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European Tour Preview Concert

Bryan F. Black, Director
Leanne Elmer Herrmann, Accompanist

Sunday, August 28, 2005
First United Methodist Church of Marietta
Marietta, Georgia

Music – Voice of Art

Lebenslust [Joy of Living] (1818) by Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
words by Johann Karl Unger (1771-1836)
A short part song that celebrates the joy of friendship and togetherness—a fitting topic for an idiom associated with the Liedertafeln (singing clubs) that were part of 19th century Europe and still exist as community choruses and singing federations.

Sehnsucht [Longing] (2005) by Tim Jansa (b. 1974)
words (1801) by Friedrich Schiller (1759-2005)
A summer visit to Weimar, Germany led our conductor to suggest a commemorative composition to honor the 200th death anniversary of Friedrich Schiller by Atlanta composer Tim Jansa. Following its American premiere, Jansa's exceptionally challenging piece will also be sung in Weimar's Jakobskirche, Schiller's original resting place before his removal to the historical cemetery where he now rests beside Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

Zelený Majerán [Green Marjoram] (1986) by Jirí Laburda (b. 1931),
Slovak Folk Song
Czech composer Laburda's prize-winning setting of Slovakian folk poetry reveals his affection for amateur choirs and a sensitive understanding of text underlay and rich modal harmonies. The Guild looks forward to singing this for Mr. Laburda at the St. Nikolas Church in Prague.

In The Night We Shall Go In (1997) by Imant Raminsh (b. 1943)
Words by Pablo Neruda (1904-1973), translated by Donald D. Walsh
Amy Black, French horn
This setting of Pablo Neruda's poem by Canadian composer Imant Raminsh elegantly suggests the serenity of night and a lover's meeting in the shadows.

Music – Voice of Faith

Ave Maria (1985) by Franz Biebl (1906-2001)
Ben Bailey and David Beckers, cantors
A simple and reverent prayer to the Virgin written for two choirs with chant fragments sung between verses. Biebl's original score was commissioned by a German fireman's chorus near Munich and later transcribed for mixed choir.

Ehre und Preis - Sicut locutus est (1723) by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) from Magnificat
This movement from the Magnificat is often performed alone a cappella as an invigorating five-part fugue. The alternate text in German is a familiar ascription of praise and honor to God.

Riche Mich, Gott [Vindicate me, God] (1844) by Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Mendelssohn drew on Psalm 43 as the inspiration for this grand composition dedicated to the cathedral choir of Berlin.

Bright Morning Star arranged by Fred Squatrito
Kentucky Appalachian Folksong
In 1937 a recording of this melody was made in Harlan, Kentucky by the Library of Congress. A thoughtful choral arrangement allows us to savor its beauty and enjoy the words that both long for a reunion with loved ones while relying on friends present to sustain the journey with "loving arms."

Salmo 150 (1993) by Ernani Aguiar (b. 1949)
Electrifying Brazilian rhythms stir the Latin text of Psalm 150 into a tumult of jubilation.

Music – Voice of The People

Love and Pizen (1995) by Kirke Mechem (b. 1925)
from Choral Variations on American Folksongs (1995)
A venerable American folk ballad that recounts the tragic snakebite death of Thomas Myrick in Wilbraham, Massachusetts on August 7, 1761. Originally a sad song by a local poet, it quickly became a source of amusement for other singers and was adapted in various ways across the country.

Followers Of The Lamb (1977) arranged by Philip Dietterich (b.1931)
Shaker text and tune (1847). John Scott, baritone soloist
The religious movement whose members were commonly known as Shakers left behind an enduring body of music that reflects their spirited worship services that filled the countryside with robust singing and holy, swirling dancing.

Ezekiel Saw De Wheel (1942) arranged by William Dawson (1899-1990)
African-American Spiritual
Dawson and his choir from Alabama's Tuskegee Institute set a national standard for excellence in arranging and performing African-American spirituals and slave songs. "Ezekiel" takes a brief passage from the Hebrew scriptures, expands it with admonitions to sinners and hypocrites and culminates with the sound of wheels turning on a steam locomotive.

Praise His Holy Name (1998) by Keith Hampton (b. 1957)
Hampton's excellence as a keyboardist and master of the modern gospel idiom creates a potent combination of old words and new ideas.

Kein Schöner Land (2005) by arranged Bryan Black (b. 1969)
Text and tune (1840) by Anton Wilhelm Florentin von Zuccalmalio
How can one resist the charm of a folk song that ends the day by thinking of beautiful singing under the oak trees with wishes for a peaceful night?

Lambscapes (2002) by Eric Lane Barnes
Take a journey with the hapless Mary and her furry companion as they try to pull the wool over the eyes of great composers.