Program

Welcome to St. Jerome’s! We’re so glad you could join us for this evening’s concert!

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Whether this is your first Lux concert or your tenth, we’re glad you’re here. You can learn more about who we are on our website. In addition to further educational activities like tonight’s concert, we have our sights set on an exciting tenth anniversary season, as well as our ACDA performance, and the completion of post-production on Lead, Kindly Light, our album with composer Paul Mealor. These exciting projects are costly, and we need your help to make them happen. Please consider making a donation to support our work and our mission: to create high-quality choral experiences without sacrificing care for one another. Donations by debit or credit card can be made online. Checks should be made out to “Lux Choir, Inc.” Lux is a 501(c)(3) organization; donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law

About Lux

Lux is an award-winning chamber choir dedicated to accessibility in professional-quality choral music performance and education, based in Washington, D.C. Since its founding in 2014, the group has earned praise from famed composers such as Paul Mealor, Eric Whitacre, and Ola Gjeilo; and their singers hail from some of the finest conservatories and schools of music across the United States. They’ve earned awards on both local and national levels, including two Wammies (Best Choral Group & Best Choral Album, 2021), and a Featured Choral Album on Classical MPR, joining past winners such as Voces8, Tenebrae, and The Sixteen. Ever passionate for contemporary choral music, Lux has given six world premieres since 2019, including works from their first commission and first composition contest in 2021. In 2022, Lux recorded the album Lead, Kindly Light: The Music of Paul Mealor in close collaboration with the composer. It will be released in 2024.

Learn more about Lux on our website.

Thomas W. Pyle Middle School Voices

Zach Tilkens, conductor
Dr. Jidong Zhong, accompanist
Kerry Chon, percussion
Shiori Homma, violin

Chesapeake High School Chamber Singers

Robby Napoli, conductor

Timeline

Tap/click to jump to relevant notes

Traditional Haitian

Wangol
Uusberg

Muusika
Sonstenes

I Am Leaving
Forrest

Shalom
Hogan

My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord
Esmail

TaReKiTa
Gimon

Fire
Traditional

Gaudete
McDowall

Now May We Singen
McDowall

Give me some music
Mealor

Te lucis ante terminum
Reger

Nachtlied
Gabrieli

Quem vidistis, pastores?

Traditional Haitian, arr. Sten Källman (b. 1952)

Wangol

Performance details

Performed by the Thomas W. Pyle Middle School Voices

About the work

“Our program begins with Wangol, a traditional Haitian song arranged by Swedish composer Sten Källman. With the composer’s kind approval, the bass part has been adapted for middle-school voices. The song is an invocation of the Vodou spirit, Wangol, but is also an allegory of national change. In Haiti, this is a song of hope for a brighter future. The binary form begins with a slow A section that is followed by an invigorating B section that Källman calls the “Carnaval portion.” The arrangement adds interest by layering vocal ad libs and percussion throughout.”

—Zach Tilkens

Text

Wangol oh w ale.
Ki le w a vini we m anko w ale?
Peyia chanje.

Traditional Haitian folk song

Translation

Wangol, you are leaving.
When will I see you again?
The country is changing.

Pärt Uusberg (b. 1986)

Muusika

Performance details

Performed by the Thomas W. Pyle Middle School Voices

About the work

“In Muusika, composer Pärt Uusberg sets a 1926 poem by Juhan Liiv. Liiv’s poetry, though gloomy on the surface, expresses great love for his and the composer’s home country of Estonia. The words speak to the pervasiveness, wonder, and mystery of music. Music is a vital part of Estonian identity. Communal singing carried them through wartime, preserving their culture and uniting their people. Students were asked to reflect on their first exposure to music and how far they’ve come in their musical journey. We enjoyed listening to audio, watching videos, and hearing stories from students’ earliest musical memories.”

—Zach Tilkens

Text

Kuskil peab alguskokkukõla olema,

kuskil suures looduses, varjul.

On tema vägevas laotuses,

täheringide kauguses,

on tema päikese sära sees,

lillekeses, metsakohinas,

emakõne südamemuusikas

või silmavees—

kuskil peab surematus olema,

kuskil alguskokkukõla leitama:

kust oleks muidu inimese rinda

saanud ta—

muusika?

Juhan Liiv (1864-1913)

Translation

Somewhere the original harmony must exist,

hidden somewhere in the vast wilds.

In Earth’s mighty firmament,

in the far reaches of swirling galaxies,

in sunshine,

in a little flower, in the song of a forest,

in the music of a mother’s voice,

or in teardrops—

somewhere, immortality endures,

and the original harmony will be found.

How else could it have formed

in human hearts—

music?

Peter Lohuaru

Miriam Sonstenes

I Am Leaving

Performance details

Performed by the Thomas W. Pyle Middle School Voices

About the work

“Of I Am Leaving, Canadian composer Miriam Sonstenes writes “the composition is a reflection on the challenges of having family far away, and the visits which are so precious and never long enough.” The simple yet profound text resonated with the students who shared their own experiences of having to leave a place, a person, or a phase of their life behind. Although change can often feel scary, the ability to reach out to others makes it bearable.”

—Zach Tilkens

Text

Refrain
I am leaving, I am leaving,

Don’t you cry it won’t be long.

I’ll hold on to one sweet memory,

Singing songs until the dawn,

1. Take my hand it’s getting late now,

Sing a song to dry the tears.

Still in dreams I will remember

All that we lost through the years.

Refrain

2. Can you still see the reflection

Of the stars a rising high;

On the river at midnight

Not a cloud was in the sky.

Refrain

3. Though it’s spring time you’re still waiting,

Plant the seed and watch it grow,

Leave your fears they only bind you,

You will reap just what you sow.

Refrain

Miriam Sonstenes

Dan Forrest (b. 1978)

Shalom

Performance details

Performed by the Thomas W. Pyle Middle School Voices

About the work

“When I first previewed Shalom by Dan Forrest, I was entranced. The song gently unfolded with a tender mood created by layers of beautiful piano arpeggiation, violin, and carefully curated legato vocal lines all poignantly accented with whispers of “peace.” The sounds gently wash over the listener and provide a sense of comfort. When violence erupted in the Middle East on October 7, the context and relevance of the piece changed. Nervous to breach the subject myself, I let the students do the talking, and a profound discourse transpired. My students wrote, “It is hard to sing this piece without considering the current state of Israel and Palestine and all the lives that have been lost, but also all the lives lost in history to war. When we sing ‘peace, shalom,’ we hope it will comfort you, as we hope to one day live in a world that values peace.”

—Zach Tilkens

Text

Peace. Peace. Shalom.
Peace. Peace. Shalom.
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives; do not be afraid.
Peace. Peace. Shalom.

John 14:27

Moses Hogan (1957-2003), arr. Rollo Dilworth (b. 1970)

My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord

Performance details

Performed by the Thomas W. Pyle Middle School Voices

About the work

“My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord by Moses Hogan is adapted for SSAA voicing by Rollo Dilworth. The words challenged the students to confront the uncomfortable history of slavery in our country and consider the things in life that make us feel sturdy—the immovable, resilient spirit it must have taken and still takes today to face injustice. We are particularly proud to perform this piece to honor the legacy of Moses Hogan on the twentieth anniversary of his passing at the beginning of the school year.”

—Zach Tilkens

Text

In the Lord, my soul’s been anchored, in the Lord.

Before I’d stay in hell one day, my soul’s been anchored in the Lord.

I’d sing an’ pray myself away. My soul’s been anchored in the Lord.

Goin’ shout an’ pray an’ never stop, my soul’s been anchored in the Lord.

Until I reach the mountain top. My soul’s been anchored in the Lord.

Do you love Him? Oh yes! Do you love Him? Hallelujah!

Do you love Him? Oh yes! God almighty.

Are you anchored? Oh yes!

Yes, I’m anchored, my soul’s been anchored in the Lord.

Yes, will you serve Him? Oh yes! Will you serve Him? Hallelujah!

Will you serve Him? Oh yes! God almighty.

Are you anchored? Oh yes!

Yes, I’m anchored, my soul’s been anchored in the Lord, Hallelujah!

Will you praise Him? Oh yes! Will you praise Him? Hallelujah!

Will you praise Him? Oh yes! God almighty!

Are you anchored? Yes, I’m anchored. Lord, I’m anchored. Oh yes!

Lord, I love You. Oh yes! Yes, I’ll serve You. Oh yes!

Lord, I’ll praise You. Oh yes! Hallelujah!

My soul’s been anchored in the Lord, God almighty,

My soul’s been anchored in the Lord.

Traditional

Reena Esmail (b. 1983)

TaReKiTa

Performance details

Performed by the Thomas W. Pyle Middle School Voices

About the work

“TaReKiTa by L.A.-based composer Reena Esmail is an a cappella piece written in a classical Indian style of Jaag Roga. Esmail uses onomatopoeic words to imitate the sounds of the Indian tabla drum called bols. After enjoying a performance of this piece by Margaret Nomura Clark and the Children’s Chorus of Washington in the summer of 2023, I sought out their choreographer, Shuchi Buch of the Taal Academy of Dance in Washington, D.C. Shuchi’s choreography is based on the traditional Indian dance style known as Bharatanatyam. As described by the choreographer, “it is a love song to nature and an expression of pure joy.” The piece begins with Namaskar, a prayer. There are vines, trees, flowers, rivers, oceans, deer, and birds to name a few. The song comes to a poignant conclusion with the blossoming of a lotus, a wish for our children to blossom like strong, beautiful flowers.”

—Zach Tilkens

Katerina Gimon (b. 1993)

3. Fire

from Elements

Performance details

Performed by the Chesapeake High School Chamber Singers

About the work

“The third movement from Gimon’s work, Elements, “Fire” is a wordless vocalise inspired by Gimon’s own associations with the idea of fire. The piece makes use of ostinati, repeating musical ideas, throughout the choir, starting with a driving and rhythmic bass drone. As the piece continues to add layers, body percussion, aleatoric calls and shouts, and other non-standard musical elements are introduced. Below is the collection of words Gimon gathered as she prepared to write the piece:

heat, light
strength, fuel, drive

burning, melting, evaporating, and transforming

—Robby Napoli

Traditional, arr. Brian Kay (b. 1944)

Gaudete

Performance details

Performed by the Chesapeake High School Chamber Singers

About the work

“Gaudete! is one of today’s most well-known melodies of the Renaissance period. The piece was first published in Didrik Petri’s Piae Cantiones in 1582, for four voices. In this first publication, the melody, which had been used with other texts as early as the 1530’s, was set in four voices. Though the piece was set often in the Renaissance, its use died out over the next few hundred years, until a new edition was published in 1910 by G.R. Woodward. While this edition did grow in popularity, it was missing much of the musica ficta which was implied in its original publication.

This continued throughout modern arrangements and publications of the piece, including in Kay’s arrangement sung tonight. Interestingly, in all of these publications, the only part of the piece we can directly link to the original piece is the chorus--the tune for the verse has been ambiguous, and a point of contention among some historians. Although we may never be sure what the intended verse tune was in the 16th century, some consensus has been found in a melody with very unusual origins for historical performance. First sung by British folk rock group, Steeleye Span, the melody heard tonight remains the most commonly-associated verse tune used with the piece. Steeleye Span’s 1972 rendition of the piece further set Gaudete! into its current popularity, leading to a number of arrangements using their verse melody, including Brian Kay’s, originally written for the King’s Singers.”

—Robby Napoli

Text

Refrain
Gaudete, gaudete!
Christus est natus
Ex Maria virgine,
gaudete!

Tempus adest gratiae
Hoc quod optabamus,
Carmina laetitiae
Devote reddamus. Refrain

Deus homo factus est
Natura mirante,
Mundus renovatus est
A Christo regnante. Refrain

Ezechielis porta
Clausa pertransitur,
Unde lux est orta
Salus invenitur. Refrain

Ergo nostra contio
Psallat iam in lustro;
Benedicat Domino:
Salus Regi nostro. Refrain

Traditional

Translation

Refrain
Rejoice, rejoice!
Christ is born
Of the Virgin Mary –
Rejoice!

The time of grace has come—
What we have wished for;
Songs of joy
Let us give back faithfully. Refrain

God has become man,
With nature marveling,
The world has been renewed
By the reigning Christ. Refrain

The closed gate of Ezekiel
Is passed through,
Whence the light is risen;
Salvation has been found. Refrain

Therefore, let our assembly
Now sing in brightness
Let it bless the Lord:
Greetings to our King. Refrain

Cecilia McDowall (b. 1951)

Now May We Singen

Performance details

Performed by the Chesapeake High School Chamber Singers and Lux

About the work

English composer Cecilia McDowall’s Now May We Singen is a regal and lively setting of yet another early sacred text. Many choirs both in the United Kingdom and internationally perform McDowall’s works, which frequently take stylistic cues from the music of medieval England. Now May We Singen is no exception—researchers found this text in a fourteenth-century parchment roll housed in Trinity College, Cambridge’s library. Richard Runciman Terry published these verses along with other ancient texts in his 1933 Two Hundred Folk Carols. McDowall’s composition preserves the jubilant atmosphere of a medieval Christmas celebration by way of its highly syncopated rhythms and at-times archaic harmonies.

Text

1. This Babe to us that now is born,
Wonderful works He hath ywrought [made],
He would not loss what was forlorn [lost],
But boldly again it brought;

Refrain
And thus it is
Forsooth ywis [in truth indeed],
He asketh nought but that is His.
Now may we singen as it is.
Quod puer natus est nobis [because this boy is born to us].

2. This bargain loved He right well,
The price was high and bought full dear.
Who would suffer and for us feel
As did that Prince withouten peer?

Refrain

3. His ransom for us hath ypaid;
Good reason have we to be His.
Be mercy asked and He be prayed,
Who may deserve the heavenly bliss.

Refrain

4. To some purpose God made man;
I trust well to salvation.
What was his blood that from him ran
But fence against damnation?

Refrain

5. Almighty God in Trinity,
Thy mercy we pray with whole heart.
Thy mercy may all woe make fell
And dangerous dread from us to start.

Refrain

15th century English

Cecilia McDowall (b. 1951)

1. Give me some music

from When Time Is Broke

Performance details

Performed by Lux

About the work

The first movement from this set by London-based composer Cecilia McDowall begins rather mysteriously, with waves of sound fading in and out as each line adds to its previous thought. Then, in complete contrast, the sopranos and tenors begin a traditional style of singing known as puirt à beul, or “mouth music”, native to Scotland, Ireland, and Cape Breton Island (located in Nova Scotia). Traditionally, puirt à beul was used for dancing when no fiddles or other instruments were available—fitting for a text comparing the cycle of love to traditional dances, especially given the first comparison is to a Scottish jig. As the metaphor continues, we see marriage, and finally repentance, which grows faster into a lively dance, as do the rhythms in the lower voices, “till he sink into his grave.”

Text

Give me some music — music, moody food
Of us that trade in love. (Antony and Cleopatra)
The first suit is hot and hasty, like a Scotch jig, and full as fantastical; the
wedding, mannerly modest, as a measure, full of state and ancientry; and
then comes repentance, and with his bad legs, falls into the cinque pace faster
and faster, till he sink into his grave. (Much Ado About Nothing)

William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

Paul Mealor (b. 1975)

Te lucis ante terminum

Performance details

Performed by Lux. John Logan Wood and Anya Trudeau, soloists.

About the work

Te lucis ante terminum is a setting of a traditional Christian evening prayer hymn. Beginning with chant-like solos in the tenor and alto lines over choral humming, the piece transitions to a mostly homophonic section for the next stanza of the prayer, shifting frequently between major and minor as if to suggest the phantoms and dreams of the text. The last stanza of the piece (a standard invocation of the trinity) reverts to the chant-like structure of the first stanza, but this time passing the chant downwards from the upper voices to the lowest basses.

Text

Te lucis ante terminum
Rerum creator poscimus
Ut solita clementia
Sis praesul ad custodiam.

Procul recedeant somnia,
et noctium phantasmata:
Hostemque nostrum comprime,
ne polluantur corpora.

Praesta, Pater omnipotens
Per Jesum Christum Dominum
Qui tecum in perpetuum
Regnat cum Sancto Spiritu.
Amen.

Traditional

Translation

To you, before the end of the light,
Creator of [all] things, we pray,
That your habitual mercy
May be our captain of the watch.

Let dreams depart from us,
And the phantoms of night:
And restrain our enemy,
That our bodies may not be defiled.

Grant this, all-powerful Father,
Through Jesus Christ our Lord,
Who with you in eternity
Reigns with the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Max Reger (1873-1916)

3. Nachtlied

from 8 Geistliche Gesänge, Op. 138

Performance details

Performed by Lux

About the work

Johann Baptist Joseph Maximilian Reger (1873-1916) was born in northern Bavaria at the end of the nineteenth century. He was widely known for his skill as an organist, conductor, and composer. The apogee of his career came in 1911 with his appointment as director of the Meiningen Court Orchestra. He died of a heart attack on May 11, 1916 while visiting Leipzig. The printer’s proofs of the Acht Geistliche Gesänge—from which Nachtlied is excerpted—were found open at his bedside in the room where he passed away.

Reger took all of the texts for the Acht Geistliche Gesänge from the Deutsche Psalter, edited by Will Vesper and published in 1913. Vesper’s anthology contains non-denominational religious poetry selected for what Vesper perceived as an essential, enduring Germanic character. Reger’s religious sensibilities – he was excommunicated from the Catholic Church for his marriage to a divorced Protestant – along with the start of the First World War in July 1914 likely influenced this ecumenical and nationalistic composition. J.S. Bach’s pristine chorale writing was another influence, as Reger edited several works of Bach’s while drafting the Acht Geistliche Gesänge. In contrast with his other, often highly chromatic later works, Reger wrote the Acht Geistliche Gesänge with clear melodic and harmonic restraint to convey a sense of interior piety, complimenting the religious texts he selected.

Text

Die Nacht ist kommen,
Drin wir ruhen sollen;
Gott walts, zum Frommen
Nach sein’m Wohlgefallen,
Daß wir uns legen
In seim Gleit und Segen,
Der Ruh zu pflegen.

Treib, Herr, von uns fern
Die unreinen Geister,
Halt die Nachtwach gern,
Sei selbst unser Schutzherr,
Beschirm Leib und Seel
Unter deinen Flügeln,
Send uns dein’ Engel!

Laß uns einschlafen
Mit guten Gedanken,
Fröhlich aufwachen
Und von dir nicht wanken;
Laß uns mit Züchten
Unser Tun und Dichten

Zu deim Preis richten!

Petrus Herbert (c. 1530-1571)

Translation

The night has come,
In it we shall rest;
God rules over the pious
According to his pleasure,
That we may lie down

In his guidance and blessing,
To cherish our rest.

Drive, O Lord, from us
The unclean spirits,
Keep the night's vigil gladly,
Be our guardian,

Protect our body and soul
Under thy wings,
Send us your angels!

Let us fall asleep
With good thoughts,
Awake cheerfully
And from thee not waver;
Let us, in thy keeping,
Our doings and our poems
To thy praise direct!

Translated by John Mullan

Andrea Gabrieli (1532-1585)

Quem vidistis, pastores?

Performance details

Performed by Lux

About the work

Andrea Gabrieli was one of the first masters of the Venetian School of choral music, which arose during the transition from the Renaissance to the Baroque era, and was based out of St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice. The space’s unique acoustic and multiple choir lofts led composers to develop a compositional style which relied heavily on complex, antiphonal arrangements to accommodate the Basilica’s architecture. Gabrieli’s friendship with the composer Orlande de Lassus influenced him to blend Lassus’s expressive Franco-Flemish style with the sensibilities of the emerging Venetian School. In Quem vidistis, pastores?, Gabrieli sets a Christmas Day responsory from Matins, a traditional Christian morning prayer service. Gabrieli’s double choir setting depicts the dialogue in the original text between the shepherds and the townspeople through the densely-layered, joyful call and response between the choirs.

Text

Quem vidistis, pastores, dicite,
annuntiate nobis, in terris quis apparuit?

Natum vidimus et choros angelorum
collaudantes Dominum, Alleluia.

Traditional

Translation

Whom did you see, shepherds? Speak
and tell us: who has appeared on earth?

We saw the new-born and choirs of angels
praising the Lord, Alleluia.

ACDA Preview Performance

About Lux

Timeline

Wangol

Muusika

I Am Leaving

Shalom

My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord

TaReKiTa

3. Fire

Gaudete

Now May We Singen

1. Give me some music

Te lucis ante terminum

3. Nachtlied

Quem vidistis, pastores?

Performers

Soprano

Alto

Tenor

Bass

Thomas W. Pyle Middle School Voices 2023-2024

Chesapeake High School Chamber Singers 2023-2024