Salutation was composed for a cappella choir to a poem by Bengali poet and musician Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941). The music takes up the spiritual message of the poem, that we live our lives in one salutation to God ending back in an eternal home. The piece is characterized by its lush and ethereal harmonies, which create a sense of serenity and reverence. Ešenvalds employs cluster chords and extended vocal techniques, such as humming and overtone singing, to evoke a celestial atmosphere. The text, which consists of a simple salutation, is delivered with delicate and shimmering vocal textures, evoking a sense of transcendence and spiritual connection.

In one salutation to thee, my God,
let all my senses spread out and touch this world at thy feet.
Like a rain-cloud of July hung low with its burden of unshed showers.

Let all my mind bend down at thy door in one salutation to thee.
Let all my songs gather together their diverse strains into a single current
and flow to a sea of silence in one salutation to thee.

Like a flock of homesick cranes flying night and day
back to their mountain nests.
Let all my life take its voyage to its eternal home in one salutation to thee.

– Rabindranath Tagore

Eric Whitacre's "i will wade out" is the first of three pieces that make up the collection "Three Songs of Faith," composed in 1999. Whitacre, a prominent figure in contemporary choral music, is known for his innovative use of harmony and texture, and "i will wade out" is no exception. Whitacre sets three of his favorite e.e. cummings texts that explore themes of love, nature, and spiritual awakening. Whitacre's composition reflects the text's sense of wonder and awe, with lush and flowing harmonies that mimic the ebb and flow of water. The choir's voices intertwine, creating a sense of unity and oneness with the natural world.

"i will wade out" is a beautiful and evocative piece that captures the essence of the text. It invites the listener to immerse themselves in the beauty of nature and the transformative power of love and faith.

i will wade out

till my thighs are steeped in burning flowers

I will take the sun in my mouth

and leap into the ripe air

Alive

with closed eyes

to dash against darkness

in the sleeping curves of my body

Shall enter fingers of smooth mastery

with chasteness of sea-girls

Will i complete the mystery

of my flesh

I will rise

After a thousand years

lipping

flowers

And set my teeth in the silver of the moon

– E. E. Cummings

"I have loved flowers that fade" is one of the seven partsongs that make up Gerald Finzi's Op. 17 collection, composed in 1934. Finzi, although born in London, of German Jewish and Italian Jewish heritage, became regarded as a quintessentially English composer. He was well-known for vocal music both choral and solo, with notable settings of Thomas Traherne, Shakespeare, John Milton, Christina Rossetti, Thomas Hardy and Robert Bridges.

In this piece, Finzi sets a text by Robert Bridges that reflects on the fleeting beauty of flowers and the transience of life. The music mirrors the text's melancholic yet contemplative mood, with lush harmonies and a gentle, flowing melody. Finzi's careful attention to word painting allows the music to convey the fragility and beauty of the natural world.

"I have loved flowers that fade" is a poignant reflection on the impermanence of life and the appreciation of beauty in its fleeting moments. Finzi's composition captures the essence of the text, creating a moving and introspective choral work.

Finzi himself was dissatisfied with the Seven poems of Robert Bridges, as a letter to his friend Robin Milford shows. One difficulty here is that Bridges was almost exclusively a poet of the first person singular, so that setting his lyric poems chorally requires a composer to preserve the sense of a single composite voice.

I have loved flowers that fade,
Within whose magic tents
Rich hues have marriage made
With sweet unmemoried scents:
A honeymoon delight,
A joy of love at sight,
That ages in an hour
My song be like a flower!

I have loved airs that die
Before their charm is writ
Along a liquid sky
Trembling to welcome it.
Notes, that with pulse of fire
Proclaim the spirit's desire,
Then die, and are nowhere
My song be like an air!.

Die, song, die like a breath,
And wither as a bloom;
Fear not a flowery death,
Dread not an airy tomb!
Fly with delight, fly hence!
'Twas thine love's tender sense
To feast; now on thy bier
Beauty shall shed a tear.

– Robert Bridges

The joy, brightness, and varied content of the Britten’s Spring Symphony (composed in 1949) exist in microcosm in the Five Flower Songs, composed in the spring of 1950. The set of pieces was written for the twenty-fifth wedding anniversary of two major donors to the English Opera Group – Leonard & Dorothy Elmhirst. Leonard was an agronomist who worked between World War I & II to develop economic growth in depressed rural regions, especially India and the southwest English county of Devon, where they had their estate - Dartington Hall. To reflect the Elmhirsts’ love of agriculture and botany, Britten chose five poems related to flowers. Imogen Holst, daughter of the composer Gustav Holst, conducted a student choir in the first performance, a private outdoor event at Dartington Hall on July 23, 1950.

Here Britten embraces the tradition of the secular partsong, as exemplified by Stanford and Elgar. They are not as adventurous or ground-breaking as many of his other works, but are nevertheless perfectly and beautifully crafted, each one having a unique identity and style.

The choir depicts the strummed guitar of a ballad-singer, a role taken first by the tenors who tell of a young, lazy flower-cutter. The basses grumpily awake the boy at mid-day. The tempo increases slightly as the sopranos tell of the lad’s determination to finally make good. The altos take their turn as balladeer when a wealthy woman looks out the window, sees the flower-cutter, and angrily orders: “Go fetch me the boy!” The music accelerates again as he enters “the Lady’s fine room” and she surprisingly proposes marriage, being a “Lady in full bloom.” As the tempo arrives to Vivace, the couple proceeds in lively fashion to church amid the initial guitar chords, now recast as joyous, sonorous wedding bells, in this most perfect conclusion for an anniversary present.

There was an old man lived out in the wood,
And his trade was a-cutting of broom, green broom,
He had but one son without thought without good
Who lay in his bed till 't was noon, bright noon.

The old man awoke one morning and spoke,
He swore he would fire the room, that room,
If his John would not rise and open his eyes,
And away to the wood to cut broom, green broom.

So Johnny arose and slipp'd on his clothes
And away to the wood to cut broom, green broom,
He sharpen'd his knives, and for once he contrives
To cut a great bundle of broom, green broom.

When Johnny pass'd under a Lady's fine house,
Pass'd under a Lady's fine room, fine room,
She call'd to her maid: "Go fetch me," she said,
"Go fetch me the boy that sells broom, green broom!"

When Johnny came into the Lady's fine house,
And stood in the Lady's fine room, fine room,
"Young Johnny" she said, "Will you give up your trade
And marry a lady in bloom, full bloom?"

Johnny gave his consent, and to church they both went,
And he wedded the Lady in bloom, full bloom;
At market and fair, all folks do declare,
There's none like the Boy that sold broom, green broom!

– Anonymous

At the center of our program lies one of the most revered contemporary musical settings of the Christian Mass. Few composers are as ubiquitously well-known and revered for one single piece of music as the Swiss composer, Frank Martin, who wrote this about his composition:

”This mass, composed in 1922 (except for the Agnus Dei which dates from 1926), was a work of my own free will, without commission or remuneration. Indeed at that time I knew of no choral conductor who could be interested in it. I never submitted it to the Society of Swiss Musicians for performance at one of their annual events. In fact, I had no desire to have it performed as I was afraid it would be judged on a purely aesthetic level. As far as I was concerned it was a matter between God and myself…I felt that religious fervor should remain private and not be influenced by public opinion. So much so that this composition remained in a drawer for forty years, included as a formality in my list of works. It was there in 1962 that the conductor of the Bugenhagen-Kantorei in Hamburg, Mr. Franz W. Brunnert, saw it mentioned and asked me to send it to him for perusal. He and his choir gave the first performance in the autumn of 1963, 41 years after it was composed.

All the aforementioned shows clearly that, even though I wrote the mass for a large number of voices, it is music of an inward nature. My musical language has developed considerably since that period. There are some things in this work that I would no longer be able to write; there are also weaknesses that I would never repeat. (I would be guilty of others, who wouldn’t?). But there are also musical elements which are very close to me, such as the phrase, “Et incarnatus est,” that I had already used in the unpublished Christmas oratorio. It reappears almost identically in my oratorio Golgotha…Let us hope that conviction, youth and some beauty can still be appreciated in this mass that is almost half a century old.”

KYRIE

Κύριε ελέησον. Χριστε ελέησον. Κύριε ελέησον.

Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy.

GLORIA

Gloria in excelsis Deo, et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis Laudamus te. Benedicimus te. Adoramus te. Glorificamus te. Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam. Domine Deus, Rex caelestis, Deus Pater omnipotens. Domine fili unigenite, Jesu Christe. Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius patris. Qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Qui tollis peccata mundi suscipe deprecationem nostram. Qui sedes ad dexteram patris miserere nobis. Quoniam tu solus sanctus. Tu solus Dominus. Tu solus Altissimus, Jesu Christe. Cum Sancto Spiritu in gloria Dei Patris. Amen.

Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace to people of good will. We praise you. We bless you. We adore you. We glorify you. We give thanks to you for your great glory. Lord God, King of heaven, omnipotent Father God. Lord, the only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father. Who removes the world’s sins, take pity on us. Who removes the world’s sins, accept our prayers. Who sits at the right hand of the Father, take pity on us. Because you alone are holy. You alone are Lord. You alone are supreme, Jesus Christ. With the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

CREDO

Credo in unum Deum, Patrem omnipoténtem, Factórem cæli et terræ, Visibílium ómnium et invisibílium. Et in unum Dóminum Iesum Christum, Fílium Dei Unigénitum, Et ex Patre natum ante ómnia sæcula. Deum de Deo, lumen de lúmine, Deum verum de Deo vero, Génitum, non factum, consubstantiálem Patri: Per quem ómnia facta sunt. Qui propter nos hómines et propter nostram salútem Descéndit de cælis. Et incarnátus est de Spíritu Sancto Ex María Vírgine, et homo factus est. Crucifíxus étiam pro nobis sub Póntio Piláto; Passus, et sepúltus est, Et resurréxit tértia die, secúndum Scriptúras, Et ascéndit in cælum, sedet ad déxteram Patris. Et íterum ventúrus est cum glória, Iudicáre vivos et mórtuos, Cuius regni non erit finis. Et in Spíritum Sanctum, Dóminum et vivificántem: Qui ex Patre Filióque procédit. Qui cum Patre et Fílio simul adorátur et conglorificátur: Qui locútus est per prophétas. Et unam, sanctam, cathólicam et apostólicam Ecclésiam. Confíteor unum baptísma in remissiónem peccatorum. Et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum, Et vitam ventúri sæculi. Amen.

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible: And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of his Father before all worlds, God of Gods, Light of Light, Very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made: who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven. And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead: whose kingdom shall have no end. And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spake by the Prophets. And I believe one Catholic and Apostolic Church. I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins. And I look for the Resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

SANCTUS

Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus, Domine Deus Sabaoth. Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua. Hosanna in excelsis!

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest!

AGNUS DEI

Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548-1611), the great late-Renaissance Spanish composer, was a native of the province of Ávila, where he received his early musical training. His music is often described as embodying the mysticism of his contemporary, St. Theresa of Avila, a great figure of the Counter- Reformation.

Victoria was immersed in the changes of the Counter-Reformation. In 1565, he entered the German Seminary in Rome, a college devoted to combating Lutheranism. He may have studied with Palestrina, and he served as Palestrina’s successor as master of music at the Roman Seminary in 1564. He may even have studied with Palestrina, and he served as Palestrina’s successor as master of music at the Roman Seminary in 1564. His style is close to that of Palestrina but is viewed as having more harmonic color (expressiveness) and more rhythmic energy.

"Vidi speciosam" is a sacred motet composed by the Spanish Renaissance composer Tomás Luis de Victoria in 1572. The text is taken from the Song of Solomon in the Bible and describes the vision of the "most beautiful one." The Virgin ascending into heaven is likened to the beautiful one rising like a dove over the rivers, like a lily of the valley or the rose in spring and so on. The perfumed language of the Hebrew love poems is taken over from the Latin Vulgate Bible into the Catholic liturgy and thence into music by the composer.

Victoria's composition reflects the text's sensuous and mystical qualities. The music is characterized by rich harmonies and expressive melodic lines, creating a sense of awe and devotion. The piece's intricate polyphony and careful attention to word painting allow the music to convey the text's deep spiritual and emotional significance. "Vidi speciosam" is a testament to Victoria's skill in creating choral music that resonates with both religious and artistic fervor.

Vidi speciosam sicut columbam ascendentem desuper rivos aquarum:
Cuius inaestimabilis odor erat nimis in vestimentis eius.
Et sicut dies verni, flores rosarum circumdabant eam, et lilia convallium.
Quae est ista, quae ascendit per desertum sicut virgula fumi, ex aromatibus myrrhae et thuris?
Et sicut dies verni, flores rosarum circumdabant eam, et lilia convallium.

I saw the fair one rising like a dove above the streams of water:
whose priceless fragrance clung to her garments.
And as on a spring day, she was surrounded by roses and lily-of-the-valley.
Who is this who rises from the desert like a pillar of smoke from incense of myrrh and frankincense?
And as on a spring day, she was surrounded by roses and lily-of-the-valley.

– Song of Solomon

The idea of “rising” continues in the 14th movement, Voskres iz groba (Arise, O God) from Sergei Rachmaninov's monumental acapella work, the "All-Night Vigil," Op. 37, composed in 1915. Rachmaninoff's All-Night Vigil, also known as the Vespers, is a monumental work in the Russian Orthodox choral tradition and is revered for its depth and spirituality.

Rachmaninoff composed the All-Night Vigil in just two weeks, in February 1915, for the Moscow Synodal Choir. The language of the work is Old Church Slavonic, an ancestor of modern Russian, Ukrainian and Bulgarian, to which it is closest. Church Slavonic, and the Cyrillic alphabet through which it was transmitted, date from the time of conversion of the Kyivan Rus’ to Christianity in the 10th century. The chant melodies that form the backbone of the work come from several sources: znamenny chant, dating from the 10th and 11th centuries (named for the znamyona, or neumes, in which it was written); Kyiv chant, from 17th century Ukraine and southern Russia (the most widely used today); and Russian “Greek” chant, also from the 17th century (called Greek in an attempt to claim descent from Byzantium). To these ancient tunes, Rachmaninoff added several chants of his own devising – “conscious counterfeits,” as he called them.

This troparion, or short hymn, begins with the text, “Thou didst rise from the tomb, bursting the bonds of Hell.” Rachmaninov paints a gorgeous picture as we hear the tenors slowly rise to the very top of their range as they sing this text. The movement concludes with one of the most gorgeous codas from the entire work. A resplendent soprano line soars high above the rest of the choir on the text, “O thou who art plenteous in mercy.”

Rachmaninov’s work captures the essence of the Orthodox worship experience, with its mysticism and deep spirituality using long lines and thick textures to envelope the listener in a sense of awe and deep meditation. Just two years after its completion, Rachmaninov left his native Russia for New York City and composed very little after that. As the lamps went out all over Europe, the All-Night Vigil lay in obscurity for more than fifty years, until it was rescued and recorded by a Soviet choir under the auspices of scholarly study. Always close to the composer’s heart, it has remained a staple of the choral repertoire in the West ever since – and a testament to the power of light in darkness.

Воскрес из гроба и узы растерзал еси ада,
разрушил еси осуждение смерти, Господи,
вся от сетей врага избавивый;
явивый же Себе апостолом Твоим,
послал еси я на проповедь,
и теми мир Твой подал еси вселенней,
едине Многомилостиве.

When thou, O Lord, hadst arisen from the tomb and burst the bonds of hell,
thou destroyedst the condemnation of death
for all mankind, breaking the snare of the enemy.
Revealing thyself to thine Apostles,
thou didst send them forth to preach thy word,
granting thy peace through them to all the world.
O thou only all-merciful Lord Christ.

– Orthodox Hymn

Undine Eliza Anna Smith Moore was an American composer and professor of music. Born in Jarratt, Virginia, in 1904, her earliest musical memories were singing alongside her grandparents (both former slaves) at their local church. After attending Fisk University, she was offered The Juilliard School of Music’s first scholarship to a graduate of a historically black college. She instead studied privately with renowned local black composers during the Harlem Renaissance while obtaining graduate degrees from Columbia in piano and organ. Moore would transcribe melodies that her mother sang, which gradually inspired her use of African-American spirituals in her music. Of these melodies and her adaptations of them, Moore said:

"...the songs my mother sang while cooking dinner; the melodies my father hummed after work moved me very deeply... In making these arrangements my aim was not to make something ‘better’ than what was sung. I thought them so beautiful that I wanted to have them experienced in a variety of ways—by concert choirs, soloists, and by instrumental groups."

These transcriptions include numerous spirituals like "I’m Going Home." After being greatly affected by Jim Crow in her youth, Moore intentionally evolved her music to become a means of liberation and included what she called the ‘black idiom’ into her expression.

I’m going home, my Lord, I’m going home.
I’m going home when I die.
I’ll meet my savior Lord, I’m going home.
My troubles done with, Lord, I’m going home.
My troubles done with, Hallelujah.
I’m going home, my Lord, I’m going home.

– Traditional Spiritual

We end tonight’s concert with one of the most beloved folk song arrangements of the 20th century - James Erb’s "Shenandoah,” arranged in 1971. The song's origins are rooted in American maritime and river folklore, and it has become an enduring symbol of longing, nostalgia, and the American frontier.

Erb's arrangement of "Shenandoah" is notable for its simplicity and purity. The piece begins with a single , gradually building to a full choral texture. The harmonies ebb and flow like the river that is central to the song's imagery, creating a sense of movement and continuity.

"Shenandoah" captures the essence of American folk music, with its connection to nature and the vast landscapes of the United States. The text speaks of a journey, both physical and metaphorical, and the music reflects the universal themes of longing and the search for home.

Erb's arrangement of "Shenandoah" is a testament to the enduring appeal of folk songs and their ability to resonate with audiences through their simplicity and emotional depth. It is a cherished piece in the American choral tradition.

Oh, Shenandoah, I long to see you
And hear your rolling river
Oh, Shenandoah, I long to see you
way, we’re bound away
Across the wide Missouri.

I long to see your smiling valley
And hear your rolling river
I long to see your smiling valley
way, we’re bound away
Across the wide Missouri.

‘Tis seven long years since last I’ve seen you
And hear your rolling river
‘Tis seven long years since last I’ve seen you
way, we’re bound away
Across the wide Missouri.