Taylor Hill, Huddersfield, Tel. 531157 Forthcoming Events Saturday, 26th March 1994 Dvorák: Mass in D Britten: Rejoice in the Lamb with Gordon Stewart, Kirklees Borough Organist Saturday, 2nd July 1994 Summer Concert A programme of summer music with a group from the Kirklees Music School All concerts to be held in St Paul’s Hall, Queensgate, Huddersfield at 7·30 pm THE FIRST NOWELL Verse 4 Then let us all with one accord Sing praises to our heavenly Lord, That hath made heaven and earth of naught, And with his blood mankind hath bought: Nowell, Nowell, Nowell, Nowell, Born is the King of Israel. PROGRAMME A Ceremony of Carols, op. 28 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Benjamin Britten 1: Procession 2: Wolcum Yole! 3: There is no rose 4a: That Yongë Child 4b: Balulalow 5: As dew in Aprille 6: This little Babe 7: Interlude 8: In freezing winter night 9: Spring Carol 10: Adam lay i-bounden 11: Recession In Terra Pax ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Gerald Finzi ✯ INTERVAL ✯ The First Nowell ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Ralph Vaughan Williams 1: Baritone Solo and Chorus God rest you merry; This is the truth 3: Soprano Solo Gabriel from Heaven’s high king 4: Chorus Nowell, Nowell! 6: Chorus Joseph was an old man 7: Soprano Solo As Joseph was a-walking 8: Baritone Solo and Chorus Oh, Joseph being an old man truly 9: Women’s Chorus In Bethlehem City in Judea 12: Men’s Chorus Bring us in good ale 15: Baritone Solo and Chorus On Christmas night all Christians sing 16: Men’s Chorus Tidings true there be come new 17: Chorus How brightly shone the morning star 18: Orchestra only 20: Soloists and Chorus The First Nowell Audience participation in the last number: please refer to previous page THE MUSIC A Ceremony of Carols, op. 28 – Benjamin Britten Written at sea during his return from America in 1942, A Ceremony of Carols stands between two other well-known Britten choral works: Hymn to St Cecilia and Rejoice in the Lamb. Although it is framed by plainsong (the antiphon for the Vespers of Christmas Day), the cycle draws neither on plainsong nor any other traditional source for its musical material. Instead, Britten contributes to the English carol tradition on his own terms. Thus ostinato and canon are prominent, high voices are used rather than mixed voices, and a harp provides much of the formal structure rather than merely accompanying. Two very different two-note harp ostinati underpin Wolcum Yole! and There is no rose, and these two simple figures are joined together to give the four-note ostinato on which the extended central Interlude for harp is based. Although canons provide the basis of the striking carols which precede and succeed the Interlude, their effects could scarcely be more contrasted. In This little Babe they provide an almost bellicose vigour, while in In freezing winter night they serve to underline the grinding semitone A♭-G of the harp’s teeth-chattering ostinato. It is details such as these, as well as its melodic memorability and vocal effectiveness, which have assured A Ceremony of Carols its place among the best-loved English Christmas music. In Terra Pax – Gerald Finzi Gerald Finzi wrote his ‘Christmas Scene’, In Terra Pax, in 1954, only two years before his death from leukaemia at the age of 55. For his text Finzi interpolates St Luke’s well-known story of the angels appearing to the shepherds between the second and third verses of Robert Bridges’ poem “Noel: Christmas Eve, 1913”, in which the poet, walking alone at night, is reminded of the first Christmas by the pealing of church bells in villages he passes. Those bells peal too in Finzi’s setting, both quietly at the opening in the ’cellos and basses, and later climactically when the chorus sings “Glory to God”. Bridges’ words are given to the baritone soloist, and St Luke’s verses to the chorus and soprano soloist, the voices accompanied by strings, harp and cymbal. A quiet orchestral prelude establishes the mood, the lower strings stating the two principal melodic ideas of the piece (Bells and “Glory to God”, and “Peace on earth”) and the harp prefiguring the opening of the baritone solo. This solo develops both ideas, as does the ensuing chorus, the sopranos inverting the second idea, echoed by the strings. A cymbal roll then ushers in a brief allegro for the chorus (“And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them”) during which a descending fifth is twice used for the word “angel”. Finzi then uses this idea, thrice repeated, for the phrase “Fear not” at the beginning of the soprano solo which follows. By inverting the idea Finzi reintroduces the chorus, which moves to the climax of the work, the ‘bells’ and “Peace on earth” motifs ringing round all voices. The extended coda then closes the work in a valedictory mood, the two main ideas still dominating. The First Nowell – Ralph Vaughan Williams This was the last of Vaughan Williams’ compositions, left unfinished at his death in 1958. It was planned as a stage work with dancers as well as speaking and singing parts. Using a libretto adapted from mediæval pageants, the composer uses traditional carols as the basis of the vocal material, much as he had done in the Fantasia on Christmas Carols forty-six years earlier, the parallel being even closer by the inclusion of God rest you merry, Gentlemen, The Sussex Carol, The Truth from Above and The First Nowell in both works. The range of the latter work is wider, however, including two mediæval carols Angelus ad Virginem and Gabriel’s Salutation, the chorale How brightly shone the morning star and many other well-known Christmas melodies. The First Nowell is a moving summary of Vaughan Williams’ folk-song style, rich yet simply presented. Philip Honnor THE SOLOISTS (in alphabetical order) The Amici Ensemble The Amici Ensemble is a professional chamber orchestra administered from Leeds but working throughout the north of England. Its membership includes performers who also play with the major orchestras of the region (notably the BBC Philharmonic and the English Northern Philharmonia – Opera North) as well as distinguished teachers at colleges of music and institutes of higher education in the area. The group was formed in 1980 to meet the need for a locally-based professional chamber orchestra, with the aim of performing all types of music from the Baroque to the 20th century. Since then it has given regular concerts which have reflected that aim in the programmes (including some first performances) as well as several broadcasts. Rebecca Frawley Becky is in her final year of a degree in music at the University of Huddersfield. This is her second appearance with the Huddersfield Singers. She is a regular member of the University Choir, Chamber Choir and Madrigal Group. She will be singing in the University’s forthcoming production of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel. Becky has been a member of the National Youth Choir since 1988, taking part in its World Tour during 1992 as well as singing at the International Choir Festival in Rattenburg and most of the major London venues. John Garrett John was born in Burnley in 1966. He studied music at Huddersfield Polytechnic and graduated in 1988. In the same year he was awarded the Polytechnic Prize for Singing and also won the Dorothy Irwin prize in the vocal recital class at the Mrs Sunderland Music Festival. John is currently Head of Music at his old school, St Theodore’s in Burnley, and continues a career in teaching along with his singing engagements. He appears regularly with the Huddersfield Singers. John also took part in the prestigious Kathleen Ferrier singing competition which was held in the Wigmore Hall, London earlier this year. Honor Wright Honor trained at the Royal Manchester College of Music and then studied with David Watkins. Now living in North Yorkshire she works freelance, often playing with Opera North. Her husband Simon Wright is organist at Appleforth Abbey and chorus- master of the Leeds Festival Chorus. The Huddersfield Singers are very pleased to welcome Honor to her first appearance with them this evening. The Huddersfield Singers are always keen to welcome new members of all voice parts, and are currently particularly interested in enrolling more sopranos. If you think you could rise to the challenge of singing with this accomplished chamber choir, please talk to a choir member or the conductor. Alternatively, telephone the Secretary, Mrs G. L. Greenwood: 531157. Financial Support towards the cost of this concert is gratefully acknowledged from Kirklees Metropolitan Council and Yorkshire & Humberside Arts Yorkshire & Humberside A R T S Music Typesetting and General Desktop Publishing 31 Skelton Crescent, Crosland Moor, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD4 5PN Telephone (0484) 654186.