Saturday, May 30, 2026, 1:00 PM
Program Notes
HANDEL Zadok the Priest, HWV 258
The first anthem was performed immediately after the Anointing of George II. The text describes the anointing of Solomon as King David’s successor and has been included in every English coronation ceremony since that designed by St. Dunstan for King Edgar (Ēadgār) the Peaceful at Bath in about 973. Handel’s setting of this text has likewise been included for every coronation since that for King George II in 1727. Soccer fans will recognize this as the source for the UEFA Champions League anthem.
HAYDN Te Deum in C major (for the Empress Maria Therese), Hob. XXIIIc:2
This magnificent choral drama in three parts was a commission from Empress Marie Therese, the wife of Franz I of Austria. Haydn was a frequent visitor to the imperial palace in Vienna. The Empress had a good voice; Haydn once accompanied her on a private performance of the soprano part of The Creation. The Empress repeatedly used to ask Haydn for some specially-composed church music, but Prince Esterhazy was reluctant to allow his famous employee to write for anyone but himself. Evidently, however, Marie Therese finally got her way - we know not how! The Te Deum was composed around 1799, but its first recorded performance was not until 1800 at Eisenstadt, the home of the Esterhazy family, to celebrate Lord Nelson's (and, inevitably, Lady Hamilton's) arrival there. The Te Deum is a choral work throughout, without the solo sections that are heard in Haydn's masses and other sacred works. Two lengthy Allegro passages surround a central Adagio, effectively making the work a concerto for chorus and orchestra. For those with a serious Catholic upbringing, Haydn uses the Gregorian Te Deum plainchant from the eighth psalm-tone. The opening theme in the Allegro, in the traditional festive key of C major, is sung by the chorus in unison. The Adagio at Te ergo quaesumus opens with a thunderous unison C and proceeds, mysteriously, in C minor with the harmonies moving chromatically to stunning, if brief, effect. The final Allegro returns to the same cheerful mood as the first passage, concluding with a stirring double fugue on the words In te Domine speravi. A coda-like section, distinguished by overlapping instrumental and choral phrases with syncopated rhythms, brings the piece to glorious close.
© Aylesbury Choral Society
MOZART Mass in C major, K. 220 “Sparrow Mass”
The Missa Brevis in C Major, K. 220, commonly known as the Spatzenmesse (Sparrow Mass), was composed in 1775 in Salzburg during
a period of tension between Mozart and his employer, PrinceArchbishop Colloredo. The work, first performed on Easter Sunday in 1776, blends elements of both the Missa brevis (a shorter mass) and the Missa solemnis (a more festive mass). Its nickname is derived from the playful, chirping violin figures in the Sanctus and Benedictus, evoking the sound of sparrows—likely a reference to Colloredo's demands for brevity in Mozart's compositions. The Mass features four soloists, strings, organ, brass, and timpani, giving it a grander character than typical short masses. The six movements—Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Benedictus, and Agnus Dei—are concise yet richly orchestrated, with energetic and lyrical melodies and an overall sense of joy. The Mass showcases Mozart's skill in blending solemnity with festive exuberance in his sacred music. -Maltz Performing Arts Center
ELAINE HAGENBERG Awake, My Soul
This setting of a morning psalm awakens gradually, like the world itself stirring to life. Drawn to the vivid imagery of morning light, and the earth awakening, I sought to capture the fresh possibility of a new day in every phrase. The piano opens with a shimmering lightness, and the voices enter in imitation, each line calling to the next with growing excitement. From there, the music builds in a continuous crescendo, expanding phrase by phrase until all voices unite in a final, exuberant fortissimo!
JEFFERY AMES “Let Everything That Hath Breath”
Jeffrey Ames received his Ph.D. in Choral Conducting/Choral Music Education from Florida State University. He is a sought after clinician, adjudicator, accompanist and composer. Let Everything That Hath Breath, although an original composition, is an exuberant celebration set within the gospel style. For many decades traditional gospel music has been a vital component of praise and worship for African-Americans. Whether being performed in a neighborhood church or in a concert hall, gospel music fulfills its purpose to uplift the spirit and hearts of all who hear.
REGINALD UNTERSEHER A Little Song of Life
The energy, hope and positive energy in the poem is reinforced by the layered rhythms and syncopations in both the piano and voice parts. The poem is divided into three parts. The first part is an expression of the feeling of the joy of the natural world. The middle section explores in simple terms the cyclical nature of natural systems. When the musical material returns, it is both recognizable and developed a little more each time. The third section introduces the last lines of the poems as a mantra, repeated back and forth between two parts while a descant group soars above them.
SUSAN LABARR Love: Then and Still
Love: Then and Stilf was written for the Staley High School Falcon Chorale (Kansas City, Missouri) for performance at the 2017 Missouri Music Educators conference. Tony Silvestri and | went back and forth a few times trying to decide on a direction of the text for this work. We knew that it should be a love song, but neither of us expected to be taken in this particular direction. Tony used his own experience of loss to create this beautiful, and ultimately uplifting, lyric. Through loss, love remains. It was present then, and it is still. As time passes, wounds heal, and the “scars remind us what was, and what yet may be.” Let this song and its words be a sentiment of hope and healing.
STEPHEN CALDWELL In Remembrance of a Veteran
A beautiful, adapted setting of Mary Elizabeth Frye’s famous poem, Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep, coupled with the final lines of the Requiem Mass.
HANDEL Hallelujah Amen (from Judas Maccabeus)
“Hallelujah, Amen” is the final movement from the oratorio Judas Maccabaeus by George
Frederic Handel. The oratorio was composed in tribute to Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, celebrating his victory at the Battle of Culloden in April of 1746. The libretto, written by Thomas Morell, depicts the struggles of the Jewish people of Judea circa 170-160 BC. The Jews were ruled at the time by the Seleucid Empire and forced to worship pagan gods. This final movement of the work celebrates the victory of Judas Maccabaeus and his Jewish brethren over the Seleucid Empire and the alliance eventually formed between Rome and the Jewish people.
arr. CRAIG HELLA JOHNSON Requiem
“Requiem” was composed by Eliza Gilkyson and arranged by Craig Hella Johnson. Gilkyson
originally penned the work after the devastating Asian tsunami of 2004 as an invocation to compassion and as a song of prayer and comfort. Hella Johnson states “I wrote this simple choral arrangement hoping to let the song speak clearly and meaningfully for itself and to give many people an opportunity to experience its universal themes.” The arrangement is dedicated to the victims of natural disasters.
KYLE PEDERSON All of Me (from A Vision Unfolding)
“All of Me” is the third movement of A Vision Unfolding by Kyle Pederson. Of the work,
Pederson states “I think we all sense our communities becoming more fractured; we witness individual relationships fraying in our neighborhoods, schools, churches, places of work, and even our families. One of the root causes of this is, I believe, how quick we are to judge others—and hold others in contempt— for their politics, their religion, gender or sexual expression, skin color, class, education level, and a host of other characteristics. This piece is an invitation to lay down our judgments. It’s also an invitation to see those aspects of identity that are important to people...but to see people around us as more than just a collection of isolated characteristics...to see all of them.”
KATERINA GIMON Fire (from Elements)
Katerina Gimon’s “Fire” is the third of four movements from her larger work entitled Elements.
The intense energy created by the singers with their voices and bodies and the somewhat aleatoric nature of the composition perfectly represent the unpredictability and erratic nature of Fire!
PAUL CALDWELL & SEAN IVORY Hope for Resolution
Paul Caldwell and Sean Ivory arranged “Hope for Resolution, a Song for Mandela and de
Klerk” in 1998. The composers describe the marrying of the melodies within the work and their
significance. “In its juxtaposition of a European chant melody and an anti-apartheid song from South Africa, this piece is a celebration of diversity. The arrangement reflects our respect for divergent musical styles and points us toward our innate (though sometimes neglected) potential for a peaceful coexistence.”
FREDDIE MERCURY Somebody to Love (from We Will Rock You)
Long before it was a centerpiece of the jukebox musical We Will Rock You, "Somebody to Love" was Freddie Mercury’s 1976 homage to the soul and gospel music of Aretha Franklin. To achieve the illusion of a massive gospel choir on the original Queen recording, Mercury, Brian May, and Roger Taylor multi-tracked their voices dozens of times.
Show Choir's arrangement (all the pieces you hear from Show Choir today have been arranged by our conductors, exclusively for Show Choir) leans heavily into the rich, foundational chords of gospel music, utilizing the full, resonant power of the ensemble to build a towering "wall of sound". The choir effectively acts as both the wailing rock guitars and the soaring backup singers.
DAVID CUMMING, FELIX HAGAN, NATASHA HODGSON, & ZOË ROBERTS Born to Lead (from Operation Mincemeat)
Operation Mincemeat has taken the British theater industry by storm, evolving from a quirky Edinburgh Fringe Festival production into a runaway West End hit. Based on a true (and truly bizarre) World War II deception operation, the show is renowned for its sharp, satirical bite. "Born to Lead" is a brisk, clever number that traditionally relies on snappy instrumentation to convey the upper-class, stiff-upper-lip, often hapless environment of 1940s British Intelligence. The story (accurately) features a certain junior Intelligence Officer named Ian Fleming amidst the characters; listen carefully for the nod to James Bond at the opening of the piece. Because this piece is usually driven by a frantic rhythm section, Show Choir’s a cappella arrangement shifts the burden of that momentum entirely onto the singers. Listen for the sharp, percussive use of consonants and staccato vocal lines, proving that you don't need a snare drum to keep the troops in line.
ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER & TIM RICE Everything's Alright (from Jesus Christ Superstar)
A masterclass in musical unease disguised as a lullaby, "Everything’s Alright" from the 1970 rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar is famously written in an asymmetrical 5/4 time signature. As Mary Magdalene attempts to soothe Jesus amidst growing political tension, the lopsided meter gives the song a restless, swaying energy. It’s a piece that effectively demonstrates both Lloyd Webber and Rice’s box office popularity, and compositional deftness. Translating a 1970s rock groove into a purely vocal performance requires rhythmic discipline on behalf of the chorus. Show Choir tackles the complex time signature with a series of rhythmic vocal ostinatos (repeating musical phrases) maintaining the importance of the rhythm section and its hypnotic, slightly off-kilter groove.
ELTON JOHN & LEE HALL Electricity (from Billy Elliot)
In Billy Elliot, "Electricity" is the moment the young protagonist struggles to explain in words how it feels to dance, eventually letting his movement do the talking. Elton John's composition reflects this journey, starting as a hesitant, quiet ballad before erupting into a sweeping, orchestral climax.
Without an orchestra to provide that swelling crescendo, this arrangement relies on vocal dynamics and textural layering. The choir begins with a delicate unison and gradually expands into more complex, multi-part harmony. The resulting climax looks to capture the feeling of "flying" described in the lyrics.
GILBERT & SULLIVAN I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General (from The Pirates of Penzance)
Written in 1879, this iconic number is the undisputed grandfather of the modern patter song (think Billy Joel’s ‘We Didn’t Start The Fire’). A dizzying tongue-twister of historical, scientific, and military trivia, it was originally designed to show off the comedic timing and breath control of a singular comedic baritone, supported by a bouncing orchestra.
Show Choir turns this solo feat into an ensemble marathon. The arrangement playfully tosses the rapid-fire melody across different voice parts, turning the piece into a high-speed game of musical hot potato. The choir simultaneously provides its own frantic, bouncing accompaniment, requiring sharp diction and precision to keep the musical train from flying off the tracks.
TOBY MARLOW & LUCY MOSS Heart of Stone(from Six)
Another Edinburgh Festival Fringe hit that successfully transferred to the West End, Six sees the six wives of Henry VIII reclaim their historical narratives through the lens of modern pop music. Amidst a score of high-energy, synthesized dance anthems, "Heart of Stone", sung by the famously steadfast Jane Seymour, stands out as a moment of grounded emotional vulnerability.
By stripping away the modern pop-concert backing track, this vocal-only arrangement looks to expose the raw emotional core of Marlow and Moss's songwriting. The arrangement surrounds the top line vocal with lush, layered harmonies that swell and recede, physically manifesting the "unbreakable" nature of the lyrics through sustained vocal support.
JOHN LENNON & PAUL MCCARTNEY Hey Jude (from Let It Be)
Featured in the Beatles jukebox musical Let It Be, "Hey Jude" was originally penned by Paul McCartney in 1968 to comfort John Lennon's son, Julian, during his parents' divorce. It evolved from an intimate piano ballad into a massive, communal anthem, famous for its triumphant four-minute "Na-na-na" coda. There is perhaps no song better suited for a British-themed a cappella finale. This arrangement honors the song's intimate beginnings before expanding into a sprawling, enveloping choral celebration. By the time the famous coda arrives, the complex arrangements of the previous pieces give way to joyful, unified singing; a perfect testament to the power of voices coming together.
Saturday, May 30, 2026, 8:30 PM
Program Notes
SHAWN CROUCH Letters Home (World Premiere)
Letters Home is an hour-long oratorio for choir, soloist, and orchestra, performed tonight in the 30-minute abridged version. This work is based on personal correspondence and writings—such as letters, emails, and diary entries—of U.S. military personnel, including soldiers, medical staff, and support teams, as well as their loved ones back home. The selected correspondence spans from World War I to the Iraq and Afghanistan
wars, offering a deeply personal and historical narrative of America in times of conflict.
The mezzo-soprano soloist sets excerpts from Vietnam Army combat nurse Diane Carlson Evans’s memoir Healing Wounds. She is also the founder of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial, located at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC.
Letters Home is set in three parts:
I. Preparing for deployment
II. In-Country
III. Coming Home
Letters Home is commissioned by MidAmerica Productions and tonight’s performance is the world premiere.
I wish to thank all of the families and veterans who generously shared their stories for Letters Home. Their letters—quoted directly or adapted within the libretto—bring authenticity and humanity to this work and are included with their permission.
This libretto would not exist without William “Bill” Shugarts III. A U.S. Army veteran and tireless advocate for his fellow servicemembers, Bill dedicated much of his retirement to educating younger generations about the Vietnam War and supporting veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. Sadly, Bill passed away unexpectedly before this work was completed. I am deeply grateful for his generosity, guidance, and for connecting me with so many within his community. Tonight’s performance is dedicated to him. Contributors include:
William (Bill) Shugarts III – Vietnam Veteran, U.S. Army
The Shugarts Family
Matthew Brady- Iraq War Veteran, U.S. Army
Andrew Carol- Historian
Kyle Chiaverini – Iraq War Veteran, U.S. Marine Corps
Emmett Crouch – WWII Veteran, U.S. Air Force
Donna Courtney – Descendant of Charles Blackburn, WWI Veteran, U.S. Army
Dixie Ferguson – Vietnam and Korean War “Donut Dolly”
Theresa Fortnash – Descendant of Robert Moskalski, WWI Veteran, U.S. Army
Anita Holsapple – Filmmaker and proud U.S. Marine Corps “Brat”
Jane Knowles – Vietnam Combat Nurse, U.S. Army Nurse Corps
Stephen Presser – MSgt., U.S. Air Force (Ret.)
Nancy Smoyer – Vietnam “Donut Dolly”
Patricia Lee Stotter- Filmmaker and composer
Diane Carlson Evans, U.S. Army Nurse Corps, is the voice of the combat nurse sung by the mezzo-soprano. I am incredibly honored to use her voice in Letters Home. Diane served as a combat nurse during the Vietnam War and later founded the Vietnam Women’s Memorial, located just 300 feet from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. Her work brings honor, healing, and hope to the 265,000 women who served, many of whom had long been forgotten. I am profoundly grateful to Diane for granting permission to share her words.
Healing Wounds:
A Vietnam Combat Nurse’s 10-year Fight to Win Women a Place of Honor in Washington, D. C.
By Diane Carlson Evans with Bob Welch
Published by Permuted Press
I would like to thank Nancy Smoyer, whose remarkable book Donut Dollies in Vietnam shines a light on the vital yet often overlooked support roles that women played during the Vietnam and Korean Wars.
Donut Dollies in Vietnam: Baby Blue Dresses and OD Green
By Nancy Smoyer
Published by Chopper Books
Copyright 2017 by Nancy Smoyer
Used with Permission by the Author
Andrew Carroll’s remarkable collection of letters from Americans during times of conflict serves as the foundation for this libretto. I am deeply grateful to him for granting permission to freely use selections from his work in Letters Home.
War Letters
Collected and Curated by Andrew Carroll Scribner
Copyright 2001 By Andrew Carroll
Used with Permission by the Author
The voice of the returning modern soldier is drawn from text taken from two powerful films. SERVICE by Patricia Lee Stotter chronicles the experiences of women in combat during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
Battlefield Home: Breaking the Silence by Anita Holsapple explores the profound challenges of returning home from war, including the lasting impact of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Adapted from the words of veterans featured in SAMHSA Voice Award Winning Documentary - Battlefield: Home: Breaking the Silence ©
Created by Anita Sugimura Holsapple Used with permission
Adapted from the words of veterans featured in Emmy Award Winning documentary, SERVICE: when women come marching home
Created by Patricia Lee Stotter and Marcia Rock Used with permission
DAN FORREST Arise, Shine!
Commissioned as a companion piece to Lauridsen’s Lux Aeterna, for premiere in Carnegie Hall, this was the composer’s first piece ever performed in that historic venue.
Text from Isaiah 60: 1-4, 19-20:
Arise, shine! For thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee!
For behold, darkness shall cover the earth; but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee.
The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light; but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God shall be thy glory; and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.
Arise, thy light is come!
Lift up thine eyes and see: all nations shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
Arise, shine! For thy light is come!
DAN FORREST Auld Lang Syne
Dan Forrest’s arrangement of "Auld Lang Syne" is a poignant setting of the traditional Scottish folk song, utilizing the less commonly heard original melody.
DAN FORREST Sanctus (from Requiem for the Living)
The “Sanctus” offers three different glimpses of the “heavens and earth, full of Thy glory,” all of which develop the same musical motive: an ethereal opening section inspired by images of space from the Hubble Space Telescope, a stirring middle section inspired by images of our own planet as viewed from the International Space Station, and a closing section which brings the listener down to Earth, where cities teem with the energy of humanity.
Requiem for the Living was commissioned by the Hickory Choral Society (Hickory, NC), as part of their ongoing commitment to funding new major works for the choral repertoire. It is one of Dan Forrest’s major works and was written over a period of 10 months in 2012.
DAN FORREST Creation
Written for the 75th anniversary of the Wayne Oratorio Society (Philadelphia), Dan Forrest’s CREATION honors the 225th anniversary of Haydn’s similarly titled masterpiece. This 72-minute work for chorus and orchestra is less a strict narrative, and more a celebration of the wonders and beauties of our world, using a variety of ancient texts as thematic commentary.
I. Introit
Veni, Creator Spiritus, Come, Creator Spirit,
Mentes tuorum visita, Visit the souls of your devoted,
Imple superna gratia With your divine grace fill
Quae tu creasti pectora. The hearts which you have created.
(from Veni, Creator Spiritus, ancient liturgy)
Introit ushers the listener into a mysterious world before the dawn of time, as chants of Veni, Creator Spiritus arise and are mixed with the introduction of key musical themes for the entire work.
II. The Dance Before Time
Vox Domini, The voice of the Lord,
Dominus super aquas. Lord over the waters.
In principio Deus... In the beginning, God…
(from Psalm 29 and Genesis 1)
The Dance Before Time begins without pause, with the “spirit moving upon the face of the waters.” A mezzo-soprano solo begins the narrative, “in principio Deus,” amidst swirls of themes from this movement and the previous one, and creative energy builds, waiting to be unleashed.
III. The Lion Sings
…Creavit. …created.
Credo in unum Deum, I believe in one God,
Patrem omnipotentem, The Father almighty,
factorem coeli et terrae, maker of heaven and earth,
visibilium omnium of all things visible
et invisibilium. and invisible.
(from Genesis 1 and Credo, ancient liturgy)
The Lion Sings alludes to a well-known Lion in famous English children’s literature, who sang a world into existence. A well-read listener will hear every musical detail from that story happening, from the baritone soloist singing the Lion’s song, to the sun bursting into light, the unfurling of all green things, and eventually all animals coming to life in a raucous barndance celebrating the joy of all creation.
We then encounter several tableaus representing the days of creation; each sets a Scriptural or liturgical text as commentary on the beauty of that part of creation, inspired by various experiences from the composer’s travels.
IV. Light
Ego sum lux mundi, I am the light of the world,
Ego sum lumen vitae. I am the light of life.
Qui sequitur me Who follows me
sed habebit lumen vitae. shall have the light of life.
(from John 8)
Refrain
Et vidit Deus And God saw the
[lucem/caelum/astra/ [light/sky/stars/
creaturas/opus], creatures/work],
quod opus esset bonum. that the work was good.
Tota pulchra, tota es, Wholly beautiful are you, entirely,
et macula non est in te. and there is no stain in you.
Alleluia. Alleluia.
(from Genesis 1 and Tota Pulchra Es, ancient liturgy/Song of Solomon 4)
Light, inspired by countless sunrises, sets "I am the light of the world; who follows me shall have the light of life" as an exuberant dance in asymmetrical meter. The initial melody from the Introit then returns as a coda with new text combining “…and God saw that it was good" from Genesis with words from the Song of Solomon – a love song to an unspoiled creation: “wholly beautiful are you, entirely, and there is no stain in you.” This refrain is then heard after each day of creation, transformed into that movement’s unique musical style.
V. Sky
Quoniam videbo When I behold
caelos tuos… your heavens…
Caeli enarrant the heavens are telling
gloriam Dei. the glory of God.
Opus manus eius The firmament declares
adnuntiat firmamentum. the work of his hands.
(from Psalms 8 and 19)
Refrain
Sky is inspired by the expanse of the open sky. As the first tribute to Haydn, melodic themes from his The Heavens Are Telling are interwoven (in slow motion) with modern harmonization and new material throughout this movement.
VI. The Garden
Vinea mea electa, My chosen vineyard,
ego te plantavi. I planted you.
Locus iste a Deo factus est, This place was made by God,
inaestimabile sacramentum; a priceless holy place;
irreprehensibilis est. it is without fault.
(from Vinea me electa and Locus Iste, ancient liturgies)
Refrain
The Garden is an expression of the composer’s love of various gardens in the world, from New York (Central Park) to Singapore (Botanical Gardens) to his own #forrestgardens. This setting reimagines the meaning of sacred texts to express the priceless beauty of green spaces; the Locus Iste here refers not to a cathedral, but to the sacred sanctuary of a garden. The music slowly twines around itself, almost like time-lapse photography of plants unfolding shoots and leaves.
VII. Music of the Spheres
Pleni sunt caeli et terra Heaven and earth are full
gloria tua. of thy glory.
Hosanna in excelsis. Hosanna in the highest.
(from Sanctus, ancient liturgy)
Refrain
Music of the Spheres invokes the concept of "musica universalis"- the "music of the heavens" that the ancients believed was created by the orderly and proportional motion of the stars and planets in space, as well as "vox caelestis" - the "voice of the heavens" that speaks in the night sky. The Sanctus text is set here as a four-part mensuration canon, where each melodic subject entrance is twice as slow as the previous one; eventually we hear the same melodic line at four different speeds simultaneously, picturing the clock-like precision of the stars and planets moving through space.
VIII. Wings
Oh that I had wings like a dove
- wings of the morning -
then I would fly.
(from Psalms 55, 139)
Wings represents the "flying creatures" portion of day five, with text from the Psalms. The music begins delicately, like a newly hatched butterfly first unfolding its wings and fanning them, then gradually builds to the moment where it bursts into flight and is carried on the wind until it disappears from sight. The main melodic ostinato in the accompaniment of this movement is an example of augenmusik - music for the eyes- where the musical page looks like the ideas being described: its instrumental melodic contour outlines the line-drawn shape of a bird in flight.
IX. Deep Blue
Vidi aquam egredientem, I saw water flowing,
et omnes ad quos and all to whom
pervenit aqua ista this water came
salvi facti sunt, were saved,
et dicent, alleluia! and shall say Alleluia!
(from Vidi Aquam, ancient liturgy)
Refrain
Deep Blue then turns to the "deep sea" portion of day five, with liturgical text "I saw water flowing...". The mysteries of the deep are invoked with low thick textures and constantly flowing water and waves. Eventually, "Alleluias" arise from the depths, like a whale breaching the surface of the ocean.
X. Ish Ishah
Digitus Dei dexterae, Finger of God's right hand,
Tu rite You are the one
promissum Patris. duly promised by the Father.
Accende lumen Enkindle your light
sensibus, in our minds,
Infunde amorem cordibus. Infuse love in our hearts.
(from Veni, Creator Spiritus, ancient liturgy)
Ish Ishah was inspired by Michelangelo's famous painting The Creation of Adam. Its finger of God reaching to humanity was quite possibly inspired by the Veni Creator Spiritus text (heard earlier in this work), in the stanza sung here: "Finger of God's right hand...kindle your light in our minds, infuse love in our hearts." Many believe that the primary character visible on God's arm in the painting is Eve; her face as she strains for a look at Adam reflects the first stirring of human love, with all its wonder and complexity - the moment God "infuses love into our hearts.” The Hebrew words Ish Ishah are taken from the Genesis narrative, representing man and woman, and this setting presents humanity as the pinnacle of all creation, not merely in their intellect or the beauty of their form, but in their capacity to love.
XI. Do It Again
If something goes on endlessly repeating itself,
it might feel like mere clockwork.
We might feel that if the universe was personal, it would vary –
that if the sun were alive, it would dance.
But perhaps…the sun rises every morning
because he never gets tired of rising.
His routine might be due not to lifelessness, but to a rush of life.
Children, with their endless energy,
always want things repeated and unchanged…
they always say, “Do it again.”
What if God has this eternal vitality,
and is strong enough to exult in repetition?
Perhaps God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun;
and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon,
…but has never gotten tired of it.
It may not be necessity that makes all daisies alike;
perhaps God makes every daisy, one at a time,
because he has never grown tired of making them.
This grand show is eternal.
It is always sunrise somewhere;
a shower is forever falling; vapor is ever rising.
Eternal sunrise, eternal sunset,
eternal dawn and gloaming,
on sea and continents and islands,
each in its turn, as this round earth rolls.
-Adapted from G.K. Chesterton and John Muir (used by permission)
Do It Again is a musical underscore for narration from two of the composer’s favorite passages of writing about this earth: one from English philosopher G.K. Chesterton and one from environmental advocate John Muir. The music reprises a theme introduced in the Introit but not heard again until now (thus musically picturing the sense of "do it again").
XII. Boundless
Laudate, luces, Praise him, lights,
Laudate, caela, Praise him, skies,
Laudate, horti et ast’res! Praise him, gardens and stars!
Laudate, creaturae, Praise him, creatures,
Laudate, filii! Praise him, children!
Refrain
Boundless unleashes a torrent of musical themes, all piling on top of each other, in a finale celebrating the diversity yet wholeness of all creation. The title refers both to the limitless joy found within the movement as well as the seemingly limitless number of themes (from within this work and beyond) which all tumble together. Amidst all this celebration, a fugue breaks out. Marked "Homage to FJH", it uses thematic material from this work's Credo within the formal and harmonic structure of Haydn's beloved Awake the Harp. Eventually, all possible themes and subjects are recapitulated in a celebration whose joy can only be described as boundless. -Program notes by Dan Forrest