Choral Music and Church Music

Arvo Pärt (b. 1935) is an Orthodox Christian whose music proclaims his faith. He does not attempt to proselytize for Christianity, but he is an evangelist, taking seriously the church's mandate to spread the word of God. In this chapter I describe Part as the "quiet evangelist," a man whose music is promulgating Christianity through his settings of Christian texts, but in a manner that is both modest and self-effacing. I focus on his setting of the “Magnificat” (1989), one of his most popular and frequently performed works.
I establish it as a landmark piece in Part's developmental history by virtue of the mastery of technique; in which the composer exhibits more musical control over the tintinnabuli processes he invented than before. I also suggest that Pärt’s “Magnificat” exemplifies the telos for his music, a goal that is nothing short of union with God. To this end, using semiotician Umberto Eco’s notion of "expression plane" and "content-plane," I present a textual analysis of the work concentrating on the extra musical processes at work, and I offer an exegesis of the piece demonstrating that it is part of the hesychast tradition (one in which practitioners seek divine quietness through contemplation of God). Finally, I broaden the project to describe this piece as one where Pärt is clearly evangelizing Christian theology not just to the initiated, but to a much wider and more diverse audience, and suggest that the key to understanding the religious context is through several Christian concepts notably found in the Orthodox tradition.

Complete transcription and reconstruction of the canon a13 for Christ and his Twelve Disciples on the Apostles Creed. This piece is found in both the Eton Choirbook and the Baldwin Manuscript. This edition contained both the fully realized canon as well as a modern reconstruction of the original monophonic version of the canon, as found in the manuscripts.

For a recording with a score animation see the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBu66rLAv7I

It is apparent even to the casual observer that more women participate in American choral singing than men. Choirs at all levels struggle to recruit enough men to balance the legions of singing women. For this reason, American treble choirs are abundant. Yet, women may still feel marginalized in the choral world. Much work remains to resolve issues of opportunity for female conductors, visibility for female composers, equity for female academics, and access to quality treble repertoire. In
response to the last challenge, this issue of the Research Memorandum Series highlights repertoire written for this underserved group. Dr. Jennifer Flory and Meagan W. Johnson present literature for treble choirs written by American composers in the last 30 years.

Written in 2008 for possible publication in the Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World (Bloomsbury) and later substantially rewritten to place less emphasis on the historical and social contexts of this branch of popular music. Minor revisions to the text have been made to keep it current.

Church music plays significant roles in social, religious, and social gatherings in Africa. God gave people the gift of music and commanded its usage for the edification of man. The term “Church music” covers three major aspects of ministry within the context of a local church, namely; Congregational music, choral music, and instrumental music. A piece of music with appropriate biblical text can serve as a response of prayer, praise, a testimony of God’s faithfulness, or a response to an initial revelation of God during worship, or any Christian convergence. Although there may be a lot of confusion on what may be termed as church music, this study seeks to identify the term and discuss the ideals of church music in worship and other Christian convergence from physical and non-physical (spiritual) perspectives of Church music and ministry addressing the problem of lack of structure in the organization of church music ministry. Church music ministry allows Christians to be stewards of their gifts and is a valid medium of propagating the gospel. The study adopts literary and theological approaches and notes that music gives room for the edification of Christians, contributing its quota in building a network of musicians as they unite with other church leaders in raising offerings of praise and thanksgiving to God. It notes that church music should carry a message, express heartfelt praise to God, and/or a divinely inspired message of God to parishioners. It argues that Church music, of necessity, should be from disciplined Christian minds, to prepare true worshippers, reconciling them back to God.

A critical transcription of the three-voice Caça (“chace” or canon) known as “O Virgo Splendens” (“O splendorous virgin”), the first in the small collection of music from the Llibre Vermell. It is perhaps the oddest of the set, being the most stylistically remote. It is the only piece not notated or composed in the contemporary style of the Ars Nova. Rather, its notation and style harken to previous centuries, possibly as recent as the discant style of the Parisian school of Notre Dame or of Santiago de Compostela from the 12th and 13th century, or as old as the free organum style of the 10th and 11th centuries such as that found in the Ad organum faciendum. Given its apparent lack of rhythmic mode of any kind, its relation to the 10th and 11th centuries seem more likely.

For a video of the score with a recorded performance visit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BkzBK5-oDw

Choral church music has appeared in Romania as an expression of the process regarding the modernisation of the country and the abandonment of the Oriental fashion, in favour of the Western one. The modernisation of the educational system and the foundation of new schools have facilitated the approach of a wider area of subjects for study, among which music can also be encountered. This aspect has contributed to the enlargement of the perspective and the assumption of other forms of practicing religious singing, which then led to the embellishment of the public worship service. Once the Theological Seminary appeared in Roman, also the first choral groups for the Episcopal Cathedral appeared, and they constituted the starting ground for the appearance of a professional permanent choir. Following Romanʾs example, Bacău, and even Comăneşti, through their most important churches, encouraged the appearance of choirs, which would participate to the Holy Liturgy and also to various cultural manifestations of the city, thus attracting to this process young music lovers, willing and capable of becoming choir singers. The archive documents are testimonies for the existence of these choirs, the ones which indicate their popularity, as well as the various stages, either good or bad, thorough which the respective choral groups managed to go in the time period we have proposed to cover here.

Edition of Lorenzo da Firenze's caccia, "A poste messe" with english lyrical text underlay. For a video-score of this edition with a recording see the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UN1dFq0jK-U

Transcribed from the Biblioteca Medicea-Laurenziana [I-Fl], MS Mediceo Palatino 87, “Codex Squarcialupi”, fol 25v-26r and the
Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale, Florence (Firenze), Italy [I-Fn], MS Panciatichiano 26, "Panciatichi", fol. 76v-77r.

The form of this piece is canonic with monophonic (?) ritornello. As indicated in the codices, the first part of the piece is clearly a canon for ether two or three voices. The second part, however, gives no sign that it should be performed canonically. Furthermore, there seems to be no reasonable way to render the second half of this piece as a canon without numerous and egregious counterpoint errors. Thus, it is generally accepted that the Ritornello is not a canon like the first part.

The second part can be performed monophonically or by many voices in octaves. However, many recordings have taken the liberty to arrange polyphonic parts to fit with the given monophonic line. Most such arrangements borrow material from the monophonic line, parts of which work contrapuntally well together when isolated and extracted arbitrarily.

The history of the madrigal in England is a significant one, traversing the final decades of the 16th century to the present day; as a vehicle for music, the madrigal has been an inspiration to composers and singers alike. This thesis surveys the revival of interest in the madrigal from the early 18th century to the mid-19th century; it investigates the madrigal's resurrection through a seminal period of English musical history, and examines its rise in artistic and social contexts where nexuses are established with the Gothic Revival and the re-accommodation, from the late-18th century onwards, of Roman Catholicism in England.

The examination of contemporaneous newspapers, musical journals, minute books and other operational apparatus that relate to both metropolitan and provincial madrigal societies has not only revealed how extensive are the existing archives, but has also allowed in-depth investigation and discussion of their meaning and impact.

A core group of five antiquarians is also examined: Sir John Leman Rogers (1780–1847), William Hawes (1785–1846), Edward Taylor (1784–1863), Thomas Oliphant (1799–1873), and James Turle (1802–1882). These men were brought together by their fascination for old music under the aegis of the Madrigal Society (whose continuous existence of over 270 years makes it the oldest music-performing society today); they saw themselves as restorers of a long-lost national heritage, and as advocates of a return to excellence in musical composition. The composer Robert Lucas Pearsall (1795–1856), the most prolific of madrigal writers in the 19th-century, was caught up in the tide of the five men’s work; the outcome was his production of some of the most exquisite vocal writing of his century. All six of these men are discussed in detail within the thesis. 

The end of this thesis gathers together the evidence examined, and arrives at the conclusion that despite the consistently small circle of amateurs and connoisseurs for whom madrigal singing was an interest and pastime in the 18th and early 19th centuries, their efforts nurtured and sustained the madrigal, and promoted it as a patriotic emblem of musical achievement. In so doing, they laid the foundation for a second wave of interest that rose again in the early 20th century, and established firmly the madrigal as a constituent part of English musical ipseity.

The Church is losing a lot souls instead of winning such souls for the Lord simply because she could not maximize her potentials through the use of church musicians to contextualize her music to speak to everyone in the language and culture they understand. I think it is time for the church to rise up to face this challenge by making sure that her music speaks to different cultures in the church without compromising God's standard. Contextualization is the major key to solve such problem.

Práce představuje přehled církevních nařízení o posvátné hudbě v časovém období od papeže Pia X. (1903) až po II. vatikánský koncil (1962-1965). Především budou představeny tři důležité dokumenty týkající se posvátné hudby: motu proprio Tra le sollecitudini Pia X. z 22. listopadu 1903; apoštolská konstituce Divini cultus Pia XI. z 20. prosince 1928; a encyklika Musicae sacrae disciplina Pia XII. z 25. prosince 1955. Tato nařízení budou reflektována v kontextu českých zemí a chrámové hudební praxe té doby.

The church sacred music legislation and its reception in the Czech lands from Tra le sollecitudini up to the Second Vatican Council

The thesis presents an overview of church legislation of sacred music in the period from the pope Pius X (1903) up to the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). Firstly three important documents on the subject of sacred music will be shown: the Motu proprio Tra le sollecitudini of Saint Pius X, Nov. 22, 1903; the Apostolic constitution Divini cultus of Pius XI, Dec. 20, 1928; and the encyclical Musicae sacrae disciplina of Pius XII, Dec. 25, 1955. These regulations will be reflected in the context of the Czech lands and church musical practice of that time.

An ostinato chorale prelude for organ on the Lutheran hymn tune "O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden" ("O Head Full of Blood and Wounds"). This piece uses a simple bass and left hand ostinato against a florid version of the hymn in the right hand. This piece is designed to teach beginner rhythmic independence of the hands and feet using a simple pattern for the feet and one hand against a regularly shifting metrical emphasis for the right hand.

Projekt sređivanja i katalogizacije arhiva Oratorijskoga zbora sv. Marka (1920-1946) završen je u godini kada nasljednik toga poznatoga vokalnoga ansambla, Oratorijski zbor crkve sv. Marka Cantores sancti Marci (1988), slavi 30. obljetnicu postojanja. Glazbena građa što ju je Zbor primio u nasljeđe sada će po prvi put biti predstavljena javnosti.
Projekt je iniciralo Oratorijsko društvo crkve sv. Marka, a financijski su ga potpomogli Ministarstvo kulture Republike Hrvatske i Grad Zagreb. Sređivanje i katalogizacija realizirani su većim dijelom u okviru kolegija Glazbena arhivistika na Odsjeku za muzikologiju Muzičke akademije Sveučilišta u Zagrebu.
Sačuvane muzikalije svjedoče o izvrsnoj djelatnosti zbora na području crkvene glazbe u razdoblju od početka 20. stoljeća do Drugoga svjetskog rata, u punome zamahu cecilijanskoga pokreta, što je u Zagrebu bio naišao na osobito angažirane poklonike. Uz povijest djelovanja Oratorijskoga zbora sv. Marka te pokušaj rekonstrukcije glazbovanja u crkvi sv. Marka prije osnutka Zbora, glavni će dio predavanja biti posvećen predstavljanju načina katalogizacije glazbene građe Arhiva te analizi sređenog fonda, iz koje će proizaći dosad nepoznati podaci o količini građe i njezinoj provenijenciji te o zastupljenim skladateljima i glazbenim vrstama što su se izvodile.

On Ludomir Michał Rogowski’s choral music in the context of archival research

The text presents information about Ludomir Michał Rogowski’s previously ignored choral compositions and offers a systematic description of our knowledge about the surviving songs. The study, which aspires to fill in the ‘white spots’ in the map of Polish music of the first half of the twentieth century, can become a starting point for further research. The author intends to draw attention to a repertoire unknown or barely known and little used by choirs, which could be of interest to ensembles in Poland and abroad. Bringing back to concert life those charming and relatively easy to perform compositions would make it possible to present traditional music themes in unknown arrangements and would be a promotion of Ludomir Michał Rogowski’s music.
Supplemented at the end, a Catalogue of Ludomir Michał Rogowski’s choral compositions (preserved in Polish and Croatian archives) contains a list of all scores surviving in libraries; compositions not mentioned previously in literature are marked as such.

Kyrie, Op.5 (from 'Missa Temporis Perditi'), for a cappella SATB Double Choir, with SSA and SA Soloists:

SATB Choir 1: 2xS, 2xA, 2xT, 2xB (8) = min.2 voices per line for divisi (SSAATTBB)* (stage left side) +

SATB Choir 2: 2xS, 2xA, 2xT, 2xB (8) = min.2 voices per line for divisi (SSAATTBB)* (stage right side) +

Gallery/Offstage Soloists 1: 2xS (for divisi) + 1xA (3) (SSA) (at a distance or offstage, and set antiphonally to:)

Gallery/Offstage Soloists 2: 1xS + 1xA (2) (SA) (in a high and more distant gallery or offstage)

= 1. SSAATTBB + 2. SSAATTBB + 3. SSA + 4. SA; or minimum of 21 singers: 7 sopranos; 6 altos; 4 tenors, 4 basses

(* But ideally at least double these forces: 16 per choir, or 32 for the two choirs + 5 soloists = 37 singers)

This a cappella setting for SATB double choir and soloists of the first section of the traditional Latin Mass – “Kyrie eleison” – is based around permutations of one central motif.  The eight main vocal lines are sometimes further divided for fullness of texture and motivic completeness. At least 21 voices are required to perform the work (choir: SSAATTBB, SSAATTBB + soloists: SSA, SA).  The short central section of this ternary form composition (“Christe eleison”) features high C's in both treble parts, and requires extra soprano and alto soloists to be present offstage (or situated in a gallery), a little removed from the main body of the choir.

Kyrie was first sketched out in 1985 – and only completed, published, and recorded, two decades later. It was first performed in November 2005, during the historic Thomas Tallis 500th anniversary concerts held at Waltham Abbey, Essex (where Tallis worked) and St. Alfege, Greenwich (his burial place). It is appropriate, perhaps, that this work should first have been heard alongside such grand, 40-part polychoral motets as Tallis’s Spem in alium and Striggio’s Ecce beatam lucem.


Kyrie eleison.

    Christe eleison.

Kyrie eleison.


AWARDS:

(1) TALLIS COMMEMORATION MEDAL 2005 (Bestowed by the Thomas Tallis Society Choir) (UK)

(2) ROYAL PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY / BBC RADIO 3 "ENCORE Choral" AWARD 2016-18 (UK)

(3) "BEST CLASSICAL MUSIC RECORDING" NOMINATION – ROUNDGLASS GLOBAL MUSIC AWARDS 2018 (USA-INDIA), as recorded on the album, "Woefully Arrayed" (Navona NV6113, 2017)

* Included on Terpsichore and Other Works: A Record of the Year in Fanfare magazine (USA) ("Want List 2008")

* Reissued on Polyhymnia: "Album des Mes en RNA (Febrero 2012)" (Album of the Month in Reviews New Age, February 2012); Nomination for 'Mejor Álbum RNA de Año' (Best Album of the Year) (Spain)

* Collard Fellowship of The Worshipful Company of Musicians 2011 (UK)

* PRS for Music Foundation / Bliss Trust Composer Bursary 2012 (UK)


MAJOR REVIEWS:

Fanfare (USA), Vol.36: No.1 (Sept-Oct 2012), pp.58-72 - Feature article (includes extensive interview with Martin Anderson, and reviews by Anderson, Canfield and Nockin), and Fanfare (USA), Vol.36: No.2 (Nov-Dec 2012)

Selected International Music Reviews:

“[emulates] the timeless qualities of early music ... In Kyrie, Opus 5, for 60-voice choir, he actually directs the extra soprano and alto soloists to play a crucial off-stage part – even ‘removed to a gallery’: perhaps a modern translation of Giovanni Gabrieli’s polyphonic exploitation of the rich internal architecture of St. Marks Basilica, Venice.” – John Wheatley, Tempo, Vol.62: No.243 (Jan. 2008), pp.88-89 (UK)

“An inspired creation …. voluptuous sonorities … beautifully expansive” – Patric Standford, Music and Vision (16th May, 2009) (UK)

“very well crafted ... very effective” - Stephen Layton, Choral Conductor and Director of Music, Trinity College, Cambridge (October 2009) (UK)

‘Yet even this beauty is surpassed by the piece that concludes the album – “Kyrie, Op.5 (from Missa Temporis Perditi)”. Sixty ethereal voices of the Royal Peculiar Church of St. Alfege in Greenwich, in the United Kingdom, blend to create one of the finest vocal groups that I have ever heard. Without a doubt, from when the music starts, until it ends, there are magnificent and uplifting passages; the voices produce the most amazing, spine-tingling effect. There is just no adequate way to describe this work.’ – Alejandro Clavijo, in Reviews New Age (February, 2012) (SPAIN)

‘The notes quote one unnamed commentator as stating that the music is “completely novel, yet hauntingly familiar.” This seems a fair assessment, in that no other composer among the thousands whose music I’ve heard immediately comes to mind … Perhaps Górecki in certain of his more tonal works comes closest, although Little’s music is about seven notches above the quality of that of the Polish composer … The disc’s closing work, the Kyrie from Little’s Missa Temporis perditi, is my favorite on the CD. Soaring lines in the sopranos, taking them up to high C, suggest the majesty of the words of the Kyrie. … Harmonies shift around a good bit, but the direction of the work is never in doubt as it moves to its dramatic conclusion. The spacious acoustic of the recording venue adds to the otherworldly effect.’ – David DeBoor Canfield, “Polyhymnia …”, in Fanfare, Vol.36, No.1 (Sept/Oct 2012) (USA)

“The highlight of this disc is the Kyrie from his Missa Temporis Perditi … It is an eloquent and expansive work sung here by the Thomas Tallis Chamber Choir, a large a cappella group from which conductor Philip Simms draws opulent sonorities. Little composes with a great array of technical skills and his works are both harmonically and contrapuntally pleasing. He knows how to bring out all the colors of the choral palette, and that is what makes the Kyrie such a fascinating piece. I want to hear the rest of the Mass.” – Maria Nockin, “Polyhymnia …”, in Fanfare, Vol.36, No.1 (Sept/Oct 2012) (USA)

Overwiew Harvey gives information about a distinctive office in Syriac Christianity called Sons and Daughters of the Covenant, the Bnay and Bnat Qyāmâ (III CE). The office was characterized by vows of celibacy, voluntary poverty, and service to the local priest or bishop. We learn from Acts of the Edessan Martyrs Shmona and Guria and the Acts of the Persian Martyrs the members' persecution (especially sons) during the Diocletianic persecution. The majority of the reference refers to the sons rather than daughters, via Aphrahat's Demonstration 6 (4 th century) and Rabbula's canonical legislation in the fifth century. Daughters of the Covenant were charged with the task of singing psalms (women's singing in convent choirs) and various kinds of hymns in certain liturgical celebrations of the civic churches. Sacred music, performed in the congregational gatherings of the larger church community, male and female, ordained and lay. Syriac tradition ascribed the establishment of these choirs of consecrated virgins to Ephrem Syrus. This practice is widespread in Syriac-speaking territories and contrasted sharply, for example, with the normal pattern of Greek and Latin civic churches to the west. According to her, this office contrasted sharply the normal pattern of Greek and Latin civic churches to the west. These areas permitted women's singing in convent choirs, to be sure. SINGING WOMEN Harvey underlines that the first explicit reference is Rabbula Canons in the fifth century. This collection includes the mandatory task of the Daughters of the Covenant such as singing the Psalms, especially the doctrinal hymns (‫ܡܕܖ‬ ̈ ‫ܫܐ‬ / madrashe) of the church and the worship services of the church, including the daily offices. Daughters are not deaconesses. While the deaconesses are keep order in women section by women, for women, liturgical role of psalmody and singing the madrashe is more central function. Syriac writers refer to virgins singing psalms or hymns identifying them as Daughters of the Covenant. They might not be daughters but just virgins who were not necessarily dedicated to lifelong celibacy. Ephrem Syrus (d. 373) in " Hymns on Nativity 4 " Jacob of Serug (d. 521) in his homilies refer to them. At that time is not clear. Yet, Syriac Vita Ephraemi by the 6 th century identified these women's choirs specifically as composed of the Daughters of the Covenant. Ephrem is a founding father of this office anymore. The Daughters of the Covenant was further confirmed at the East Syriac Synod of Mar George I in 7 th century. The most important work of these women is the chanting of the Psalms at the offices of the church, as well as the singing of hymns in funeral processions. After seventh century it is difficult to distinguish between the offices of deaconess and Daughter of the Covenant. In the Middle Ages, the term Daughter of the Covenant appears to become synonymous with " nun ". Perhaps we might see this in the liturgical life of the larger church community not simply to sing nor only to chant the Psalms, but further, to instruct the congregation through hymnography in the substance and form of right belief.

Gloria, Op.18 (from 'Missa Temporis Perditi'), for a cappella SATB Double Choir, with 2 x SA Soloists. (There is the option to double the solo parts, if necessary.)

(The eight main vocal lines are sometimes further divided for fullness of texture and motivic completeness.)

SATB Choir 1: 2xS, 2xA, 2xT, 2xB (8) = min.2 voices per line for divisi (SSAATTBB)* (stage left side) +

SATB Choir 2: 2xS, 2xA, 2xT, 2xB (8) = min.2 voices per line for divisi (SSAATTBB)* (stage right side) +

Gallery/Distant Soloists 1: 1xS + 1xA (2) (SA) (at a distance or in a gallery, and set antiphonally to:)

Gallery/Distant Soloists 2: 1xS + 1xA (2) (SA) (at a distance or in a gallery)

= 1. SSAATTBB + 2. SSAATTBB + 3. SA + 4. SA; or a minimum of 20 singers (24 if solo parts doubled): 6 (or 8) sopranos; 6 (or 8) altos; 4 tenors, 4 basses

(* But ideally at least double these forces: 16 per choir, or 32 for the two choirs + 4 soloists [the parts of which may be doubled to 8 singers] = 40 singers).

ABOUT THE MUSIC

This Gloria is a companion piece to Kyrie, Op.5 – both of which are part of a large-scale mass setting.

REVIEWS

'magnificently handled … radiant' – Colin Clarke, “Little, Woefully Arrayed …”, in Fanfare, Vol.41, No.2 (Nov./Dec. 2017) (USA)

'meticulous detail … complex and beautiful sound' – Dr. Andrew Shenton, BMus(Lond), MM(Yale), AM and PhD(Harvard), FRCO (ChM), LRAM, ARCM, DipRCM, Associate Professor of Music & James R. Houghton Scholar of Sacred Music, Boston University; Conductor and Director of the Boston Choral Ensemble (21st November, 2016) (USA)

'fantastically beautiful' – Daniel Coombs, “Jonathan David LITTLE: Sacred and Secular Choral & Polychoral Works”, in Audiophile Audition, August 1st, 2017 (USA)

'sonically impressive' – Infodad (6th July, 2017) (USA)


ALBUM AWARDS:

- WINNER (UK): "ENCORE CHORAL" AWARD: BBC Radio 3 / Royal Philharmonic Society

- RUNNER-UP (AUSTRALIA): "CHASS AUSTRALIA PRIZE for DISTINCTIVE WORK" 2018: Council for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (29th October 2018, Storey Hall, Melbourne)

- NOMINATION (USA): "BEST CLASSICAL MUSIC RECORDING":  RoundGlass Global Music Awards 2018 (26th January 2018, Edison Ballroom, New York)


TEXT

Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Et in terra pax
hominibus bonæ voluntatis.

Laudamus te; benedicimus te;
adoramus te; glorificamus te.
Gratias agimus tibi
propter magnam gloriam tuam.

Domine Deus, Rex coelestis,
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 dextram Patris,
O miserere nobis.

Quoniam tu solus Sanctus,
tu solus Dominus,
tu solus Altissimus, Jesu Christe.
Cum Sancto Spiritu
in gloria Dei Patris.

Amen

(DURATION: ca.10 to 11+ minutes)

This is a Neo-Classical realization of Johannes Pachelbel's chorale fantasia on the hymn tune "Vom Himmel hoch da komm ich her" (From Heaven Above to Earth I Come). The opening fugue has remain mostly intact from the original with only a few embellishments and additions. The cantus firmus fantasia, however, is far more contrapuntally adventurous as compared to the original.

That Time of Year, Op.2 (for SATBarB soloists or choir) is an a cappella setting of one of Shakespeare’s most poignant sonnets (No.73). The overall mood is one of gentle melancholy – sometimes almost sombre in tone, largely due to the archaic-sounding modal harmonies and cadences, derived in part from the Italian madrigal tradition – echoing, at times, the gloomy, pained music of Carlo Gesualdo (1566-1613), an almost exact contemporary of Shakespeare (1564-1616).

The frequently subdued dynamics and wide vocal range require a firm degree of control. The soprano line is particularly demanding, because of its high, but often very quiet notes. The middle section comprises a set group of phrases from which the singers are free to choose, but all are calculated to sound well together. During this middle section, the baritones and basses should ideally move to the front centre of the stage, while all others retreat backwards, and further out, to form a wide, distant arc – so producing a “ghostly” vocal effect. (At this point, adventurous and well-practised singers may wish to move around while performing, either randomly or in a set pattern, at the back of the stage.) All singers then come together again for the final section.

The choral version of That Time of Year was given a workshop performance by the BBC Singers at BBC Maida Vale Studios on 4th October 2016, led by Judith Weir, CBE, Master of the Queen’s Music, and conducted by James Morgan – under the auspices of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA).

2004; revised 2016

That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang;
In me thou see’st the twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth in the west.
Which by and by black night doth take away,
In me thou see’st the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of its youth doth lie,
As the death-bed whereon it must expire,
Consumed with that which it was nourished by.
This thou perceiv’st, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere long.

            William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

The Sacred Song Festival at Valaam Monastery (1929) and the Development of Finnish Orthodox Church Music

This article focuses on the organization of the first Finnish Orthodox sacred song festival at the Valaam Monastery in 1929, and the processes of development that it initiated. The author bases her findings on previously unexplored archival sources. The article relates to the nationalization of the Finnish Orthodox Church in the interwar period by means of exploring how the adoption of Finnish as the liturgical language, instead of the old Church Slavonic, brought about changes on the level of daily worship and musical activities in the Orthodox parishes.

The sacred music festival brought together some 200 singers and a large audience from the Finnish-speaking Orthodox parishes of the Karelian Diocese. The programme included rehearsals, excursions, and worship, during which the participants constituted one choir. The festival concluded with a formal meeting of amateur and choir singers at the invitation of the Archbishop. The meeting issued sixteen initiatives which focused on the status, funding, and the professional training of the cantors, and the measures to be taken in order to promote congregational singing in the Orthodox parishes. Together with the detailed information about church choirs, collected by the organizers in preparation of the festival, the initiatives of the singers’ meeting provided guidelines for future action. During the 1930s, many of these initiatives bore fruit. Three subsequent church music festivals were organized (1930, 1933, 1936), the Finnish Orthodox Church founded a publishing committee for liturgical music (1930), professional training courses for cantors were launched (1932), and the status of the cantor improved in several ways.

The aim of investigation in this article was to present the group of letters from the correspondence of Kornelije Stanković, kept in the Serbian Archive in Belgrade. In the period between 1853 and 1865, Stanković corresponded with great number of his collaborators, connoisseurs and friends from different social groups. Many of them were important figures in the cultural and political sphere in the Habsburg Monarchy and the Princedom (Kneževina) Serbia.
Besides from a complete list of letters, parts of particular letters from the most important Stanković’s correspondents were discussed in this article. They testify about numerous composer’s artistic activities and his professional environment, as well as his intimate everyday life, his relation with friends and family, financial and health state. This part of Stanković’s correspondence was observed as a source with important information about composer’s role in Serbian musical and cultural history.