Texts and Translations
Missa "Sunt Bona Mixta Malis"
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Kyrie
Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison
Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy
Gloria
Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis.
Laudamus te, benedicimus te, adoramus te, glorificamus te.
Gratias agimus tibi, propter magnam gloriam tuam.
And on Earth peace to people of good will.
We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you.
We give thanks for your great glory.
Until December 1983, this work was assumed lost until found in the attic of a farmhouse in Northern Ireland, accompanied with a sketchleaf by Beethoven, and autograph letters and notes by Mendelssohn, Schumann, Rossini, and others. These contents had bveen purchased from Novello sometime in the second half of the nineteenth century.
This work consists of a complete Kyrie movement and the Gloria up to the end of the clause “Gratias agimus tibi propter magnum gloriam tuam” This work was halted for some reason. It was written in the stile antico style derived from Renaissance polyphony. It is not clear for who the work was intended and why it was never completed. It is possible that it was intended for the court church in the main residencer in Eisenstadt, our outside the Esterhazy court.
The significance of the added title “sunt bona mixta malis” (good things mixed with the bad) can only be speculated on as a reference to a proverb often quoted by Haydn “there are good and bad children, and here and there a changeling has crept in”.
Let Thy Hand be Strengthened
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
1. Let Thy Hand be Strengthened
Let thy hand be strengthened, and thy right hand be exalted.
Let thy right hand be exalted.
2. Let Justice and Judgement
Let justice and judgement be the preparation of thy seat!
Let mercy and truth go before thy face.
3. Allelujah
Allelujah!
On October 11, 1727, George II was crowned king of England in Westminster Abbey, and Handel was commissioned to compose four anthems for the occasion. The anthem Let thy hand be strengthened was the first of the four to be performed at the ceremony and the only one to have no vocal soloists and no trumpets or drums. It is in three movements, of which the first is a glorification of the monarch, the second a plea for justice and mercy, and the the third a joyous Alleluja.
In this music, we see how Handel adapts the traditional English anthem of Purcell and others. It is simple, public music designed to be heard in a large cathedral, as opposed to the finely detailed music that might be desirable in a more intimate setting. Its massive architecture is perfect for the ceremonial occasion, for which reason one or more of these anthems has been heard at every English coronation since 1727.
Your Voices Tune
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Your voices tune and raise them high,
'Till they echo from the vaulted sky, the blest Cecilia's name;
Music to heav'n and her we owe.
The greatest blessing that's below; sound loudly then her fame!
Let's imitate her notes above! And may this evening ever prove Sacred to Harmony and Love.
Sacred to Love, Sacred to Harmony, Sacred to Harmony and Love.
And may this ev'ning ever prove Sacred to Harmony, Sacred to Love.
Let's imitate her notes above, and may this evening ever prove Sacred to Harmony and Love.
Sacred to Love, Sacred to Harmony, Sacred to Harmony and Love.
Alexander’s Feast was completed in January 1736 during a period when Handel was beginning to disentangle himself from the operatic stage and to give more attention to choral works. Handel considered this work as an Ode to St. Cecilia, since it is a setting of John Dryden’s, “The Power of Music,” in homage to St. Cecilia. Alexander’s Feast was first produced in Covent Garden, London, in February, 1736.
Your Voices Tune was added as an appendix and was performed as the concluding section of the Ode. The words are not by Dryden, but by Newburgh Hamilton, who served as one of Handel’s Librettists
Psalm 23
Srul Irving Glick (1934-2002)
Mizmor l'David.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures;
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul;
He guideth me in straight paths for His name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
For Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff.
They comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies;
Thou hast annointed my head with oil; My cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days, all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever, forever.
Srul Irving Glick contributed much to the musical life of Canada . He wrote hundreds of vocal works for use in the synagogue, and many with a strong message of peace. Commissioned for the Toronto Children’s Chorus and Jean Ashworth Bartle, Psalm Trilogy for treble chorus and piano or string orchestra consists of Psalm 92: Mizmor Shir L’yom Hashabbat, Psalm 47: Lam’natzeiach Livnei Korach Mizmor, and Psalm 23: The Lord is My Shepherd. Psalm 23 (“The Lord is my Shepherd”) is slow and stately in two parts; a simple and moving melody in C minor with some beautiful moments of expression and word stress. Other than two words at the beginning in Hebrew, this is the only movement of the three that is sung entirely in English.
I'm On My Way
Shawn Kirchner (b.1970)
When I am gone, don't you cry for me, don't you pity my sorry soul.
What pain there might have been will now be past and my spirit will be whole.
I'll be on my way, I'll be on my way!
I'll have left my feet of clay upon the ground,
I will be glory bound, I'll be on my way.
When I am gone, don't you cry for me, don't you pity my sorry soul.
What pain there might have been will now be past, and my spirit will be whole.
I'll be on my way, I'll be on my way!
I'll have left my feet of clay upon the ground,
I will be glory bound, I'll be on my way.
When I am gone, please forgive the wrongs that I might have done to you;
There'll be no room for regrets up there, high above way beyond the blue.
I'll be on my way, I'll be on my way!
I'll have laid my frown and all my burdens down,
I'll be puttin' on my crown,
I'll be on my way.
When I am gone, don't you look for me in the places I have been;
I'll be alive but somewhere else, I'll be on my way again!
I'll be on my way, I'll be on my way!
I will lift my wings and soar into the air,
There'll be glory everywhere,
I'll be on my way!
I'll be on my way, I'll be on my way!
I'll have laid my frown and all my burdens down,
I'll be puttin' on my crown,
I'll be on my way!
I'll have left my feet of clay upon the ground,
I will be glory bound,
I'll be on my way!
An inspirational memorial song that moves from a sense of sorrow into great joy. A slow opening, sung by a soloist, captures a feeling of reverence before a light, banjo-inspired piano accompaniment launches the spirit-freeing rest of the piece. The rising arpeggio motive on the chorus to the words “I’ll Be On My Way” fills our singers, and hopefully you, with joy.
Three Nocturnes
Daniel Elder (b.1986)
1. Ballade to the Moon
On moonlit night I wander free,
my mind to roam on thoughts of thee.
With midnight darkness beckoning,
my heat toward mystic fantasy:
Come and dream in me!
How beautiful, this night in June!
And here, upon the velvet dune,
I weep with joy beneath the moon.
The path lies dark before my sight,
and yet my feet with pure delight
trod onward through the blackened vale,
beneath the starry sky so bright.
O share thy light!
These woods, their wear wanderer soon
in awe and fearful wonder swoon;
I weep with joy beneath the moon.
And as the darkened hours flee,
my hear beats ever rapidly.
Though heavy hang my eyes with sleep,
my singing soul, it cries to thee:
Come and sing with me!
The twinkling sky casts forth its tune:
O must I leave thy charms so soon?
I weep with joy beneath the moon.
2. Star Sonnet
In stillness high above the slumb'ring shore
where wistful waves of foam caress the sand,
a silent watchman o'er the darkened land,
adrift celestial seas of twilight soars.
She passes softly in the heavens deep--
her silver skin aglow with radiant hue,
her eyes enchanting globes of glittering dew;
through rays of moonlight rich with heavenly sleep.
What dreams have I that she should give them flight,
enlivened in a momentary flame--
what fears of hope unfounded could she tame
to joy, arising toward the hov'ring height!
O, Beaming Star, illumine heaven's floor
until the sun should bear its light once more.
3. Lullaby
Lullaby, sing lullaby,
the day is far behind you.
The moon sits high atop the sky,
now let sweet slumber find you.
Away,
the day is done, and gone the sun
that lit the world so brightly.
The earth's aglow with speckled show
of twinkling stars so sprightly.
Away,
where the sunlight is beaming
through a deep, cloudless blue,
and the treetops are gleaming
with a fresh morning dew;
where the mountains are shining
at the meadows below,
in a brilliant white lining
of a new-fallen snow.
Close your eyes, breathe in the night;
a softer bed I'll make you.
The trial is done, all danger gone;
now let far dreaming take you.
Away,
where the ocean is lapping at a soft, pearly shore,
and the swaying palms napping as their swinging fronds soar.
Now the dark night approaches,
yet so soft and so mild.
Lullaby, sing lullaby;
sleep now, my child.
No. 1”Ballade to the Moon” is the first in a cycle exploring observational and psychological experiences associated with lovem naturem darkness, and light. The texts are original and approach these themes in different ways; this piece depicts a moonlit walk through woods and fields while exploring the love felt for the narrator’s surroundings.
No. 2 of "Star Sonnet," serves as a haunting interruption to the romantic piano textures before and after, and helps depict a trepid curiosity of the outer reaches of the night sky. The text is written as a Shakespearean sonnet.
No. 3 of "Three Nocturnes," Lullaby serves as a simpleand beautiful song of reassurance, as a mother may sing to her child to
stave off a fear of the darkness and solitude of night. The beauty of this text lies in its dual nature, as it also serves to comfort those who grieve
over loss.
El Vito
Arr. Mack Wilberg (b.1955)
Con el vito, vito, vito,
Con el vito, vito, va.
No me mires tu chiquilla
Que me voy á esmoroná
No me mires tu chiquilla
Que te voy a desmayá.
Anda vete que no quiero
Pasar por ti mas fatigas
Si te digo que te vayas
íQué mas quieres que te diga!
Do not look at me little sweetheart,
Or I will fall in love.
Do not look at me little sweetheart,
Or I will faint.
Leave me, for I do not want
to pass through more pain.
If I tell you to go
What more do you want me to say!
'El Vito' is a traditional 16th century folksong and dance music of Andalusia, Spain. Its name refers to Saint Vitus, patron of dancers, and incorporates musical elements typical of the bolero. In Spanish culture, 'El Vito' is a song and dance traditionally performed by women and includes steps of the art of bullfighting.