"The Little Church Around the Corner"
One East 29th Street, New York
MUSIC NOTES:
Easter Day - March 31, 2002
"Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia." This familiar hymn text enunciates the message of Easter in such a straightforward manner, that the casual listener would hardly be aware that what is being uttered is one of the principal tenets of the Christian creed, acknowledging that salvation and redemption have been won for us. By contrast, full choir music for Easter is often designed to evoke a sense of triumphalism and victory: the wrenching Reproaches of Victoria and the Crucifixus of Lotti suddenly give way to the concertized Masses of Mozart and the Hallelujah Chorus of Handel. With this extreme shift of mood that seems to allow for no overlap, the transition from Holy Week to Easter can often be jarring and disconcerting, and the poetry of Easter thus lost or drowned out.
In today's music, that poetry is reintroduced, and the message of Easter becomes more of a continuum, more of a resolution of Holy Week, than a break with it. The "Mystical Songs" (1911) of Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958), scored for baritone, chorus and orchestra, are a cycle of five songs set to poems by George Herbert (1593-1633). Herbert was born in Wales, and belongs to the metaphysical school of poets of which John Donne (1573-1631) is the best-known exponent. In its lyricism and imagination, its love of nature and ingenious use of imagery, Herbert's poetry shares in the spirit and technique of the great Welsh poet Dafydd ap Gwilym (c.1320-80). It is noteworthy that George Herbert was himself a musician who associated music with a "divine voice", making his poetry well suited to the music of Vaughan Williams, who is often thought of as a visionary, and was highly skilled at the effective union of text and music. In the second song, I got me flowers, a simple arrangement of words combines with a simple arrangement of notes to create a work of art that probes deeply into the complexities of Easter.
This Joyful Eastertide is a much-loved Easter carol from the Cowley Carol Book (1908). The melody is of Dutch origin, probably from the 16th Century, and the English text is by G.R. Woodward (1848-1934). The work was arranged by Charles Wood (1866-1926), a composer who is best known for his effective and pleasing arrangements of pre-existing works. The popular Christmas carol Ding Dong Merrily on High is a Wood arrangement, and has many similarities with This Joyful Eastertide.
The Mass setting Collegium Regale is by Herbert Howells (1892-1983), one of the great Anglican musicians of the last century. Howells lived through a period of enormous change and re-evaluation of church music, but his sympathies remained predominantly with the Victorian musical traditions in which he was schooled and steeped. Collegium Regale was commissioned in 1945 by the Dean of York. Overall it is a joyful work, but it is tempered by Howells' experience of having lived through two world wars, the recent death of his nine-year-old son, and his own misgivings about his musical ability. Perhaps it is this joy that acknowledges and allows for the losses and deficiencies of human life - this poetry - that makes Collegium Regale so well-suited to carry the Mass of Easter Sunday.
— David Henry
In today's music, that poetry is reintroduced, and the message of Easter becomes more of a continuum, more of a resolution of Holy Week, than a break with it. The "Mystical Songs" (1911) of Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958), scored for baritone, chorus and orchestra, are a cycle of five songs set to poems by George Herbert (1593-1633). Herbert was born in Wales, and belongs to the metaphysical school of poets of which John Donne (1573-1631) is the best-known exponent. In its lyricism and imagination, its love of nature and ingenious use of imagery, Herbert's poetry shares in the spirit and technique of the great Welsh poet Dafydd ap Gwilym (c.1320-80). It is noteworthy that George Herbert was himself a musician who associated music with a "divine voice", making his poetry well suited to the music of Vaughan Williams, who is often thought of as a visionary, and was highly skilled at the effective union of text and music. In the second song, I got me flowers, a simple arrangement of words combines with a simple arrangement of notes to create a work of art that probes deeply into the complexities of Easter.
This Joyful Eastertide is a much-loved Easter carol from the Cowley Carol Book (1908). The melody is of Dutch origin, probably from the 16th Century, and the English text is by G.R. Woodward (1848-1934). The work was arranged by Charles Wood (1866-1926), a composer who is best known for his effective and pleasing arrangements of pre-existing works. The popular Christmas carol Ding Dong Merrily on High is a Wood arrangement, and has many similarities with This Joyful Eastertide.
The Mass setting Collegium Regale is by Herbert Howells (1892-1983), one of the great Anglican musicians of the last century. Howells lived through a period of enormous change and re-evaluation of church music, but his sympathies remained predominantly with the Victorian musical traditions in which he was schooled and steeped. Collegium Regale was commissioned in 1945 by the Dean of York. Overall it is a joyful work, but it is tempered by Howells' experience of having lived through two world wars, the recent death of his nine-year-old son, and his own misgivings about his musical ability. Perhaps it is this joy that acknowledges and allows for the losses and deficiencies of human life - this poetry - that makes Collegium Regale so well-suited to carry the Mass of Easter Sunday.
