Saturday 30 November 2024 at 7:30pm
St Gabriel's Church, Billingshurst
Our next concert will be our Advent Concert on Saturday 30 November 2024 at 7:30pm.
The Programme includes:
Anon: Gaudete
Bach: Chorales
Britten: Ceremony of Carols
Buxtehude: In Dulci Jubilo
Janáček: Otčenáš
Praetorius: Es ist ein Ros Entsprungen
Rutter: Angels’ Carol, Candlelight Carol, Nativity Carol
Saint-Saëns: Quam dilecta
Harp solo: Christmas Medley (arranged by Ray Pool and Anwen Thomas)
The following text provides an introduction to some of the music we will be performing:
An Introduction to Johann Sebastian Bach
It’s hard to listen to classical music and not come across the name ‘Bach’ at some point. It would have been impossible to escape that name if you had lived in 17th and 18th century Germany. The extended Bach family was full of musicians, and you wouldn’t need to travel far to find one seated at a church organ or playing at a nobleman’s court. Most of the family were competent musicians who were well-regarded in their lifetime, but faded into obscurity afterwards.
The ‘main man’ was Johann Sebastian Bach, born in March 1685 at Eisenbach, Thuringia, Germany and died in July 1750 in Leipzig. He was the ‘main man’, the most celebrated member of this large family of north German musicians. He is always known as ‘J. S. Bach’, simply ‘Bach’ or ‘Johann Sebastian’. Although he was admired by his contemporaries primarily as an outstanding organist, harpsichordist, and expert organ builder, Bach is now regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time. He is celebrated as the creator of the Brandenburg Concertos, the Mass in B Minor, The Well-Tempered Clavier and numerous other masterpieces of church and instrumental music.
In 1708, Bach took a position at the Duke of Saxe-Weimar’s court as organist and played in the orchestra, eventually becoming its leader in 1714. Due to the politics between the Duke and his officials, Bach left Weimar and secured a post as Kapellmeister at Köthen in 1717. Bach then became Cantor of the Thomas School in Leipzig in May 1723 and held this position until his death on 28th July 1750.
Our two professional guest sopranos will be singing three pieces composed by J. S. Bach as part of the BCS Advent Concert programme. The first cantata, Zwingt die Saiten in Cythara (Strike the strings of the Cythera) is a sacred chorale from Bach’s Schwingt freudig euch empor (Soar joyfully upwards) which was composed in Leipzig in 1731 for the first Sunday in Advent, drawing on material from previous congratulatory cantatas. The Gospel for that Sunday was the ‘Entry into Jerusalem’, thus the mood of the secular work matched ‘the people’s jubilant shouts of Hosanna’.
The second cantata Lob sei Gott, dem Vater g’ton (Praise be given to God the Father) was written in 1724 during Bach’s second year as Thomaskantor (Cantor at St. Thomas) in Leipzig, for the First Sunday in Advent. The prescribed readings for that Sunday were from the Epistle to the Romans: ‘Night is advanced, day will come’ (Romans 13: 11-14) and from the Gospel of St. Matthew: ‘The Entry into Jerusalem’ (Matthew 21: 1-9). The cantata is based on Martin Luther’s chorale in eight stanzas Nun Komm, der Heiden Heiland (Saviour of the Nations Come), the number one hymn to begin the liturgical year in all Lutheran hymnals. Bach first performed the cantata on 3rd December 1724. His successor, Johann Friedrich Doles, performed this piece after Bach’s death.
The third piece, O Little One Sweet is a well-loved German lullaby-carol that first appeared in print in Scheidt’s Tablaturbuch in 1650 which contains harmonised accompaniments for 100 sacred songs and psalms. Bach’s version (in the form of a melody and figured bass) was included in Schemelli’s Gesangbuch of 1736 and demonstrates to the full, Johann Sebastian Bach’s masterly harmonisation skills.
The online Box Office is now open for you to purchase your tickets for our Advent Concert where you will be able to hear these three Bach pieces sung by professional soloists along with a miscellany of other wonderful choral pieces sung by BCS. See the top of this page for a link to buy tickets!
John Rutter’s Christmas Carols
John Rutter is one of the most successful of all living composers. His rare melodic gift and captivating harmonic flair have combined in a series of unforgettable choral works that have touched the hearts of millions around the world. Rutter was born in London in 1945 (he is now 79) and studied music at Clare College, Cambridge. He first came to public prominence as a composer during his student years; much of his early work consisted of church music and other choral pieces including Christmas carols. From 1975-1979 he was Director of Music at his alma mater and conducted the college chapel choir in various recordings and broadcasts. Since 1979 he has divided his time between composition and conducting.
Rutter was only 18 when he composed what would become one of his signature pieces, The Shepherd’s Pipe Carol. This was just the first of a series of classic carol settings he was destined to compose and arrange, with the friendly support of David Willcocks, who was in charge of the Music Department at King’s College at that time. “He looked over some of my manuscripts,” Rutter explained to Classic FM in 2000, “and said ‘Would you be interested in seeing some of these published?’ I was truly gobsmacked!” Rutter went on to co-edit several volumes of the classic Carols for Choirs series with Willcocks (1919-2015), who considered Rutter to be ‘the most gifted composer of his generation’.
In 1974, Rutter was commissioned by choral specialist Melvin (‘Mel’) Olsen to compose and premiere his Gloria in Omaha, Nebraska. This turned out to be the first of many trips to the United States, where his music found a huge audience. Nowadays, Rutter is often invited to compose music for special occasions, most notably for the wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton, which featured his enrapturing anthem This is The Day. One piece in particular has special significance – The Mass of The Children, the first major work he composed following the tragic death of his son Christopher, in a road traffic accident in 2001.
“I love Christmas”, Rutter told CBS News in 2003. “It’s the child in me. Maybe I have never quite grown up. I still feel just for those few magic days a year, that we have the world as it might be”. BCS will be performing three of Rutter’s wonderful Christmas Carols: Nativity Carol, Angels’ Carol and Candlelight Carol.
Written in 1963, Nativity Carol was one of Rutter’s earliest pieces. It was composed for SATB chorus and organ as part of a collection entitled Carols for Two Choirs. Rutter first composed Angels’ Carol in the 1980s to be performed by the winners of a choirboy and choirgirl competition in London. He later arranged it for mixed-voice choir. Candlelight Carol was written in 1984, and was first recorded by Rutter’s own group, the Cambridge Singers on their 1987 album Christmas Night.
In 2007, Rutter was awarded a CBE for services to music and in September 2023, he received the Ivors Academy Fellowship. He was knighted in the 2024 King’s Birthday Honours List. A truly exceptional composer and conductor of our time.
Rutter was only 18 when he composed what would become one of his signature pieces, The Shepherd’s Pipe Carol. This was just the first of a series of classic carol settings he was destined to compose and arrange, with the friendly support of David Willcocks, who was in charge of the Music Department at King’s College at that time. “He looked over some of my manuscripts,” Rutter explained to Classic FM in 2000, “and said ‘Would you be interested in seeing some of these published?’ I was truly gobsmacked!” Rutter went on to co-edit several volumes of the classic Carols for Choirs series with Willcocks (1919-2015), who considered Rutter to be ‘the most gifted composer of his generation’.
In 1974, Rutter was commissioned by choral specialist Melvin (‘Mel’) Olsen to compose and premiere his Gloria in Omaha, Nebraska. This turned out to be the first of many trips to the United States, where his music found a huge audience. Nowadays, Rutter is often invited to compose music for special occasions, most notably for the wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton, which featured his enrapturing anthem This is The Day. One piece in particular has special significance – The Mass of The Children, the first major work he composed following the tragic death of his son Christopher, in a road traffic accident in 2001.
“I love Christmas”, Rutter told CBS News in 2003. “It’s the child in me. Maybe I have never quite grown up. I still feel just for those few magic days a year, that we have the world as it might be”. BCS will be performing three of Rutter’s wonderful Christmas Carols: Nativity Carol, Angels’ Carol and Candlelight Carol.
Written in 1963, Nativity Carol was one of Rutter’s earliest pieces. It was composed for SATB chorus and organ as part of a collection entitled Carols for Two Choirs. Rutter first composed Angels’ Carol in the 1980s to be performed by the winners of a choirboy and choirgirl competition in London. He later arranged it for mixed-voice choir. Candlelight Carol was written in 1984, and was first recorded by Rutter’s own group, the Cambridge Singers on their 1987 album Christmas Night.
In 2007, Rutter was awarded a CBE for services to music and in September 2023, he received the Ivors Academy Fellowship. He was knighted in the 2024 King’s Birthday Honours List. A truly exceptional composer and conductor of our time.
Buxtehude’s Setting of In Dulci Jubilo
As part of their Advent Concert programme, BCS will be singing a setting of the traditional Christmas carol In Dulci Jubilo (Latin for ‘In Sweet Rejoicing’) composed by Dietrich Buxtehude. But where does this composer fit into the history of Western music?
Diderik Buxtehude was an organist and composer of the Baroque period (early 17th century until the 1750s). Not only the year, but also the country of his birth are uncertain and disputed. However, it is now generally agreed that he was born in 1637. His obituary in the Nova Literaria, by Maris Balthici stated that: he recognised Denmark as his native country, whence he came to our region, he lived about 70 years. Later in his life he Germanized his name and began signing documents Dietrich Buxtehude. He certainly spent his early years in Helsingborg in Skåne, which at the time was part of Denmark. He studied music with his father, Johann, who was a school teacher and musician. Buxtehude was first and foremost an organist, beginning in Helsingborg, then Elsinore and from 1668 at Marienkirche (Church of St. Mary) in Lübeck. His post in this free Imperial city afforded him considerable latitude in his musical career and his autonomy was a model for the careers of later Baroque masters such as George Frideric Handel, Johann Mattheson, Telemann and J. S. Bach.
Apart from his duties of providing music for church services, Buxtehude oversaw an annual concert series, the Abendmusiken, which was held on five Sundays in Trinity and Advent. As the director of the series, he raised money, wrote music, hired musicians and conducted performances. Under Buxtehude the Abendmusik concerts usually featured oratorios (dramatic sacred operas) that he had written based on Biblical texts and lyrical poetry and, occasionally, programmes of various choral and solo vocal music, as well as instrumental music. Buxtehude demonstrated his business acumen in his administration of this series and he kept the concerts free to the public by soliciting funds from local businesses. The series continued until 1810 in Lübeck and became a model that was imitated throughout Europe.
Buxtehude’s reputation as an organist and improviser extended outside of Lübeck. George Frideric Handel (1685 – 1759) visited him in 1703 and in 1705, J. S. Bach walked from Arnstadt to Lübeck, more than 200 miles, to hear him perform. It is also possible that Bach made the trip to enquire about obtaining Buxtehude’s position in the Marienkirche, after learning about the organist’s impending retirement.
In its original setting, In Dulci Jubilo is another macaronic text of medieval German and Latin dating from the Middle Ages. The original song text is thought to have been written by the German mystic Heinrich Seuse circa 1328. According to folklore, Seuse heard angels singing these words and joined them in a dance of worship.
Diderik Buxtehude was an organist and composer of the Baroque period (early 17th century until the 1750s). Not only the year, but also the country of his birth are uncertain and disputed. However, it is now generally agreed that he was born in 1637. His obituary in the Nova Literaria, by Maris Balthici stated that: he recognised Denmark as his native country, whence he came to our region, he lived about 70 years. Later in his life he Germanized his name and began signing documents Dietrich Buxtehude. He certainly spent his early years in Helsingborg in Skåne, which at the time was part of Denmark. He studied music with his father, Johann, who was a school teacher and musician. Buxtehude was first and foremost an organist, beginning in Helsingborg, then Elsinore and from 1668 at Marienkirche (Church of St. Mary) in Lübeck. His post in this free Imperial city afforded him considerable latitude in his musical career and his autonomy was a model for the careers of later Baroque masters such as George Frideric Handel, Johann Mattheson, Telemann and J. S. Bach.
Apart from his duties of providing music for church services, Buxtehude oversaw an annual concert series, the Abendmusiken, which was held on five Sundays in Trinity and Advent. As the director of the series, he raised money, wrote music, hired musicians and conducted performances. Under Buxtehude the Abendmusik concerts usually featured oratorios (dramatic sacred operas) that he had written based on Biblical texts and lyrical poetry and, occasionally, programmes of various choral and solo vocal music, as well as instrumental music. Buxtehude demonstrated his business acumen in his administration of this series and he kept the concerts free to the public by soliciting funds from local businesses. The series continued until 1810 in Lübeck and became a model that was imitated throughout Europe.
Buxtehude’s reputation as an organist and improviser extended outside of Lübeck. George Frideric Handel (1685 – 1759) visited him in 1703 and in 1705, J. S. Bach walked from Arnstadt to Lübeck, more than 200 miles, to hear him perform. It is also possible that Bach made the trip to enquire about obtaining Buxtehude’s position in the Marienkirche, after learning about the organist’s impending retirement.
In its original setting, In Dulci Jubilo is another macaronic text of medieval German and Latin dating from the Middle Ages. The original song text is thought to have been written by the German mystic Heinrich Seuse circa 1328. According to folklore, Seuse heard angels singing these words and joined them in a dance of worship.
Saint-Saëns’ Quam dilecta
Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic era. His most famous piece is The Carnival of the Animals (composed in 1886), despite the fact that he forbade complete performances of it shortly after the premiere, only allowing one movement, The Swan, a piece for cello and piano, to be published in his lifetime.
Saint-Saëns was born in Paris in October 1835 and died in Algiers in December 1921. His body was brought back to Paris for a state funeral and he was buried in the Cimetière du Montparnasse in the city.
Like Mozart, Saint-Saëns was a child prodigy, and it is said that at the age of 2 he could read and write. He started piano lessons at this time and immediately began composing. His first piano recital was at the age of five. At the grand old age of ten, he gave public recitals, playing the music of Bach, Beethoven and Mozart and at the age of sixteen, he wrote his first symphony. In 1871, at the age of 36, he co-founded the Société National de Musique.
Saint-Saëns wrote dramatic works, including four symphonic poems and 13 operas of which Samson et Dalila and the symphonic poem Danse Macabre are among his most famous. In all, he composed over three hundred works and was the first major composer to write music specifically for the cinema, providing the score for the short film The Assassination of the Duke of Guise in 1908.
BCS will be singing Saint-Saëns’ motet Quam dilecta (Oh how amiable are Thy dwellings) (Op 148) as part of their Advent Concert. The work was composed in 1915 and first published in 1917. It will be sung in Latin and the words are taken from Psalm 84 (King James Version).
Saint-Saëns was born in Paris in October 1835 and died in Algiers in December 1921. His body was brought back to Paris for a state funeral and he was buried in the Cimetière du Montparnasse in the city.
Like Mozart, Saint-Saëns was a child prodigy, and it is said that at the age of 2 he could read and write. He started piano lessons at this time and immediately began composing. His first piano recital was at the age of five. At the grand old age of ten, he gave public recitals, playing the music of Bach, Beethoven and Mozart and at the age of sixteen, he wrote his first symphony. In 1871, at the age of 36, he co-founded the Société National de Musique.
Saint-Saëns wrote dramatic works, including four symphonic poems and 13 operas of which Samson et Dalila and the symphonic poem Danse Macabre are among his most famous. In all, he composed over three hundred works and was the first major composer to write music specifically for the cinema, providing the score for the short film The Assassination of the Duke of Guise in 1908.
BCS will be singing Saint-Saëns’ motet Quam dilecta (Oh how amiable are Thy dwellings) (Op 148) as part of their Advent Concert. The work was composed in 1915 and first published in 1917. It will be sung in Latin and the words are taken from Psalm 84 (King James Version).
Janáček’s Otčenáš (Our Father)
Leoš Janáček was the most significant Czech composer of the generation that followed Smetana and Dvořák. He was inspired by Moravian and other Slavik music, including Eastern European folk music to create an original modern musical style. He was born in 1854 in Hukvaldy, Moravia, in the Austrian Empire and died in 1928 in Ostrava, Czechoslovakia. He is known for being one of the most important exponents of musical nationalism in the 20th century.
Janáček began his musical career as a choir boy and later studied at Prague, Leipzig and Vienna conservatoires. In 1881, he founded a college of organists in Brno, which he directed until 1920. He also conducted the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra from 1881 to 1888 and later became professor of composition at the Prague Conservatory in 1919. Rather like Elgar, Janáček was a late developer, whose first opera of distinction, Jenůfa, was first performed when the composer was 50 and he went on to write his greatest operas after the age of 65.
BCS will be singing Janáček’s cantata Otčenáš as part of their Advent Concert programme. It was originally called Moravsky Otčenáš (Moravian Our Father) and it is a setting of The Lord’s Prayer. The choir was very relieved to learn that its conductor, Marcio da Silva, had decided that the cantata would be sung in English rather than in the original Czech.
The first version was performed in 1901 as an accompaniment to a series of tableau vivants (often shortened to tableau, French for ‘living picture’). It was scored for mixed chorus, tenor, piano and harmonium. This was never published and in 1906, Janáček revised the work for mixed chorus, tenor, harp and organ. The work lasts for approximately 15 minutes and it falls into five self-contained sections:
Janáček began his musical career as a choir boy and later studied at Prague, Leipzig and Vienna conservatoires. In 1881, he founded a college of organists in Brno, which he directed until 1920. He also conducted the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra from 1881 to 1888 and later became professor of composition at the Prague Conservatory in 1919. Rather like Elgar, Janáček was a late developer, whose first opera of distinction, Jenůfa, was first performed when the composer was 50 and he went on to write his greatest operas after the age of 65.
BCS will be singing Janáček’s cantata Otčenáš as part of their Advent Concert programme. It was originally called Moravsky Otčenáš (Moravian Our Father) and it is a setting of The Lord’s Prayer. The choir was very relieved to learn that its conductor, Marcio da Silva, had decided that the cantata would be sung in English rather than in the original Czech.
The first version was performed in 1901 as an accompaniment to a series of tableau vivants (often shortened to tableau, French for ‘living picture’). It was scored for mixed chorus, tenor, piano and harmonium. This was never published and in 1906, Janáček revised the work for mixed chorus, tenor, harp and organ. The work lasts for approximately 15 minutes and it falls into five self-contained sections:
- Our Father, which art in heaven, andante, in A-flat major
- Thy will be done, moderato, in B-flat minor
- Give us this day our daily bread, con moto, in E-flat major
- Forgive us our trespasses, adagio, in A-flat major
- Lead us not into temptation, energico moderato, in E-flat minor
Otčenáš met with a mixed reception at first and was not well-received during the composer’s lifetime, but it is now a much-recorded work and has been praised as an interesting and successful example of Janáček’s ability to combine Christian texts with his own social commitment. The critic John Quinn, a member of the Music Web Reviewer’s Panel, noted that the scoring for organ and harp is surprisingly atmospheric and the instruments complement each other beautifully.
A Ceremony of Carols - Benjamin Britten
Part 1
Benjamin Britten (1913 – 1976) was a central figure of 20th century music. He is best known for the opera Peter Grimes, his War Requiem and The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.
Britten was a pacifist and on the eve of World War II, he left England with his partner, the tenor Peter Pears and went to live in America. The pair never really settled and in 1942, they made the long and perilous Atlantic Crossing back home on a Swedish cargo vessel. The journey lasted for a month, as it called at various ports before landing and Britten spent the entire voyage composing music. This included a number of carols which would make up the 11-movement A Ceremony of Carols. It was originally written for the high, clear voices of boy trebles or a women’s choir, and harp. BCS will be singing the arrangement for SATB by Julius Harrison.
The first movement is entitled Procession and begins with Hodie Christus natus est (Christ is born today). It’s a quasi-liturgical opening with a theological point being made that ‘God becomes human’. Originally, the choir processed in singing this and at the end of the piece, Britten had written that the last few lines could be repeated until all of the choir were assembled.
The second movement, Wolcum Yole! is introduced by amazingly strident chords from the harp and goes straight into a rowdy, bawdy tavern-type atmosphere… Welcome Everyone! A complete change of pace and timbre from the first movement. Britten makes a strong contrast between God transcending in the language of the church and God imminent in the dirt and dust of the stable.
The mood changes again for the third movement, a hymn to Mary, becoming more reverent, gentle and prayerful. There is no rose of such vertu, As is the rose that bare Jesu, based on a 14th century poem, the author is unknown. This carol compares Mary to a rose and uses a combination of languages, in this case Latin and English in alternate lines. This is known as a macaronic carol. Referring to Mary as ‘The Rose’, it relates to classic medieval doctrinal belief that Mary redeems the sin of Eve. Eve causes the Fall in the Garden of Eden because she listens to the serpent and eats the apple. Christ then redeems the sin of Adam, who is representative of the whole human race. A rose, of course, has thorns: the beauty and the pain. The elation Mary experiences at her son’s birth and the pain she must endure when he is put to death.
Mary is centre stage now and the next two movements are sung by her (soprano solo and harp). The first (4a) is a cross between a lullaby and a lament That yongë child when it gan weep. With song she lulled him a-sleep’. This chant-like melody is similar to the first processional piece. The second carol (4b) entitled Balulalow is a carol of commitment: I shall rock thee to my heart, and never more from thee depart. Musicologists who have studied Benjamin Britten and his compositions will state that he was not a deeply religious man, but his music certainly takes him closer to spirituality. It is true to say that the music resonates completely with the meaning of the words.
Movement five, As Dew in Aprille, brings Spring in December. In this carol the sun is out and reminds us of the Annunciation. The focus is very much on Mary and it’s as if the sunshine comes out in the depths of Winter.
Britten was a pacifist and on the eve of World War II, he left England with his partner, the tenor Peter Pears and went to live in America. The pair never really settled and in 1942, they made the long and perilous Atlantic Crossing back home on a Swedish cargo vessel. The journey lasted for a month, as it called at various ports before landing and Britten spent the entire voyage composing music. This included a number of carols which would make up the 11-movement A Ceremony of Carols. It was originally written for the high, clear voices of boy trebles or a women’s choir, and harp. BCS will be singing the arrangement for SATB by Julius Harrison.
The first movement is entitled Procession and begins with Hodie Christus natus est (Christ is born today). It’s a quasi-liturgical opening with a theological point being made that ‘God becomes human’. Originally, the choir processed in singing this and at the end of the piece, Britten had written that the last few lines could be repeated until all of the choir were assembled.
The second movement, Wolcum Yole! is introduced by amazingly strident chords from the harp and goes straight into a rowdy, bawdy tavern-type atmosphere… Welcome Everyone! A complete change of pace and timbre from the first movement. Britten makes a strong contrast between God transcending in the language of the church and God imminent in the dirt and dust of the stable.
The mood changes again for the third movement, a hymn to Mary, becoming more reverent, gentle and prayerful. There is no rose of such vertu, As is the rose that bare Jesu, based on a 14th century poem, the author is unknown. This carol compares Mary to a rose and uses a combination of languages, in this case Latin and English in alternate lines. This is known as a macaronic carol. Referring to Mary as ‘The Rose’, it relates to classic medieval doctrinal belief that Mary redeems the sin of Eve. Eve causes the Fall in the Garden of Eden because she listens to the serpent and eats the apple. Christ then redeems the sin of Adam, who is representative of the whole human race. A rose, of course, has thorns: the beauty and the pain. The elation Mary experiences at her son’s birth and the pain she must endure when he is put to death.
Mary is centre stage now and the next two movements are sung by her (soprano solo and harp). The first (4a) is a cross between a lullaby and a lament That yongë child when it gan weep. With song she lulled him a-sleep’. This chant-like melody is similar to the first processional piece. The second carol (4b) entitled Balulalow is a carol of commitment: I shall rock thee to my heart, and never more from thee depart. Musicologists who have studied Benjamin Britten and his compositions will state that he was not a deeply religious man, but his music certainly takes him closer to spirituality. It is true to say that the music resonates completely with the meaning of the words.
Movement five, As Dew in Aprille, brings Spring in December. In this carol the sun is out and reminds us of the Annunciation. The focus is very much on Mary and it’s as if the sunshine comes out in the depths of Winter.
Part 2
The first performance of A Ceremony of Carols was conducted by the composer in December 1942 and sung by the Fleet Street Choir. After that performance, Britten composed a new solo piece, That Yongë Child and the harp interlude, and came to the conclusion that he would prefer the sound of a boys’ choir. The following Christmas, he introduced the final version with the Morriston Boys’ Choir. The piece became so popular that the publisher, Boosey and Hawkes, asked another composer, Julius Harrison, to provide a four-part arrangement for mixed choir, which BCS will be performing on 30th November.
Continuing on from part 1, the article posted last week, movement six: This Little Babe is yet another huge contrast to the previous movement (As Dew in Aprille). It literally takes off at a rip-roaring speed with consonants tumbling over each other, which makes it very exciting to sing. As a piece, it is much darker and describes Christ’s battle with Satan and the Forces of Evil.
Next follows movement seven, entitled Interlude, which is the harp solo, that recaps previously heard themes and is very beautiful and ethereal. Harpists have said that it was one of their favourite pieces to play, written all in ‘flats’. The pedals are all up and Britten instructs the harpist to use harmonics that give the bell-like sound.
In Freezing Winter Night is the title of movement nine and the metaphor of the coldness helps us understand the sense of foreboding which is in the stable. This child doesn’t stay an innocent baby in the manger for very long. This child disrupts, is persecuted, then executed and the shape of the cross to come is very powerful. The choir sings in a round to create an echoing effect. The singers and the harp progress through the movement at contrasting paces and, over the duration of the piece, gradually synchronise until both move at the same speed just before the ending, when the music fades out.
The tenth movement entitled Spring Carol, has echoes of Britten’s Spring Symphony (Opus 44) which is a choral work, first performed in 1949.
This carol is on a text which was set by William Cornysh in the 16th century. Britten arranged it as a duet between two sopranos that depicts the signs of Spring. Musicologists state that Britten was a wonderful word setter – the best we’ve had since Purcell. This movement ends with a call to thank God, which transitions appropriately to the final movement… Then we always to Him give praise, and thank Him then.
The final movement, Deo Gratias – Adam lay i-bounden is based on a macaronic poem of the 15th century. Adam lay i-bounden tells of the events that happened in chapter 3 of Genesis, the ‘Fall of Man’ as Eve was tricked into eating the fruit of sin. The coming of Christ then changes everything … Deo Gratias (thanks be to God) for Christ has redeemed the sin of Adam. The vocal part is written with short snappy rhythms which are wonderful to sing.
So… what is the lasting appeal of this piece? It is the way that it celebrates the world we live in and the story of Christ through music. It is certainly true to say that it appeals to Christians and non-believers alike.
Why an Advent Concert?
For the past number of years, BCS has always produced a traditional Christmas Carol Concert in December. However, this year it’s time to ring in the changes and the Choral Society will show off its singing prowess with an Advent Concert on Saturday, 30th November at St. Gabriel’s Church, Billingshurst. The music chosen is both dynamic and demanding, and entirely appropriate for this season.
Christians who celebrate Advent see it as time of expectation and preparation for Jesus’ arrival, which happened first at the Incarnation and will happen again at his return. For some of us, Advent is a reminder to find rest in a season notoriously wrought with materialism, busyness and exhaustion. It is a time to open a door on a calendar or light a candle while still embracing the wonder of Christmas. Regardless of how you observe Advent, our concert will be an opportunity to shut out much of the Christmassy commercialism and focus on what really matters to you!
The Programme includes:
Anon: Gaudete
Britten: Ceremony of Carols
Buxtehude: In Dulci Jubilo
Janáček: Otčenáš
Praetorius: Es ist ein Ros Entsprungen
Rutter: Angels’ Carol, Candlelight Carol, Nativity Carol
Saint-Saëns: Quam dilecta
Over the next nine weeks leading up to the performance we will feature one piece of music from the above programme and its composer.
We hope that you will join BCS for their Advent Concert to soak up the beautiful choral music during this special season. Tickets are now available, follow the link at the top of this page.
Christians who celebrate Advent see it as time of expectation and preparation for Jesus’ arrival, which happened first at the Incarnation and will happen again at his return. For some of us, Advent is a reminder to find rest in a season notoriously wrought with materialism, busyness and exhaustion. It is a time to open a door on a calendar or light a candle while still embracing the wonder of Christmas. Regardless of how you observe Advent, our concert will be an opportunity to shut out much of the Christmassy commercialism and focus on what really matters to you!
The Programme includes:
Anon: Gaudete
Britten: Ceremony of Carols
Buxtehude: In Dulci Jubilo
Janáček: Otčenáš
Praetorius: Es ist ein Ros Entsprungen
Rutter: Angels’ Carol, Candlelight Carol, Nativity Carol
Saint-Saëns: Quam dilecta
Over the next nine weeks leading up to the performance we will feature one piece of music from the above programme and its composer.
We hope that you will join BCS for their Advent Concert to soak up the beautiful choral music during this special season. Tickets are now available, follow the link at the top of this page.
BCS is pleased to be supporting Midhurst Palliative Care as its charity for the season.
