Saturday, March 22 at 8pm Friday, March 28 at 8pm
Transcription
Saturday, March 22 at 8pm Friday, March 28 at 8pm
Steven Fox, Conductor Saturday, March 22 at 8pm Church of the Immaculate Conception, Montclair and Friday, March 28 at 8pm West Side Presbyterian Church, Ridgewood Steven Fox, Music Director Janet Montgomery, Principal Accompanist and Assistant Conductor Patricia Klecanda, Manager Board of Trustees Joseph DeFazio, President Jane W. Stein, Vice President Kenneth Benkovic, Treasurer Louisa Bumagin, Constance J. Collins, Andrea Covais, Hugh Dougan, Enid Hayflick, Dr. Edward Hedlund, Thomas Hellegers, Virginia Miner, Royal Ronning, Susan Seay, Mary Jane Shevlin, Michael Stella Save the Dates Friday, June 6, 2014 50th Anniversary Gala Concert F. Poulenc, Gloria R.V. Williams, Dona Nobis Pacem With Special Guest Conductor Maestro John Nelson and Orchestra Modern West Side Presbyterian Church, Ridgewood Saturday, June 7, 2014 50th Anniversary Gala Benefit Ridgewood Country Club, Paramus For more information, or to join our email list, contact the Pro Arte Chorale office at (201)497-8400 Email: [email protected] web: www.proartechorale.org March 22, 2014 at 8:00pm Church of the Immaculate Conception, Montclair, NJ March 28, 2014 at 8:00pm West Side Presbyterian Church, Ridgewood, NJ Choral Classics The Pro Arte Chorale Steven Fox, Conductor Janet Montgomery, Piano and Organ Molly Quinn, Soprano Michael Steinberger, Tenor/Baritone Johann Sebstian Bach (1685 – 1750) Lobet Den Herrn, alle Heiden Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897) Warum ist das Licht gegeben Geistliches Lied ~ INTERMISSION ~ Blegnet, Segnet! Ave Maris Stella Den Store, Hvide Flok Dona Nobis Pacem Edvard Grieg (1843 – 1907) Komm, Jesu Komm Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750) Wade in the Water There is a Balm in Gilead Precious Lord Great Day arr. Norman Luboff (1917 – 1987) William L. Dawson (1899 – 1990) Thomas A. Dorsey (1899 – 1993) arr. Warren Martin (1916 – 1982) These programs are made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Performance venue is handicapped accessible. Large print programs are available at every concert. About Pro Arte Chorale Pro Arte Chorale, a 60-member all-volunteer chorus now celebrating its 50th season, is one of New Jersey’s most prominent choral organizations. The Chorale has appeared in major concert venues across the region including the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, and the South Orange Performing Arts Center. In addition to its own subscription series in Bergen County, the Chorale has appeared with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, American Symphony Orchestra, Westfield Symphony Orchestra, Mark Morris Dance Company, and the New York Chamber Symphony. Currently under the musical direction of Steven Fox, the Pro Arte Chorale has also been conducted by Joshua Greene, David Crone, Roger Nierenberg, Bart Folse and John Nelson. In addition, the Chorale has sung under the batons of Nicholas McGegan, Zubin Mehta, Julius Rudel, Hugh Wolff, Zdenek Macal, Yuri Temirkanov, Leon Botstein, Gerard Schwartz, and David Wroe. The Pro Arte Chorale, a proud recipient of funding from the NJ State Council of the Arts, is committed to enriching the lives of its members, its audience and the broader community by exploring many musical traditions and presenting performances of the highest artistic quality. Sopranos Altos Basses Ursula Ball Susan Aster Ron Aldridge Tammy Conti Donna Carlson Moshe Arad Rachel Crawford Gillian Columbus Joe DeFazio Jane Dougan Andrea Covais Hugh Dougan Yelena Etkina Connie DeFazio Jim Freeman Carol Gaslow Frieda Holober Howard Hanes Marie Griffo Patricia Klecanda Tom Hellegers Catherine Guinard Arlene Lawton Blake Kelly Enid Hayflick Nancy Malinoski Robert Montoya Kathy Jones-Smith Charlene Marcus Steven Palmieri Mary Kimball Dianne McKinnon Walter Perog Elisabeth Mannschott Gisela O’Connell Baron Rightmeyer Elisabeth Ann McGrath Janet Salisbury Roy Ronning Denise Michaud Jonathan Weiner Virginia Miner Tenors Carol Nelson Richard Alsop Jennifer Otto Edward Hedlund Susan Seay Hewitt Jeter Mary Jane Shevlin Richard Schachter Harry Sink Michael Stella Photo credit: Paul Donohoe Karl Winters Come Home to Pro Arte Chorale Corporate Office: 25 Orient Way * Rutherford, NJ 07070 (201)939-5000 * www.bssbank.com Ask us how you can help Pro Arte Chorale earn more donation dollars. Office locations in Bergen, Essex, Morris and Passaic Counties. YOU CALL IT IN. WE BRING IT OUT. TM Available at participating locations. DohertyInc.com FlapJackFunds.com Congratulations Pro Arte Chorale on your 50th Anniversary Season! Member FDIC 6 5 Y E A R S O F H O M E D E S I G N E X C E L L E N C E . Step into... THE ULRICH EXPERIENCE What a pleasure it was working with Ulrich on the kitchen at the 2012 Designer Showhouse of New Jersey! Always professional, innovative with design, and totally cooperative, Ulrich made the kitchen installation seamless and made it all happen on time, with an incredibly beautiful result. My experience certainly confirms Ulrich’s reputation as the finest design-build firm in the region. C M Y CM MY CY MY —Tony Manning, Interior Designer K Photography by Peter Rymwid 100 Chestnut Street, Ridgewood, NJ 07450 201.445.1260 • www.ulrichinc.com KITCHENS • BATHS • HOME OFFICES • LIBRARIES • MEDIA ROOMS • RENOVATIONS & ADDITIONS About the Artists Called an ‘esteemed director’ by the New Yorker and “visionary” by BBC Music Magazine, Steven Fox is Music Director of the Pro Arte Chorale, Artistic Director of New York’s Clarion Music Society and the Founder of Musica Antiqua St. Petersburg, which he began as Russia’s first Baroque orchestra at the age of 21. In the last two years he has been engaged as a guest conductor with this country’s leading Baroque orchestras: last season he made his debut conducting the Handel and Haydn Society in Boston (called ‘stunning’ by The Boston Globe), and with Juilliard’s Baroque orchestra, Juilliard415, at Lincoln Center (called ‘Exceptional’ by Seen and Heard International); next season he makes his debut with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra in San Francisco in a set of Russian early Classical concerts. Other debuts in 2013 include Handel’s Messiah and Humperdink’s Hansel and Gretel with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, and a program of Bach and Mozart with Fundacion Excelencia in Madrid. This past season he was Assistant and Cover Conductor for the Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artists Program and Juilliard Opera. He returned for the fourth year to New York City Opera as an Associate Conductor for Christopher Alden’s production of Cosi fan Tutte. He has also been a guest conductor for the Aston Magna Festival and the Trinity Choir and Baroque Orchestra. Since he began as Artistic Director of Clarion in 2006, Mr. Fox has taken the Clarion Orchestra and Clarion Choir to Lincoln Center on the White Light and Scope Festivals, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Miller Theatre at Columbia, and The Morgan Library; he has garnered critical praise from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, Seen and Heard International, Musical America, BBC Music Magazine, and The Boston Globe. Steven graduated a Senior Fellow with High Honors from Dartmouth College and with Distinction from the Royal Academy of Music, London, where, in 2010, he was named an Associate for ‘significant contributions to his field in music’. He has given master classes and clinics at Dartmouth College, The Juilliard School and Yale University. He has also served as a preparatory conductor for the Yale University Schola Cantorum. Janet Montgomery has won acclaim as a pianist, organist, coach, and conductor. She has appeared in concert at venues ranging from Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center to Washington National Cathedral, and the Juilliard School. She has accompanied such groups as the New York Choral Society, the Gregg Smith Singers, Musica Sacra, and the Masterwork Chorus. She is a founding member of the Serafini Brillanti Trio; the group has recorded a CD and has performed extensively in New Jersey, Florida, and the Chicago area. Ms. Montgomery is the director of music at the Community Church of Glen Rock and is the accompanist and keyboard assistant at the Barnert Temple of Franklin Lakes. She is also on the music faculty of the Dwight Englewood School. Ms. Montgomery graduated from the Oberlin Conservatory with a bachelor’s degree in piano performance and has a master’s degree in accompanying from the Manhattan School of Music. She also holds the AAGO certification from the American Guild of Organists. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Molly Quinn, Soprano Praised for her “Radiant Sweetness” and “Arresting Sweetness and Simplicity” by the New York Times, Soprano Molly Quinn continues to delight audiences in a wide variety of repertoires. Miss Quinn has appeared as part of Moscow’s Golden Mask Festival and Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival in the acclaimed Mark Morris Dance Group production of Dido and Aeneas. She has toured as part of Costa Rica’s Credomatic Music Festival, and has appeared as a soloist with such notable early music ensembles as Apollo’s Fire, The Folger Consort, Quicksilver, and The Clarion Music Society. Miss Quinn is a featured soloist on several recordings including the Grammy nominated Israel in Egypt (Trinity Baroque Orchestra/2011) Ave Maria (Seraphic Fire/2013) and Uno+One: Italia Nostra (TENET/2013.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Michael Steinberger, Tenor Tenor Michael Steinberger is in high demand for his skill in a wide variety of musical genres. Featured under the batons of many esteemed conductors, including Michael Stern, Kent Tritle, Martin Gester, and Andrew Parrott, he has appeared with preeminent ensembles like the New York Philharmonic, American Symphony Orchestra, New York Collegium, Musica Sacra, and Vox Vocal Ensemble. Highlights of this past season include the role of evangelist in Schütz’ Matthæus-Passion with Amor Artis, Arabic folk songs and Vaughan Williams’ sublime Mass in G on the Great Music in a Great Space series at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and with Musica Sacra, a chamber program entitled “The Tudor Traverse.” Critics have described his voice as a “clarion tenor” (Los Angeles Times), a “mellifluous and lyrical voice” (Danbury News-Times), exhibiting “the most solid and beautiful singing” (The Washington Post), and “astute and moving” (New Music Connoisseur). Also a dedicated ensemble singer, Michael is a member of New York Virtuoso Singers, Waverly Consort, and Pomerium. Recent recording credits include Bobby McFerrin’s VOCAbuLarieS, which received three Grammy nominations in 2011, and Pomerium’s A Voice in the Wilderness. GERMAN, VREELAND & ASSOCIATES, LLP Certified Public Accountants ROBERT W. DODDS, CPA TELEPHONE (973) 605-2777 FAX (973) 605-8064 email: [email protected] 2 RIDGEDALE AVENUE • SUITE 300 CEDAR KNOLLS, NJ 07927-119 Corporate Friends and Foundations New Jersey State Council on the Arts Frank and Lydia Bergen Foundation Copper Beech Foundation Lillian P. Schenck Fund Boiling Springs Savings Bank PIMCO Foundation Microsoft Corporation Leaf, Saltzman, Manganelli, Pfeil and Tendler, LLP Ginger N’ Cream, Westwood Acknowledgments The Pro Arte Chorale deeply appreciates the support and assistance of the following throughout our 2013-2014 season: 730 Franklin Lakes Road, Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417 Pastor Louis Kilgore (201) 891-0511 Cestaro’s Furniture Finishing Stripping ~ Antiques Restored Fine Furniture Refinishing Ann Cestaro Tel: (973) 278-5570 Suite 245 86 Lackawanna Avenue West Paterson, NJ 07424 Lisa Stitt and Paul Mensing¸West Side Presbyterian Church Shailja Rastogi, Central Unitarian Church, Paramus Nell Seymour, Unitarian Society of Ridgewood Cindy Keegan, Graphic Design Jon Bognar and Victoria Schmidt, Printology Nicholas Finch, AvG Digital Inc. The Pro Arte Chorale gratefully acknowledges the following volunteers for all their help this season! Mary Jane Shevlin, Chorus Manager Hugh and Jane Dougan, Grant Writing Mike Stella, Marketing and Publicity Vince Bogucki, Database and Website Management Tom Otto and Marc DeFazio, Ushers and Concert Management Dianne McKinnon and Nancy Malinoski, Fundraising Events Ron Aldridge, Program Notes Kathy Jones-Smith and Jennifer Otto, Member Directory and Ticket Administration James Freeman, Rehearsal Set Up Annual Giving – Pro Arte Chorale Benefactors ($1,000+) Friends ($25-99) Constance J. Collins Susan Aster Anonymous Hugh and Jane Dougan Enid F. Hayflick Patricia Klecanda Dr. Robert and Virginia Miner Susan and Guy Seay In memory of Joan and Bob Puglis Patrons ($500-$999) Alfred Blomquist Dr. Joseph and Constance De Fazio Richard Hansen Thomas and Louisa Hellegers Charlene Marcus Dianne McKinnon Tom and Jennifer Otto Robert and Mary Jane Shevlin Michael and Pat Stella Sponsors ($200-499) Scott and Carolyn Aldridge Donald and Marilyn Becker Marie Louise Brauch Anthony and Janet Cipriano Tim and Corinne Dyas Tatyana Finklestein Dr. Edward Hedlund John Koontz Howard and Anita Minnick Charles Morton Gisela O’Connell Marleigh Goldblatt Alois and Katrina Prais Conrad Schmidt Lorraine Spivak Gus and Susan Vasiliadis In memory of Audrey Nelson and Kate Kunz Jeffrey and Cleo Venho Anonymous Claire S. Giger Dr. Wylie and Christina Hembree Hewitt and Gerrie Jeter David Tait Associates ($100-199) Frieda Dimitry Dorothy Neff Francis and Barbara Schott Sidney Wilker Our thanks to all who have made donations for special events this past season, to patrons whose names may have been inadvertently omitted, and for contributions that were received after our program printing deadline. Your names will be gratefully acknowledged in our next program. Program Notes The pieces we sing tonight are all choral classics and provide a taste of the diversity of Western choral music. That music had its roots in Christianity, and all of the works we sing are religious. It is fitting that we feature two motets by one of the greatest composers of Christian music, Johann Sebastian Bach. Choral music evolved in the able hands of Romantic composers like Brahms and Grieg, whose religious feeling was more personal than institutional. And choral music was immeasurably deepened by the contributions of African-American slaves, whose personal religious expression in spirituals was rejected by the institutions of their day. We hope you enjoy the beauty and variety of today’s program. Because Lobet den Herrn alle Heiden (Praise the Lord, all Heathen) was published relatively late, in 1821, and because its writing often seems more appropriate for instruments than voices and presumably unBachlike, some scholars question whether this work is even by Bach, or is even a motet. Our enjoyment of this work, like enjoyment of Shakespeare’s plays, need not depend on our exact knowledge of its author. The text is Psalm 117, a song of praise to God. The rising arpeggios on the opening word Lobet are a motif that Bach typically uses to express praise, and the fugal structure conveys waves of praise from all mankind. The turning motif of the second section, set to the text Lobet den Herrn alle Völker (Praise the Lord, all peoples) is Bach’s common means of expressing the intensity of crowds. In contrast, the following section, with the text Denn seine Gnade und Wahrheit waltet über uns in Ewigkeit (For his grace and truth reign over us forever) is homophonic, conveying the stability of God’s rule. For effect, the word Ewigkeit (eternity) is elongated by each voice in succession. The motet ends as a celebration with a dancelike Alleluia. The occasion for Bach’s composition of the motet Komm, Jesu, Komm is not known, possibly a funeral at St. Thomas Church or St. Thomas School in Leipzig, where he was music director at the end of his career. Most likely only such a special occasion would have granted Bach the funding for the motet’s double chorus. Bach took as his text the first and last verses of an eleven-verse poem that had been adapted as a sacred song by his predecessor as cantor in Leipzig, Johann Shelle, for the funeral in 1684 of the rector of St. Thomas School. The first stanza begins with the two choruses pleading for Christ’s coming, then singing lines of weariness and despair with falling phrases. The text painting is adept: the phrase der saure Weg (the thorny path or “sour way”) is expressed through dissonant drop of a diminished seventh. The mood brightens with text of submission to God sung in duple time: Komm, ich will mich dir ergeben (Come, I yield myself to you). Then the stanza concludes joyfully with an extended exposition of a passage from John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” set to a minuet. This section proceeds through sixteen circles of fifths, giving the sense that placing one’s life in God’s hands brings order and stability. Throughout this stanza Bach uses the double chorus with versatility: the two choruses engage in dialogue, or one chorus sings a fugue while the other adds interjections as chordal accompaniment, or one chorus sings an eight-bar phrase and is exactly echoed by the other, or all the singers together sing eight-part polyphony. In contrast to the emotional contrasts of the first stanza, the second stanza is a stately chorale expressing confidence in God as the foundation of every Christian’s life. --In 1853, composer and pianist Robert Schumann met and befriended the 20-year-old Johannes Brahms and published an article praising his talent. Brahms also developed a lifelong friendship with Robert’s wife Clara, a talented musician in her own right. The following year, Schumann attempted suicide and was confined to an asylum from which he was never released, and Brahms temporarily put aside his musical life to help Clara cope with the crisis, including organization of the Schumanns’ library of early and Renaissance music. Brahms and Clara Schumann frequently exchanged musical ideas, and Brahms suggested that they both undertake the composition of canons. Brahms’s study of Renaissance music had led him to develop great skill and confidence in this form; he told Clara that he “could make canons in all possible artistic forms.” Brahms’s idea for this exercise may derive from his memory of Clara’s own suggestion to her husband ten years earlier that Robert undertake similar exercises in counterpoint to ease his depression. While Brahms did not persuade Clara to participate in this project, he did persuade another friend, the composer Joachim Raff, and Clara was very much on his mind during this work. For their amusement, Brahms and Raff exchanged canons on alternating Sundays, with any delinquent party required to pay the other one thaler. One such exercise was Geistliches Lied (Sacred Song). The text, a punning adaptation of a passage from the Gospel of St. Luke by the 17th century German poet Paul Flemming, may have been intended by Brahms to soothe Clara in her distress over her husband: “Let nothing afflict you with grief; be calm, as God ordains, and so shall my [Jesus’s] will be satisfied.” The organ introduction quotes a passage from Robert Schumann’s Fourth Symphony, which he called Clara’s Symphony. Raff found Brahms’s counterpoint “rugged” and occasionally “harsh,” although our modern ears are more likely to find it innovative and refreshing. Brahms was most pleased with the Amen, which abandons the canon for soaring melodies and harmonic suspensions above a pedal point. The motet Warum is das Licht gegeben dem Mühseligen? (Why is light given to him that is in misery?) is generally considered to be Brahms’s finest work of a capella choral music. It also has its origin in the earlier canonic exercises, although the work was not finished and published until 1878. Brahms was especially proud of his choice of texts, which resemble those of the German Requiem in their originality. The first movement sets a passage of despair from Job to an Agnus Dei that Brahms had written earlier as a canon. The descending line on the word Mühseligen (misery) is repeated in the next phrase in which the subject seeks relief through death, followed by a shift to a major key to express, ironically, joy in death. The movement ends with a restatement of the opening canon in 3/4 time. The second movement, a passage from Lamentations that finds comfort in worship of God, is a resetting of an earlier Benedictus that Brahms had written as a canon. The third movement, taken from the book of James and extolling imitation of Job’s patience, is a resetting of an earlier Dona Nobis Pacem. The final movement is a traditional chorale in homage to Bach. Brahms dedicated this entire motet to the great Bach scholar Philipp Spitta, then considered withdrawing the dedication in fear of the public’s misunderstanding that he was arrogantly claiming to be Bach’s successor, but ultimately let the dedication stand. --While Edvard Grieg had an early ambition to become a priest, his religious views evolved to become more individualized and less institutional, and he eventually became a Unitarian. He wrote to the composer Delius, “You know me well enough to realize that preachers viewed as a tribe are anathema to me.” Nonetheless, his religious faith compelled him to add his contributions to the mainstream Christian choral tradition. In 1898-99, Grieg wrote adaptations for eight-part chorus of two of his early solo songs and published them as Two Religious Choruses. The first is Blegnet, Segnet (Pale, Blessed), an arrangement of a song Grieg had written in 1873 under the title Ved en unghustrus Båre (Beside the Grave of a Young Wife), using as its text a poem by the Norwegian clergyman Olaf Monrad. The poem’s subject is the search for hope and meaning by the young woman’s mourning family. While very slow and sad throughout, the final chord, on the word Håb (hope), is fittingly in a major key. The second of these religious choruses is Ave Maris Stella, a Latin poem of unknown authorship dating from the 9th century or earlier and popular in the Middle Ages. It is still sung in the Roman Rite at various services dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Many composers, including Palestrina, Dufay, and Byrd in the Renaissance, Monteverdi in the early Baroque, and Liszt and Dvorak in the Romantic period, have set it to music. Grieg wrote it originally as a solo song in Danish, then reworked it as a choral piece in the original Latin. His setting is simple, but with unusual and abrupt key changes typical of the composer. In 1869, Grieg made a discovery that changed the course of his musical career—a collection of Norwegian folk music by the organist Ludvig Lindeman. Grieg returned to this collection repeatedly throughout his career for material and inspiration. For example, in 1877, he wrote twelve songs for male choir that portrayed Norway’s virile peasant folk culture. One of the songs, Den Store, Hvide Flok (The Great White Host), takes as its text a Danish hymn written by H. A. Brorson in 1765. It is based on a passage in Revelation 7 in which a large choir sings before the throne of God. Grieg adapted an old Norwegian folk tune from Lindeman’s collection that had a meter matching Brorson’s text. The effect of the piece is one of spiritual ecstasy. Grieg’s Dona Nobis Pacem was written not as a movement of a complete Mass but as a stand-alone piece. It is another adaptation of a song for solo voice and piano, which Grieg had written as a counterpoint exercise as a student at Leipzig Conservatory in 1862. The work is an exploration of chromaticism typical of the early Grieg and other Romantic composers of the time. --Spirituals began as a folk medium in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. At camp meetings particularly during the second Great Awakening of 1780-1830, black slaves often outnumbered whites. These slaves introduced to the singing of white Protestant hymns such African musical customs as the call and response and the ring shout. In the call and response, the leader sings out a statement or a question and the congregation answers, often with a repeated phrase that overlaps with the call (Call: I looked over Jordan and what did I see?/Response: Comin’ for to carry me home./Call: A band of angels comin’ after me./Response: Comin’ for to carry me home.). The African ring shout was a dance in a counter-clockwise motion that accompanied religious singing, beginning slowly, then building in fervor and usually accompanied by drums. Such drums were prohibited by American slavemasters, so slaves substituted hand claps, stomping, and beating of sticks. Slaves used these techniques not just with existing hymns but also began to create their own hymns—spirituals—for their own worship. Their ceremonies generally took place apart from whites, not only in camp meetings but also at late-night gatherings in secluded natural settings, in praise houses on plantations, or in their own slave quarters. These folk spirituals were often about oppressed Biblical characters—New Testament figures like Jesus, Joseph, and Mary and Old Testament figures like Daniel, Jonah, David, and especially Moses, leading a captive people to a promised land. The spirituals, as we shall see, often had subliminal meanings relevant to slavery. These folk spirituals were transmitted orally and not written down or recorded, so many of their details have now been lost. They probably would have been too informal and improvisational to lend themselves to musical notation anyway. After the Civil War, interest in folk spirituals grew, and groups like the Fisk Jubilee Singers used folk spirituals as the basis for creating arranged spirituals to be performed in concerts. The ring shout was replaced with a chorus in concert formation; pitches were clearly defined for the first time; harmonies were added and assigned to vocal parts; rhythms were regularized; the overlapping call and response sections were separated. Three pieces that we sing today are such arranged spirituals. Wade in the Water was first published in New Jubilee Songs as Sung by the Fisk Jubilee Singers in 1901 by John Wesley Work II and his brother, Frederick J. Work. John Work II was one of the first and most important collectors of spirituals in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He attended and later taught Latin and history at Fisk University and was a leader of the Jubilee Singers. A possible subtext of this spiritual is a warning to runaway slaves to wade in water to throw off the scent for pursuing dogs. The abolitionist Harriet Tubman is thought to have sung this song to many of the former slaves she helped escape on the Underground Railroad. In fact, she may be the song’s author. Typical of spirituals, the history of There is a Balm in Gilead is unclear. Its first appearance is in a hymnal published by Washington Glass in 1854. He may have written the verses of Gilead as an addendum to a 1790 hymn by John Newton (author of Amazing Grace) that contains the line There is but one Physician can cure a sin-sick soul, very similar to the line in Gilead: There’s power enough in heaven to cure a sin-sick soul. Or Glass may have written down a folk spiritual that he heard. This song refers to a passage in Jeremiah 8:22: “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wounds of [God’s] people?” that speaks to the desire of the people of Israel for spiritual healing. Gilead is thematically complex, expressing two very different meanings indicative of multiple or collective authorship: yearning for spiritual healing from sinfulness (to cure the sin-sick soul) and yearning for fulfillment in one’s work (think my work’s in vain… If you cannot sing like angels, if you cannot preach like Paul, You can tell the love of Jesus). The judgment day was a natural subject of spirituals, as slaves longed for the justice in the next world denied them in this one. Famous examples are When the Saints Go Marchin’ In and our selection today, Great Day. Note the call and response structure with the repeated line “God’s gonna build up Zion’s walls.” Great Day was first published in Negro Songs in 1940 by John Work III, who carried on the work of his father John Work II as collector of spirituals, professor of music, and director of the Jubilee Singers at Fisk. Arranged spirituals inspired a new type of music in the early twentieth century. Gospel music brought the rhythms and harmonies of jazz and the blues and a new, intensely personal expression to Christian music and coincided with the Great Migration of blacks out of the south into the urban north. We sing a gospel song today, Precious Lord, written in 1932 by Thomas Dorsey (not to be confused with the big band leader Tommy Dorsey). Thomas Dorsey was an African-American jazz pianist who performed with the singer Ma Rainey among others, and who began to compose and record gospel music along with his jazz recordings in the 1920s. Known as the father of gospel music, Dorsey’s contributions to this form were so important that early gospel songs were called dorseys. Precious Lord was written as Dorsey’s personal expression of grief for the death of his wife in childbirth and of the son she bore. The melody is based on the hymn tune Maitland by George Nelson Allen, a professor at Oberlin College in the mid-nineteenth century. Precious Lord was Dr. Martin Luther King’s favorite song, and he often asked the gospel singer Mahalia Jackson to sing it at civil rights rallies. She sang it at Dr. King’s funeral. Bravo Morgan Stanley is proud to support Pro Arte Chorale The D&L Group at Morgan Stanley Diane M. Alecci Senior Vice President Financial Advisor 201-712-4035 [email protected] Lynn Blanchard Senior Vice President Financial Advisor 201-712-4085 [email protected] South 61 Paramus Road Paramus, NJ 07652 1-855-498-9955 www.morganstanleyfa.com/thed&lgroup © 2013 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC. NY CS 7181474 SUP020 07/12 GP10-01837P-N08/10 Celebrate with the 50th Anniversary Gala weekend featuring glorious music and specials guests Friday, June 6, 2014 Gala Concert Steven Fox, Conductor With Special Guest Conductor Maestro John Nelson (Pro Arte Chorale Music Director 1965-1974) Orchestra Modern and Pro Arte Chorale Alumni Gloria, F. Poulenc Dona Nobis Pacem, R. Vaughan Williams Saturday, June 7, 2014 Gala Benefit Dinner Honoring Pro Arte Chorale’s founder John Coulter and Music Directors Past and Present Cocktail Hour, Dinner, Live Music For more information, visit our website at www.proartechorale.org Text and Translations Johann Sebastian Bach Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden, BWV 230 Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden, Und preiset ihn, alle Völker! Denn seine Gnade und Wahrheit waltet über uns in Ewigkeit. Alleluja! Praise the Lord, all nations, And praise Him, all peoples! For His mercy and truth reign over us forever. Hallelujah! Johannes Brahms Warum ist das Licht gegeben dem Mühseligen 1. Warum ist das Licht gegeben dem Mühseligen Und das Leben den betrübten Herzen? Warum? Die des Todes warten und kommt nicht, Und grüben ihn wohl aus dem Verborgenen; Die sich fast freuen und sind fröhlich, Dass sie das Grab bekommen. Warum? Und dem Manne, dess Weg verborgen ist, Und Gott vor ihm denselben bedekket. Warum? 1. Why has light been given to the weary, And life to the troubled hearts? Why? They who wait for death, and it doesn’t come; They who dig for it even out of secret places; Those who almost rejoice and are happy That they achieve the grave. Why? And to the man whose way is hidden, And from whom God has been concealed? Why? 2. Lasset uns unser Herz samt den Händen aufheben zu Gott im Himmel. 2. Let us lift up our hearts, together with our hands, to God in heaven. 3. Siehe, wir preisen selig, die erduldet haben. Die Geduld Hiob habt ihr gehöret, Und das Ende des Herrn habt ihr gesehen; Denn der Herr ist barmherzig und ein Erbarmer. 3. Behold, we value them as blessed who have endured. You have heard of the patience of Job, And the Lord’s conclusion you have seen: For the Lord is merciful and compassionate. 4. Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahim in Gottes Willen, Getrost ist mir mein Herz und Sinn, sanft und stille. Wie Gott mir verheissen hat, der Tod ist mir Schlaf worden. 4. With peace and joy I depart in God’s will, My heart and mind are comforted, calm and quiet. As God had promised me: Death has become my sleep. Johannes Brahms Geistliches Lied Lass dich nur nichts nicht dauren Mit Trauren, Sie stille, Wie Gott es fügt, So sei vergnügt Mein Wille! Let nothing indeed make you Endure grief; Be at peace! If God ordains it, May my will Accept it. Was willst du heute sorgen Auf morgen? Der Eine Steht allem für, Der gibt auch dir, Das Deine. Why worry today About tomorrow? God Stands for all; He also gives you What is yours. Sei nur in allem Handel Ohn’ Wandel, Steh faste, Was Gott beschleusst, Das ist und heisst Das Beste. Amen. In all your dealings Be without whim Stand firmly! That which God decides Is and means The best. Amen. Edvard Grieg Blegnet, Segnet! Blegnet, blegnet! Hun, midt i Livets Glød. Segnet, signet! Hun, som ej aned Død. Døden agted ej Livets Blomstervej, Fagrest Blomst den brød. Fagrest Blomst den brød. Sorgens Toner lyde, Kan ej Fred betyde, Turn pale, turn pale! You, in the middle of life’s glowing fire. Sunk away, sunk away! You, who did not suspect death. Death paid no attention to the path Of life’s blooms, He broke the most beautiful flower. He broke the most beautiful flower. Songs of grief ring out, Laengslens Suk og Råb Kan det rumme Håb? Båren, Båren, Saenkes i Jorden ned, Tåren, Tåren Spejler det mørke Sted. Hansom misted jo Kjaerlig Lykkes Ro, Far og Morstå ved, Far og Morstå ved. Da usynlig kommer Livets store Dommer, Laerer dem det Råb, Som kan rumme Håb. Cannot bring peace. Sighs and cries of desire, Can they bring hope? The coffin, the coffin Will be lowered into the earth, The tear, the tear reflects the dark place. He, who lost The peace of happy love, Father and mother are standing by, Father and mother are standing by. When the invisible one comes, The great judge of life Teaches them the call, Which can bring hope. Edvard Grieg Edvard Grieg Den Store, Hvide Flok Den store, hvide Flok vi se, Som tusind Bjerge fuld av Sne, Med Skov omkring av Palmesving For Tronen. Hvo er de? Det er den Helteskare, som Av hin den store Trengsel kom Og har seg todd i Lammets Blod, Til Himlens Helligdom. Der holder de nå Kirkegang, Med uopphørlig Jubelklang, I høje Kor hvor Gud han bor Blant alle Englers Sang. Ave Maris Stella Ave maris stella, Dei Mater alma, Atque semper Virgo, Felix coeli porta. Hail, star of the sea, Nurturing Mother of God, And ever Virgin, Happy gate of Heaven. Solve vincla reis, Profer lumen caecis, Mala nostra pelle, Bona cuncta posce. Loosen the chains of the guilty, Send forth light to the blind, Dispel our evil, Entreat (for us) all good things. Vitam praesta puram, Iter para tutum: Ut videntes Jesum Semper collaetemur. Bestow a pure life, Prepare a safe way: That seeing Jesus, We may ever rejoice. Sit laus Deo Patri, Summo Christo decus, Spiritui Sancto Tribus honor unus. Amen. Praise be to God the Father, To the Most High Christ (be) glory, To the Holy Spirit (Be) honor, to the Three equally. Amen. The great, white host we see, As a thousand mountains full of snow, With a forest around of waving palms, Before the throne. Who are they? It is the multitude that Has through the great tribulation come And washed themselves in the Lamb’s blood For heaven’s holiness. There they now go to church With unheard-of jubilation In the high choir where God abides Amidst all of the angels’ songs. Edvard Grieg Dona nobis pacem Dona Nobis Pacem Give us peace. Johann Sebastian Bach Komm, Jesu, Komm, BWV 229 Komm, Jesu, komm, mein Leib ist müde, Die Kraft verschwind’t je mehr und meht, Ich sehne mich nach deinem Friede; Der saure Web wird mir zu schwer! Komm, komm, ich will mich dir ergeben; Du bist der rechte Weg, die Wahrheit und das Leben. Come, Jesus, come, my flesh is weary, My strength is fading fast, And I long for your peace; The thorny path is too hard for me! Come, come, I will yield myself to you. You are the way, the truth, and the life. Aria: Drauf schliess ich mich in deine Hände Und sage, Welt, zu gutter Nacht! Eilt gleich mein Lebenslauf zu Ende, Ist doch der Geist wohl angebracht. Er soll bei seinem Schöpfer schweben, Weil Jesus ist und bleibt der wahre Web zum Leben. So I give myself into your hands, And bid goodnight to you, O world! Though the course of my life hastens to its end, The spirit is truly ready. Let it dwell with its Creator, Since Jesus is and ever shall be the true way to life. Wade in the Water Wade in the water, Wade in the water, children, Wade in the water, God’s a-gonna trouble the water. See that band all dressed in red (God’s a-gonna trouble the water) It looks like the band that Moses led. (God’s a-gonna trouble the water) See that band all dressed in white (God’s a-gonna trouble the water) The leader looks like an Israelite. (God’s a-gonna trouble the water) Everybody wade in the water, Wade in the water, children, Wade in the water, God’s a-gonna trouble the water. There is a Balm in Gilead Great Day Chorus: Great day, Great day, the righteous marching Great day, God’s going to build up Zion’s walls. Chariot rode on the mountain top. (God’s going to build up Zion’s walls.) My God spoke and the chariot did stop. (God’s going to build up Zion’s walls.) Chorus We want no cowards in our band. (God’s going to build up Zion’s walls.) This is the day of jubilee. We call for valiant-hearted men. (God’s going to build up Zion’s walls.) (God’s going to build up Zion’s walls.) The Lod has set His People free. (God’s going to build up Zion’s walls.) Chorus Chorus Chorus Chorus: There is a balm in Gilead To make the wounded whole, There is a balm in Gilead, To heal the sin-sick soul. If you cannot sing like angels, If you cannot preach like Paul, You can tell the love of Jesus, And say, “He died for all.” Sometimes I feel discouraged, And think my work’s in vain, But then the Holy Spirit Revives my soul again. Congratulations For 50 Years of Performing Great Choral Music Chorus Precious Lord Precious Lord, take my hand. Lead me on, let me stand. I am tired, I am weak, I am worn. Through the storm, through the night, Lead me on to the light. Take my hand, Lord, and lead me home. When my way grows drear, Precious Lord, linger near. When my life is almost gone, At the river, Lord, I stand. Guide my feet and hold my hand. Take my hand, Lord, and lead me home. CLEMENTS-STELLA-GALLAGHER MARKETING Representatives for Commercial Foodservice Equipment Michael Stella 201-767-5710 Support The Arts!!!! UPCOMING CONCERTS IN RIDGEWOOD Parlance Chamber Concerts Sunday, March 30 and Sunday April 27, 2014 4:00pm West Side Presbyterian Church, Ridgewood Ridgewood Symphony Orchestra Friday, May 2, 2014 8:00pm West Side Presbyterian Church, Ridgewood Ars Musica Saturday, June 7, 2014 8:00pm West Side Presbyterian Church, Ridgewood Ridgewood Concert Band Winter Festival Sunday, May 9, 2014 2:00 pm Suffern High School, Suffern, NY West Side Presbyterian Church Church Concert Series Sunday, April 6, 2014 4:00pm West Side Presbyterian Church, Ridgewood PRESTIGE PROUDLY SUPPORTS & CONGRATULATES THE PRO ARTE CHORALE ON THEIR 50TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY SEASON! 2014 TOYOTA COROLLA Prestige Toyota 1096 Route 17 North Ramsey NJ, 07446 888 356 2136 2014 LEXUS GX Prestige Lexus 1000 Route 17 North Ramsey, NJ 07446 888 231 7460 2014 CLA250 COUPE Prestige Motors 755 Route 17 South Paramus, NJ 07652 888 718 9212 2014 JAGUAR XF Prestige Jaguar 405 Route 17 South Paramus, NJ 07652 201 693 4058 2014 RANGE ROVER SPORT Prestige Land Rover 405 Route 17 South Paramus, NJ 07652 201 693 4058 www.DrivePrestige.com Andrew McKinnon Proprietor Serving the community since 1928 and family owned for over 45 years. Ridgewood Cycle Shop meets the needs of all cycling enthusiasts, from families to professional riders, triathletes, road racers, mountain bikers, children and adults of all ages. At Ridgewood Cycle Shop, we are commited to providing outstanding customer satisfaction through superior customer service. Our knowledgeable sales staff will assist with purchasing the right bicycle for you. We offer all ranges of mechanical services from our friendly and qualified service team. In addition to sales and service we offer group rides and different levels of fit services by certified fit technicians including Retul, a precise 3D Motion Capture System. 35 North Broad Street Ridgewood, NJ 07450 Tel: (201) 444-2553 Fax: (201) 444-1059 www.ridgewoodcycle.com Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 10am to 6pm. Thursday 10am to 8pm. Saturday 9am to 6pm, Closed Sunday Ridgewood Prosthodontic Associates Ridgewood Periodontics Mark Samani, D.M.D. Min-Hee Cho, D.M.D. Jin Ha Joung D.M.D. Miles Lazerwitz D.D.S. 166 Franklin Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ www.RidgewoodDental.com 201.652.2474 www.Masterwork.org SPRING 2014 Bach St. John Passion Saturday, March 22, 2014 @ 8:00 pm Dorothy Young Center for the Arts at Drew Univ. Tickets: $36 - $75 800-838-3006 or Masterwork.org ________________________________ Britten Rejoice in the Lamb Vierne Messe Solenelle African American Spirituals Saturday, May 17, 2014 @ 8:00 pm Calvary Episcopal Church, Summit, NJ Tickets: $30 800-838-3006 or Masterwork.org This concert is a sneak peak at the repertoire we will be bringing on our tour to Germany, May 22-30, 2014, with our German hosts, Cäcilien-Chor in Frankfurt, Heidelberg, and Wachenheim. SUMMER 2014 Coming in June and July 2014 Our Annual Summer Sings, beginning on Wednesday, June 18. 2014 Funding has been made possible in part by Morris Arts through the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. N NOW OPE Y E S in RAM 1315 Route 17 South Ramsey, NJ 07446 201-962-9099 318 Madison Street Hoboken, NJ 07030 201-656-2161 430 Route 17 S. Carlstadt, NJ 07072 201-933-4000 42 Newark Street Hoboken, NJ 07030 201-710-5520 417 West Stone Dr. Kingsport, TN 37660 www.BiggiesClamBar.com AP Accident Reconstruction & Analysis, Inc. Forensic Mapping, Crash Reconstruction Definsive Driver Training Phone 201-348-0171 Fax 201-865-6493 545-39th Street, Suite 100 Union City, NJ 07087 [email protected] Andrew Pisani ACTAR #1778 Let Our Experienced Make-up Artists Create a Special Look just for You! Proms, Graduations, Weddings, Bar and Bat Mitzvah and and Special Occasion. Gifts for Babies and Children • Hostess Gifts • Teacher’s Gifts 201-652-0013 60 E. Ridgewood Ave., Ridgewood, NJ Expert and affectionate care in your own home for small domestic pets and plants. Specializing in cats. 20+ years experience. Call CONNIE at 201-444-9069 SC Steven T. Cirillo, CPA, LLC Accounting Services Tax & Audit Services Consulting Services SAT ACT Sturbridge Commons 345 Kinderkamack Road Westwood, NJ 07675 Tel: (201) 666-4477 Fax: (201) 666-3112 Cell: (201) 320-8803 Email: [email protected] DOMENIC PARISI Be Prepared DOMENIC & PIETRO’S BARBER STUDIO SAT / ACT SUBJECT TUTORING HAIRCUTTING AND HAIRSTYLING MEN AND BOYS 616 NORTH MAPLE AVENUE HOHOKUS, NJ 07423 (201) 652-8488 TUES. TO FRI. 8 AM – 6 PM SAT. 7:30 AM – 5 PM CLOSED MONDAY CALL TODAY AND RECEIVE A FREE DIAGNOSTIC TEST Families throughout our community have come to rely on Chyten Premier Tutoring and Test Preparation to help their high school juniors excel on their SAT, ACT, as well as subject tutoring in all subjects and all levels. PREMIER TUTORING AND TEST PREPARATION 20 Wilsey Square, Ridgewood NJ 07450 G U I D E T O T O M O R R O W 201.857.4840 PAUL D. RENNIE PAULINE C. RENNIE TIRE & AUTO SERVICE Quality • Value • Service • Integrity • Since 1935 209 S. Maple Ave., Ridgewood, NJ 07450 www.richtersauto.com e-mail: [email protected] Tel: (201) 652-4818 Join Us! If you are interested in auditioning for Pro Arte Chorale, please contact our office at (201)497-8400 or email: [email protected] DERMATOLOGY ASSOCIATES Sharon A. Galvin, M.D. Jonathan S. Dosik, M.D. 348 South Maple Avenue, Glen Rock, NJ 07452 201-652-6060 Chestnut Catering HAPPY 50TH ANNIVERSARY ! CHEERS TO ANOTHER FIFTY ! 25 Chestnut Street., Ridgewood, NJ 07450 201-445-3031 [email protected] www.ChestnutDeliCatering.com POMPANOOSUC MILLS REAL AMERICAN FURNITURE HANDCRAFTED IN VERMONT Did you know all of our furniture is made by hand and made to order from solid North American hardwoods? NOW CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF BUILDING HEIRLOOM QUALITY FURNITURE 257 East Ridgewood Ave Ridgewood, NJ 07450 201-493-0815 www.pompy.com Modern American Tavern 30 Oak Street Downtown Ridgewood Tel 201 445 5400 Pro Arte Chorale P.O. Box 662 Ridgewood, NJ 07450 Tel: (201) 497-8400 Email: [email protected] www.ProArteChorale.org