OUT OF DARKNESS q Litany to the Holy Spirit Peter Hurford (b. 1930) [2.36] Choristers Music from Lent to Trinity Bertie Baigent organ w If ye love me Thomas Tallis (1505-1585) [2.00] Chapel Choir 1 Cunctis diebus William Byrd (1540-1623) [6.31] College Choir e Listen sweet dove Grayston Ives (b. 1948) [2.40] Chapel Choir 2 Remember not, Lord, our offences. Z 50 Henry Purcell (1659-1695) [2.57] Bertie Baigent organ Combined Choirs r Breathe on me, breath of God Ned Rorem (b. 1923) [2.17] 3 The Lamentation Edward Bairstow (1874-1946) [9.03] College Choir College Choir Benjamin Morris organ t The Spirit of the Lord is upon me Edward Elgar (1857-1934) [7.21] from The Apostles, Op. 49 4 Tantum ergo Fernand Laloux (1901-1970) [2.01] Combined Choirs College Choir Benjamin Morris organ 5 O vos omnes Pablo Casals (1876-1973) [3.36] y Libera nos John Sheppard (c. 1515-1559) [3.21] College Choir College Choir 6 Ye Choirs of New Jerusalem Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924) [4.44] u I Saw the Lord John Stainer (1840-1901) [7.19] Combined Choirs Combined Choirs Bertie Baigent organ Benjamin Morris organ Harry Shapiro & Jamie Wilkinson trebles 7 Surrexit pastor bonus Jean L’Heritier (1480-1551) [3.31] Louisa Dawes soprano, Sophie Nairac contralto College Choir Jaliya Senanayake tenor, Peter Lidbetter bass 8 Festival Te Deum, Op. 32 Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) [6.11] Total timings: [75.45] College Choir Julia Sinclair soprano Benjamin Morris organ 9 Incantation pour un jour Saint Jean Langlais (1907-1991) [5.20] Benjamin Morris organ THE CHOIR OF JESUS COLLEGE CAMBRIDGE 0 Sedebit dominus rex James MacMillan (b. 1959) [4.17] BENJAMIN MORRIS & BERTIE BAIGENT ORGAN from The Strathclyde Motets MARK WILLIAMS DIRECTOR College Choir www.signumrecords.com DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY sang a short service for those who wished to OUT OF DARKNESS paraphrased from the book of Job – inevitably OF THE REVEREND DOCTOR come together in their sadness. A week later dark, though the final section suggests JOHN HUGHES (1978-2014) the College Choir sang at the funeral in Ely This disc complements the Choir’s CD Journey redemption rather than resignation. Kerman Cathedral, with a congregation of over 1000 into Light which followed the Church’s year from has speculated that this piece may have been On the evening of Sunday 29th June 2014, the people present. I would like to thank Chris Advent to Candlemas. Ash Wednesday marks planned as a companion work to Infelix ego, but Choir of Jesus College learnt the news of the Hazell and Mike Hatch, our producer and the beginning of Lent (tracks 1 & 2) before wonders what can have been “the attraction tragic death of their dear friend, John Hughes, engineer, for their immense support and moving into Passiontide (tracks 3, 4, 5), the last of these deathly texts to a young composer in a car accident earlier that day. John had professionalism during the recording of this supper and Good Friday. From this darkness, we who in the later 1570’s was just feeling out his been an undergraduate at Jesus College and in disc, but, most of all, I would like to pay emerge into the light of the Resurrection at true powers ...” 2009 returned as Chaplain, later being tribute to the Choristers, Choral Scholars and Easter (tracks 6, 7, 8) and the Feast of the appointed Dean of Chapel. He was just 35 years Organ Scholars of Jesus College Cambridge. Ascension (tracks 9, 10). The visit of the Holy In Remember not, Lord, our offences, a ‘full’ old at his death. An air of intense sadness fell That they were able to sing or play at all Spirit at Pentecost (tracks 11, 12, 13, 14) has anthem for SSATB dating from around 1680, over the whole community in the days that is a miracle and it was not an easy time. inspired countless sacred choral works, and Purcell sets a text from the 1544 Litany. The followed. Candles were lit, flowers left and, Yet, in making music together, we were able the final feast of the Church’s year – Trinity piece begins and ends homophonically but as throughout the ancient buildings and grounds to find some outlet for our grief and (tracks 16, 17) – is celebrated here with two the simple diatonic phrase at “neither take thou that were so dear to John, students, staff, confusion and this disc will always be, for us, very contrasting pieces by John Sheppard and vengeance” is undermined by the rising 5-note academic colleagues and friends comforted a reminder of that time and that man. It is John Stainer. chromatic phrase introduced at “spare us, each other in their grief and bewilderment. It dedicated to the memory of the Reverend Dr good Lord”, tension builds towards a powerful was during these days, immediately following John Hughes with much love and admiration. Byrd’s predicament as a Roman Catholic climax. Beginning and ending in calm the death of John Hughes, that this recording surviving in the alien environment of the late supplication, this anthem encompasses a was made. The options to postpone or to Mark Williams 16th century is roughly equivalent to that of surprisingly wide emotional range in its three abandon the project were offered to the Choir, Shostakovich working within the Soviet Union. minutes’ duration. but it was their fervent wish to make the disc As Joseph Kerman has written, we may well and to dedicate it to the memory of someone imagine that Byrd was expressing through Edward Bairstow made important contributions who meant a great deal to each and every his religious music “prayers, exhortations to the Anglican church tradition as organist performer. Within 24 hours of learning the news, and protests on behalf of the English Roman of Wigan and Leeds Parish Churches, then of the red light was on and just a couple of hours Catholic community”. Byrd’s Cunctis Diebus, York Minster from 1913 until his death. He after the last take, the Chapel of Jesus College a six-part work from the 1591 collection of was knighted in 1932. A typically outspoken was filled to bursting as the Combined Choirs Cantiones Sacrae, is a setting of words Yorkshireman, he remained loyal to his roots, - 4 - - 5 - shunning an approach from Westminster Abbey in individuality. Of the many pieces which first emerging at “Devouring depths of hell their Britten composed his Festival Te Deum, in 1928. In 1942 he set words selected from Laloux composed for the churches at which prey”. Stanford reverts to 4/4 (now in G major) Op. 32, in November 1944 in response to a The Lamentations of Jeremiah by the Dean of he worked, several are regularly performed at at “All glory to the Father be” but the 3/4 commission for the centenary of St Mark’s York, the Very Reverend E. M. Milner-White, major churches and cathedrals. The hymn-like returns for the splendid final Alleluia section. Church, Swindon the following year. The and described his composition: “It is just a few Tantum ergo included here, the simpler of his two premiere on 24th April 1945 (only weeks before chants of irregular pattern, and a refrain; but settings, is in four parts with a soprano descant Born in the Pas de Calais region, Jean Peter Grimes was first staged) was given by it is effective”. Actually the piece is rather in the second verse. L’Heritier was among the most highly regarded the choir of St Mark’s, a church with a proud more than this characteristically terse Renaissance composers of the generation choral tradition, together with choristers from summary would suggest – a straightforward In common with all his other choral works, following Josquin des Prez, with whom, according three other local churches. Compared with but eloquent setting of the words, its simplicity Pablo Casals’ O vos omnes (Jeremiah’s words to an Italian contemporary, he studied at one Britten’s earlier Te Deum setting of 1934, quite different from Bairstow’s earlier style. from Lamentations 1:12) was dedicated time. In the early years of the 16th century he this festival work is more original in content Bairstow was a gifted teacher, his duties in to Montserrat Abbey in Catalonia and first was associated with the Royal French court, and structure and includes a soprano soloist. this sphere occupying much of his time, but performed there. The Benedictine Monastery but subsequently he worked in Ferrara, Rome, Britten shows his typical accommodation of he did compose a fairly modest amount of at Montserrat proved to be one of the great Mantua and Verona. Around 1530 he returned amateur musicians’ abilities in his writing church music of enduring quality, including spiritual influences of Casals’ life. Before his to live and work in France. The popularity of for the choir, while the organ part is more about thirty anthems. reinterment in 1979 at El Vendrell in Catalonia, his music in Rome is indicated by the inclusion soloistic. In the opening section the choral his remains were laid in the Montserrat sacristy. of his works in several manuscripts of parts have changing time-signatures, Fernand Laloux came to England in 1914 The passionate, richly-textured O vos omnes Roman origin, but his music was also widely suggesting great freedom, while the organ along with many other Belgians. He became sets the words of Christ and is most suitable circulated across Europe. It is believed that plays decorated chords in a constant 3/4.