the music of benjamin britten

a p p e a ri n s p i r e

woodrow bynum, music director

michael slattery, tenor

The Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys

the cathedral of all saints

22 may 2011

i n s p i r e

a p p e a rTHE CATHEDRAL OF ALL SAINTS

CHOIR OF MEN AND BOYSwoodrow bynum, director of music

graham schultz, lloyd cast organ fellow

Appear & Inspirethe music of

Benjamin Britten1913 — 1976

A Hymn to the Virgin (1930)

Te Deum in C (1934)

Jubilate Deo in C (1961)

A Hymn of St Columba (1962)

Canticle II: Abraham and Isaac (1952) Op. 51 michael slattery, abraham

a cathedral chorister, isaacthomas bagwell, piano

INTERVAL

Hymn to St Cecilia (1942) Op. 27

Rejoice in the Lamb (1943) Op. 30 brian shank and david luidens, percussion

The Cathedral of All Saints

WELCOME TO THE FIRST GREAT CATHEDRAL BUILT IN THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH.

Begun in 1884

and opened for worship

in 1888, this church

has been a place of

daily worship for over

one hundred

twenty years.

The Cathedral of All Saints

It gives me great joy to welcome you to The Cathedral of All Saints to join in celebration with our Music Director, Mr. Woodrow Bynum, our soloists, and The Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys for this performance.

The Choral tradition at The Cathedral is one that is steeped in faithfulness which strives for excellence. I pray you will find the program today inspiring and encouraging.

The Choir has a wonderful history that continues to be written as the lives of the men and boys are formed through it. Time spent around this choir reveals their deep commitment. That commitment in turn shapes not only each of them, but those of us who are privileged to spend time with them.

Their dedication would not be possible without your commitment to them and their ministry at The Cathedral. Thank you for supporting The Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys, The Friends of The Choir and The Cathedral by your attendance here today.

Sincerely, The Venerable David J. Collum j

Archdeacon of The Diocese of Albany, New York Dean of The Cathedral of All Saints

This performance is presented by

the friends of the choir the cathedral of all saints

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Today’s performance is being recorded live. Please turn off all cell phones.No photography is permitted during the performance.

Established in 1872, The Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys is the oldest continuously performing choir of its kind in the country. As the principal choir of The Cathedral of All Saints, the Choir of Men and Boys sings choral services in the Cathedral during the academic term. The choir enjoys an international reputation for musical excellence and acts as a vital link to the ancient choral traditions of England and Europe; all the while remaining distinctly American. In addition to its liturgical role, the choir is heard regularly in concert and has performed with The Albany Symphony, The Boston Symphony, and at The Tanglewood Music Festival. In recent years, the Choir has made two tours of England.

The choir is made up of trebles (boys ages 7-14 with unchanged voices) who sing the soprano line, while a dedicated group of professional men sing the alto, tenor and bass parts. Boys rehearse twice weekly during the academic term, and the gentlemen join them once each week for musical preparation. Choir members come from all parts of the Capital region, and represent a wide variety of backgrounds, faiths, and cultures. The quality of their music making, coupled with their uncommon dedication to excellence has helped make The Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys “Albany’s Boy Choir” for more than 137 years.

The choristers are trained according to the standards set forth by The Royal School of Church Music. As they move through the training scheme, they earn ribbons of various colors that represent their rank in the ensemble. The boys not only work hard, but they also play hard. Choir parents organize weekly dinners for the full choir, and the boys enjoy regular non-musical outings, giving them a chance to enjoy a lighter side of the chorister experience.

THE CATHEDRAL CHOIR OF MEN AND BOYS

BOYS tucker besch adam biszick

andrew brusic ian davis

shane ferris christopher howard

paul howard peter horvath

wyatt kirschner reece klein

jonathan lasselle dante perrotto

connor reilly sergio rodriguez

griffin simon silas strich

sebastian vanderbeck nolan wolfe

MEN todd allen

todd chardeen siddharth dubey

peter dumas colin helie

corey hough richard jarrett alexander jones

michael lister stephen piwowarski

john schreiner andy truex

jeremy vosburgh sherwood wise

If you know a boy who likes to sing, please tell him about the choir. The choirmaster, Woodrow Bynum, is always happy to meet with prospective choristers and their families. Auditions are held throughout the year by appointment, and no previous musical training is necessary or expected. For more information, visit our website at www.cathedralofallsaints.org.

Front row from left: Silas Strich, Adam Biszick, Christopher Howard, Head Chorister, Connor Reilly, Sebastian VanDerbeck, Clayton (Tucker) Besch, Andrew Brusic, Jonathan Lasselle.

Second row: Woodrow Bynum, Director of Music, Dante Perrotto, Ian Davis, Reece Klein, Sergio Rodriguez, Griffin Simon, Nolan Wolfe, Wyatt Kirschner, Paul Howard, The Venerable David J. Collum, The Rev’d Andrew Piper, Canon Precentor.

Back Row: Graham Schultz, Lloyd Cast Organ Fellow, Todd Allen, Jeremy Vosburgh, Brandon Dumas, Peter Dumas, Ewan Stockwell, Edmond Lovett, John Eden, Siddharth Dubey. photo: nancy potter

England 2011

February 18-28, 2011

HEREFORD and G LO U C E S T E R C AT H E D R A L S

T h e C at h e d r a l o f A l l S a i n t s C h o i r at H E R E F O R D C AT H E D R A L

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Michael Slattery TenorSince graduating from Juilliard, Michael Slattery has enjoyed an exciting international career. He has worked with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival, the French National Orchestra in Paris, the Akademie für Alte Musik in Berlin, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Carnegie Hall. Career highlights include Peter Sellars’ Tristan Project

at Lincoln Center, the title role in Bernstein’s Candide at Royal Festival Hall in London, and Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo at the Châtelet Theater in Paris, the Staat-soper in Berlin, and at Glimmerglass. He was recently included in The Specta-tor’s list of tenor “Heroes of the Concert Hall.”

His solo discs The Irish Heart, and Secret and Divine Signs, received critical acclaim from Gramophone Magazine and Five Star ratings from BBC Music Magazine and ClassicFM. Other prize-winning recordings include Mozart’s Bastien und Bastienne, Scarlatti’s Cecilian Vespers, Handel’s Atalanta, Acis and Galatea, Saul, Solomon, and Samson, Britten’s Curlew River, and Bern-stein’s Candide. His voice has been recorded for films and for television, and several other projects are currently in development.

Last season he performed at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall. In addition to his performances this season, he will record a CD of Dowland songs and offer master classes to students across the United States. Outside his musical activities, Michael Slattery devotes much of his spare time to painting and writing. His paintings have been published in the French art magazine ORAOS and exhibited by Glimmerglass Opera in conjunction with the launch of their new website. They can be seen at www.michaelslattery.com.

Woodrow Bynum Director of MusicWoodrow Bynum, an Arkansas native, attended the Interlochen Arts Academy and graduated with high honors from the University of Michigan, where he was a pupil of Lorna Haywood and Rob-ert Glasgow. He studied at The Juilliard School as a pupil of the late Bev-erley Peck Johnson and sang for four years as a Gentleman of the Choir of St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue. He made his professional singing debut with the Illinois Sym-phony and has performed extensively throughout North America. He was a national semi-finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Audi-tions, and won first prize in the National Federation of Music Clubs Biennial Young Artist Competi-tion. Woodrow made his Carnegie Hall debut as a baritone soloist with the New York Orato-

rio Society, and sang in Mexico City’s Palacio de Bellas Artes as the soloist in Handel’s Messiah. He was lauded by The New York Times for his “fine free baritone register.” Woodrow has sung the title role in Mendelssohn’s Elijah and has performed as the bass in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony on several occasions. His recent engagements have included Handel’s Messiah with the Dallas Bach Society, Bach’s St. John Passion with St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, Bach’s Wachet Auf in Massachusetts, Carmina Burana and Bach’s Mass in B Minor with the Burnt Hills Oratorio Society, and conducting The Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys in Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms.

In 2010 Mr. Bynum lead The Cathedral Choir in two performance of Handel’s Messiah, one in May (released as a 2-CD set) and again in December. Members of The Cathedral Choir under Mr. Bynum were in residence in February, 2011 at Hereford Cathedral, England, also singing at Gloucester Cathedral to wide acclaim. With Albany Pro Musica in March he was soloist in Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem and in May of 2011, Mr. Bynum joined The Boston Handel and Haydn Society under Harry Christophers for the company's season finale of Mozart’s Requeim. That same month he also appeared as soloist with The Berkshire Lyric Chorus in Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana.

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Photo: Copyright Clive Strutt

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ABOUT THE COMPOSERBorn in Lowestoft, Suffolk in 1913 to a musical family, Benjamin Britten began his study of piano and composition with his father. When he was fourteen, the family sought the guidance and tutelage for their gifted son from the well-known composer Frank Bridge, with whose music the budding Britten was already enamored. His enrollment in the Royal College of Music brought him in contact with the London arts scene. Though his early compositions are tame in their tonal language, they were not embraced by critics of the day who often pejoratively referred to Britten as “clever.” Nevertheless, his early years produced some of his most beloved compositions and introduced him to such friends as Peter Pears and W.H. Auden, whose influences would prove life-long.

As Britten was in his mid-twenties, England was facing its impending conflict with Germany. Britten, being an ardent pacifist, journeyed together with Pears to Canada and later the United States. His years away from England were highly productive, yielding the Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo, his first song cycle, and the operetta Paul Bunyan, his first musical drama. Shortly after his homecoming in 1942, the Tanglewood Festival commissioned him to write Peter Grimes, his first successful opera, and perhaps the first opera written in English to receive serious acclaim since the time of Purcell.

Britten’s return to post-war England ushered in three decades of success as a composer, collaborative pianist, and conductor. His music, now praised by the once vicious critics of his earlier years, became a mainstay of the concert hall and opera houses. Britten made his home in Aldeburgh, where his music and personality became the center of a summer festival that continues to this day. His composing continued to flourish, and, were it not for a faulty heart, we might have had years more of his musical output to enjoy. He died at The Red House in Aldeburgh in 1976 after receiving his life peerage only months before. His home is now occupied by The Britten-Pears Foundation, which seeks to preserve his musical legacy.

While his contributions to the repertoire of the English church were relatively small in comparison to his work in other genres, the quality of the output was monumental. Though he offered only one setting of the Mass (Missa Brevis for Treble Choir), no setting of the Evening canticles, and two settings each of the Morning canticles (two of which we hear today), the majority of his sacred output gave life to obscure or newly composed texts that are now commonly known thanks in no small part to him (i.e. Rejoice in the Lamb, Hymn to Saint Cecilia). Britten single-handedly revitalized the composition of opera in English. His unique (and, some would suggest, self-taught) approach to orchestration may be heard in composers of our present generation such as James MacMillan and Peter Maxwell Davies.

But how will history treat Britten? In January 2011, The New York Times music critic Anthony Tommassini set about selecting his top ten Classical composers, and wrote:

Perhaps, one day.

Woodrow Bynum and Graham Schultz

May 2011

The composer I yearn to include is Benjamin Britten. In many ways, Britten is thriving. At least a half-dozen of his operas have become staples, and his symphonic and chamber works turn up all the time on programs. If there are finer 20th-century works for voice and orchestra than Les Illuminations and the Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings, I don’t know what they are. Still, I am probably in a minority in rating him quite this high. I predict that his stock will rise steadily over the next 50 years. Still, Top 10? Am I going to push out Haydn for Britten?

A Hymn to the Virgin (1930)Words: Anon. c. 1300

Of one that is so fair and bright Velut maris stella like a star of the sea

Brighter than the day is light, Parens et puella: mother and maiden

I cry to thee, thou see to me,Lady, pray thy Son for me, Tam pia, thou holy one

That I may come to thee. Maria! Mary

All this world was forlorn Eva peccatrice, through Eve the sinner

Till our Lord was y-born De te genetrice. of thee, the motherWith ave it went awayDarkest night, and comes the day Salutis: of salvation

The well springeth out of thee Virtutis. of virtue

Lady, flower of everything Rosa sine spina rose without a thorn

Thou bare Jesu, heaven’s King, Gratia divina: by divine grace

Of all thou bear’st the prize,Lady, queen of paradise Electa: chosen one

Maid, mild, mother es Effecta. you are proved

Composed at the age of seventeen, this is among Britten’s earliest published works. The poem, like many medieval verses, is macaronic (alternating between Latin and vernacular). Here Britten employed two choirs, one singing the English text and the other the Latin until the two parts combine at the end.

Te Deum in C (1934)Words attributed to nicetas, bishop of remesiana, 4th cent.Translation: The Book of Common Prayer 1662

We praise thee, O God :we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.

All the earth doth worship thee : the Father everlasting.To thee all Angels cry aloud : the Heavens, and all the Powers therein.To thee Cherubim and Seraphim : continually do cry,Holy, Holy, Holy : Lord God of Sabaoth;Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty : of thy glory.The glorious company of the Apostles : praise thee.The goodly fellowship of the Prophets : praise thee.The noble army of Martyrs : praise thee.The holy Church throughout all the world : doth acknowledge thee;The Father : of an infinite Majesty;Thine honourable, true : and only Son;Also the Holy Ghost : the Comforter.Thou art the King of Glory : O Christ.Thou art the everlasting Son : of the Father.When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man : thou didst not abhor the Virgin’s womb.When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death : thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers.Thou sittest at the right hand of God : in the glory of the Father.We believe that thou shalt come : to be our Judge.We therefore pray thee, help thy servants : whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood.Make them to be numbered with thy Saints : in glory everlasting.O Lord, save thy people : and bless thine heritage.Govern them : and lift them up for ever.Day by day : we magnify thee;And we worship thy Name : ever world without end.Vouchsafe, O Lord : to keep us this day without sin.O Lord, have mercy upon us : have mercy upon us.O Lord, let thy mercy lighten upon us : as our trust is in thee.O Lord, in thee have I trusted : let me never be confounded.

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Jubilate Deo in C (1961)Words: Psalm 100Translation: The Book of Common Prayer 1662

O be joyful in the Lord, all ye lands : serve the Lord with gladness, and come before his presence with a song.

Be ye sure that the Lord he is God : it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.O go your way into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise : be thankful unto him, and speak good of his Name.For the Lord is gracious, his mercy is everlasting : and his truth endureth from generation to generation.Glory be to the Father, and to the Son : and to the Holy Ghost;As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be : world without end. Amen.

Though frequently sung as a set, Britten’s settings of the Morning Canticles in C Major were composed nearly thirty years apart. Te Deum in C, the earlier of Britten’s two treatments of the ancient hymn, was written for Maurice Vinden and the choir of St Mark’s North Audley Street, London. The Jubilate Deo was composed at the request of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.

A Hymn of St Columba (1962)Words: st columba of iona (521-597)Translation: john andrewes

Regis regum rectissimi King of king and of lords most high,prope est dies Domini, Comes his day of judgment nigh:

dies irae et vindictae Day of wrath and vengeance stark,tenebrarum et nebulae, Day of shadows and cloudy dark,Regis regum rectissimi. King of kings and lords most high.

Diesque mirabilium Thunder shall rend that day apart,tonitruorum fortium, Wonder amaze each fearful heart.dies quoque angustiae, Anguish and pain and deep distressmaeroris ac tristitiae. Shall mark that day of bitterness.Regis regum rectissimi. King of kings and of lords most high.

In quo cessabit mulierum That day the pangs of lust will cease,amor et disiderium, Man’s questing heart shall be at peace;nominumque contentio Then shall the great no more contendmundi huius et cupido, And worldly fame be at an end.Regis regum rectissimi. King of kings and of lords most high.

Canticle II: Abraham and Isaac (1952) Op. 51 Words: Chester Miracle Play c. 1422

GOD: Abraham, my servant, Abraham, Take Isaac, thy son by name, That thou lovest the best of all, And in sacrifice offer him to me Upon that hill there besides thee.

Abraham, I will that so it be, For aught that may befall.

AbrAhAm: My Lord, to Thee is mine intent Ever to be obedient. That son that Thou to me hast sent Offer I will to Thee. Thy bidding done shall be.

Here Abraham, turning to his son Isaac, saith:*Make thee ready, my dear darling, For we must do a little thing. This woode do on thy back it bring, We may no longer abide. A sword and fire that I will take, For sacrifice behoves me to make; God's bidding will I not forsake, But ever obedient be.

Here Isaac speaketh to his father, and taketh a bundle of sticks and beareth after his father, and saith:

IsAAc: Father, I am all ready To do your bidding most meekely, And to bear this wood full bayn am I, As you commanded me.

Here they both go to the place to do sacrifice:

AbrAhAm: Now, Isaac son, go we our way To yonder mount if that we may.

IsAAc: My dear father, I will essay To follow you full fain.

Abraham being minded to slay his son Isaac, lifts up his hands, and saith the following:

AbrAhAm: O! My heart will break in three, To hear thy words I have pitye; As Thou wilt, Lord, so must it be, To Thee I will be bayn. Lay down thy faggot, my own son dear.

*Note: Original stage directions from the Medieval play are included here, though not necessarily adhered to in this performance.

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IsAAc: All ready father, lo, it is here. But why make you such heavy cheer? Are you anything adread?

AbrAhAm: Ah! Dear God! That me is woe!

IsAAc: Father, if it be your will, Where is the beast that we shall kill?

AbrAhAm: Thereof, son, is none upon this hill.

IsAAc: Father, I am full sore affeared To see you bear that drawne sword.

AbrAhAm: Isaac, son, peace, I pray thee, Thou breakest my heart in three.

IsAAc: I pray you, father, layn nothing from me, But tell me what you think.

AbrAhAm: Ah! Isaac, Isaac, I must thee kill!

IsAAc: Alas! Father, is that your will, Your owne child for to spill Upon this hilles brink? If I have trespassed in any degree With a yard you may beat me; Put up your sword, if your will be, For I am but a child. Would God my mother were here with me! She would kneel down upon her knee, Praying you, father, if it may be, For to save my life.

AbrAhAm: O Isaac, son, to thee I say God hath commanded me today Sacrifice, this is no nay, To make of thy bodye.

IsAAc: Is it God’s will I shall be slain?

AbrAhAm: Yea, son, it is not for to layn.

Here Isaac asketh his father’s blessing on his knees, and saith:

IsAAc: Father, seeing you mustë needs do so, Let it pass lightly and over go; Kneeling on my knees two, Your blessing on me spread.

AbrAhAm: My blessing, dear son, give I thee And thy mother’s with heart free. The blessing of the Trinity, My dear Son, on thee light.

Here Isaac riseth and cometh to his father, and he taketh him, and bindeth and layeth him upon the altar to sacrifice him, and saith:

AbrAhAm: Come hither, my child thou art so sweet, Thou must be bound both hands and feet.

IsAAc: Father, do with me as you will, I must obey, and that is skill, Godës commandment to fulfil, For needs so it must be.

AbrAhAm: Isaac, Isaac, blessed must thou be.

IsAAc: Father, greet well my brethren ying, And pray my mother of her blessing, I come no more under her wing, Farewell for ever and aye.

AbrAhAm: Farewell, my sweetë son of grace!

Here Abraham doth kiss his son Isaac, and binds a kerchief about his head.

IsAAc: I pray you, father, turn down my face, For I am sore adread.

AbrAhAm: Lord, full loth were I him to kill!

IsAAc: Ah, mercy, father, why tarry you so?

AbrAhAm: Jesu! On me have pity, That I have most in mind.

IsAAc: Now, father, I see that I shall die: Almighty God in majesty! My soul I offer unto Thee!

AbrAhAm: To do this deed I am sorrye.

Here let Abraham make a sign as tho' he would cut off his son Isaac’s head with his sword; then…

GOD: Abraham, my servant dear, Lay not thy sword in no manner On Isaac, thy dear darling. For thou dreadest me, well wot I, That of thy son has no mercy, To fulfil my bidding.

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AbrAhAm: Ah, Lord of heaven and King of bliss, Thy bidding shall be done, i-wiss! A hornëd wether here I see, Among the briars tied is he, To Thee offered shall he be Anon right in this place.

Then let Abraham take the lamb and kill him.

AbrAhAm: Sacrifice here sent me is, And all, Lord, through Thy grace.

envoI: Such obedience grant us, O Lord! Ever to Thy most holy word. That in the same we may accord As this Abraham was bayn; And then altogether shall we That worthy King in heaven see, And dwell with Him in great glorye For ever and ever. Amen.

The second canticle was written in January 1952 in between the operas Billy Budd and Gloriana and the setting reflects the considerable experience that Britten had by now as a composer for the stage. The tale of how Abraham is summoned by God to offer up his own child Isaac for sacrifice is set as a highly dramatic scena, using two voices, tenor and alto, which not only perform the respective roles of father and son but also, singing in rhythmic unison, the other-worldly sound of the voice of God.

Although originally written for the voices of Peter Pears and Kathleen Ferrier (to whom the work is dedicated), the work gains considerably in impact if the part of Isaac is performed by a boy (as on Britten’s own recording from 1961). When, some twenty years later, Britten came to write the Offertorium movement in the War Requiem which includes a setting of Wilfred Owen’s bitter rewriting of the Abraham story ‘The Parable of the Old Man and the Young’, he drew on the second canticle for much of the musical material.

Source: The Britten-Pears Institute

INTERVAL 20 minutes

The Sacrifice of Isaac Caravaggio 1603

Hymn to St Cecilia (1942) Op. 27Words: w h auden 1907-1973 I.

In a garden shady this holy lady With reverent cadence and subtle psalm,

Like a black swan as death came on Poured forth her song in perfect calm: And by ocean’s margin this innocent virgin Constructed an organ to enlarge her prayer, And notes tremendous from her great engine Thundered out on the Roman air.

Blonde Aphrodite rose up excited, Moved to delight by the melody, White as an orchid she rode quite naked In an oyster shell on top of the sea; At sounds so entrancing the angels dancing Came out of their trance into time again, And around the wicked in Hell’s abysses The huge flame flickered and eased their pain.

Blessed Cecilia, appear in visions To all musicians, appear and inspire: Translated Daughter, come down and startle Composing mortals with immortal fire.

II.I cannot grow; I have no shadow To run away from,I only play.

I cannot err; There is no creature Whom I belong to, Whom I could wrong.

I am defeat When it knows it Can now do nothing By suffering.

All you lived through, Dancing because you No longer need it For any deed.

I shall never be Different. Love me.

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Blessed Cecilia, appear in visions To all musicians, appear and inspire: Translated Daughter, come down and startle Composing mortals with immortal fire.

III.O ear whose creatures cannot wish to fall, O calm of spaces unafraid of weight, Where Sorrow is herself, forgetting all The gaucheness of her adolescent state, Where Hope within the altogether strange From every outworn image is released, And Dread born whole and normal like a beast Into a world of truths that never change: Restore our fallen day; O re-arrange.

O dear white children casual as birds, Playing among the ruined languages, So small beside their large confusing words, So gay against the greater silences Of dreadful things you did: O hang the head, Impetuous child with the tremendous brain, O weep, child, weep, O weep away the stain, Lost innocence who wished your lover dead, Weep for the lives your wishes never led.

O cry created as the bow of sin Is drawn across our trembling violin.

O weep, child, weep, O weep away the stain.

O law drummed out by hearts against the still Long winter of our intellectual will.

That what has been may never be again.

O flute that throbs with the thanksgiving breath Of convalescents on the shores of death.

O bless the freedom that you never chose.

O trumpets that unguarded children blow About the fortress of their inner foe.

O wear your tribulation like a rose.

Blessed Cecilia, appear in visions To all musicians, appear and inspire: Translated Daughter, come down and startle Composing mortals with immortal fire.

The Hymn to St Cecilia was begun during Britten’s stay in the United States in the early 1940s and completed during his return on the ship Axel Johnson in 1942. US customs officials confiscated his half-completed score of the work just before his departure from America. Spurred on by this unexpected loss, Britten re-wrote the first section entirely from memory and used the opportunity of escaping from the drab company on board to complete the rest.

The words are a setting in three parts by the poet W.H. Auden (who regarded Britten as his protégé), with each part rounded off by an exaltation to St Cecilia. Auden deliberately conflates his subject — the patron saint of music — with composers and music in general, as well as with Britten himself, whose birthday fell on St Cecilia’s Day.

In the second section, Auden offers music its own self portrait: ‘I cannot grow, I have no shadow to run away from, I only play’ — music is naïve, incapable of moral growth, simply playing, wanting to be loved. In the third section Auden widens his field of reference to the innocence of composers as a species, including Britten himself: ‘O dear white children,’ he writes ‘Playing among the ruined languages,’ alluding to the ongoing wartime degeneracy of once-great civilisations, and composers’ capacity to deploy the musical building-blocks of those civilisations without political engagement — something alien to him as a writer and artist. Britten’s scintillating setting leaves little doubt he understood and endorsed Auden’s view of music and musicians, coming to terms with his own pacifism and lack of direct political engagement.

Each section has its own unusual thematic and harmonic developments, and the work sparkles with typical ingenuity, setting technical hurdles for choral singers.

Moreover, the quietly passionate unison choruses of ‘Blessed Cecilia…’ between each section create a strong unifying effect allowing the work to function at a simple, hymnic level.

As music, it also functions as a hymn or pæan to the art’s patron saint: it speaks warmly to musicians who have always delighted in its themes, revelled in its harmonies and relished its technical challenges without perhaps grasping the subtleties of Auden’s texts. Perhaps there is a deep irony in this, or perhaps it is the work’s deepest truth. Music is music, pure and simple — in itself it is deeply hard to politicize. Therein lies its joy and its universality.

Source: Barry Holden, Naxos Co.

Saint Cecilia and the Angel Carlo Saraceni c1610 Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, Rome

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Rejoice in the Lamb (1943) Op. 30Words: Selected from Jubilate Agno by christopher smart 1722-1771

REJOICE in God, O ye Tongues; give the glory to the Lord, and the Lamb.Nations, and languages, and every Creature, in which is the breath of Life.

Let man and beast appear before him, and magnify his name together.Let Nimrod, the mighty hunter, bind a Leopard to the altar, and consecrate his spear to the Lord.Let Ishmael dedicate a Tyger, and give praise for the liberty in which the Lord has let him at large.Let Balaam appear with an Ass, and bless the Lord his people and his creatures for a reward eternal.Let Daniel come forth with a Lion, and praise God with all his might through faith in Christ Jesus.Let Ithamar minister with a Chamois, and bless the name of Him, that cloatheth the naked.Let Jakim with the Satyr bless God in the dance.Let David bless with the Bear—The beginning of victory to the Lord—to the Lord the perfection of excellence—Hallelujah from the heart of God, and from the hand of the artist inimitable, and from the echo of the heavenly harp in sweetness magnifical and mighty.

Treble soloFor I will consider my Cat Jeoffry.For he is the servant of the Living God, duly and daily serving him.For at the first glance of the glory of God in the East he worships in his way.For this is done by wreathing his body seven times round with elegant quickness.For he knows that God is his Saviour.For God has blessed him in the variety of his movements.For there is nothing sweeter than his peace when at rest.For I am possessed of a cat, surpassing in beauty, from whom I take occasion to bless Almighty God.

Alto soloFor the Mouse is a creature of great personal valour.For—this is a true case—Cat takes female mouse—male mouse will not depart, but stands threat’ning and daring.. . . . . If you will let her go, I will engage you, as prodigious a creature as you are.For the Mouse is a creature of great personal valour.For the Mouse is of an hospitable disposition.

Tenor soloFor the flowers are great blessings.For the flowers have their angels even the words of God’s Creation.For the flower glorifies God and the root parries the adversary.For there is a language of flowers.For flowers are peculiarly the poetry of Christ.

ChorusFor I am under the same accusation with my Saviour—For they said, he is besides himself.For the officers of the peace are at variance with me, and the watchman smites me with his staff.For Silly fellow! Sillly fellow! Is against me and belongeth neither to me nor to my family.For I am in twelve HARDSHIPS, but he that was born of a virgin shall deliver me out of all.

Recitative (Bass solo) and ChorusFor H is a spirit and therefore he is God.For K is king and therefore he is God.For L is love and therefore he is God.For M is musick and therefore he is God.

For the instruments are by their rhimes.For the Shawm rhimes are lawn fawn moon boon and the like.For the harp rhimes are sing ring string and the like.For the cymbal rhimes are bell well toll soul and the like.For the flute rhimes are tooth youth suit mute and the like.For the Bassoon rhimes are pass class and the like.For the dulcimer rhimes are grace place beat heat and the like.For the Clarinet rhimes are clean seen and the like.For the trumpet rhimes are sound bound soar more and the like.For the TRUMPET of God is a blessed intelligence and so are all the instruments in HEAVEN.For GOD the father Almighty plays upon the HARP of stupendous magnitude and melody.For at that time malignity ceases and the devils themselves are at peace.For this time is perceptible to man by a remarkable stillness and serenity of soul.

ChorusHallelujah from the heart of God, and from the hand of the artist inimitable, and from the echo of the heavenly harp in sweetness magnifical and mighty.

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i hear those voices that will not be drowned

Memorial to Benjamin Britten "The Scallop" by Maggi Hambling.Aldeburgh, Suffolk, England

Britten composed Rejoice in the Lamb in 1943 for the 50th anniversary of the consecration of St. Matthew’s Church, Northampton. Calling the work a “Festival Cantata”, Britten set to music Jubilate Agno by Christopher Smart, an eighteenth century poet, who was, “deeply religious, but of a strange and unbalanced mind.” (This according to Walter Hussey, the dedicatee of the composition). The work has been a staple in the repertoire of the English Church since its premiere. Though quite demanding for the choir, the piece also calls for virtuosic and colorful organ playing as well. Hussy goes on to offer the following about the text:

Rejoice in the Lamb was written while Smart was in an asylum, and is chaotic in form but contains many flashes of genius.

It is a few of the finest passages that Benjamin Britten has chosen to set to music. The main theme of the poem, and that of the Cantata, is the worship of God, by all created beings and things, each in its own way.

The Cantata is made up of ten short sections. The first sets the theme. The second gives a few examples of one person after another being summoned from the pages of the Old Testament to join with some creature in praising and rejoicing in God. The third is a quiet and ecstatic Hallelujah. In the fourth section Smart takes his beloved cat as an example of nature praising God by being simply what the Creator intended it to be. The same thought is carried on in the fifth section with the illustration of the mouse. The sixth section speaks of the flowers — “the poetry of Christ”. In the seventh section Smart refers to his troubles and suffering, but even these are an occasion for praising God, for it is through Christ that he will find his deliverance. The eighth section gives four letters from an alphabet, leading to a full chorus in section nine which speaks of musical instruments and music’s praise of God. The final section repeats the Hallelujah.

Before the return of the Hallelujah section, Britten brings all of the “instrumental” exuberance to a close with a hauntingly beautiful utterance of the final two lines of the poem.

For at that time malignity ceases and the devils themselves are at peace.

For this time is perceptible to man by a remarkable stillness and serenity of soul.

Here we find echoes of John Greenleaf Whittier’s “still, small voice of calm” (cf Hymn 653 & 1 Kings 19:12). So often we pray for peace in our world, and what a blessing it would be. May we pray also for peace within our souls and hearts. Who better to bring this to mind than poor, tormented Christopher Smart.

“… and after the fire there came a still small voice.” –1 Kings 19:12

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The Friends of the ChoirFounded by long-time Director of Music, Dr. Lloyd Cast, The Friends of The Choir of The Cathedral of All Saints is a non-profit organization that seeks to provide financial, logistical, and administrative support primarily to The Choir of Men and Boys as well as to other choral ensem-bles across the United States and abroad. Each year, The Friends provide partial

and in some cases full scholarships to all choristers who attend the Royal School of Church Music’s annual Training Course for Boys in Montreal. The Friends provide funding for the choir’s publicity, sponsor concerts, fund a variety of visiting artists and conductors, assist with chorister recruitment, and provide support for choir travel. The Friend’s membership roster contains over 200 individuals and families who give of their time and money to sup-port this unique choral tradition.

In addition to their support of the choir, The Friends of the Choir provide full financial support for The Lloyd Cast Organ Fellowship, a two-year full-time residency for a deserv-ing young musician. This Fellowship, named for The Cathedrals’ long-serving Director of Music, is unique in the country in its support for emerging organists. The inaugural Lloyd Cast Organ Fellow, Robert Richter, a graduate of Oberlin College, served from 2007-2009 and went on to become Assistant Music Director at St. Pauls’ Church in Indianapolis. Our current Organ Fellow, Graham Schultz, completed his studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he was a pupil of Todd Wilson.

THE FRIENDS OF THE CHOIR OF THE CATHEDRAL OF ALL SAINTS,INC.

is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation governed by a Board of Directors

www.cathedralofallsaints.org

Andrew Howard President

Charles Dumas Vice President

Wendy Besch Secretary

The Reverend Allen Carpenter Corresponding Secretary

Thérèse Wolfe Treasurer

The Venerable David J. Collum ex officio

Woodrow Bynum ex-officio

David Todd AllenDon Csaposs David Griggs-Janower Barbarba Guertze Elizabeth Howard Jay Jakovic Theresa Lasselle Michael Lister Brian Logan Bonnie Malsan Patrice Millett Kim Osbourne-Allen Nancy Potter Kendall Reilly Matthew VanDerbeck

The Friends of the Choir Board of Directors

2010-2011

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Director of Music wishes to thank all those who assisted with the planning of today’s concert and who made this choral season such

a tremendous success. Especially,

The Bishops, The Dean, The Chapter, and Staff of The Cathedral of All Saints

The Cathedral Choir of Men and BoysThe Choir Parents

Graham Schultz, Lloyd Cast Organ FellowThe Friends of The Choir of The Cathedral of All Saints

Andrew & Elizabeth Howard, our Head ChoirparentsTheresa Lasselle, Debra Perrotto and Kendall Reilly, our devoted Choirmothers

The Britten-Pears Institute The Reverend Allen Carpenter

Clark Music Dr. David Griggs-Janower

Lorna HaywoodNathan Lawrence, Recording Engineer

Keith Martens Nancy Potter, Design and Publicity

Concert Sponsors Albany IVF Albany Aqua Ducks Albany ENT Albany Pro-Musica The American Hotel Bayou Café Carrow Real Estate Services Capital Bauer Insurance Crown Plaza Hotel Doane Stuart School Chicago Title Insurance Empire State Youth Orchestra First National Bank of Scotia Freeman Howard, P.C.

HRBT Foundation Inland Abstract Kinderhook Bank Kinderhook Medical Care Kirschner Caroff Design, Inc LaSalle Institute Lemery Greisler Pattison, Koskey, Howe & Bucci Christopher H. Reillly D.D.S. Michael J. Sbuttoni, D.D.S Shank & Falvey Insurance Stewart’s Foundation Valatie Imaging Kevin Walsh Contracting Wells Fargo Bank WMHT

Thank you also to our donors who wish to remain anonymous.

Archangel $2500Anonymous Mr. & Mrs. William Smart

Angel $1000Mr. and Mrs. Charles Dumas Mr. Andrew and Dr. Elizabeth HowardMs. Steffie Kirschner Mr. Frederick MillerOphardt Charitable Gift FundMs. Nancy Potter and Mr. Lon KirschnerThe Very Rev’d Marshall J. Vang

Saint $500 Mr and Mrs. Clayton Besch, IIIDr. Brian Bush Mr. Woodrow BynumThe Venerable and Mrs. David J. CollumMr. & Mrs. Donald Csaposs Mr. and Mrs. Ed FereeMr. Gary P. GelfenbienMr. & Mrs. Roger A. HannayMrs. Betty Lou MathisThe Rev’d Nancy J. and Mr. Rosenblum Jim and Therese Wolf

Benefactor $250 The Rev’d Allen D. CarpenterMrs. Betty EdgeMrs. Jean Farrell Kinderhook Wine & SpiritsMr. Gene E MackayMr. Robert K. Montgomery Old Chatham Sheepherding Co. Dr. Christopher and Mrs. Kendall Reilly Mr. Graham SchultzMs. Kathleen SlezakThe Tobias FamilyStewarts Foundation

Sponsor $100Ms. Helen M. AllenThe Rt. Rev’d David S. Ball Mr. & Mrs. Stephen BeecherMr. Terrence Mr. BoyleMr. Joseph Bucci & Ms. Martha MunafoMr. Garry T. CenterMr. Kirkham Cornwall, Jr.Ms. Sara J. Corse & Kenwyn K. SmithMr. & Mrs. James CrumMr. & Mrs. Joe CulellaDr. & Mrs. Martin T. Davis

Mr. Michael J. DesimoneThe Rev’d Canon and Mrs. Clinton G DuggerDr. Amanda Foreman & Mr. Jonathan BartonMr. William L. GordonMr. & Mrs. John GradyMr. David M. Griggs-JanowerCanon Kay. C. HotalingMr. & Mrs. Jay Harold Jakovic Mr. & Mrs. David KahlbaughThe Rev’d Dr. Katherine KursMr. Richard J. LenehanThe Rev’d Richard H. LutzThe MallicksMs. Charlotte M. MasonMrs. Bettie Jane McCabeMr. & Mrs. Charles McCambridgeThe Rev’d David Wm. Mickiewicz Mr. & Mrs. Benjamin F. NeidlMr. & Mrs. Jeffrey NowcMr. & Mrs. Daniel OdellMr. & Mrs. Brendan O’SheaMr. & Mrs. Ronald W. PrattS & F Technologies Ms. Anne SchomakerMr. Robert H. SloanMr. Robert H. StackmanMs. Marion F. SteenMr. & Mrs. Matthew H. VanDerbeckMr. & Mrs. Charles J. Wilcox

Patron $50Mrs. Sven A. AndersonThe Rev’d Harold W. BensonDr. Kenneth W. BoyntonMr. and Mrs. Benjamin Y. Brewster, Jr. Mr. James C. BrushMrs. Lucille ButzBroadway Auto ClinicMs. Jean CreightonMrs. Ernestine J. CrumThe Rev’d Paul EvansMr. Pat DeVaneyDr. & Mrs. Eugene GarberMr. & Mrs. Gary GossenMr. & Mrs. Jay A. HigleMr. & Mrs. LaRue H. JonesMr. Mark KeelerThe Rev’d & Mrs. James H. B. KenyonThe Rev’d Canon & Mrs. Charles B. KingMr. Brian Logan, Esq.Ms. Katharine H. MacGregorThe Rev’d Canon Frederick C. Mcquade

The Rev’d Duncan R. McQueenDr. John C. MeschDr. Caitrin NavarroMr. & Mrs. Lawrence NorvilleMr. & Mrs. Sandy OrrMr. & Mrs. Richard PeakerMr. & Mrs. Brian PerrottoMr. & Mrs. Patrick M. PikeMs. Audrey A. ReillyMs. Renee Rosebrook Mr. & Mrs. David M. SchultzMr. & Mrs. Gregory SpeckMr. Keith C. St. JohnMr. & Mrs. Geoffrey SteinMr. Tim Truscott & Ms. Judy MartinMs. Ellen Van HoesenMrs. Marjoie WahrmanThe Rev’d Canon D. Delos WamplerMr. Donald G. Zeilman

Donor $25Ms. Gloria M. BallienMs. Sylvia BarnardMr. Richard D. BeenMs. Sandra BrowkawMs. Sharon B. CalkaMs. Edna ChandlerMr. & Mrs. C. Thomas ClarkMr. & Mrs. Thomas CoatesMs. Nancy A CostelloMr. Michael DoxieMrs. Joan B. EckerMr. John P. FreemanMs. Barbara FullerMs. Virginia M. HayesMs. Margaret Hopper & Mr. Paul MottoMr. & Mrs. Richard W. HowieMs. Carol R. JacksonMr. John T. Keenan, Jr.Mr. James H. LazenbyMr. & Mrs. John A. LutzMr. & Mrs. David MalsanMr. J. Thomas MartinMrs. Grace H. MullerThe Rev’d John ProvostMr. Thomas V. Robert & Ms. Tracey SlupskiMr. & Mrs. Anthony V. Roina Mr. John W. RyanMs. Marguerite Serwanski Mr. & Mrs. David SmailDr. & Mrs. Robert N. TarantoMr. & Mrs. John Woods

The Friends of the Choir Membership

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i n s p i r ea p p e a r

i n s p i r ea p p e a r

In Honor of the Potter-Kirschner Family The Reverend Dr. Katherine Kurs

With Best Wishes Kenneth W Boynton, DMD

Congratulations to Griffin Simon. You Rock, Sir!

The Tobias Family

With Best Wishes The Horvath Family

In thanksgiving for Woodrow Bynum and The Friends of the Choir

Graham Schultz

Best Wishes to Woodrow and The Cathedral Choir PK Miller and Tim Montgomery

With Best Wishes Kendra Zappia, DDS

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CathedralChoir2010-4x4_B&W:Layout 1 5/11/11 11:01 AM Page 1

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The Friends of the Choir of The Cathedral of All Saints, Inc.62 south swan street albany, new york 12210

www.thecathedralofallsaints.org

Dear Friends:

As a result of your generosity and support, this past year has been one of continued growth and development for The Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys.

The Choir has grown to eighteen (18) boys participating in the choral program, the choir room and Morgan Steinway piano originally donated by J.P. Morgan were histori-cally restored, we sent the largest contingent of boys from a single Cathedral in the history of the Montreal Boys Choir Course to last summer’s program, our second Lloyd L. Cast Organ Fellow, Graham Shultz, began his unique 2-year tenure (the only Fellow-ship of its kind in the country), we released a 2-CD set of The Choir’s performance of G. F. Handel’s Messiah, hailed as “…one of shining glory”, and reprised last springs performance of Messiah to a capacity audience before Christmas. Also in December, The Boys of The Cathedral Choir performed at the Palace Theater as part of The Albany Symphony Orchestra’s Magic of Christmas.

In February, The Choir travelled to Great Britain to sing in-residence at Hereford Cathedral. In addition to singing at both Hereford and Gloucester Cathedrals, The Choir explored parts of England and Wales, making many new friends along the way and leaving their host city with a very favorable impression of their musical talents. In March, The Choir joined Albany Pro Musica at the Cathedral in a perfor-mance of Faure’s Requiem. It has been quite a year!

But beyond the concerts, CD’s and travel, this past year has witnessed a dedicated group of gentlemen and young men, under the watchful eye of Director Woodrow Bynum, grow both as individuals and as an ensemble, reaching milestones thought to be unattainable. My fondest memories are of witnessing a young chorister succeed in his first solo, watching older choristers look out for their younger “brothers” who were a bit homesick upon arrival in England, marveling in the quiet, focused weekly com-mitment demonstrated by The Choir in its practices, services and performances, and simply cherishing the interaction with such a fine and decent group of people who care about what they sing and understand what it means in the life of this Cathedral and all those who come to experience their passion. These were the real success stories of the past year.

On behalf of The Friends of the Choir, I hope that you not only enjoy this afternoon’s performance, but that you appear again and again to be inspired by The Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys.

With many thanks,

Andrew B. Howard, President

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