49 REGION IX CONVENTION 2011 SAN FRANCISCO TUESDAY TUESDAY JULY 5 at a glance … n.b. all today’s venues are located in the city of San Francisco 7:00 a.m. Leadership Breakfast at the hotel (by invitation and ticket only) 7:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Registration and Hospitality Desk open 9:15 a.m. Workshops I. To MIDI or Not to MIDI? That Is the Question (Robert Tall) at the hotel II. Adding More Ranks to Your Resumé (Linda Margetts) at the hotel III. Got Organists? Need Training? How to host a Super Saturday (Lori Serr) at the hotel IV. Vocal Technique for the Young Singer (Elizabeth Avakian) at Old First Presbyterian Church 10:15 a.m. Walk to St. Luke’s Episcopal Church 10:30 a.m. Organ Recital by AGO/Quimby RCYO Winner at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church 11:15 a.m. Walk to workshop venues 11:45 a.m. Workshops I. The Art of Accompanying (T. Paul Rosas) at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church II. “It’s Not in My Job Description” (Lea Schmidt-Rogers) at the hotel III. The Panama-Pacific Exhibition Organ (Jack Bethards and Orpha Ochse) at the hotel IV. Kaleidescope: The Colorful Life of Sigfried Karg-Elert (Richard Webb) at the hotel V. Contemporary Choral Music (Daniel Hughes) at Old First Presbyterian Church 12:00 p.m. (Lunch on your own) 12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. Exhibits, Registration, and Hospitality Desk open 1:45 p.m. Buses depart hotel for Mission Dolores Basilica 2:15 p.m. Organ Recital by Roger Nyquist at Mission Dolores Basilica 3:15 p.m. Walk/Courtesy Shuttle to St. John the Evangelist Church and Second Church of Christ, Scientist 3:30 p.m. Sherry reception at St. John the Evangelist Church 3:45 p.m. Organ recital by Brian Swager at Second Church of Christ, Scientist 4:00 p.m. I, Norton: An Opera in Real Time at St. John the Evangelist Church 5:00 p.m. (Dinner on your own in the Mission district) 7:00 p.m. Walk to Mission Dolores Basilica 7:30 p.m. This American Land: A Choral Concert by Artists’ Vocal Ensemble at Mission Dolores Basilica 9:00 p.m. Buses depart Mission Dolores Basilica for hotel 9:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. Registration and Hospitality Desk open 9:30 p.m. – 12:00 a.m. Exhibits open (with cash bar)
Transcript
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TUESDAY JULY 5 at a glance … n.b. all today’s venues are located in the city of San Francisco
7:00 a.m. Leadership Breakfast at the hotel (by invitation and ticket only)
7:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Registration and Hospitality Desk open
9:15 a.m. Workshops I. To MIDI or Not to MIDI? That Is the Question (Robert Tall) at the hotel II. Adding More Ranks to Your Resumé (Linda Margetts) at the hotel III. Got Organists? Need Training? How to host a Super Saturday (Lori Serr) at the hotel IV. Vocal Technique for the Young Singer (Elizabeth Avakian)
at Old First Presbyterian Church
10:15 a.m. Walk to St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
10:30 a.m. Organ Recital by AGO/Quimby RCYO Winner at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
11:15 a.m. Walk to workshop venues
11:45 a.m. Workshops I. The Art of Accompanying (T. Paul Rosas) at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church II. “It’s Not in My Job Description” (Lea Schmidt-Rogers) at the hotel III. The Panama-Pacific Exhibition Organ (Jack Bethards and Orpha Ochse) at the hotel IV. Kaleidescope: The Colorful Life of Sigfried Karg-Elert (Richard Webb) at the hotel V. Contemporary Choral Music (Daniel Hughes) at Old First Presbyterian Church
12:00 p.m. (Lunch on your own)
12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. Exhibits, Registration, and Hospitality Desk open
1:45 p.m. Buses depart hotel for Mission Dolores Basilica
2:15 p.m. Organ Recital by Roger Nyquist at Mission Dolores Basilica
3:15 p.m. Walk/Courtesy Shuttle to St. John the Evangelist Church and Second Church of Christ, Scientist
3:30 p.m. Sherry reception at St. John the Evangelist Church
3:45 p.m. Organ recital by Brian Swager at Second Church of Christ, Scientist
4:00 p.m. I, Norton: An Opera in Real Time at St. John the Evangelist Church
5:00 p.m. (Dinner on your own in the Mission district)
7:00 p.m. Walk to Mission Dolores Basilica
7:30 p.m. This American Land: A Choral Concert by Artists’ Vocal Ensemble at Mission Dolores Basilica
9:00 p.m. Buses depart Mission Dolores Basilica for hotel
9:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. Registration and Hospitality Desk open
9:30 p.m. – 12:00 a.m. Exhibits open (with cash bar)
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Come learn about MIDI technologies from a true pioneer in the field!
Robert Tall has worked since 1984 in various capacities to help create and develop digital systems that allow MIDI to communicate to classical organs. He has been influential in the creation of Sound Modules that store digitally recorded samples from world-renown pipe organs, as well as, instruments of the orchestra, the human voice, and those of ethnic mix. He calls the classical MIDI organ “The Modern Organ”, for which he has composed, arranged, and recorded music. His performances and lectures are highly entertaining. He enjoys sharing the magic!
Tall has devoted most of his life to music. Advanced studies at the University of Utah culminated in 1967 with a Doctor of Philosophy degree in music and psychology. During his student years, he was a frequent guest recitalist at the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, Utah. Following receipt of his degrees, he moved to Los Angeles.
In California, Tall has been a member of the Los Angeles Chapter AGO since 1984. He has held many positions, including Dean, and was the Convention Coordinator for the Los Angeles AGO National Convention, July 4–9, 2004. On the national level, he recently served as Director of the Committee on National Conventions.
He remains active in performing, recording, and arranging. He manages the Division of Marketing and Sales for his company. Robert Tall and Associates, Inc. is one of the world’s leading distributors of classical organs and digital music systems.
This workshop was made possible by a generous gift from the Joanna Smullin Organ Education Fund, administered by the San Francisco Chapter AGO
Tuesday July 5 @ 9:15 a.m. Workshop ITo MIDI or Not to MIDI? That Is the Question Robert TallGolden Gate Holiday Inn, 1500 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco
This workshop offers a synopsis of the Guild-sponsored certification examinations, considering the benefits,
requirements, and study techniques for successful completion. The instructor serves as Region IX Education Coordinator, and has helped others prepare for and pass the exams.
Linda Margetts, FAGO is currently Region IX’s Education Coordinator. She is one of five organists at the Mormon Tabernacle, Salt Lake City (1984 to present) where her responsibilities include playing noon recitals, accompanying and working with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, teaching in the choir school and participating on the broadcast of “Music and the Spoken Word”.
As an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Utah (1999 to present), she teaches organ performance majors
and is coordinator of a group organ program.
Margetts holds bachelor and master’s degrees in organ performance from Brigham Young University where she studied with Parley Belnap. She received a PhD in composition from the University of Utah.
She is active as a recitalist and served on the organ selection committee for the Lively Fulcher organ in Gardner Hall, University of Utah. Her past service in the AGO includes Dean and State Chairman positions.
She and her husband, Bert, are parents of six children.
Tuesday July 5 @ 9:15 a.m. Workshop IIAdding More Ranks to Your Resumé Linda MargettsGolden Gate Holiday Inn, 1500 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco
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This presentation will unlock some of the mysteries in working with young voices to help them develop their
full potential of beautiful tone. Avakian will discuss and demonstrate vocal techniques applicable for the young singer. Included in the presentation will be exercises for alignment, breathing, good diction, and reduction of unnecessary tension.
Assisting her in the workshop will be some of her students from the San Francisco Girls Chorus.
Elizabeth Avakian has been a member of the San Francisco Girls Chorus music faculty since 1983. She directs and supervises The Chorus School and conducts Level IV, the Chorus School’s most advanced ensemble. She prepares singers for performances with San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Opera, and San Francisco Bach Society; supervises the Chorus’ Conducting and Music Theory Apprenticeships; and directs the Graduate Conducting Seminar taught each summer at SFGC’s Summer Music Camp.
Avakian studied conducting at the University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music, received a BM degree from the University of Georgia, and undertook postgraduate studies at Arizona State University.
She conducts sight-reading clinics for the American Choral Directors Association, adjudicates at choral and vocal music festivals, serves as clinician for youth choruses throughout Northern California, and has provided in-service demonstrations and workshops in choral and vocal development and technique.
This workshop was made possible by generous donations from Douglas H. Franks and Linda M. Quon,
and by a grant from the Special Projects Advisory Committee, Boston Chapter AGO
Tuesday July 5 @ 9:15 a.m. Workshop IVVocal Technique for the Young Singer Elizabeth AvakianOld First Presbyterian Church, 1751 Sacramento Street, San Francisco
For the past several years, the Utah Valley Chapter AGO located in Provo, UT, has successfully organized and
sponsored Super Saturday training workshops for the church organist. They have served as an outreach from the Guild to the community to help church organists improve and enhance their service-playing skills, while at the same time increasing awareness of the AGO and its purposes.
Organ training is offered at beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels, and includes educational workshops, 25 minute private lessons, and opportunities for social interaction with fellow church musicians. It also serves as a perfect first exposure to the organ for pianists.
Lori Serr is a native of Logan, Utah, where she began formal organ training at 14 years of age. She has studied with Linda Margetts, Associate Tabernacle Organist and Parley Belnap, among others.
Her BM in organ performance is from Brigham Young University, and she is a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music with the Music Teachers National Association in piano and organ.
She has taught both instruments for over 25 years. As a former faculty member at the Church Music Workshop at Brigham Young University, she frequently teaches organ training workshops for local units of the LDS church.
She has served as Sub-Dean of the Utah Valley Chapter AGO and currently serves as the Education Coordinator and chairman of the Super Saturday Training for Organists in the Utah Valley Chapter.
Tuesday July 5 @ 9:15 a.m. Workshop IIIGot Organists? Need Training? How to Host a Super Saturday Lori Z. SerrGolden Gate Holiday Inn, 1500 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco
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Tuesday July 5 @ 10:30 a.m. Organ Recital AGO/Quimby RCYO WinnerSt. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 1755 Clay Street, San Francisco
We are presented with many challenges in our job as church organist—the most pressing being how to assist the
various musicians (choirs, soloists, and instrumentalists) in learning and presenting their music each Sunday. Some are beginners, some are professional, some are soft, some are loud. How do you create a satisfying experience for everyone? This workshop will focus on the organist who accompanies a church choir and will be divided into three parts.
The first part will present the attitude of the accompanist, being supportive, how to accept correction, preparation of music, and sight reading. The second part will deal with the accompanist’s role during rehearsal, i.e. making the rehearsal as efficient as possible, how to help the choir to learn parts, simplifying accompaniments for clarity (and ability), and techniques for following and anticipating the conductor. The third part will discuss the various problems of performance situations and how to cope with the placement of the organ, following the director through the use of simple and digital technology, and quick registration solutions for small to large choirs.
T. Paul Rosas entered the Conservatory of Music at the University of the Pacific in 1974. The first choir that he accompanied was the University Chorus under the direction of William Dehning, and he played his first organ concerto at his graduation in 1978 with the University Orchestra. Most
recently he has specialized in performing works of living composers such as the piano part of Three Northern California Landscapes for Piano and Organ by Sondra Clark, Triptych for Organ and Brass by David Ashley White, and Variations on ‘“Auld Lang Syne” by John Karl Hirten. He also played both piano and harpsichord in the premiere performance of Messyah by Paul Ayres with the Sanford Dole Ensemble. His primary musical focus involves being Senior Organist (and composer/accompanist) at Los Altos United Methodist Church. He is a member of the Silicon Valley Arts Coalition and the National Association of Composers, USA. He enjoys collaborating with composers, musicians and artists across the country, creating music concerts that shed new light on traditional music as well as being a champion for new compositions written by living composers.
This workshop was made possible by a a generous donation from Los Altos United Methodist Church (Los Altos, CA)
Tuesday July 5 @ 11:45 a.m. Workshop IThe Art of Accompanying T. Paul RosasSt. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 1755 Clay Street, San Francisco
Underpaid, overworked, the modern organist must play the keyboard and piano as well as the organ, take over
for the choir director at times, and know how to perform all styles of music. He or she may be responsible for the church’s concert series and teach the church’s young people. Where is the balance in our artistic lives? Where is the pay for work done? How do we get along with “them”?
Lea Schmidt-Rogers is one of three organists who plays for the Fifth Grade in the Park program and loves her new job as a substitute organist in the greater San Diego area. Rogers has been active in the Music Teachers Association of California and the American Guild of Organists, with
which she is currently the Coordinator for Professional Development for Region IX. During the past ten years, she has published three volumes of French composer Marie Jaëll’s music and recorded a CD of Jaëll’s music. She and her students have of late had fun recording organ and piano pieces for Youtube.
This workshop was made possible by a generous gift from the Joanna Smullin Organ Education Fund, administered by the San Francisco Chapter AGO
Tuesday July 5 @ 11:45 a.m. Workshop II“It’s Not in My Job Description” Lea Schmidt-RogersGolden Gate Holiday Inn, 1500 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco
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One of San Francisco’s greatest attractions has never been seen by most who live or visit here. It’s not on post
cards or t-shirts, and though it never won a World Series, it was once the centerpiece of a public event even larger. The great Exposition Organ built for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition of 1915 lies silent today, crated and stored beneath the city that built and once adored her.
So, what or who stands in the way of returning this treasure to the people of San Francisco? Find out in this presentation given by author/historian Orpha Ochse and organ builder Jack Bethards, whose company Schoenstein not only installed Austin Op. 500 at the 1915 World’s Fair and then moved it to the SF Civic Auditorium, but also served as curator for the organ for more than 70 years.
Before the presentation, you’ll learn about Edwin H. Lemare’s tonal direction of the instrument and its rich and tragic history in a short documentary film.
Jack Bethards is a San Francisco Bay Area native and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of California at Berkeley. He has been a professional musician and is currently active in the American Guild of Organists. He is past president of the Associated Pipe Organ Builders of America and a member of the American Institute of Organbuilders, the International Society of Organbuilders, the Association Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, and the Organ Historical Society. He serves on the advisory boards of several organ preservation societies.
In over 45 years of pipe organ work and research, Bethards has been a frequent lecturer and contributor of articles to professional journals. A major thrust of his study, including work abroad, has been Romantic organ building in France, Germany, England, and America.
His organ design and restoration consulting clients include the Kennedy Center, the National Shrine, the Smithsonian
Institution, Washington National Cathedral, the University of Chicago, the University of Michigan, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and the Riverside Church, New York, the Eastman School of Music, the symphony orchestras of Boston, Cleveland, and San Francisco, the Atlantic City Convention Hall, The Wanamaker Store, Philadelphia, Melbourne Town Hall, Australia; and Newcastle Town Hall, England.
Schoenstein and Co. is the oldest and largest organ factory in the Western states. The Schoenstein family has been building distinguished instruments for five generations. The firm was started in the Black Forest of Germany in the mid-nineteenth century and in 1877 in San Francisco. In addition to organ building, Schoenstein and Co. does renovation work specializing in Æolian-Skinner organs, including the Salt Lake Mormon Tabernacle, and fine instruments by other builders.
Orpha Ochse is Professor of Music Emerita at Whittier College, Whittier, California. A graduate of Central College (1947) and the Eastman School of Music (1948, 1953), she held several teaching positions before moving to California in 1957. Subsequently, she was Director of Music at the First Congregational Church, Pasadena, and Lecturer in Music at the California Institute of Technology. She joined the Whittier College faculty in 1969, and retired from teaching in 1987.
Ochse’s activities in the organ profession have included research studies in various aspects of organ playing and organ history. Her books are: The History of the Organ in the United States (1975), Organists and Organ-Playing in Ninteenth Century France and Belgium (1994), Austin Organs (2001), a revised edition of David Smith’s Murray M. Harris (2005), and Schoenstein and Co. Organs (2008).
In 2006 she received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Eastman School of Music, and in 2008 the Distinguished Service Award from the Organ Historical Society.
This workshop was made possible by a generous grant from the Special Projects Committee, San Francisco Chapter AGO and generous donations from Douglas H. Franks and Dr. Donald Knuth
Tuesday July 5 @ 11:45 a.m. Workshop IIIThe Panama-Pacific Exhibition Organ Jack BethardsGolden Gate Holiday Inn, 1500 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco & Orpha Ochse
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The presentation will feature tried and true choral works that can be used for sacred services and/or sacred
concerts. Repertoire will feature a broad range of musical and cultural styles, as well as music specifically suited to particular parts of the liturgical seasons. The presentation will include suggested rehearsal approaches, as well as suggestions for vocal and ensemble technique in the church choir rehearsal forum. Issues such as working with aging voices and improving musicianship in the church choir will be addressed.
Daniel Hughes is in constant demand as a conductor, accompanist, coach and choral clinician. He serves as the Artistic Director and Conductor of The Choral Project, a mixed-voice vocal ensemble specializing in dramatic, conceptual performance of high-level choral music from the medieval period to the contemporary.
Under his direction The Choral Project has received international recognition, performing to standing ovation crowds in the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, England,
Scotland, and Wales. The ensemble has also received top prizes in international competitions throughout the world. They have recorded seven compact discs on the Gothic Records label. Hughes also serves as the director for two new choirs in The Choral Project musical family: Menharmonics—a men’s chorus dedicated to celebrating diversity, creating community, and forming fellowship through quality musical performance; and Amaranth—a small a cappella vocal jazz ensemble specializing in a broad range of styles including contemporary a cappella, world music, and straight-ahead jazz.
In addition to his work with The Choral Project choirs, Hughes serves as the new Chancel Choir Director for Los Altos United Methodist Church, Los Altos, CA.
Tuesday July 5 @ 11:45 a.m. Workshop VContemporary Choral Music Daniel HughesOld First Presbyterian Church, 1751 Sacramento Street, San Francisco
A vexing career irony was that Sigfrid Karg-Elert was regarded as one of the most significant organ
composers since Bach, except in his own country. His first published works were for the Art-harmonium on which he was billed as a virtuoso, played frequent concerts, and presented a Sunday morning radio broadcast. He was encouraged early by Edvard Grieg and Alexandre Guilmant, urged by Max Reger, and finally inspired by the phenomenal playing of Karl Straube to write original compositions and arrange many of his harmonium works for the organ. From youthful adventures to a two-year nervous breakdown, from recognition to post-war poverty amid face-saving donations from admirers, from the ambivilance of professional neglect to the anticipation of a subsequently ill-fated American tour, this workshop will provide glimpses of the colorful and sometimes fragmented life of Karg-Elert through a kaleidoscope of images, sounds, anecdotes, and quotations.
Richard Webb is Professor and Dean Emeritus of the College of Arts and Humanities at Southern University Baton Rouge,
having served previously as Dean and Chief Academic Officer at Westminster Choir College and Chair of the Departments of Music at San Francisco State and East Tennessee State Universities, He currently is Organist/Music Associate of First United Methodist Church, Organ Principal of the Baton Rouge Symphony, Dean of the Baton Rouge Chapter AGO and a Louisiana Artist Fellow. A designee of the Louisiana Touring Directory, Webb performs as an Artist Member of Concert Organists Collective and is a Life Member of the Karg-Elert Archive. His website may be viewed at <www.richardwebb.org>.
This workshop was made possible in part by a generous donation from Christoph Tietze
Tuesday July 5 @ 11:45 a.m. Workshop IVKaleidoscope: The Colorful Life of Sigfrid Karg-Elert Richard WebbGolden Gate Holiday Inn, 1500 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco
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Tuesday July 5 @ 2:15 p.m. Organ Recital Roger NyquistMission Dolores Basilica, 3321 Sixteenth Street, San Francisco
Fantasy in G Minor, bwv 542 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Erbarm’ dich mein, o Herre Gott, bwv 721 Johann Sebastian Bach
Noël Étranger Louis Claude Daquin (1694–1772)
Rondo in G attributed to John Bull (1563–1628)
Intermezzo, from Pièces de Fantasie, Suite No. 1 (Op. 51) Louis Vierne (1870–1937)
La Nativité du Seigneur Olivier Messiaen (1908–1992) v Les enfants de Dieu ix Dieu parmi nous
This recital was made possible in large part by a generous donation from Robert Lindquist on behalf of J. Nelson and Company (Livermore, CA)
Roger Nyquist, concert organist, master teacher and composer is a native of Rockford, Illinois. Music study commenced at an early age and culminated in an earned doctorate in music from Indiana University in Bloomington. Hallmarks of excellence are always present in Nyquist performances: technical mastery, rhythmic energy, faithfulness to score, absolutely clean articulation, and power of musical expression all combine to produce flawless music making. Nyquist’s formidable technical skills are always subservient to the voice of the composer—whose music is allowed to come alive through the hands of a masterful organist.
Very much like his famous teachers Arthur Poister, Catharine Crozier, and Andre Marchal, Nyquist has devoted a major portion of his career to teaching. He has served on the faculties of Southwestern College, Winfield, Kansas and the University of California at Santa Barbara, and from 1968–1992 he was Professor of Music and University Organist at Santa Clara University, where Nyquist was responsible for developing the music department.
In addition to an active concert career, Nyquist has recorded extensively. With 25 albums (over 197 compositions) to his credit, he has recorded for Century, Chapel Bridge, Orion Master Recordings (Yehudi Menuhin Foundation), Arkay
Records, and Digital Disc Corporation. His most recent CD was released in 2007.
Nyquist has written a book, Does the Organ Sing? An Organist’s Guide. He has published “Alleluia”, an anthem for mixed choir, and a re-release of his “Adagio”, a composition for organ.
The music critic John Ogasapian, writing in The American Organist, makes this statement about Nyquist’s playing:
“It is clean, exciting, æsthetically satisfying, eschewing extremes and idiosyncracies of interpretation on the one hand and empty displays of virtuosi technique on the other. One can tell that the technique is there, such that he feels no need to show it, nor we to have it demonstrated to us inappropriately. Instead, the whole production makes a fine æsthetic whole.”
Nyquist’s ability to communicate so forcefully through his music making can be explained by a quote from his own writings:
“It is the spirit of the music that remains with the listener long after the sound has subsided. The spirit of the composer co-mingles with the performer’s spirit to produce one blended spirit. When this act occurs, one hears the very essence of the music.”
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Mission Dolores Basilica: Allen Renaissance R-450 Organ (1997) Great 16’ Double Diapason 16’ Quintadon 8’ 1st Open Diapason 8’ 2nd Open Diapason 8’ Harmonic Flute 8’ Gamba 8’ Metal Gedackt 4’ Octave 4’ Flute (Sw) 22/3’ Twelfth 2’ Fifteenth II Sesquialtera IV Grand Mixture III Scharf 16’ Double Trumpet 8’ Tromba Chimes Tremulant
Choir 16’ Erzähler 8’ Holzgedackt 8’ Erzähler 8’ Erzähler Celeste II 4’ Principal 4’ Koppelflöte 4’ Erzähler Celeste II 2’ Octave 11/3’ Quintflöte III Zimbell 16’ Rankett 8’ Krummhorn Orchestral Harp Handbells Harpsichord Celesta Tremulant
Solo 8’ Flauto Mirabilis 8’ French Horn 8’ Corno di Bassetto 8’ Cor Anglais 16’ Tuba Mirabilis 8’ Tuba Mirabilis 8’ Trompeta Real Tremulant
String (floating) 16’ Vox Humana 8’ Vox Humana 8’ Dulcets II 8’ Gambas II 8’ Viol d’Orchestras II Tremulant
Pedal 32’ Contra Violone 32’ Contra Bourdon 16’ Diapason 16’ Prinzipal 16’ Bourdon 16’ Violone 16’ Lieblich Gedackt 8’ Octave 8’ Gedackt 4’ Choralbass 4’ Octav V Mixture 32’ Contre Bombarde 16’ Bombarde 16’ Basson 8’ Trumpet 4’ Clarion
George Stauffer asserts that the Fantasy and Fugue in G Minor were not paired together until after Bach’s death in 1750. Good news, since I prefer to perform the Fantasy as a work that can stand on its own æsthetic feet. The Fantasy plunges into a soul-searching recitative-like statement poignantly punctuated with diminished harmonies. The cascading melodic construction is intensified by the extended organ point in the pedals. The second section, while lyrical in nature, melodically outlines diminished triads that unite both sections harmonically. Bach’s predilection for intermingling major-minor key relationships in composition is heard dramatically after the third section. Beginning on the dominant, Bach alternates 15 major to minor harmonic changes over an extended downward pedal scale in contrary motion to the rising melody. Great harmonic tension follows; Bach climaxes enharmonically, tying E-sharp to F natural in the bass, and arrives momentarily in G Major. The entire work is a stroke of genius.
The sublime chorale prelude “Erbarm’ dich mein, o Herre Gott” (“Have mercy on me, O Lord God”) is cast in the purple-patch key of F-sharp Minor. The reiterated harmonic scheme in the accompaniment and pedal creates an hypnotic effect under the cantus. The expressive, intricate ornamentation of the cantus was created by the noted musicologist, Arnold Dolmetsch.
A Gigue rhythm, with its notable skipping effect, predominates in the delightful Noël Étranger. Cast in theme and variation form, the organist is confronted with intricate ornamentation, rhythmic nuances, and a variety of articulations.
Although attributed to John Bull in a supposed transcription by Richard Ellsasser (1926–1972), the Rondo in G is of spurious origin. (I have made my own arrangement.) It is a tour de force replete with double thirds and sixths. I invite you to dance the Irish Jig!
“Intermezzo”, from Pièces de Fantasie is a tongue-in-cheek scherzo that spins a refreshingly clever mosaic. Two contrasting moods vie for attention in this charming work.
Saint-Saëns was a first rank virtuoso. His seventh Improvisation is a testimony to his performing ability; it is a joyful, care-free work of noble proportions.
Joe Utterback’s “Spirit of God” captures a refreshing jazz style while maintaining the simplicity of the original hymn. A strong, tight legato line is mandatory for its execution.
Oliver Messiaen is one of the greatest composers of the twentieth century. I have chosen two of my favorite works from La Nativité for today’s performance. Messiaen’s own inscriptions of the two works define his intentions.
“Children of God: To all those who have received him, the Word has given the power to become children of God. And God sent into their hearts the Spirit of his Son, which cries, ‘Father! Father!’” John 1:12
“God Among Us: And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we believed his glory as the only Son from the Father.” John 1:14
Roger Nyquist
Program Notes
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Tuesday July 5 @ 3:45 p.m. Organ Recital Brian SwagerSecond Church of Christ, Scientist, 655 Dolores Street, San Francisco
Paraphrase on a Chorus from Handel’s Judas Maccabæus: Alexandre Guilmant “See, the conqu’ring hero comes!” (1837–1911)Petite pièce (1932) Jehan Alain (1911–1940)Ballade en mode phrygien (1930) Jehan AlainSketch in D-flat Major for Pedal Piano, Op. 58 Robert Schumann 1810–1856Neuf Préludes, Op. 231b Darius Milhaud (1894-1974) ii Paisible et Pastoral v Animé iv Modéré ix VifNun freut euch, lieben Christen gmein, bwv 734 J. S. Bach (1685–1750)Balletto del granduca Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562–1621)Lead, Kindly Light (lux benigna) John Bacchus Dykes (1823–1876) arr. Edwin H. Lemare (1866–1934)Symphonie No. 1, Op. 14 Louis Vierne (1870–1937) iv Allegro vivace v Andante vi Final
Brian Swager is an organist, carillonneur, and harpist from San Francisco. He holds the Doctor of Music degree in Organ Performance from Indiana University, where he was a student of Larry Smith. His other organ teachers were Richard Shirey (University of Akron), Flor Peeters (Belgium), and Marie-Claire Alain (Paris). Study with the latter culminated in a Premier Prix in organ from the Conservatoire National de Région, after a year of study on a scholarship from the French government. He “plays from the heart.”
Swager received the Final Diploma with great distinction from the Royal Belgian Carillon School after two years of study on a Fulbright-Hays grant. He won the silver medal in the 1990 Queen Fabiola International Carillon Competition in Mechelen, Belgium. In 1996 Swager was awarded a research fellowship in the Anton Brees Carillon Library at Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, Florida, where he was in residence as a Carillon Scholar. He was Assistant Professor of Music and University Carillonneur at Indiana University where for nine years he taught carillon, piano, and organ, and played weekly recitals on the Arthur R. Metz Memorial Carillon. He is the carillon editor for The Diapason.
Second Church of Christ, Scientist: Hall Organ (1915) Swell 8’ Open Diapason 8’ Viole d’Orchestre 8’ Viole Celeste 8’ Gedackt 4’ Harmonic Flute 8’ Oboe
Great 8’ Open Diapason 8’ Concert Flute 8’ Dulciana 4’ Flute d’Amour Chimes
Pedal 16’ Bourdon (ext from Gt) 16’ Lieblich Gedackt (ext from Sw)
This is the smallest of three organs that were featured in the Panama-Pacific Exposition of 1915 in San Francisco. The organ stood on a pedestal at one end of the “The Palace of Varied Industries” building.
From the Hall Organ Company Panama-Pacific Exposition brochure: “This instrument is not built for size but to show to those interested, what can be done in the way of a moderate sized organ, equipped as all Hall Organs are, with all the latest improvements. “The action is Electro-Pneumatic, constructed, so that it is durable and reliable, with perfect repetition and attack. A noticeable feature is the adjustability of the Combination Pistons which can be set or changed in a moment by the organist without leaving his bench. “No attempt has been made by The Hall Organ Company to produce anything wonderful or unusual in design or mechanism, but merely to show what it is doing everyday in its regular work at its Factory in New Haven, Conn. This Factory is the most modern and best equipped Pipe Organ works in the United States.”
In December 1915 when the Exposition closed, the organ was moved into a rented hall on Mission Street, then into Second Church when it was completed in 1918. Even though the organ case is hidden behind the
geometric design screen, it speaks clearly into the room.
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More notable for its colors than for its grandeur, this historic instrument designed for the Panama Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco in 1915 lends itself perhaps better to character pieces than to standard organ literature. Therefore, the bulk of this program is comprised of short pieces that demonstrate the organ’s twelve stops and chimes. Brochures from the Hall Organ Company proclaim: “The tone of a Hall organ is as mellow, peaceful and lovely as a cornfield in Autumn.”
Alexandre Guilmant performed at two expositions in America, the Chicago World’s Fair and the St. Louis Exposition. A nod to the Jehan Alain centenary, the Petite pièce and the Ballade feature the oboe, the only reed stop on this organ. Not an organist himself, but having studied composition under Widor, Les Six member Darius Milhaud brings a fresh perspective. His Neuf Préludes were written while he was professor of composition at Mills College in Oakland and employ several trouvère melodies. Edwin Lemare performed 100 of the 287 organ recitals at the Panama Pacific International Exposition, so it is likely that he played this instrument on that occasion. Brian Swager
Program Notes
Tuesday July 5 @ 4:00 p.m. I, Norton: An Opera in Real Time Gino Robair & EnsembleSt. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church, 110 Julian Ave., San Francisco
“At the request of the citizens of these United States, I, Joshua Norton declare myself Emperor.”
So began the proclamation by which Joshua Norton, on September 17, 1859, became Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico. The first of many proclamations, it was published nearly 10 years after Norton landed in San Francisco to make his fortune from the Gold Rush. During his 20 year reign, Norton I abolished Congress, decreed bridges be built between Oakland and San Francisco, enjoyed free passage by rail and ship, printed and used his own money, and corresponded with kings, queens, and presidents. Among the literary works to immortalize Norton I are Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn and Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Wrecker. Yet few people remember the one and only Emperor of the United States.
I, Norton is an opera in the form of a kit that can be performed by any number of people and assembled in a unique way for each performance. The literary elements behind the work are the writings attributed to Norton I, as well as “fraudulent decrees” published in contemporary newspapers to cash in on the Emperor’s notoriety. The words, letters, rhythms, and structure of the texts are prepared in a variety of ways and used as source material by each performer.
In performance, I, Norton takes the shape of an improvised collage structure that combines conduction (using hand cues), graphic scores, memory-based improvisational structures, and fully notated works. The opera can be performed by a handful of people or a large ensemble.
The score can be interpreted by artists from any media, such as video and dance. Although it includes text-based material for speakers and singers, a realization of the opera can be completely instrumental. The piece does not require staging, sets, lights, or costumes. It is meant to be performed anywhere, anytime.
Gino Robair
Composer and Director Gino Robair
Emperor Norton Tom Duff
Organist David Hatt
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St. John the Evangelist: Moller/De Camp Organ (1902/1984) Swell 8’ Gedackt 8’ Gemshorn 4’ Fugara 4’ Waldflute 22/3’/13/5’ Nasard/Tierce (double draw) 2’/III Flageolet/Sharp Mixture (double draw) 8’ Oboe 8 Trompet
Great 16’ Lieblich Gedackt 8’ Open Diapason 8’ Doppelflute 4’ Octave 2’/II Fifteenth/Mixture (double draw) 8’ Trumpet
Gino Robair, Composer and Director, has created music for dance, theater, radio, television, silent film, and gamelan orchestra, and his works have been performed throughout North America, Europe, and Japan. He was composer in residence with the California Shakespeare Festival for five seasons and served as Music Director for the CBS animated series The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat. His commercial work includes themes for the MTV and Comedy Central cable networks.
Robair is also one of the “25 innovative percussionists” included in the book Percussion Profiles (SoundWorld, 2001). He has recorded with Tom Waits, Anthony Braxton, Terry Riley, Lou Harrison, John Butcher, Derek Bailey, Peter Kowald, Otomo Yoshihide, the ROVA Saxophone Quartet, and Eugene Chadbourne, among many others. In addition, Robair has performed with John Zorn, Nina Hagen, Fred Frith, Eddie Prevost, Thinking Fellers Union Local 282, Myra Melford, Wadada Leo Smith, and the Club Foot Orchestra.
Robair is a founding member of the Splatter Trio and the heavy-metal band, Pink Mountain. In addition, he runs Rastascan Records, a label devoted to creative music. As a writer about music technology, Robair has contributed to Mix, Remix, Guitar Player, and Electronic Musician (EM) magazine, where he was an editor for 10 years. He is the author of two books, including The Ultimate Personal Recording Studio (Thompson, 2006).
Tom Duff, Emperor Norton, was raised by mathematical carpenters and opera singers in the frozen north woods. When the diode harvest repeatedly failed during the hard early frosts of the 1970s, he migrated south and east, joining a tribe of migrant animation researchers in deepest Long Island, where he found his calling as an entertainment scientist, in which profession he has worked ever since. He has been awarded two small trophies by the Entertainment Science Academy for achievements that, while inexplicable to the general public, are highly regarded among his technical colleagues. In his later life, he returned to his operatic roots, his breakthrough role being the part of Missionary No. 2 in the west coast company of Missionaries and Cannibals. He dismisses as scurrilous the idea that he was cast as Joshua A. Norton because it takes one to know one.
David Hatt, Organist, is a self-proclaimed expert on the organ music of Max Reger, of which he has learned about 90%, and with which he regales the folks at St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco, where he is the Assistant Cathedral Organist.
He is the founder and major supporter of the Bay Area Reger Festival, which in the Fall of 2008 sponsored the phenomenal Isabelle Demers in her first West-Coast appearances.
His early education included an MA degree in music from UC Riverside, following organ study with Anthony Newman at UCSD and Raymond Boese at the University of Redlands, where he met Gino Robair, along with a cadre of young musicians heavily influenced by the brilliant composer/poet/scholar Barney Childs.
In 2004, Dave was asked to present the opening concert of the 47th National Conference of the College Music Society. This event featured the music of CMS composers, and it was the first time in the history of the Society that the invited guest performed every piece submitted by the review committee.
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Tuesday July 5 @ 7:30 p.m. This American Land: A Choral Concert Artists’ Vocal EnsembleMission Dolores Basilica, 3321 Sixteenth Street, San Francisco
washington street William Billings (1746–1800)
Peace to Zion (1997) Shaker Song, arr. Kevin Siegfried (b. 1969)
Kyrie, from Missa Et ecce terræ motus Antoine Brumel (1483–1513)
O How Beautiful, This Finely Woven Earth (2003) Greg Jasperse (b. 1968)
Works of the Great Spirit (2006) Richard Proulx (1937–2010)
Christ the Apple Tree (2010) Stanford Scriven (b. 1988)
Mesa Songs Judith Cloud (b. 1954) High mesa land There is a color in nature I have seen power
INTERMISSION
Sanctus, from Missa Et ecce terræ motus Antoine Brumel
El Padre Nuestro (c. 1810) Fray Narciso Duran (1776–1846) (California Mission Music collection)
mckay (2003) Sacred Harp, arr. Carol Barnett (b. 1949)
Mornings of Creation Skinner Chavez-Melo (1944–1992)
Shenandoah arr. James Erb (b. 1926)
Earth Song (2007) Frank Techeli (b. 1958)
This Little Light of Mine Traditional Spiritual, arr. Moses Hogan (1957–2003)
Artists’ Vocal Ensemble
Artistic Director Jonathan Dimmock
Sopranos Tonia d’Amelio Shauna Fallihee
Carol Kessler Rita Lilly
Altos Clifton Massey
Heidi Waterman Celeste Winant
Tenors David Kurtenbach
Neal Rogers Sam W. Smith
Basses Jeff Fields
Josh Henderson
Artists’ Vocal Ensemble, or AVE, is a professional choral ensemble directed by critically-acclaimed early music specialist Jonathan Dimmock. AVE has become well known in the San Francisco Bay Area for presenting sacred polyphony for today’s spiritual seekers. Music from this wonderful repertoire facilitates soul development while uplifting, inspiring and transforming the listener.
Founded on St. Cecilia’s Day 2004, AVE brings to life many of the lost masterworks from the Renaissance and Tudor periods, using informed performance style and highly
trained singers. While presenting programs of scholarly interest, AVE strives to create experiences that are emotional, spiritual, and contemplative. The concerts have a strong impact on audiences, where many describe feelings of being transformed and uplifted. AVE’s intention is not to limit its audience to early and liturgical music devotees, but to offer this seldom-heard material for an audience of all ages, tastes, and sensibilities.
To find out more about AVE, please visit its website at <www.artistsvocal.org>.
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DAY Today’s program examines how American composers have addressed the subject of the land. Perhaps more than any other
nation on earth, America has shown an enormous reverence for the land, bestowing it with virtually every aspect of the sacred. We find the roots of this in our earliest music as an English colony. We see the development of this theme as immigrants from other reaches of Europe find their way to these shores. By the time we became a nation in 1776, we had a self-image that entwined our ideals with our theologies, and mixed them both in a recognition of the awesomeness of the specific portion of the earth in which we find ourselves. The land of this country, its purple-mountain majesty, its fruited plains, its glistening and fertile shores, has always been seen as a sign of God’s providence and, perhaps narrow-mindedly, God’s unique blessing on us, its stewards.
When Puritans first came to this country, and many waves of other immigrants following in their wake, they came seeking religious freedom and the absence of oppression. They brought with them a particular mindset as to their (God-ordained) purpose: namely to set up God’s kingdom in the New World and create a locale for the millennial age (1,000 years when Jesus would reign in peace, based in the New Jerusalem, i.e. New England). As a consequence, the land, the very dirt itself, was deemed sacred. They named their land names that would indicate their role in millennial age: Salem, New Canaan, etc.
The Native Americans, who had a long tradition of the sacredness of the land, added to the European’s sense of mission. Having crossed the Atlantic (an analogy to the Israelites crossing the Red Sea) and set up the New Jerusalem in America, the Europeans believed that God had put them here on an extremely vital mission that would ultimately save the world. Two centuries later (1840) witnessed the birth of the first major, indigenous philosophy/religion in the United States, namely Transcendentalism. With the writings of Emerson and Thoreau, the sensual, as well as practical, gratification which nature could bestow was imbued with divine portent. At the very same time, this belief system flowered into Manifest Destiny. Americans developed a missionary zeal to promote and defend democracy (actually unabashed capitalism) throughout the world, justifying our expansion across the Western United States, and eventual annexation of island states around the world.
A century after that, the creation of a Cold War to save the world from the Evil Empire (Communist Russia) would embody the same proud ideals. But throughout it all, American poetry is filled with a love for the land, the very earth we stand on, the unspeakable beauty of our mountains, the fertility of our soil and waters. This is unique in the world. Yes, all nations love their location and are proud of it, but none have taken this to the high extreme of god-like elevation that we have in America. We are intimately wedded to our rocks and soil. The very taste of it runs through our veins.
Texts and Program Notes
Concert organist and conductor Jonathan Dimmock, has distinguished himself through his dazzling and sensitive performances in churches, major concert halls, music festivals and cathedrals throughout the world. Lauded for his diverse repertoire and his engagement with audiences, his performing is marked by both musical depth and a distinctive personalness, causing audiences immediately to warm to him. Hailed by the Eskilstuna-Kuriren (Sweden) for “power and flaming brio,” cited by the Natal Mercury (South Africa) for “musicianship, taste, and unostentatious virtuosity,” and described by the Adelaide Advertiser (Australia) as playing in such a way that “the organ has rarely sounded more clear and multi-hued than in his very expert and virtuoso hands and feet,” Jonathan is considered by many to be one of the leading musicians in his field.
Jonathan co-founded the award-winning American Bach Soloists in 1989.
He plays keyboards with many ensembles, including the San Francisco Symphony, where he has had the privilege of working with some of the world’s greatest conductors. His solo performing career, as well as his work as an accompanist, regularly takes him on foreign and domestic tours.
A graduate of Oberlin Conservatory, Yale School of Music, and Yale Divinity School, he became the first American to hold the prestigious position of Organ Scholar of Westminster Abbey. He then went on to serve two American cathedrals, St. John the Divine in New York City, and St. Mark’s in Minneapolis.
Jonathan now resides in California, serving several churches in the San Francisco Bay Area including St. Ignatius Church, San Francisco.
Jonathan’s teachers and mentors have included Dame Gillian Weir, Peter Hallock, Paul Halley, Simon Preston, Jean Langlais, Harald Vogel, William Porter, and Haskell Thomson. His interest in French improvisational styles led him to pursue study with Frédéric Blanc, Naji Hakim, Nigel Allcoat, and Gerre Hancock. He is a published composer and writer, and his more-than-twenty CDs appear on labels including Gothic, Loft, Arkay, BCI Records, Time-Warner Recordings, and Koch International. His solo Bach recording received Grammy nominations in three categories in 1998. He has been interviewed and featured on National Public Radio, Radio France, BBC3, ABC (Australia), MTV2 (Budapest), and SABC (South Africa).
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washington street
Now shall my inward joys arise, And burst into a Song; Almighty Love inspires my Heart, And Pleasure tunes my Tongue.
God on his thirsty Zion-hill Some mercy-drops has thrown, And solemn oaths have bound his love To shower salvation down.
Yet, says the Lord, should nature change, And mothers monsters prove, Zion still dwells upon the heart Of everlasting love.
William Billings, the first notable American composer, was a curious character. He had only one good eye, a deformed arm, a harsh voice, and was lame in one leg, yet his choral music compositions are noteworthy enough for him to maintain the title of “the father of American choral music.” Stalwart and stolid, this music has a joyous and naïve quality that make it instantly likeable. He was an exact contemporary of the son of the great American preacher, Jonathan Edwards, and continued the same theological bent in this choice of texts. Here we find a song about America, disguised under the garb of “Zion”. Here we find the birth of the American deification of the land.
Peace to Zion
Peace unto Zion. Peace to the faithful, and a crown of rejoicing from your Heavenly Father. When Zion shall be cleansed she shall flourish as a rose. I will walk in her midst and will bless all those with a tenfold blessing. And their sorrows shall cease, for I’ll cry upon her walls.
The Shakers settled in America in the early nineteenth century. They were strong pursuers of perfection in themselves. They reached their peak of numbers (approximately 6,000) in 1840, just prior to the writing of the original setting of “Peace unto Zion” in 1851 in Enfield, New Hampshire) Cleansing of Zion (America) was
a constant theme in this period, beginning with the Great Awakening (1735–55), and continuing with the subsequent phases of the Great Awakening, 1800–1840 (during which two new denominations were born in America: Mormonism and Seventh-Day Adventists), 1880–1910 (the birth of the Social Gospel movement), and 1968–1974 (the birth of liberation theology). The notion that Americans have failed to live up to the principles of our founding fathers, betraying our covenant as God’s chosen people, and must therefore return to the true faith, rededicating ourselves—this has a name: The American Jeremiad, and is very much a part of our collective psyche.
Kyrie, from Missa Et ecce terræ motus
Lord, have mercy upon us. Christ, have mercy upon us. Lord, have mercy upon us.
The Antoine Brumel “earthquake mass” has no obvious relationship to the title of our program except for the fact that San Francisco is in an earthquake zone, and AVE is well-known for singing Renaissance music. Missa Et ecce terræ motus is Brumel’s best-known (and greatest) musical achievement. Scored for twelve separate parts, there is little that can compare to its complexity and length in the Renaissance.
O How Beautiful,
This Finely Woven Earth
O how beautiful this finely woven earth. We are bound in threads of joy, threads of grief, of soul Your tears fall from my eyes, your joy rings in my laughter We are bound together Give me your sorrow I will stretch across (to you) over green pine (will feel) and sparkling lake (my heart)
How my heart beats with yours, You will feel how my heart beats with yours I know your heart’s journey, it is my own O how beautiful this finely woven earth.
Chicago-based composer Greg Jasperse has written for choirs all around the United States. His jazz harmonies make for a very American-sounding composition. The text was written in light of September 11, 2001.
Works of the Great Spirit
All things are the work of the Great Spirit. We know well that the Spirit is here within all things: The trees, the grasses, The rivers and mountains, And all four-legged animals And all the winged creatures. We know that the Spirit is above all these things And is above all peoples.
Therefore, when I am gone, Do not stand at my grave and weep, I am not there, I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow, I am the diamond glints on the snow; I am the sunlight on ripened grain, I am the autumn’s rain. When you awaken at the dawn in the hush of morning, I am the swift uplifting rush of quiet birds in flight, And the soft star that shines by night. Do not stand at my grave and cry, I am not there, I did not die, I do not sleep.
All things are the work of the Great Spirit; Listen with the ear of your heart And restore harmony to all things.
Nineteenth Century Native American (Black Elk and Chief Seattle)
Richard Proulx wrote “Works of the Great Spirit” for the Chicago Chapter AGO. In a conversation with Jonathan Dimmock, Proulx described this composition as his best work. It is
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a perfect fit for our program, using a text of Chief Joseph, and a loving tribute to a wonderful composer, conductor, and friend.
Christ the Appletree
The tree of life my soul hath seen Laden with fruit and always green The trees of nature fruitless be Compared with Christ the apple tree
His beauty doth all things excel By faith I know but ne’er can tell The glory which I now can see In Jesus Christ the apple tree.
For happiness I long have sought And pleasure dearly I have bought I missed of all but now I see ‘Tis found in Christ the apple tree.
This fruit does make my soul to thrive It keeps my dying faith alive Which makes my soul in haste to be With Jesus Christ the apple tree.
Stanford Scriven is a student at St. Olaf College in Minnesota. His “Christ the Appletree” was premiered by the St. Olaf choir at their Christmas concert in 2009. It is remarkable for its lyricism, warmth, and beauty. The text is written by an anonymous New Englander in the 18th century. With images of the divine in nature, and nature in the divine, we see how Americans fused our yearnings for God with the signs of nature all around us. AVE gave the West coast premiere performance of this work in 2010.
Mesa Songs
High mesa land, And cedar scrub, An erasing wind, And room to turn a mind in.
There is a color in nature That speaks to the blood. Like to like, a brownish pink Circulated by the sun. It is in the earth in Taos.
It is in the sky in Taos. There is a color in nature That speaks to the blood. Like to like. It is in my veins in Taos.
I have seen power Dancing barefoot in the dust On Third Mesa. I have seen power, Wearing spruce anklets And mud-head masks Wetting the dust of Third Mesa With dripping sweat. I have seen the flesh of power Linked together with rhythm And belief. I know that power, In our time, Lives in air-conditioned board rooms And in offices of geometric shapes In all the capital cities of the world, Where the sweat Is checked by chemicals And the masks worn inside out, And the dancing is forgotten. But until that day On Third Mesa In the sun and the dust And the faith, I never saw the body of power, On Third Mesa The naked, breathing, Chanting, sweating Body of power, Wearing spruce anklets And mud-head masks Dancing barefoot in the dust To hold the structure of the world Together.
Judith Cloud lives in Flagstaff, Arizona where she is a voice teacher at Northern Arizona University. Tennessee born and raised, her Southern routes gave way to a Native American-influenced mysticism, strongly influenced by the massive spaciousness of the American Southwest. In these pieces, she uses text by Los Angeles poet and film writer, Betty Andrews. It is very evocative of wide open spaces—a constant theme in American writing.
Sanctus, from Missa Et ecce terræ motus
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest.
El Padre Nuestro
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Fray Duran compiled a collection of California Mission music in the early nineteenth century. This setting of the Lord’s Prayer was most likely sung next door to this basilica, in San Francisco’s Mission Dolores, for well over 100 years.
mckay
O the tansporting, rapturous scene that rises to my sight! Sweet fields arrayed in living green, and rivers of delight. There gen’rous fruits that never fail on trees immortal grow, there rocks and hills and brooks and vales with milk and honey flow.
Although an Englishman, Samuel Stennett was a Puritan and his hymn texts were much beloved in America. Frequently sung in camp meetings and by nineteenth century Methodists, his hymn settings ended up in shape note books as well as the 1835 collection known as Southern Harmony. Carol Barnett’s arrangement of his tune, mckay, was made in 2003. She lives in Minneapolis.
Mornings of Creation
There are from time to time mornings, both in summer and in winter when especially the world seems to begin anew; beyond which memory need not go, for not behind them is
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accompanied by tone clusters on the organ.
Shenandoah
Oh Shenando’, I long to see you, And hear your rolling river Oh Shenando’, I long to see you, ’Way, I’m bound away, Across the wide Missouri.
I long to see your smiling valley, And hear your rolling river, … ’Tis sev’n long years since last I see you, And hear your rolling river, …
James Erb’s profound arrangement of the favorite Appalachian tune, “Shenandoah,” lets us examine how American love of geographical reference helped form our identity. In the lyrics of this tune, we hear of a pioneer’s nostalgia for his Virginia homeland and a young woman who is his daughter. The song was also associated with escaped slaves who sang this song in gratitude because the river allowed their scent to be lost.
Earth Song
Sing, Be, Live, See…
This dark stormy hour, The wind, it stirs. The scorched earth Cries out in vain:
O war and power, You blind and blur. The torn heart Cries out in pain.
But music and singing Have been my refuge, And music and singing Shall be my light.
A light of song Shining strong: Alleluia! Through darkness, pain and strife, I’ll Sing, Be, Live, See…
Peace.
Frank Techeli was born in Louisiana and now teaches composition at USC. With images about the end of life and the profundity of music in our lives, we also find images of the end of the earth (“scorched earth cries out in vain”).
This Little Light of Mine
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine …
All through the night I’m gonna let it shine …
My God gave it to me, I’m gonna let it shine … In my home, All over the world, let it shine.
Moses Hogan, a friend and classmate of AVE’s director, was a phenomenally talented pianist as a young man. Shortly after college, he found a new “voice,” as conductor of a choir in New Orleans, specializing in the singing of African-American spirituals. He became America’s leading composer of arrangements of spirituals.
Notes by Jonathan Dimmock
yesterday and our past life; when as in the morning of a hoar frost there are visible the effects as of a certain creative energy. The world has been recreated in the night. “Mornings of Creation” I call them. In the midst of these marks of a creative energy recently active, while the sun is rising with more than usual splendor, I look back, for the era of this creation not into the night, but to a dawn for which no man or woman ever rose early enough. A morning which carries us back beyond the mosaid creation where crystallizations are fresh and unmelted. It is the poet’s hour. Mornings, when men [and women] are newborn, men [and women] who have the seeds of life in them.
Skinner Chavez-Melo was Mexican-born, but lived most of his life in New York City. In “Mornings of Creation”, he quotes a lengthy text of Henry David Thoreau, the famous American Transcendentalist and writer. The piece, filled with awe for the beauty of nature, only exists in manuscript form and is
