Session Four THE NEGLECTED CATEGORY OF SACRED CHORAL MUSIC

NEGLECTED MASTERPIECE OF THE WEEK One doesn’t usually think of Beethoven as a neglected composer, but some of his pieces are seldom heard. Here’s one example. See if you can find possible reasons. MUSICAL PRAYERS Today we will delve into a whole category of music that spans many centuries, nationalities, and musical styles. What all these pieces have in common is their subject matter. All the pieces we will look at today are prayers – and prayer is a neglected subject in today’s secular culture. TEXTS OF MUSICAL PRAYERS Let’s begin by looking at the texts of musical prayers. For the most part they:

• Praise God • Thank God • Petition God • Confess to God

Originally, the texts of this music came from Christian or Hebrew scriptures. But more recently, they may come from any source – as long as they praise, thank, petition, or confess to, God.

BEFORE 1600 Until the 17th century, the writing and performance of musical prayers was carefully controlled by the church, which:

• Approved the texts to be used

• Dictated the style of the music to be written

• Provided the only authorized venues for their performances.

AFTER 1600 Now, in the 21st century, our access to musical prayers is strictly limited, unless we attend a church or temple that programs them for religious purposes. Most of us hear this music in secular settings, as concert pieces divorced from their original, liturgical purpose – the purpose of public worship. After the rise of public concerts, and especially in the 20th century, composers began writing musical prayers that were never intended for liturgical use but were composed to be heard in secular concerts. Let’s consider, for a moment, why this whole category of music might be neglected:

• Their subject matter is alien to people whose values come from nonreligious sources, or who are not familiar with the religious heritage or religious language, or who are disaffected from organized religious altogether – a rapidly growing number, according to many polls

• Like the songs we heard last week, their language is, more often than not, foreign: Latin, Hebrew, German, Italian, Spanish, French, Russian, as well as English

• The emotions expressed by this music are often the extreme

emotions associated with religious life: joy, suffering, despair, gratitude, grief and humility, rather than the more familiar emotions of secular experience.

LUTHER’S/BACH’S WORLD VIEW Often times, the entire world view behind a musical prayer may be unfamiliar to us. One example is the sacred music of J S Bach, which was composed to be used in early 18th Century Lutheran worship services in northern Germany. This music reflects the 17th and 18th century Lutheran world view that is summarized in Martin Luther’s hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.”

• Life is a ceaseless struggle between God and the Devil (good and evil)

• Satan is a powerful foe – “on Earth is not his equal”

• Only God can save us, and He will do so if we obey his commandments - which is very difficult to do because we are constantly tempted by Satan’s crafty, powerful force.

A MIGHTY FORTRESS WORDS

A mighty fortress is our God, A bulwark never failing; Our helper he amid the flood Of mortal ills prevailing. For still our ancient foe Doth seek to work us woe; His craft and power are great, And armed with cruel hate, On earth is not his equal. Did we in our own strength confide, Our striving would be losing; Were not the right Man on our

side, The Man of God’s own choosing: Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He; Lord Sabaoth His Name, From age to age the same, And He must win the battle. And though this world, with devils filled, Should threaten to undo us, We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us: The Prince of Darkness grim, We tremble not for him; His rage we can endure, For lo! His doom is sure, One little word shall fell him. That word above all earthly powers, No thanks to them, abideth; The Spirit and the gifts are ours Through Him who with us sideth: Let goods and kindred go, This mortal life also; The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still, His Kingdom is forever

MONKS IN CHOIR STALLS Historically, sacred music was carefully controlled by religious hierarchy, which set rules for what texts could be set to music and what kind of music could be used.

Today most of us listen to musical prayers in non-religious concerto settings. Many of us are drawn to these prayers and experience them as musical, cultural, or spiritual events, not as the religious events they were originally meant to be. DEFINITIONS Before we listen to specific pieces, here is a short list of definitions that you may come across as you read about and listen to musical prayers:

• Liturgy – public worship

• Mass – A symbolic re-enactment of the sacrifice of Christ so that others may be saved

• Divine Office – in Roman Catholicism, the series of required

prayers for each day of the year

• Antiphon – short musical responses to a reading of scripture

• Anthem – choral piece with sacred words, usually from the Bible

• Motet – same as anthem

• Hymn – religious prayers of praise, usually addressed to God

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Now let’s look at the music of three outstanding composers who wrote a large amount of sacred music, in different centuries and different historical eras.

STRAVINSKY

First is the 20th –century composer, Igor Stravinsky, born into a devout Russian Orthodox family. Stravinsky famously said, "Music praises God. Music is better able to praise Him than the building of a church and all its decoration; it is the Church's greatest ornament.”

While growing up in St. Petersburg, and as a young adult in Paris and Switzerland, Stravinsky was not a religious person. But from his early 40’s on, he devoted more and more of his creative life to writing religious prayers. His friend Robert Craft noted that Stravinsky prayed daily, before and after composing, and also prayed when facing difficulty. Towards the end of his life, he was no longer able to attend church services, Stravinsky wrote:

I cannot now evaluate the events that, at the end of those thirty years, made me discover the necessity of religious

belief. I was not reasoned into this. I do not believe in bridges of reason or, indeed, in any form of extrapolation in religious matters. ... I can say, however, that for some years before my actual "conversion", a mood of acceptance had been cultivated in me by a reading of the Gospels and by other religious literature.

SYMPHONY OF PSALMS We’re going to listen now to the first movement of Stravinsky’s “Symphony of Psalms,” commissioned for the 50th anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. This is not a liturgical piece (for public worship services) but a concert piece for concert audiences. “NOT A SYMPHONY…” What is a “Symphony of Psalms?” In the early 20th century, a symphony was a large and usually complex work for orchestra, usually with several large sections or movements. (Reference Benjamin Britten’s “Short Symphony” from our first session.) This “Symphony of Psalms” is such a work, about 22 minutes in length. Each movement features a choral setting of one or more of the Psalms of David. WHAT TO LISTEN FOR

• Large orchestra and chorus

• Text is in medieval Latin; the choral music sounds “medieval”, like Gregorian Chant

• Orchestra music uses unusual combinations of

instruments, piano, harp, low strings (cellos and double basses), high and low woodwinds and brass (lots of flutes, a piccolo, and several oboes), and assorted percussion – instruments carefully chosen because they do not blend – but with no violins or violas.

• Overall effect- by using mostly very high and very low

instruments, the orchestra does not complete with the chorus, but lets the voices come through easily in the middle range.

SYMPHONY OF PSALMS TEXT (PSALM 138) The text of the first movement is a prayer of petition to God (read aloud) Hear my prayer, O Lord And with Thine ears consider my calling: Hold not Thy peace at my tears. For I am a stranger with Thee, And a sojourner, As all my fathers were. O spare me a little that I may recover my strength Before I go hence and be no more. Listen to the first movement WHY NEGLECTED? MUSICAL PRAYERS BY STRAVINSKLY The Links page contains a link to the entire Symphony of the Psalms. The text may be found here.

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PURCELL

Another composer of wonderful musical prayers was Henry Purcell, who was England’s leading Anglican (protestant) composer in the second half of the 17th century. The texts of Purcell’s musical prayers may be in English, in Latin, or even in both. This reflected the complicated political and religious history of England during Purcell’s lifetime. Due to his talent and high reputation, Purcell served as organist of Westminster Abbey during the reign of both Protestant and Roman Catholic kings. In an age before public concerts, he was commissioned by both Catholic and protestant church officials to write musical prayers to be sung at important political and musical events. These were, of course, all private events rather than public concerts open to all.

THOU KNOWEST, LORD This morning we’re going to listen to “Thou Knowest, Lord, the Secrets of Our Hearts,” a short confessional anthem with an English text. The term, “Anthem,” simply means a short piece with a religious text, usually taken from the Scriptures. “Thou Knowest, Lord” is a liturgical piece and was written for the funeral of Queen Mary II (of William and Mary).

The text is one of the Anglican sentences from the burial service in the Book of Common Prayer:[9] Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts; Shut not thy merciful ears unto our pray'rs; But spare us, Lord most holy, O God most mighty. O holy and most merciful Saviour, Thou most worthy Judge eternal, Suffer us not at our last hour, For any pains of death to fall away from Thee. WHY NEGLECTED?

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A third leading composer of musical prayers was Franz Joseph Haydn. Haydn is not, in general, a neglected composer today. His symphonies and string quartets are deservedly popular and are often played and recorded. His two great choral masterpieces, “The Creation” and “The Seasons,” are frequently performed by amateur and professional choirs alike. But his piano music is not played as often as its quality deserves, and his sacred music – including musical prayers – remains largely neglected. Here are three characteristic musical prayers by Haydn, which I encourage you to listen to this week. This morning, we’re going to listen to one of Haydn’s anthems with the interesting title,

“Raging Cares Which Invade Our Minds.”

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ABOUT JEWISH SACRED MUSIC There is, of course, a very long tradition of Jewish sacred music, and a long tradition of Jewish musical prayers. With few exceptions, however, this music has not become familiar to the general music-loving public. It is seldom programmed by choral groups or heard in recordings or on the radio. The reasons for this are complex. First of all, the texts of these prayers are almost entirely in Hebrew, a language largely unknown to the general music loving public. Second, there is a strong feeling among many – but not all - Jews that this music does not belong in public concerts. Nevertheless, in the 20th century two Jewish composers made determined efforts to bring sacred Jewish music to larger audiences. These efforts had a limited success, especially in New York City and other large American cities.

LEONARD BERNSTEIN

Leonard Bernstein was one of these composers. His several sacred Jewish compositions are still heard today, probably thanks to his great celebrity as a composer, orchestral conductor and music educator. HASHKIVEINU Hashkiveinu was commissioned in 1945 by the Rabbi of the Park Avenue Synagogue in New York City. Unlike some more conservative Rabbis, he believed that the renewal of Judaism depended on its texts becoming better known by a wider audience. It is a setting of a sacred Hebrew Text from the end of the Jewish Sabbath, and it is scored for a solo cantor (tenor), mixed chorus, and organ. WHY NEGLECTED?

ERNEST BLOCH

Ernest Bloch was born in Geneva and educated in France and Germany. In 1916 he immigrated to the United States, where he lived for the rest of his life. Thus he is usually referred to as a Swiss/American composer, or even as an American composer of Swiss origin. From the 1920s to the 1960s, Bloch was one of the most popular and admired American composers. His new works were premiered by leading orchestras and soloists. His compositions were played frequently throughout the United States, England, and Western Europe. In the United States Bloch held many important teaching posts, including a long tenure as President of the Cleveland Institute of Music. His composition students became the leading American composers of the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s.

His many Jewish-themed compositions include a number that are sacred in nature, that is, based on sacred Jewish texts used in public worship services. SCHELOMO This morning we’re going to listen to one of Bloch’s many Jewish-themed pieces that is NOT a prayer. Today, “Schelomo” (Solomon) is probably Bloch’s best known and most frequently played piece. It is a concerto for cello and orchestra, based on ancient Jewish themes, and has become part of the standard repertoire for concert cellists throughout the world. WHY NEGLECTED?

WEB RESEARCH Roy Harris, Symphony No 3 (1939)