Since it's that time of the year again (and we had our first rehearsal for Christmas Mass this evening), I thought I'd share some of the music we're hoping to have ready for The Nativity.
Those of you who are familiar with my oddities (I am a musician, of course), know that while I like to tow the Church's line regarding Sacred Music, I have no problem looking for rare and odd songs that agree with the Church's decrees. When left to my devices, I like to be a bit edgy on musical selection, and in particular I've always tried to include either the very old or very new music (Modern, but not Modernist).
So here's a preview of some of Christmas 2009 for our choir. I look forward to your thoughts.
Our theme this year is
Celebrationis Magni Mysterii (A Celebration of the Great Mystery)
Pre-Mass Carols and Songs:
We sing about a 30 - 45 programme of standard hymns and carols but also will include a few unique carols and hymns such as:
Boris Ord --
Adam Lay YboundenI chose this as it's Modern while retaining a chordal structure reminiscent of the English Renaissance. The text dates from that same period. It is a wonderful meditation on the mystery of The Incarnation, and the Queenship of Our Lady all because of Adam's sin. "Four thousand winter thought he not too long" speaks of Adam's acceptance of the penalty for his sin, and can be contrasted with the later text "Blessed be the time that apple taken was". It is almost a meditation on that oxymornic phrase from the Exultet, "O Happy Fault". We'll perform it slightly slower to highlight some of the dissonance and the resolving cadences, though I would like this pace if there were a second verse.
Ralph Vaughan-Williams --
This is the Truth Sent from AboveWe've done this for two years, but Vaughan-Williams harmonization of this old carol is much better than any other I've heard.
The Night Mass of the Nativity:
Processional: Adeste Fideles -- If you're not singing the Introit, there's hardly a more appropriate hymn.
Offertory : Francis Poulenc --
O Magnum MysteriumPoulenc is the epitome of modern, yet not modernist. The music is almost uncomfortable at first, but all that tension builds and builds and then the soprano relieves it with the high-pitched entrance. Despite these beautiful chords, there is a clear sadness throughout the whole piece. The great majority the setting of this part of the Office for Christmas are always in a minor key and dark. Poulenc's setting is full of pain and sorrow, like the world before the coming of Christ, but then it finally ends on a beautiful major cadence and resolves all the tension and pain. The piece takes the listener to the very foot of Calvary, where finally the light of our Redemption is seen.
Communion : Louis Vierne --
BerceuseA "Berceuse" is a cradle song. This one isn't specifically for Christmas, but is not too difficult on the organ and is a beautiful use of some passing chords, while having a sense of mystery throughout.
Communion : Morten Lauridsen --
O Magnum MysteriumLauridsen wrote this setting about 15 years ago. It requires 9 separate voices (or careful use of the pedal board on the organ to fill in for missing parts) and has lots of completely unanalyzable chords (they're not major, minor and they're not passing chords either). A few of these are at the cadences! Lauridsen had incorporated a chordal structure reminiscent of Rachmaninoff here, using major seconds to create the dissonances. The piece is not the traditional setting, instead repeating a refrain at the beginning of each section with a single bridge allowing the choir to test the ability to sing two notes right next to each other and stay in tune before opening up into a multi-layered repetition of the theme with Alleluias flowing over top and underneath. This is the one of the only setting of this text which is mostly in a major key. Hauntingly beautiful. Like Poulenc, sung well it sends a chill down the spine.
Recessional : John Foster --
While Shephards Watched their Flocks (we'll have full organ, no orchestra)
It's as fun as the "Halleluia chorus" but in Christmas form and set to a wonderful text that's not overdone. Plus it's a lot of fun to sing!
