Music Notes for A Cathedral Christmas

A Ceremony of Carols

Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)

Due perhaps to his early memory of a German bomb exploding near his childhood home, Britten became a deeply committed pacifist and conscientious objector. Despite his patriotic fervor, Britten's antiwar beliefs dictated that he leave England the summer before World War II and go to the United States. Conflicted by his pacifist feelings and his love of England, however, Britten decided to return home in the spring of 1942, while the war was still being fought. And it was during the one-month Atlantic crossing on a Swedish freighter that Britten composed A Ceremony of Carols.

In this moving work, Britten shows his amazing ability to achieve all sorts of musical effects with minimum means and great economy by writing for just treble voices (he envisioned a choir of boys, but the work is usually performed by women's voices) with a single harp accompaniment. The texts come from medieval Christmas carols. The nine carols are preceded and followed by a processional and recessional.

God Rest You Merry

Arranged by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)

A prolific composer, Ralph (pronounced Rafe) Vaughan Williams included symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music and film scores among his works. He is well-known as a collector of English folk music and songs, which also influenced his editorial approach to the English Hymnal, which began in 1904, as many folk song arrangements were set as hymn tunes.

Vaughan Williams arranged the collection, "Nine Carols for Male Voices," during World War I for the "choir" he developed among the men in his Field Ambulance unit. In 1917 they were stationed in Greece, near Katerini, on a hillside with Mount Olympus towering above. Ursula Vaughan Williams writes "Another experience, which no one who was there forgot, was carol singing on Christmas Eve: snow-capped Olympus, the clear night, the stars, and Ralph's choir singing carols of Hereford and Sussex with passionate nostalgia. The choir made that Christmas so far from home one that had a special quality, a special beauty, long remembered."

Ríu, Ríu, Chíu

Anonymous/Text by Mateo Flecha (1481-1553)
Arr. by Michael McGlynn

"Riu, riu, chiu" was written in so-called villancico style, which became a popular form for songs in post-Renaissance Spain. Such songs are in ternary form [ABA], with a text expressing some aspect of Christian principles or beliefs. This carol became one of the more widely known such works in its time; versions of it today often contain updated translations to filter out its archaic words and meanings. The author of this carol is generally thought to be anonymous, but its text, possibly originally written in Portuguese, has been attributed by some to Mateo Flecha (1481-1553). The melody to "Riu, riu, chiu" probably dates to the fifteenth century or earlier. The words in the title are vocalizations of the sounds made by a nightingale. The main theme is lively and rhythmic and has an instant appeal, lingering in the mind long after one or two hearings. It exudes a folk-like color, but without conveying the more exotic kind of Spanish national character that would evolve in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. One hears a mixture of Renaissance-era elegance here with a sort of peasant-like festivity. Its text speaks of the roles of the Blessed Mother and the Redeemer.

Christmas Angel

Music & Lyrics by Corlynn Hanney

Canadian soprano, Corlynn Hanney, first recorded the solo in this Christmas song, written for her choir, the Phoenix Chamber Choir, of Vancouver, BC. Unassuming, good-humored and gracious, few people are more qualified than Corlynn Hanney to instruct voice students in the realities of commercial music for radio and television. A graduate of UBC in the mid-sixties, Corlynn's varied and successful background and session singing career has spanned over 30 years and both sides of the border. Her Christmas song, "Christmas Angel", has been recorded several times, both in Canada and the United States. Most recently, it was recorded by a group in Nashville as the promotional tune for a Special Olympics fund raiser.

Throughout her career, Corlynn taught privately. Among her private students was Brian Johnson, the lead singer for AC/DC. Corlynn is philosophical about her transition from performer to teacher. "You know, the average career for a studio singer is about five years. Then your voice gets over-exposed. Considering I've hung in there for about 25 years, I feel very lucky. And when it's my own students who get called, I can only feel proud."

Jõulud Tulevad

Composer/Arranger: Veljo Tormis (b. 1930)

Veljo Tormis is considered to be one of Estonia's most important composers of the 20th century. Internationally, his fame arises chiefly from his extensive body of choral music, which exceeds 500 individual choral songs, most of it a cappella. The great majority of these pieces are based on traditional ancient Estonian folksongs, either textually, melodically, or merely stylistically. His composition most often performed outside of Estonia, "Curse Upon Iron" (1972), invokes ancient Shamanistic traditions to construct an allegory about the evils of war. This piece was banned by the Soviet government, along with many other controversial works by Tormis. More recently, Tormis' works have been lionized in worldwide performances and several recordings by the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir. In the 1990s, Tormis also began to receive commissions from some of the pre-eminent a cappella choruses in the West such as The King's Singers and The Hilliard Ensemble. Tormis has famously said of his settings of traditional melodies and verse: "It is not I who make use of folk music, it is folk music that makes use of me." His work demonstrates his conviction that traditional Estonian and other Balto-Finnic music represents a treasure which must be guarded and nourished, and that culture may be kept alive through the medium of song.

Since Tormis devoted much of his musical energies toward folk traditions, his interest in Christmas music has proven to be scant. Estonian folk tradition does note have specific rites associated with this deeply Christian season-that was generally left to the church. Still, Tormis leaves us this humorous song telling about awaiting a feast-time pühi (holy time) with better food and drinking , is not directly a Christmas song. This simple choral composition, dedicated to the Men's Chorus of Tallinn Technical University and to its conductor Jüri Rent, belongs to a number of easier and often jocular men's choruses that Tormis composed for amateur singers.

Yule-tide Fires

Composer: Diane Loomer/Text: Anon.

Diane Loomer is internationally recognized as one of Canada's leading musicians; a sought-after conductor and clinician on the international choral scene with engagements taking her to all corners of the world. She is founder and conductor of Chor Leoni Men's Choir and co-founder and co-conductor of Elektra Women's Choir. She has taught on the music faculty at the University of British Columbia. Both her men's and women's choirs have repeatedly won first prizes in national and international competitions. Her choral compositions have been published and recorded internationally, and she frequently appears on CBC national radio as a spokesperson for the classical arts. The first woman to conduct the National Youth Choir of Canada, Diane received the Healey Willan award in 1990 for her service to choral music in British Columbia. In 2002 she received the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal for her significant contribution to Canada's culture. With the help of her husband, Dick, she has established Cypress Choral Music as a thriving source of new Canadian choral music and an encouragement to Canadian choral composers. In recognition of her achievements in and service to music and humanity throughout Canada, in 1999 Diane was thrilled to receive the country's highest civilian honor, the Order of Canada.

Ave Maria

Franz Biebl (1906-2001)

Biebl was born in Pursruck, now part of Fürstenfeldbruck, Bavaria, in 1906. He studied composition at the Musikhochschule in Munich. Biebl served as Choir Director at theCatholic church of St Maria in München-Thalkirchen from 1932 until 1939, and as an assistant professor of choral music at the Mozarteum, an academy of music in Salzburg, Austria, beginning in 1939, where he taught voice and music theory. Biebl served in the military beginning in 1943 during World War II. He was a prisoner of war from 1944 to 1946. After the war, he moved from Austria to Fürstenfeldbruck, Germany, where he served as director of the town chorus.

Most of Franz Biebl's compositions have been for choral ensembles, and his best-known work is his Ave Maria (1964), which sets portions of the Angelus as well as the Ave Maria. The piece was brought to the United States by the Cornell University Glee Club in 1970. The ensemble met Biebl during a recording session in Frankfurt while on a tour of Germany. Conductor Thomas A. Sokol was given a number of Biebl's works, premiering them after returning home. The Ave Maria quickly gained popularity, most notably after becoming part of the repertoire of Chanticleer. Originally scored for male voices, after it became popular, the composer himself rearranged Ave Maria for SATB and SSA choirs as well.

Wondrous Love

Arranged by Steven Sametz (b. 1954)

The words to "Wondrous Love" are attributed to Alexander Means. The music comes from the volume, The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, by William "Singin' Billy" Walker. The Southern Harmony is a shape note hymn and tune book compiled by Walker. The book was first released in 1835. It is part of the larger tradition of shape note singing.

The roots of Southern Harmony singing, like the Sacred Harp, are found in the American colonial era. Singing schools were created to provide instruction in choral singing, especially for use in churches. In 1801, a book called The Easy Instructor by William Smith and William Little was published for the use of this movement; its distinguishing feature was the use of four separate shapes that indicated the notes according to the rules of solfege. A triangle indicated fa, a circle sol, a square la and a diamond, mi. To avoid proliferating shapes excessively, each shape (and its associated syllable) except for mi was assigned to two notes of the musical scale. A major scale in the system would be noted Fa - Sol - La - Fa - Sol - La - Mi - Fa, and a minor scale would be La - Mi - Fa - Sol - La - Fa - Sol - La.

Angelus

Steven Sametz (b. 1954)

Steven Sametz has been called "one of America's most respected choral composers." His compositions have been heard throughout the world at the Tanglewood, Ravinia, Salzburg, Schleswig-Holstein, and Santa Fe music festivals. His in time of appears on the Grammy award-winning CD by Chanticleer, "Colors of Love," and his work may be heard on six other Chanticleer CDs.

Sametz is the Ronald J. Ulrich Professor of Music and director of Lehigh University Choral Arts and is the founding director of the Lehigh Choral Union and the Lehigh University Choral Composers' Forum, a summer course of study designed to mentor emerging choral composers. Since 1998, he has served as Artistic Director for the professional a cappella ensemble, The Princeton Singers. Dr. Sametz has served as panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts and Chorus America. He has been acting Director of Choral Activities at Harvard University. At the Santa Fe Music Festival, he conducted his own works in a program entitled "Sametz conducts Sametz" with the Santa Fe Desert Chorale. He has conducted Chanticleer in the Monteverdi Vespers of 1610 in New York and San Francisco to critical acclaim. Dr. Sametz holds degrees from Yale University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Frankfurt, Germany.

Over the Skies of Yisrael

Composer: Robert Seeley (b. 1956)
Text: Robert Espindola

Composer Robert Seeley is a California native. He was raised in a small town in the Mojave Desert, and received this formal training at California State University, Chico, where he received his B.A. (With Distinction) in music theory and composition. Since childhood, Seeley has been involved with a variety of musical organizations (where, he says, he received his "real" training); as a trombonist he's performed in a variety of wind ensembles, marching bands, theater and symphonic orchestras, and jazz ensembles; as a singer, he's participated in school and church choirs and community choruses and in musical theater and opera. Seeley has taught vocal and instrumental music in public schools and has served as musical director for numerous college and community theatre productions.

Seeley has also written original works for the New York City Gay Men's Chorus (Carnegie Hall premiere) and the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, D.C. (Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts premiere). The spirit and prayers of Hanukkah are reflected in this music by Robert Seeley and his partner, Robert Espindola, who wrote this hauntingly beautiful piece for the Seattle Men's Chorus in 1999. Since then, it has become one of the most successful contemporary expressions of its kind, performed by male choruses across the country. In December of 2002, the Seattle Choral Company was proud to premiere not only Mr. Seeley's arrangement of Over the Skies of Yisrael for mixed chorus, but also his full orchestration, as well.

Personent Hodie

Arranged by David Maddux (b. 1954)
Based on "Piae Cantiones" (1582)

David Maddux has composed and arranged music in a variety of applications for over three decades. From winning six free accordion lessons in a music store fishbowl drawing as a child, he moved on to surprise his parents by mimicking his sister's John Thompson piano pieces. Years later, it seemed a short leap to landing the role of featured piano soloist in the apocalyptically sweeping Jennifer Lopez motion picture epic, "The Wedding Planner".

David was the primary on-call arranger for Seattle Men's Chorus beginning in 1990, has directed the Seattle Lesbian and Gay Chorus, and was founding director of the musical-theatre troupe, Pro Homo Voci. He has served as resident music director of Seattle Civic Light Opera, and has acted as consultant to Disney Entertainment. He has arranged and orchestrated revues and materials for Harvey Fierstein, Rosemary Clooney, Lily Tomlin, Nell Carter, Armistead Maupin, and Ann Hampton-Callaway.

David lives in Seattle with his partner of 11 years and two neurotic cats. In the mid-90's, he took a year off from writing and arranging to attend Seattle Culinary Academy from which he emerged as a trained chef. Each of his musical compositions and arrangements now contains a hidden recipe.

O Tannenbaum/Patapan Medley

Arranged by Gregg Smith (b. 1931)

Gregg Smith founded the Gregg Smith Singers in 1955, when he was a graduate teaching assistant in the music department of UCLA. In 1958 the group took its first step toward international recognition with a European tour that included an appearance at the Brussels World's Fair. Soon after, the Singers came to the attention of Igor Stravinsky, and in 1959 they began a 12-year association which ended with Gregg Smith traveling to Venice, at the family's request, to prepare the chorus and orchestra for Mr. Stravinsky's funeral. American choral music accounts for roughly 70% of the Singers' overall programming. It may also be important to note that, on average, the Singers perform four premieres at every program.

The Singers have received recognition throughout their existence, including three Grammy awards, two Montreux awards and the Stereo Review 1966 Record of the Year award. Other awards specifically honor Gregg Smith's dedication to contemporary American music. For example, Gregg Smith and Robert Shaw are the only choral conductors to receive the Alice M. Ditson Conductor's Award. In 1992 and 1996, the ASCAP Chorus America Award was presented to the Singers "for adventuresome programming of contemporary music." In 2001, Chorus America awarded Gregg Smith and the Singers the prestigious Margaret Hillis Award for choral excellence. Most recently, at the Chorus America National Convention in June 2004, Gregg Smith was chosen to receive the Louis Botto award for Entrepreneurial Spirit, presented "for a lifetime of devotion to choral music and unflagging creativity in finding ways to bring it to a broader public, through outstanding performances, recordings and the preservation and dissemination of choral manuscripts."

Still Still Night

Arranged by Jackson Berkey & Freddie Coleman

Jackson Berkey has performed the world over as the keyboard artist for Mannheim Steamroller. Berkey's love of choral music is evident by his continual contributions to the American choral repertory. [The SCC included his ethereal work, "Arma Lucis" on our 1994 CD album, "The Moon Is Silently Singing."] Over a number of years, he fashioned a series of carol arrangements, called Anniversary Carols. These arrangements were written each year as an anniversary gift to his wife Almeda, the Music Director of Soli Deo Gloria Cantorum, a professional choral group in Omaha, Nebraska. They have been described as being "as unusual as they are familiar, using surprises in rhythm, meter, voicing, instruments and harmonies. They bring refreshing sparkle to the familiar melodies, presenting audiences and singers with songs that are at once dear and traditional, yet delightfully new again."

His setting, "Still, Still Night," combines the well-known Austrian carol, "Still, Still, Still," with Franz Gruber's "Silent Night." Here Berkey shows his love and admiration for his long-term mentor, Norman Luboff, by borrowing-in key and in feeling-from Luboff's famous setting of the Austrian carol.

Freddie's note: I have gone further by giving a carol interlude to our guest handbell choir, Bells of the Sound, and rounding out the ending with all performers. Enjoy!