A
Garyth Nair, Music Director and Conductor
Jason Asbury, Assistant Conductor and Accompanist
Large Print Supplement
Summit Chorale is Chorus in Residence at Drew University
Our Lady of Peace Roman Catholic Church, New Providence, NJ
Friday, May 12, 2000, 8:00PM
United Methodist Church in Madison, Madison, NJ
Saturday, May 13, 2000, 8:00PM
Up with the Lowlands!
Michael Baruffi, tenor
Candus Hedberg, mezzo-soprano
Andi Campbell, soprano
Ellis Hilton, bass
Richard B. Cole, bass
Linda Langstaff, alto
Alan GaNun, tenor
Josephine Mescallado, soprano
Elaine F. Gennaro, soprano
Ian Smith, tenor
Eleanor Winslow, alto
Jason Asbury, organ and conductor
Robert W. Butts, soprano recorder
Paul Cohen, alto saxophone
Piet Kee, organ
Steven Laplante, organ
Garyth Nair, conductor
SUMMIT CHORALE
PROGRAM
I
Gloria (ad modum tubae)
Guillaume Dufay
Jason Asbury, conducting
from Messe de Tournai
anon., 14th century
1. Kyrie
2. Agnus Dei
soli: Mr. Smith, Mr. Cole, Mr. Hilton
Men of Summit Chorale
Jason Asbury, conducting
II
Music of Josquin Desprez
Nymphes des bois (La déploration de Johannes Ockeghem)
Camerata
Scaramella
soli: Ms. Campbell, Ms. Langstaff, Mr. GaNun, Mr. Cole
El grillo
soli: Ms. Mescallado, Ms. Winslow, Mr. Baruffi, Mr. Hilton
III
Music of Orlande de Lassus
Dolcissimo ben mio
soli: Ms. Gennaro, Mr. Baruffi, Mr. Cole
Da pacem Domine
IV
Music of Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck
Motet, Cantate Domino (a 5)
Organ variations on Balletto del Granduca
Piet Kee, organ
Pseaume 150, Or soit loué l’Eternel (a 8)
— INTERMISSION —
(15 Minutes)
V
Music of Piet Kee
The World †
soli: Ms. Campbell, Ms. Hedberg, Mr. GaNun, Mr. Hilton
Jason Asbury, organ
Network ‡
1. Vibrations (two organs)
2. Song 1 for saxophone and main organ
3. Song 2 for recorder and small organ
4. Encounter (all players)
Robert W. Butts, soprano recorder
Paul Cohen, alto saxophone
Steven Laplante, main organ
Jason Asbury, small organ
[Note: † World Premiere, ‡ Western Hemisphere Premiere]
VI
Te Deum laudamus
Hendrik Andriessen
Jason Asbury, organ
SUMMIT CHORALE appeals to parents to assist their children
in developing courteous audience behavior.
•••
Please turn off all electronic noisemakers, including pagers, cell phones, wristwatch alarms and
the like which may disturb other audience members during the performance.
•••
Please do not use cameras requiring flash during the performance.
•••
The use of recording equipment, including audio and video recorders,
is strictly prohibited during the performance.
•••
Please refrain from smoking anywhere in this building.
Funding has been made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts
through a grant administered by the Union County Division of Cultural and Heritage Affairs.
Additional funding has been provided through a grant from The Frank & Lydia Bergen Foundation.
THE 2000 C.Y. HAAS AWARD
is presented to
Larry Schwenk
In appreciation of Outstanding Contributions to
SUMMIT CHORALE
We also recognize our previous award recipients:
1995 – Anne E. Aronovitch
1997 – Heinz D. Roth
1996 – John F. Little
1998 – Sharon Garner
1999 – Alan GaNun
Questions? Want more information about SUMMIT CHORALE?
Call (973) 762–8486
write us
P.O. Box 265; Summit, NJ 07902-0265
or visit us online
http://www.summitchorale.org
Look for this upcoming SUMMIT CHORALE event!
May 20, 2000 – 1:00PM
Central Presbyterian Church,
Summit
Concert at 4:00PM
CHILDREN’S CHOIR FESTIVAL – This one-day festival for
Children’s Church Choirs from the area, sponsored by SUMMIT
CHORALE, will culminate in a 4:00PM concert expected to delight
all listeners (not just the parents)!
and, looking forward to our 2000-2001 Season:
September, 2000
December, 2000
March, 2001
May, 2001
SUMMIT CHORALE Millenium Membership Drive.
Call Elaine Gennaro at 908-665-1871, or visit our website at
http://www.summitchorale.org for more info.
An Iberian Christmas: works by Soler, Victoria and others, as
well as traditional Christmas and Channukah songs – along with
our perennial Hymn Sing.
All Bach, Nothing But Bach: chosen from among his motets,
cantatas, organ works and one of the magnificent Brandenburg
Concertos, with chamber orchestra.
Romance Is In the Air: Romantic composers such as Schumann,
Wolf, Brahms, Mendelssohn and Schubert speak about love.
TEXTS & TRANSLATIONS
Gloria (ad modum tubae)
Et in terra pax hominibus bonæ voluntatis.
Laudamus te. Benedicimus te.
Adoramus te. Glorificamus te.
Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam.
Domine deus, rex cælestis, deus pater omnipotens.
Domine, fili unigenite, Jesu Christe.
Domine deus, agnus dei, filius patris.
Qui tollis peccata mundi,
miserere nobis.
Suscipe deprecationem nostram.
Qui sedes ad dexteram patris,
miserere nobis.
Quoniam tu solus sanctus.
Tu solus dominus.
Tu solus altissimus, Jesu Christe.
Cum sancto spiritu in gloria dei patris.
Amen.
And on earth, peace to men of good will.
We praise thee. We bless thee.
We adore thee. We glorify thee.
We give thee thanks for thy great glory.
Lord God, heavenly King, Father almighty.
Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
Lord God, lamb of God, Son of the Father.
You who take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us.
Mercifully receive our petitions.
You who sit at the right hand of the Father,
have mercy on us.
For you alone are holy.
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.
Messe de Tournai
Kyrie
Kyrie eleison.
Christe eleison.
Kyrie
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Agnus Dei
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
dona nobis pacem.
Agnus Dei
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,
grant us peace.
Nymphes des bois (La déploration de Johannes Ockeghem)
Nymphes des bois, déesses des fontaines,
Chantres expers de toutes nations,
Changez voz voix fort clères et haultaines
En cris tranchantz et lamentations.
Car d’Atropos les molestations
Vostr’Okeghem par sa rigueur attrappe
Le vray trésoir de musicqu’et chief d’œuvre,
Qui de trépas désormais plus n’eschappe,
Dont grant doumaig’est que la terre cœuvre.
Acoutrez vous d’abitz de deuil:
Josquin, Brumel, Pirchon, Compère,
Et plorez grosses larmes d’œil,
Perdu avez vostre bon père.
Requiescat in pace. Amen.
Wood-nymphs, goddesses of the springs,
skilled singers of all nations,
change your clear and lofty voices
into sharp cries and lamentations.
For the harsh molestations of Atropos
have inescapably ensnared your Okeghem,
music’s very treasure and master,
who henceforth no longer escapes death,
of whom it is a great loss that the earth cover him.
Dress yourselves in clothes of mourning,
Josquin, Brumel, Pirchon, Compère,
and weep great tears from your eyes,
you who have lost your good father.
Rest in peace. Amen.
Scaramella
Scaramella va alla guerra
colla lancia et la rotella.
La zombero, boro, borombetta,
la zombero, boro, borombo.
Scaramella goes to war
with lance and buckler.
La zombero, boro, borombetta,
la zombero, boro, borombo.
El grillo
El grillo è buon cantore
che tiene longo verso.
Dale, beve grillo, canta.
Ma non fa come gli altri uccelli,
come li han canto un poco,
van’ de fatto in altro loco.
Sempre el grillo sta pur saldo.
Quando la maggior el caldo
alhor canta sol per amore.
The cricket is a good singer
who holds a long note.
Go ahead, drink, cricket, and sing.
But he is not like the other birds
who, having sung a little,
go to sing elsewhere.
The cricket always stands firm.
When the heat gets greater,
he sings alone for love.
Dolcissimo ben mio
Dolcissimo ben mio,
Speme di questo core;
In premio del mio amore,
Dona m’un baccio,
E satia il mio desio;
Unico mio tesoro
Porgi mi quelle rose,
Ch’ai nelle labr’ascose
Ch’a l’alma mia darai dolce ristoro.
My most sweet one,
Hope of this heart;
First in my love,
Give me a kiss,
And satisfy my desire;
My only treasure,
Extend to me the rose,
That is your fragrant lips,
So that you give sweet comfort to my soul.
Da pacem Domine
Da pacem Domine in diebus nostris:
Quia non est alius, qui pugnet pro nobis,
Nisi tu Deus noster.
Grant peace, O Lord, in our time:
For there is none other who would fight for us,
If not you, our God.
Cantate Domino
Cantate Domino canticum novum,
cantate Domino omnis terra.
Cantate Domino et benedicite nomini eius:
annuntiate de die in diem salutare eius.
Annuntiate inter gentes gloriam eius,
in omnibus populis mirabilia eius.
Sing to the Lord a new song,
sing to the Lord all the earth.
Sing to the Lord and bless his name:
Tell of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his honor among the heathen,
and his wonders to all people.
Pseaume 150
Premiere partie
Or soit loué l'Eternel,
De son sainct lieu supernel,
Soit, dis-je, tout hautement
Loué de ce firmament
Plein de sa magnificence.
Louez-le, tous ses grands faicts,
Soit loué de tant d'effects,
Tesmoins de son excellence.
First part
Praise the Eternal One
in His holy heavenly place,
Praise him loudly, I say,
in that firmament
full of his magnificent power.
Praise him for his mighty acts,
Praise him, for the many things he does
are witnesses to his excellent greatness.
Seconde partie
Soit joinct avecques la voix
Le plaisant son du haut-bois.
Psalterions à leur tour,
Et la harpe et le tabour,
Haut sa louange résonnent.
Phifres esclattent leur ton,
Orgues, musette, et bourdon
D'un accord son los entonnent.
Second part
Together with our voices join
the pleasant sound of the oboe.
Psalteries, in their turn,
And the harp and the drum,
Loudly resound his praise.
Fifes burst forth with their notes,
Organs, bag-pipe, and shawm
With one accord intone his praise.
Derniere partie
Soit le los de sa bonté
Sur les cymbales chanté.
Qui de leur son argentin,
Son Nom sans cesse et sans fin
Facent retentir et bruire.
Bref, tout ce qui a pouvoir
De souffler, et se mouvoir,
Chante à jamais son empire.
Last part
May the praise of his goodness
be played on the cymbals.
Who, with their silvery sound,
Make his Name, without pause or end ,
swell and resound.
So, let everything that has power
to breathe and to stir,
sing about his kingdom forever.
The World
I saw Eternity the other night
Like a great Ring of pure and endless light,
All calm as it was bright,
And ’round beneath it, Time in hours, days, years,
Driv’n by the spheres
Like a vast shadow mov’d, In which the world
And all her train were hurl’d.
Many thanks to the translation team of:
Robin Taylor Roth, Heinz D. Roth, Edward W. Schneider and William Stroker.
Te Deum laudamus
Te Dominum confitemur.
Te æternum Patrem
omnis terra veneratur.
Tibi omnes Angeli,
tibi cœli et universæ potestates,
tibi Cherubim et Seraphim
incessabili voce proclamant:
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus Dominus
Deus Sabaoth.
Pleni sunt cœli et terra
majestatis gloriæ tuæ.
Te gloriosus Apostolorum chorus,
Te Prophetarum laudabilis numerus,
Te Martyrum candidatus laudat exercitus.
Te per orbem terrarum
sancta confitetur Ecclesia:
Patrem immensæ majestatis.
Venerandum tuum verum
et unicum Filium;
Sanctum quoque Paraclitum Spiritum.
Tu Rex gloriæ, Christe.
Tu Patris sempiternus es Filius.
Tu ad liberandum suscepturus hominem,
non horruisti Virginis uterum.
Tu devicto mortis aculeo
aperuisti credentibus
regna cœlorum.
Tu ad dexteram Dei sedes,
in gloria Patris.
Judex crederis
esse venturus.
Te ergo quæsumus
tuis famulis subveni,
quos pretioso sanguine redemisti.
Æterna fac cum sanctis tuis
in gloria numerari.
Salvum fac populum tuum, Domine,
et benedic hereditati tuæ.
Et rege eos,
Et extolle illos usque in æternum.
Per singulos dies benedicimus Te.
Et laudamus nomen tuum in sæculum,
et in sæculum sæculi.
Dignare Domine die isto
sine peccato nos custodire.
Miserere nostri Domine,
Fiat misericordia tua Domine super nos,
quemadmodum speravimus in Te.
In Te Domine speravi:
non confundar in æternum.
We acknowledge Thee to be the Lord.
Thee, the Father everlasting,
all the earth doth worship.
To Thee all the angels,
to Thee the heavens and the powers therein,
to Thee cherubim and seraphim
cry out without ceasing:
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord
God of Hosts.
Heaven and earth are full
of the majesty of Thy glory.
The glorious company of the apostles,
the goodly fellowship of the prophets,
the noble army of martyrs praise Thee.
Throughout the world
the holy Church doth acknowledge Thee:
The Father of an infinite majesty.
Thine honorable, true,
and only Son,
and the Holy Ghost, the Comforter.
Thou art the King of Glory, O Christ,
Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.
Thou, having taken upon Thee to deliver man,
didst not abhor the Virgin’s womb.
Thou, having overcome the sting of death,
hast opened to believers
the kingdom of heaven.
Thou sittest at the right hand of God,
in the glory of the Father.
We believe that Thou
shalt come to be our judge.
We therefore pray Thee,
help Thy servants,
whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy precious blood.
Make them to be numbered with Thy saints
in glory everlasting.
Save Thy people, O Lord,
and bless Thine heritage.
Govern them,
and lift them up forever.
Day by day, we magnify Thee.
And we worship Thy name ever,
world without end.
Vouchsafe, O Lord, this day
to keep us without sin.
Have mercy upon us, O Lord,
Let Thy mercy be upon us,
as our trust is in Thee.
In Thee, O Lord, have I trusted:
let me never be confounded.
NOTES ON THE PROGRAM
by Mary W. Helms
Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of
northeastern France comprise the western
European “Lowlands,” an area ruled during
most of the Renaissance by the wealthy and
powerful Dukes of Burgundy. Its cities were
centers of commerce and culture where the
rising middle class emulated the nobility in
supporting the church and the arts. For about
two hundred years almost every notable
Western composer was born and began his
career in this region.
In the Renaissance, music occupied a more
respected position than the visual arts, whose
practitioners were viewed as mere craftsmen.
As one of the seven “liberal arts,” it was
considered worthy of a freeborn person as
opposed to the manual labor of serfs.
However, poverty and humble birth were not
considered barriers to an enterprising boy of
intelligence and creativity who possessed a
fine voice; he could rise to wealth and
prestige. Such youths were welcomed in the
famed cathedral choir schools of the
Lowlands—the finest in Europe because they
had managed to integrate old French
polyphony with the sweeter harmonies of
English music brought over during the
Hundred Years War.
Intellectual ferment occurring in Italy
attracted these well-trained Lowlands
musicians, many of whom sought
employment in the papal and cathedral choirs
or in the courts of Italian city-states. Some
took clerical orders enabling them to hold
rich benefices and well paid administrative
positions in the church. Many eventually
returned to their homeland or moved on to
other European courts. The creative stimuli
fostered by this cosmopolitan environment
resulted in new musical forms and
compositional techniques as well as new
sounds. In the first half of this program,
SUMMIT CHORALE presents a small sample of
the rich diversity of Renaissance music by
Lowlands composers.
I
Born in or near Cambrai, Guillaume Dufay
(c. 1397-1474) was acknowledged as the
leading composer of his day. After serving
the Pope, the Malatesta and d’Este families
and the court of Savoy, he returned to
Cambrai as a canon of the cathedral. A
composer of secular works as well as hymns,
masses and motets, his fame came not so
much from innovation as from his mastery of
all the elements of a composition—flowing
rhythms, graceful melody, formal clarity,
varied textures, and pleasing proportions.
Dufay’s four-part Gloria (ad modum tubae)
(in the manner of a tuba; i.e., a trumpet) is
one of two settings of the Gloria based on an
ostinato (repeated) part. Two parts for voices
or instruments—which were frequently
interchangeable in Renaissance music—
alternate in an identical fanfare motif above
which two voices sing the text in exact
imitation. The form is derived from the
Italian caccia in which two upper voices sang
a text about hunting in canon (imitating a
chase) above an instrumental part.
Based on plainchant, the anonymous Messe
de Tournai is the first complete polyphonic
Mass that has survived, dating from the early
1300s. It is not a homogeneous creation, but
an assembly of three-part pieces in which
several styles are juxtaposed, the Kyrie and
Agnus Dei exhibiting a somewhat older style
than the rest of the work. Undoubtedly this
mass was sung in the Tournai cathedral,
where the Virgin Mary was venerated as the
miraculous savior of the city during the
Hundred Years War.
II
Josquin Desprez (c. 1450-1521) was one of
the most famous and influential composers of
the Renaissance. His date of birth was
thought to be c. 1440 but recent scholarship
suggests a later date. He served Cardinal
Ascanio Sforza in Milan, the papal chapel in
Rome, the royal courts of Anjou and France,
and the Duke of Ferrara before becoming
provost of Notre Dame, Condé, in
northeastern France. His work was so
renowned that many forgeries were published
under his name, causing it to be said that he
composed more music when he was dead
than when he was alive. Nevertheless,
Josquin’s authentic output is very large,
comprising masses, motets and secular songs.
His style is marked by direct expression of
text as well as pervasive imitation in which
different vocal lines share material in a subtle
interlocking manner.
The onomatopoetic possibilities offered by a
poem about a thirsty and love-sick cricket
may have been the inspiration for El grillo
although it might also have been intended to
poke fun at a Milanese singer, Carlo Grillo.
In any case, it is certainly “one of the most
exuberant and humorous frottole ever
written.”
III
To the poet Jehan Molinet’s Nymphes des
bois, a lament (Déploration) on the death of
the composer Johannes Ockeghem (d. 1497),
Josquin set four parts around a tenor cantus
firmus chant used in the requiem mass. Here
he movingly calls the roll of contemporary
composers (including himself) who should
wear mourning and weep. Josquin’s original
notation used only filled black notes as a
visual symbol of mourning and he also
omitted clef signs in homage to the dead
composer, who was noted for his clefless
pieces.
Madrigals were among Lassus’ most
numerous compositions; they include long
contrapuntal pieces, light chordal ones, and
serious madrigali spirituali. In Dolcissimo
ben mio he sets a sweetly touching love poem
in three voice parts using many repetitions of
words.
Two of Josquin’s best known secular pieces
are frottole, musical settings of Italian texts
fashionable in the aristocratic courts. In
Scaramella he sets a popular Italian melody
with lively syncopated rhythms as an amusing
parody of soldiers’ habits.
The most celebrated, versatile, and urbane
composer of the sixteenth century was
Orlande de Lassus (c. 1532-1594). Known
also as Orlando di Lasso, he was born at
Mons and served the Gonzaga family in Italy
before becoming maestro di cappella at St.
John Lateran in Rome. However, most of his
life was spent at the court of Bavaria where,
in addition to church related duties, he was
responsible for providing music for secular
entertainment and state occasions. Lassus’
musical output was staggering, amounting to
nearly 2,000 works in every known form of
the time, in French, Italian and German as
well as Latin.
Lassus was also a prolific composer of
motets, which vary widely in mood and are
remarkable not only for their beauty but for
their sensitivity in expressing the meaning of
the text. In the lovely and serene plea for
peace, Da pacem Domine, he surrounds a
tenor cantus firmus with four other parts.
IV
Unlike most other Lowlands composers, Jan
Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562-1621) spent his
entire career in one place. For nearly a
century (1564-1652) three generations of the
Sweelinck family served as organists of the
Oude Kerk in Amsterdam, coinciding with
that city’s spectacular rise to economic
preeminence. In 1578 Amsterdam became
Protestant, abruptly ending the role of music
in public worship except for monodic,
unaccompanied psalm singing. But while
Calvinists considered the organ a worldly
instrument, they continued to enjoy it as an
enhancement of civic life and the city
magistrates, not the church, employed Jan
Sweelinck to perform as organist once or
twice a day. So accomplished that he was
termed the “Orpheus of Amsterdam,” his
reputation attracted pupils from Germany
who became founders of the “school” which
culminated in Bach.
Sweelinck’s keyboard output was largely
devoted to toccatas, fantasias and variations.
An example of the latter, the Balletto del
Granduca, is based on a popular secular tune.
After presenting the theme in straightforward
chordal style, variations follow in which first
the right hand, then the left, are given rapid
moving parts. The fourth version gives the
right hand still more activity and a final
variation doubles the melody in thirds and
sixths.
highly capable and much of Sweelinck’s
vocal output was written for them. Catholics
and Protestants apparently sang together and
the two choral pieces on this program were
probably written for performance in such
convivial settings. Cantate Domino, a lively
motet for five voices, features rhythmic
variation and much imitation and
interweaving among the parts. The
magnificent eight-part Pseaume 150 comes
from the Genevan Psalter and is particularly
interesting for its vocal depiction of various
instruments.
V
During the Baroque and Classical periods, the
cutting edge of musical composition moved
to Italy and the German-speaking lands, and it
was not until well after Holland became
independent in 1830 that Netherlands music
again claimed a place on the international
scene. However, Dutch composers continued
to look to their roots and, in their individual
ways, both twentieth century composers on
this program have used modern techniques to
adapt and build upon older traditions.
Comparatively little of Sweelinck’s keyboard
music has survived. However, his published
vocal work includes chansons, madrigals and
motets as well as his most outstanding
achievement—settings based on the melodies
and translations of the entire Genevan Psalter
of 1652 in which all the psalms appear in
rhymed metrical French by Clement Marot
and Théodore Bèze.
Renowned organist Piet Kee (b. 1927) writes
that in the last decade he has found it
increasingly difficult to “resist the drive of
creating.” (Please see the biography of Piet
Kee for more background and career
information.) Growing out of his work at the
two most famous organs in Holland, his
compositions combine an “intimate relation
to the ‘grand tradition’ of old Dutch art” with
“a great need to look for new ways.” His
music is characterized by “clearness in form
and expression, combined with delicate
poetical atmosphere.”
Although Calvinists rejected polyphonic
music in church, the custom of singing at
home was widespread; from this practice
musical clubs known as collegia musica
developed. These amateur singers were
Receiving its world premiere in this program
is a work to celebrate the millennium, The
World, for chorus, soloists and continuo,
derived from Kee’s long fascination with the
“extraordinary and masterly vision”
expressed in the opening lines of
metaphysical poet Henry Vaughan’s (16221695) poem of the same title. The historical
text inspired Kee to use “elements which
refer to early music practice like fugal
technique, melismatic figures and a simple
accompaniment related to the basso
continuo.”
The construction of the text with its classical
symbolism is reflected in the organization of
the music. Kee notes that “...the first three
lines of the poem deal with Eternity and the
great Ring, the next four with Time and the
World. This refers to the classical division of
the number seven into three (the trinity and
the ‘higher’ things) and four (the earth, four
winds, elements).... Thus the basic geometric
symbols are also present: circle, triangle, and
square.” Kee has adapted the text to create an
interlocking construction of seven segments,
subdivisions of triangle and square.
Particularly fascinating are the ways Kee
works with sound and rhythm. For example,
“in the heart of the ‘Square,’ in the ostinato
section…after each two bars there is a
permutation in the rhythm,…according to the
logic of a kind of magical square…designed
for it. In the phrase And round beneath it,
Time in hours, days, years, ‘Time’ is
accentuated with a syncopation, ‘in’ is twice
as short, ‘hours, days, years’ increase in
length, giving the theme which starts so
‘innocently’…a great drive.” Spoken words
“are organized according to assonances—
similar sounding syllables—in the poem.”
And the performers are placed to create a
spatial effect, in which rising open fifths
“symbolize an echo of eternal sound.…”
The commission for Network from the
Incorporated Association of Organists came
in response to the demand for music aimed to
further the integration of the organ in the
music world. Asked to compose for two
organs and an additional instrument, Kee
decided on two quite different wind
instruments—alto saxophone and soprano
recorder. He states that, “Although organs
are capable of imitating all sorts of
instruments, the saxophone is almost
unknown as a (church) organ stop.
Combining the sound of this instrument with
that of the organ is a fascinating challenge.
The recorder, however, is really represented
in every organ: its construction is the same as
that of most organ pipes. The combination
with the direct sound of a small organ in
particular sounds quite natural.”
The formal design of Network is based on the
Golden Section and the numerical relations in
the arithmetic series devised by Leonardo
Fibonacci (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55,
89…) in which each number is the sum of the
preceding two. The duration (in seconds) of
the main sections of the piece are Fibonacci
numbers multiplied by ten (340, 210, 130,
210); other numbers of the series can be
found in the subdivisions within the
movements. The Golden Section (ratio of
adjacent series numbers) of the total work is
located at the boundary of the second and
third movements just before the recorder solo.
The relationship of the different sizes of the
instruments is also reflected in the
movements of Network. The first, Vibrations,
for two organs, is the longest. Song 1 for
saxophone is shorter and Song 2 for recorder
is the shortest. However, “the recorder solo
at the beginning of this movement is the
nucleus of the entire piece, the heart of the
flower.” Its five notes form a series which—
when inverted—correspond with the opening
notes of the first movement. Kee adds,
“Network is also a spatial piece. The organs
maintain a spatial dialogue…and Encounter,
the final movement, adds a theatrical
element…as the two wind players approach
each other and meet in the middle of the
audience, so that the listeners are directly
involved.”
VI
Hendrik Andriessen (1892-1981) was the
son, brother, and father of musicians. One of
the foremost organists of his generation, he
also taught organ and music history, and
served as director of conservatories in Utrecht
and The Hague. As a composer he was
influenced by French music but developed his
own style which, although it was not
considered “progressive,” led to a renewal of
Dutch Catholic church music. In addition to
liturgical pieces, Andriessen wrote two
operas, many songs, organ pieces, orchestral
and chamber works. He was particularly
esteemed for his ability in his choral works to
revive authentic modalities of chant and for
his devout and intimate approach.
To demonstrate his solidarity with the Jews
during World War II when Holland was
under Nazi occupation, Andriessen refused to
give concerts. In the last year of the war he
was imprisoned as a hostage, along with his
pianist brother, Willem, and other leading
Dutch artists.
Te Deum laudamus was composed in 1943
during the occupation, as a commission to
celebrate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the
choir of Utrecht Cathedral where Andriessen
was organist. Although the piece stands on its
own as a moving and brilliantly crafted
musical composition, one can imagine that it
could also be understood as a subtle act of
resistance because of the way its deeply felt
setting of the traditional text asserts trust in
God’s power. Its close, on the words let me
not be confounded, is particularly striking—
the voices descend in jarring minor chords
before a final reaffirming unison A held while
the organ line rises to resolve in a resounding
A major chord.
I acknowledge with gratitude, Piet Kee’s
gracious help in providing information about
his own and Andriessen’s work. –MWH
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