Dear Fellow Lovers of Sacred Music,
It has been a few weeks since we've last "spoken" - I hope the Spring is treating you well and that you are encouraged by the warmer temperatures. Christ is Risen, He is Risen indeed! Alleluia!
Today's music begins with the hymn Christ is Made the Sure Foundation, whose hymn tune is WESTMINSTER ABBEY. It is a powerful tune, written by Henry Purcell. The historic hymn's text comes from the second part of the Urbs beata Jerusalem, a plainchant of the 7th century. It is being sung at the royal coronation this weekend but was chosen specifically because it fits the Second Reading so well. Consider how the two texts line up:
SECOND READING (1 Peter 2:4-9)
Beloved: Come to Him, a living stone, rejected by men but chosen and precious in the sight of God, and, like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it says in Scripture: Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion, a cornerstone, chosen and precious, and whosever believes in it shall not be put to shame. Therefore, its value is for you who have faith, but for those without faith: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone, and A stone that will make people stumble, and a rock that will make them fall... etc...
THE HYMN
Christ is made the sure foundation, Christ the head and cornerstone; Chosen of the Lord, and precious, binding all the Church in one; Holy Zion's help forever, and her confidence alone.
This recording is interesting - it was taken by Pope Benedict XVI as he made a visit to England. Notice the very robust choral and congregational singing, all in the more-demanding-than-we're-accustomed-to key of A-flat Major, causing the top note to be an E-flat! (Some less-well-trained liturgical music "experts" would never imagine such a "horror". :)
"The ancient hymn was translated into English from Latin by John Mason Neale, an Anglican hymn-writer and priest, in 1851. During Neale’s lifetime, the scholar translated over 100 different hymns from languages including Latin and Greek.
Perhaps Neale’s most famous hymn is the Christmas carol ‘Good King Wenceslas’, the lyrics of which he translated from a Czech poem by Václav Alois Svoboda. Henry Purcell - Christ is made the sure foundation - YouTube The Offertory Motet at 9:00 is Regina Caeli by Gregor Aichinger (1561 - 1628). It is a powerful, yet approachable work that utilizes a refrain that is heard three times. Not much is written about Aichinger - we know that he was a priest towards the end of his life. Here is a wonderful recording of this effective work: Aichinger | Regina Coeli [á 4; with Organ Intonation] - YouTube The Offertory Motet at 11:00 is Cantate Domino by Hans Leo Hassler (1564 - 1612). It is an effective communicator of this wonderful Psalm, O sing to the Lord a new song, O sing to the Lord all you lands, etc... Its tempo is bright and cheery, sung in cut time (in 2 beats per measure) but breaking into 3 at a few key points in the piece. According to his Wikipedia page, "Though Hassler was Protestant, he wrote many masses and directed the music for Catholic Masses in Augsburg. While in the service of Octavian Fugger, Hassler dedicated both his Cantiones sacrae and a book of masses for four to eight voices to him. Due to the demands of the Catholic patrons, and his own Protestant beliefs, Hassler's compositions represented a skillful blend of both religions’ music styles that allowed his compositions to function in both contexts. Thus, many of Hassler's works could be used both in the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran."Hans Leo Hassler - Cantate domino (score) - YouTube The Communion Motet at 9:00 AM is a Surrexit Christus Hodie that I was blessed to be able to write after Easter Vigil Mass of 2021. My other choir at the time had sung more motets than we were expecting to that night, and, in a desire to keep things fresh for Easter Sunday morning, I knew they'd appreciate something different. This piece utilizes a wonderful text (I used 8 of the 12 verses) that tells the Easter Sunday morning narrative. It utilizes the keys of D-Dorian and A-Dorian (a mode that is close to minor but uniquely on the sixth note of the scale is a half-step higher than what it would be in the minor key, creating a different effect). It mixes the keys in the two voices in the following ways, building up to a big finish on the words: "In this Paschal joy bless the Lord." Verse 1: Tenor and Bass both in D-Dorian.Verse 2: Alto and Bass in A-Dorian.Verse 3: Soprano and Tenor both in D-Dorian.Verse 4: Soprano in D-Dorian; Altos in A-Dorian simultaneouslyVerse 5: Tenors in A-Dorian; Basses in D-Dorian simultaneously.Verse 6: Sopranos in D-Dorian with Altos, Tenors, and Basses singing a more-Western-sounding traditional harmony underneath. Verse 7: Sopranos and Tenors singing in D-Dorian; Altos and Basses singing in A-Dorian simultaneously.Verse 8: Sopranos and Tenors singing in A-Dorian; Altos and Basses singing in D-Dorian simultaneously, with a slightly extended-ending. The Communion Motet at 11:00 is a wonderful, more-reflective Maria Magdalene written by Andrea Gabrielli (1510 - 1586). It tells of the women going to the tomb Easter morning to anoint the Body of our Lord, only to find the Angel there with his instructions. Gabrielli, a teacher of the fore-mentioned Hassler, was a native of Venice who spent the last nineteen years as the organist (a prestigious post) at St. Mark's in Venice. While most Easter music tends to be a bit on the loud, assertive side, listen to this refreshingly pure and ethereal piece: Andrea Gabrieli, Maria Magdalene - YouTube God bless you, and have a lovely weekend! Peace to you and your families!
In the Risen Christ,
Jacob Flaherty -Director of Sacred Music