The Gotham City Music Collective presents
Fall Choral Concert
ST PAUL’S GERMAN EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH
13 OCT 2023
Program Leaflet
Index of Songs
by Performance Order
I Sing Because I’m Happy
Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning
Ilus Hääl
Shenandoah
Sing Me to Heaven
For Good
Ой у лузі червона калина
Cantique de Jean Racine
Ubi Caritas
Gloria
Agnus Dei
Lux Aurumque
Scarborough Fair
The Awakening
I Sing Because I’m Happy
BY CHARLES H. GABRIEL. ARRANGED BY KENNETH PADEN AND ROLLO DILWORTH. LYRICS BY CIVILLA D. MARTIN.
A reinterpretation of the Gospel staple His Eye is on the Sparrow. Martin wrote the original in 1905, and it has been made famous over and over by the likes of Ethel Waters, Mahalia Jackson, Whitney Houston, Lauryn Hill, and Tanya Blount.
I sing because I’m happy
I sing because I’m free
For His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches me
I’m so happy, yes!
I’m so happy, yes I am!
Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning
ARRANGED BY PHILLIP KERN.
A traditional spiritual, the lyrics allude to a parable told in Matthew 25:1–13:
There were ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. Those who were foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. Now while the bridegroom delayed, they all slumbered and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, “Behold! The bridegroom is coming! Come out to meet him!” Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.” But the wise answered, saying, “What if there isn’t enough for us and you? You go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.” While they went away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins also came, saying, “Lord, Lord, open to us.” But he answered, “Most certainly I tell you, I don’t know you.”
Keep your lamps trimmed and burning
The time is drawing nigh
Children don’t get weary
‘Til the work is done
Ilus Hääl
BY MARGRIT KITS. ARRANGED BY LAURA JĒKABSONE.
Jēkabsone arranged this piece for the 100th anniversary of Estonia in 2018. The lyrics are in Estonian, and the music shows the style and beauty of the folksongs common to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
| Helisege helded metsad Hüüdke vastu hütikesed Minu kauni heale vastu Lahedama laulu vastu Kus mu healta kuuldaneksi Kus mu laulu laksuneksi Seal kõik metsa murduneksa Ilma raua rabamata | Ring out, generous forests Shout back the huts In return for my graceful voice In return for my wonderful song Where my voice is heard Where my song is sung There all forests will fall Even without striking iron |
Shenandoah
ARRANGED BY JAY ALTHOUSE.
A traditional folk song. Shenandoah likely was a shanty sung by fur traders along the Missouri River in the early 19th century. Lyrics vary widely, but in many versions the titular Shenandoah is chief of the Oneida Iroquois tribe and has a beautiful daughter the fur trader speaker seeks to whisk away.
Oh Shenandoah,
I long to hear you,
Away, you rolling river.
Oh Shenandoah,
I long to hear you,
Away, we’re bound away
‘cross the wide Missouri.
‘Tis sev’n long years since last I saw you
Away, I’m bound away
‘cross the wise Missouri.
Sing Me to Heaven
BY DANIEL GAWTHROP. LYRICS BY JANE GRINER.
In 1991 Gawthrop composed this piece on commission with the directive to create a song that “spoke to the way that we, as singers, feel about music in our lives.” It has since become one of the most frequently performed choral pieces of modern times and has sold more than a half million copies.
The choir would like to dedicate their rendition to the memory of Dr. Ann E. Rehan.
In my heart’s sequestered chambers
Lie truths stripped of poet’s gloss
Words alone are vain and vacant
And my heart is mute
In response to aching silence
Memory summons half-heard voices
And my soul finds primal eloquence
And wraps me in song
If you would comfort me,
Sing me a lullaby
If you would win my heart,
Sing me a love song
If you would mourn me
And bring me to God
Sing me a requiem, sing me to Heaven
Touch in me all love and passion
Pain and pleasure, touch in me
Touch in me, grief and comfort
Love and passion, pain and pleasure
Sing me a lullaby, a love song, a requiem
Love me, comfort me
Sing me to God
Sing me a love song
Sing me to Heaven
For Good
From wicked. BY STEPHEN SCHWARTZ. performed by barbara gao shapiro and emma dietrich.
From the musical Wicked. Here Glinda and Elphaba reflect on their sometimes tumultuous relationship has ultimately changed them both forever and for the better.
I’m limited
Just look at me, I’m limited
And just look at you
You can do all I couldn’t do, Glinda
So now it’s up to you, for both of us
Now it’s up to you
I’ve heard it said
That people come into our lives, for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led to those
Who help us most to grow if we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don’t know if I believe that’s true
But I know I’m who I am today
Because I knew you
Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes the sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood
Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better
But because I knew you
I have been changed for good
It well may be
That we will never meet again
In this lifetime
So, let me say before we part
So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you
You’ll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have rewritten mine
By being my friend
Like a ship blown from its mooring
By a wind off the sea
Like a seed dropped by a sky bird
In a distant wood
Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better
But because I knew you
I have been changed for good
And just to clear the air
I ask forgiveness
For the things I’ve done, you blame me for
But then I guess
We know there’s blame to share
And none of it seems to matter anymore
Like a comet pulled from orbit (like a ship blown from its mooring)
As it passes the sun (by a wind off the sea)
Like a stream that meets a boulder (like a seed dropped by a bird)
Halfway through the wood (in the wood)
Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better
I do believe I have been changed for the better
And because I knew you
I have been changed
For good
Ой у лузі червона калина
ARRANGED BY STEPAN CHARNETSKY.
This patriotic Ukranian march was arranged by Stepan Charnetsky from traditional march elements in 1914 as a memorial to veterans of World War I. The song has ever since attracted both inspiration and political censorship. Singing Oi u Luzi in the wrong crowd could get the singer fined, beaten, or even imprisoned by anti-Ukrainian-nationalist factions in Ukraine and Russia. The song was vehemently repressed during the Soviet era (1919-1991), then following the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, and after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The song sings of a Ukrainian national symbol–the red viburnum, a shrub with bright red berries.
| Ой у лузі червона калина похилилася, Чогось наша славна Україна зажурилася. А ми тую червону калину підіймемо, А ми нашу славну Україну, гей-гей, розвеселимо! А ми тую червону калину підіймемо, А ми нашу славну Україну, гей-гей, розвеселимо! Марширують наші добровольці у кривавий тан, Визволяти братів-українців з ворожих кайдан. А ми наших братів-українців визволимо, А ми нашу славну Україну, гей-гей, розвеселимо! А ми наших братів-українців визволимо, А ми нашу славну Україну, гей-гей, розвеселимо! | Oh, in the meadow a red kalyna has bent down low, For some reason, our glorious Ukraine is in sorrow. And we’ll take that red kalyna and we will raise it up, And, hey-hey, we shall cheer up our glorious Ukraine! And we’ll take that red kalyna and we will raise it up, And, hey-hey, we shall cheer up our glorious Ukraine! Marching forward, our fellow volunteers, into a bloody fray, For to free our brother Ukrainians from the shackles. And we, our brother Ukrainians, we will then liberate, And, hey-hey, we shall cheer up our glorious Ukraine! And we, our brothers Ukrainians, will then liberate, And, hey-hey, we shall cheer up our glorious Ukraine! |
Cantique de Jean Racine
BY GABRIEL FAURÉ. ARRANGED BY PHILLIP LEGGE.
First performed on 4 August 1866, the piece is named for Jean Racine, the author of the French lyrics Verbe égal au Très-Haut. Originally performed with strings and organ, the piece is now most known, with great acclaim, for John Rutter’s arrangement for strings and harp.
| Verbe égal au Très-Haut, notre unique espérance Jour éternel de la terre et des cieux De la paisible nuit nous rompons le silence: Divin sauveur, jette sur nous les yeux Répands sur nous le feu de ta grâce puissante; Que tout l’enfer fuie au son de ta voix; Dissipe ce sommeil d’une âme languissante Qui la conduit à l’oubli de tes lois! O Christ! Sois favorable à ce peuple fidèle Pour te bénir maintenant assemblé; Reçois les chants qu’il offre à ta gloire immortelle Et de tes dons qu’il retourne comblé | Word of the Highest, our only hope, Eternal day of earth and the heavens, We break the silence of the peaceful night; Saviour Divine, cast your eyes upon us! Pour on us the fire of your powerful grace, That all hell may flee at the sound of your voice; Banish the slumber of a weary soul, That brings forgetfulness of your laws! O Christ, look with favour upon your faithful people Now gathered here to praise you; Receive their hymns offered to your immortal glory; May they go forth filled with your gifts. |
Ubi Caritas
BY OLA GJEILO.
With music written in 2001, this is a haunting song delivered chant style. The Latin hymn is attributed to Paulinus of Aquileia in 796.
| Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est. Congregavit nos in unum Christi amor. Exultemus, et in ipso iucundemur. Timeamus, et amemus Deum vivum. Et ex corde diligamus nos sincero. | Where charity and love are, God is there. The love of Christ has gathered us together. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Let us revere and love the living God. And from a sincere heart let us love one another. |
Gloria
ARRANGED BY PAUL BASLER. sOLOIST JEFF CHRISTIANSON.
From Missa Kenya, a multi-movement work Basler wrote to fuse Kenyan and classical mass music. The text, the Greater Doxology, is credited to Hilary of Poitiers in the 4th century. Lyrics are shared with Agnus Dei.
| Gloria in Excelsis Deo. Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis. Laudamus te. Benedicimus te. Adoramus te. Glorificamus te. Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam. Domine Deus, Rex coelestis, Deus Pater omnipotens. Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe. Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris. Qui tollis peccata Mundi, miserere nobis. Qui tollis peccata Mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram. Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis. Quoniam tu solus sanctus. Tu solus Dominus. Tu solus altisimus, Jesu Christe. Cum Sancto Spiritu in gloria Dei Patris. Amen. | Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his People on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, Almighty God and Father, We worship you, we give you thanks, We praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God You take away the sin of the world: Have mercy on us; You are seated at the right hand of the Father: Receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, You alone are the Lord, You alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, With the Holy Spirit In the glory of God the Father. Amen. |
Agnus Dei
BY ROLLO DILWORTH.
Here a beautiful Gospel flavor is given to a traditional Catholic liturgical prayer: the Great Doxology. Gloria shares this text. In English the lyrics read:
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace.
Lux Aurumque
BY ERIC WHITACRE. Soloist emma dietrich.
A haunting piece, Whitacre has adapted Lux in many forms, including this a cappella version famed for its virtual performance by 185 singers from 12 countries. Whiteacre’s friend, poet Charles Anthony Silvestri, translated the lyrics into Latin. The original English poem is attributed by Edward Esch, described by Whitacre as a “recluse in the truest sense of the word”. But does Esch exist? Esch does not appear to have work outside Whitacre’s own, and Whitacre’s son is named Esch Edward Whitacre.
| Lux, Calida gravisque pura velut aurum Et canunt angeli molliter modo natum. | Light, warm and heavy as pure gold and the angels sing softly to the new-born baby. |
Scarborough Fair
Traditional english ballad. performed by ashley rivas.
While most widely known by the Simon & Garfunkel edition, this song is a traditional English ballad with versions published as early as 1891. Other versions may be found titled “The Cambric Shirt”, or “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme”.
“O, where are you going?” “To Scarborough fair,”
Savoury sage, rosemary, and thyme;
“Remember me to a lass who lives there,
For once she was a true love of mine.
“And tell her to make me a cambric shirt,
Savoury sage, rosemary, and thyme,
Without any seam or needlework,
And then she shall be a true love of mine.
“And tell her to wash it in yonder dry well,
Savoury sage, rosemary, and thyme,
Where no water sprung, nor a drop of rain fell,
And then she shall be a true love of mine.
The Awakening
BY JOSEPH M MARTIN.
This piece begins with a nightmare in which all music is lost and forgotten. Gradually the world awakens until the Giver of the Song arrives in triumph. Martin describes this song as in part a metaphor for his personal arc to refinding music after the murder of his junior high music teacher.
I dreamed a dream
A silent dream
Of a land not far away.
Where no birds sang,
No steeples rang,
And teardrops fell like rain.
I dreamed a dream,
A silent dream
Of a land so filled with pride
That ev’ry song,
Both weak and strong,
Withered and died.
I dreamed a dream.
No alleluia,
Not one hosanna,
No song of love,
No lullaby.
And no choir sang to change the world.
No pipers played; no dancers twirled.
I dreamed a dream,
A silent dream.
Awake! Awake! (Soli Deo Gloria!)
Awake! Awake, my soul, and sing!
The time for praise has come.
The silence of the night has passed;
A new day has begun.
Let music never die in me!
Forever let my spirit sing!
Wherever emptiness is found,
Let there be joy and glorious sound.
Let music never die in me!
Forever let my spirit sing!
Let all our voices join as one
To praise the Giver of the song!
Awake, awake!
Let music live!