VCHpresents Organ: A Ceremony of Carols

A CEREMONY OF CAROLS

3 JAN 2021, 4PM & 7.30PM VICTORIA CONCERT HALL SPONSORED BY

PROGRAMME Loraine Muthiah, organ Charity Kiew, harp^ Raeanne Wong, soprano# J.S. BACH In dulci jubilo, BWV 729

3 mins

DAQUIN Noël Suisse

4 mins

BALBASTRE Quand Jesus naquit à Noël

7 mins

HASSELMANS Chanson de Mai, Op. 4^

4 mins

GRANDANY Aria in Classic Style^

6 mins

BRITTEN Selections from A Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28^#

14 mins

I. Procession (Hodie Christus natus est) III. There is no rose IV. That young child V. Balulalow VIII. Interlude XII. Recession (“Hodie Christus natus est”) NEAR Carillon on a Ukrainian Bell Carol

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4 mins

LORAINE MUTHIAH ORGAN

CHARITY KIEW HARP

Loraine Muthiah serves as organist at St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Barker Road Methodist Church and the Danish Seamen’s Church, Singapore, in addition to her work as a legal counsel.

Charity Kiew’s musical journey has been dynamic and exciting.

Her technical mastery and musical sensitivity has led her to play with orchestras around the world including the Berlin Philharmonic and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. In Singapore, she has appeared with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Singapore Chinese Orchestra, Metropolitan Festival Orchestra and Singapore Lyric Opera.

Having pursued piano accompaniment diplomas at a young age and having a special interest in working with instrumentalists and choirs, Loraine started playing the organ in 2002. At the same time she pursued her legal studies and went on to practise law.

After moving to in-house legal work in 2011, she was able to spend more time furthering her organ studies.

She has since attended various organ masterclasses in Germany, France, Holland and the UK and continues her studies in Singapore under Dr Evelyn Lim. Loraine has also contributed to the local organ music scene working on special projects like the Bicentennial Christmas Carol Service and with various educational institutions, the Singapore Chapter of the American Guild of Organists and the VCHpresents Organ Series.

Loraine is a founding member and resident accompanist of the Anglican Chamber Ensemble, Singapore.

As an award winner, Charity won First Prize at the New York Concerti Sinfonietta’s International Shining Stars Debut Series, winner of the Manhattan School of Music Fuchs Chamber Music Competition, and joint second place (no first awarded) in the Singapore-Malaysia Harp competition in 2010.

Charity was the winner of the prestigious Lee Kwan Yew Gold medal award at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (National University of Singapore). She then proceeded to New York City to obtain her master’s degree at the Manhattan School of Music. Most recently, she received her second master’s degree from the esteemed Universität der Künste in Berlin.

Charity performs on a harp courtesy of Rave Harps

RAEANNE WONG SOPRANO A soprano vocalist, 15-year-old Raeanne studies at School of the Arts, Singapore as a David Marshall Scholar.

She performs regularly with the SSO as a member of the Singapore Symphony Youth Choir, and was previously in the Children’s Choir (SSCC). With the SSCC, she performed for Singapore’s Cultural Medallion in 2017, the 2018 ASEAN Summit Gala Dinner, with the world-famous King’s Singers, and has also lent her voice to the official re-recording of Singapore’s National Anthem.

As a soloist, Raeanne took the international stage in 2019 when she sang in Prague’s St Martin’s in the wall church where Mozart did before. She holds awards garnered from international and local voice competitions, and was selected for masterclasses with Professors Nancy Yuen and Miloslava Vítková. Last year, Raeanne had the privilege of singing the opening solo for Singapore’s Bicentennial Christmas Concert, with PM Lee Hsien Loong and the nation’s leaders in attendance.

PROGRAMME NOTES J.S. BACH (1685 – 1750) In dulci jubilo, BWV 729

CLAUDE BALBASTRE (1724 – 1799) Quand Jesus naquit à Noël

In dulci jubilo (“In sweet rejoicing”) is a 14th century carol which combines German and Latin text. The attributed composer, German mystic Heinrich Seuse is said to have had a vision of angels singing this song whereupon he joined them in a heavenly dance.

Claude Balbastre was an established organist, harpsichordist and composer in Paris, and served in the court of King Louis XVI. Drawing huge crowds when he played his noels at the Church of Saint-Roch, Balbastre drew the ire of the Archbishop of Paris, who forbade him from playing during some of the services.

Bach wrote the setting for this piece during his years working as a church musician in Arnstadt. It was written to accompany congregational singing in the style of the time: statements of the chorale are interspersed with organ cadenzas. This piece is popular in Christmas presentations and is traditionally performed as the first concluding organ voluntary at the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King’s College, Cambridge.

LOUIS-CLAUDE DAQUIN (1694 – 1772) Noël Suisse

Quand Jésus naquit à Noël (“When Jesus was born at Christmas”) is an old French carol about those who came to see the Christ child in Judea when he was born and the gifts they offered. The variations here showcase different sounds and colours of the organ, based on the noel.

ALPHONSE HASSELMANS (1845 – 1912) Chanson de Mai, Op. 40

Louis-Claude Daquin was a child prodigy who became a professional organist at the age of 12. He was a celebrated organist and keyboard improviser.

Chanson de Mai (“Song of May”) was composed as a romance sans paroles, or a romance without words.

The month of May is often associated with spring and with innocent, young love, and the melody above running arpeggios sings of such bliss.

The Swiss Noel is a set of variations on a tune associated with the texts “Il est un petit l’ange” (“He is a little angel”) and “O Dieu de clémence” (“O God of mercy”). The former text is from an old Swiss carol, describing an angel’s invitation to a boy to see the baby Jesus, pitiful and lying in a stable. The boy asks to be shown where the baby is, and intends to cheer the family, remain with the Lord and comfort him.

However just as storms can be typical of spring weather, even young love is not immune from troubles. The middle section is in the relative minor key and is somewhat agitato in character.

The murmuring figure in the left hand together with the melancholic melody in the right builds tension, contrasting the easy-going beginning section.

MARCEL GRANDJANY (1891 – 1975) Aria in Classic Style Marcel Grandjany was a revered harpist as well as harp teacher who taught at The Juilliard School in New York City from 1938 to 1975. In addition to playing the harp, he was also an organist, which is perhaps why his Aria in Classic Style was originally written for harp and organ.

This piece has a sombre feel to it possibly because Grandjany felt ashamed that he was not able to fight alongside his colleagues in World War I, some of whom had died at the frontline. In this time, he stopped playing the harp and instead worked as an organist.

BENJAMIN BRITTEN (1913 – 1976) Selections from A Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28 I.

Procession (Hodie Christus natus est) III. There is no rose IV. That young child V. Balulalow VIII. Interlude XII. Recession (“Hodie Christus natus est”) Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols was composed for harp and treble chorus based on text from The English Galaxy of Shorter Poems by Gerald Bullett, a collection of poems from the 15th and 16th centuries. The Procession and Recession, which frame the work, are based on the the Christmas Day plainchant Hodie Christus natus est (“Today Christ is born”), and the harp Interlude features the chant while incorporating themes from some of the other movements.

Today’s presentation will feature a selection of movements using combinations of solo voice, harp and organ.

PROCESSION Hodie Christus natus est: hodie Salvator apparuit: hodie in terra canunt angeli laetantur archangeli: hodie exsultant justi dicentes: gloria in excelsis Deo. Alleluia!

THAT YOUNG CHILD That yongë child when it gan weep With song she lulled him asleep: That was so sweet a melody It passèd alle minstrelsy.

The nightingalë sang also: Her song is hoarse and nought thereto: Whoso attendeth to her song And leaveth the first then doth he wrong.

BALULALOW O my deare hert, young Jesu sweit, Prepare thy creddil in my spreit, And I sall rock thee to my hert, And never mair from thee depart.

And sing that richt Balulalow!

RECESSION Hodie Christus natus est: hodie Salvator apparuit: hodie in terra canunt angeli laetantur archangeli: hodie exsultant justi dicentes: gloria in excelsis Deo. Alleluia!

GERALD NEAR (B. 1942) Carillon on a Ukranian Bell Carol Carol of the Bells derives its tune from a Ukrainian folk song for the New Year about the coming of spring.

Lyricist Peter Wilhousky thought of handbells upon hearing the four-note repeated motif in the song, and wrote the now familiar bell carol words.

This seems to reference a Slavic legend that when Jesus was born, at midnight, all the bells started to ring.

The carillon by Near opens with bells sounding from a distance, followed by the introduction of the “ding, dong” countermelody. The bells get louder as the piece swells, with the bells pounding and the piece ending dramatically with full organ.

Notes by Loraine Muthiah

SUPPORTED BY

sso.org.sg/VCHpresents

PATRON SPONSOR