FESTIVAL CHOIR CONCERT

from Festival Choir Concert | July 21

Dr. Shannon Gravelle THE PHYLLIS AND RICHARD DUESENBERG ENDOWED FESTIVAL CHOIR DIRECTOR CHAIR

Cheryl Taylor Lemmons COLLABORATIVE PIANIST

Danielle Harrington CONCERT CHOIR FELLOW

We kindly ask that all members of the audience refrain from photographing or recording tonight’s performances. Please turn off all electronic and noise-making devices.

Morton • Christian Chiasson TRUMPET

Bruce Atwell HORN

Benjamin Yates TROMBONE Mark Severtson TUBA welcome Thomas Bandar

Dr. Jenifer K. Ward PRESIDENT, LUTHER COLLEGE

prologue The Word Was God

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. By Him, all things were that have been made. Nothing was made He has not made.

John 1:1–3 notes paraphrased from the composer

The text and theme are introduced simply, beginning in unison. The unison represents the oneness of God and Christ (who is the Word). The theme is then developed with three independent lines (basses and sopranos sharing the same line). The contrasting next section is marked by a bass drone and tenors lyrically echoing the sopranos and altos. In the final section, the phrase “In the beginning was the word” is heard six times to symbolize the six days of creation.

Praise

O sing joyfully unto God our strength; make a cheerful noise unto the God of Jacob. Take the song, bring hither the tabret: the merry harp with the lute. Blow up the trumpet in the new moon: ev’n in the time appointed, and upon our solemn feast day. For this was made a statute for Israel, and the law of the God of Jacob.

Psalm 81:1–4

Batten wrote numerous anthems for the Anglican church in the early 1600s. Although he was a prolific composer, much of his music is lost. Many of his works that still exist only exist in manuscript form. The form of the music follows that of the text, and oscillates between homophony and polyphony.

Sing My Child Sarah Quartel

Sing for the promise in each new morning. Sing for the hope in a new day dawning. All around is beauty bright! Wake in the morning and sing, my child.

Dance in the joy of the day unfolding. Dance as you work and dance as you’re learning. All around is beauty bright! Take in the day and dance, my child. But when troubles come and worry is all that can be found, gather your strength and hear your voice. Sing, my child.

Laugh in the cool and the fresh of the ev’ning. Laugh in your triumph and laugh in succeeding. All around is beauty bright! Rest in the ev’ning and laugh, my child.

The text continues on the following page u

Peace in the stillness and dark of the night. Peace in the dreams of your silent delights. All around is beauty bright! Sleep in the night and peace, my child. But when troubles come and worry is all that can be found, gather your strength and hear your voice. Sing, my child. Dance, my child. Laugh, my child. Peace, my child. Written in 7/8 and 3/4, this piece was commissioned for a choir of 700 to perform. The text takes the listener through the day: in the new morning, day unfolding, fresh of the evening, stillness of the night.

with joy Bamthatha South African Freedom Song

John Paul Fox-Seidel • Tessera Rippentrop CALLERS Bamthatha. Bambeka eIsland.

Wasuka wakhala watha “amandla.”

Kawuthethe

Thetha Winnie, theta Khulul’ isizwe

They took him.

They put him on the island [Robben Island].

He cried out and said “Strength/power to the people.”

Speak out loud.

Speak out, Winnie, speak out. Freedom to the land.

This South African freedom song is looking at the story of Winnie Mandela, who was an anti-apartheid activist. With the government often restricting her movements while her then-husband, Nelson Mandela, was in prison, she was only periodically able to partake in communion. This music is grounded in liberating joy while engaging in the struggle for justice and peace in South Africa.

Wake Every Breath William Billings

1746–1800

Isabel Lugo • Shakeira Simmons • Edra Clements • Syd Raley

Addie Nass • Luke Baker-Trinity SOLOISTS

Wake ev’ry breath and ev’ry string, to bless the great Redeemer King; His name through ev’ry clime adored!

Let joy and gratitude and love through all the notes of music move, and “Jesus” sound on ev’ry chord.

The first iteration of the melody will be presented by six soloists before the choir enters. Billings was an early American composer that worked to establish singing schools in the 1770s. Although prolific, copyright laws were not codified when Billings first began his composition career. Many of his pieces were plagiarized and Billings, who received very little in the ways of royalties from his works, died in poverty.

“Alleluia” from Songs of Faith

Bruce Atwell HORN

Sam Deneen CONGAS

David Eyler TAMBOURINE

Paul Basler b. 1963

Paul Basler wrote “Alleluia” as part of the Songs of Faith five-movement cycle. Basler’s skill on the French horn is heard in his composition. The primary text consists of one word: Alleluia. The opening section is heard two more times in the work, interspersed between other musical ideas.

… in prayer Our Father Op 14

Our Father, who art in heav’n, hallow’d be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done as it is in heav’n. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Maurice Duruflé

1902–1986

Duruflé a church musician, musicologist, concert organist, music educator and composer had a relatively small compositional output, and most of what he composed was for organ. The first version (1977) of Our Father was written for unison congregation and organ. Tonight we sing the second version (1978), arranged by Duruflé’s wife, Marie-Madeleine, for SATB choir.

Verleih

uns Frieden Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy

1809–1847

Verleih uns Frieden gnädiglich, Herr Gott, zu unseen Zeiten! Es ist doch ja kein Andrer nicht, der für uns könnte streiten, denn du, unser Gott alleine.

Martin Luther, 1483–1546

Grant us peace graciously, Lord God, in our time! There is indeed no other who could fight for us than You, our God, alone.

Mendelssohn composed this short work, a setting of a prayer for peace by Martin Luther, in 1831. The text is a paraphrase of the Da pacem Domine, a Latin prayer for peace, which would regularly end liturgies in Luther’s time.

… with love Lead with Love Melanie DeMore

Henry Podoll • Jade Stuart • Romarro Nealy

Nathaniel Scott • Gabi Myers SOLOISTS

Chorus You gotta put one foot in front of the other and lead with love.

1, 4 Don’t give up hope, you’re not alone. Don’t you give up. Keep movin’ on. Chorus

2 Lift up your eyes, don’t you despair. Look up ahead, the path is there. Chorus

3 I know you’re scared, and I’m scared, too. But here I am, right next to you. Chorus

Melanie DeMore is a singer, songwriter, and activist; bringing people together in healing through music is her mission. She writes that she is inspired by the great movements that were started “out of the love for their people, not out of the hatred of others.” Audience participation is welcome.

Peace I Leave with You Amy Beach

1867–1944

Peace I leave with you. I leave with you my peace. I give unto you. Not as the world giveth give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled.

John 14:27

Known for her orchestral and piano music, Amy Beach’s “Peace I Leave with You” was published the same year as her Mass in E-Flat Major. Short and diatonic, this work is a benediction with text taken from the Bible.

epilogue I Sing Because I’m Happy Rollo Dilworth

I sing because I’m happy. I sing because I’m free. His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

I’m so happy, yes! I’m so happy, yes, I am!

“His Eye is on the Sparrow,” which this piece quotes, is a gospel hymn written in 1905. The inspiration for the text comes from the Psalms and the Gospel of Matthew. The adaptor (the song has been written, arranged, and now adapted) is Dr. Rollo Dilworth, who is a professor and administrator at Temple University, Philadelphia. Audience participation is encouraged.

Following acknowledgement of the performers, we conclude with song and prayer

Evening Prayer

This liturgy uses the cranberry-colored worship book Evangelical Lutheran Worship, abbreviated as ELW in this bulletin. References to “page” numbers are found in the front of the book (look for the smaller numbers at the bottom of each page) while references to “Hymn” numbers are found in the main section (look for larger numbers at the top of each page next to the hymn title).

abendmusik “Come unto me …” Ana Hernández

Ezechiel Daos LEADER introit “Thou that hast given so much” Carl F. Schalk, 1929–2021 Stand at the start of the introduction dialogue At the sound of the bell, face the procession hymn of light

This song was taught to the LSM community by Paul Vasile during his LSM 2023 residency. Vasile is executive director of Music that Makes Community, an organization whose practitioners including composer Ana Hernández not only teach “paperless” songs by rote but also encourage improvisation in musical and community-building spaces.