NOTES ON THE PROGRAM
JOHN LEAVITT Missa Festiva
Missa Festiva, or “Festival Mass,” is a setting of the ordinary of the Mass. Begun in 1987, the work was completed in separate movements and finally assembled and orchestrated in 1991. The outer movements, “Kyrie Eleison” and “Agnus Dei” are set in a lyric, neo-romantic style that features modal inflection. The inner movements of “Gloria” and “Sanctus” are set in a rhythmic, ebullient style and feature mixed meters as well as the syncopation idiomatic of American music. The middle movement, “Credo,” uses ancient chants to distinguish the three personae of the Trinity. This work has been performed widely in both North and South America. The “Sanctus,” also known separately as “Festival Sanctus,” is a favorite piece for concert, contest, and festival programs across the United States.
—Program note by the composer
DANIEL MCDAVITT Three Memories
Three Memories is a three-movement work commissioned by the Deer Creek Chorale in 2017 that honors the memories of those who have suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of dementia. The texts I selected (from Ralph Waldo Emerson, Abraham Lincoln, and William Wordsworth) were inspired by my experiences interacting with my grandmother, who suffered from dementia during the last years of her life, in particular the kinds of things that can bring memories back: music, nature, animals, and childhood experiences. The featured flute solo is a representation of memory, and takes inspiration from my grandmother’s responses to the sound of birds. The final movement in particular has a lot of symbolism, with a simple three-note theme (mi-do-sol) woven throughout — at times full formed and elaborated upon, and at other times starting to fall apart and float away, though in the end it holds together, if just barely. Three Memories is dedicated to the memory of my paternal grandmother, Virginia Zupka McDavitt.
—Program note by the composer
MICHAEL JOHN TROTTA Light Shines in the Darkness
Light Shines in the Darkness is a multi-movement, large work for choir, organ or piano. Cast in eight moments the work draws on texts that examine the many facets of death, the pain of transitions, and the hope and joy of a better place.
MICHAEL JOHN TROTTA Five Psalms (WORLD PREMIERE)
These five psalm settings receive their world premiere at this concert. The composer sets the five psalms, in English for choir and orchestra. Each psalm is set distinctly to capture the essence of the prayer in a modern style that is direct and engaging for singers and listeners alike.
MICHAEL JOHN TROTTA Selections from Requiem
Unique in its ability to bring death and dying into the public conversation, the Requiem Mass has captivated the hearts and minds of all those who have experienced loss. Many have found that the Requiem engenders a sense of hope and provides an opportunity to continue healing. Trotta’s new work for choir and organ is a powerfully appealing and tender exploration of love and loss. Grounded in tradition while incorporating a present-day harmonic language, two Gregorian Chant motives are interwoven throughout the lush harmonies and soaring melodies.
From the Composer
“What I find so beautiful about the Requiem is that it is something that we can come together and experience in community, even in the midst of personal tragedy.
I spent a great deal of time playing and singing at funerals, and I heard the words of the funeral liturgy (Requiem) so many times, it was healing for me. It almost became a mantra, “eternal rest, grant unto them . . . and may perpetual light shine upon them.”
As a singer in choir, and later as a conductor and composer, I fell in love with the choral masterworks of the genre: the gravitas of Brahms, the drama of Verdi, the tenderness of Faure and the juxtaposition of old and new in the Duruflé. When I was commissioned by a consor- tium of choirs to write a Requiem myself, I sought to both honor this tradition while at the same time bringing it to modern day listeners, whether in the liturgical setting or concert hall
For me, I see it as a conversation between two voices: hope and fear, represented by the original chant motives of Requiem (rest) and Dies Irae (fear). At times you will hear them on their own, at other times you will hear them simultaneously. Even though it may appear that fear may be gaining the upper hand, there is a continual sense of movement toward a place where hope may transcend fear.
My father passed away unexpectedly when I was seven, and I remember the initial swell of support from the community. But after a short time, the support seemed to fade and as happens with grief, life moves on for everyone but the bereaved. I was left with a sense of silence and emptiness. Eventually, music came to fill that silence. It became my solace.
Requiem is a prayer for those who have gone before us, for those that are left behind, and a prayer that all of us may find peace when facing the unknown. “
Used with permission from: www.mjtrotta.com/programnotes
1. Do Not Stand At My Grave and Weep
Do not stand at my grave and weep I
am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow, I
am the diamond glints on snow. I
am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft star that shines at night. Do
not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there; I did not die.
- Elizabeth Frye
2. I Seek a Faith
The grass has dried up, and the flower has fallen.
For the Spirit of the Lord has blown over it.
Truly, the people are like grass.
The grass has dried up, and the flower has fallen.
Therefore I seek the faith that sets it right Amid
the lilies and the candlelight.
I think on Heaven, for in that air so clear
We may meet, once confused and parted here.
- Isaiah 40:7 Vachel Lindsay
3. The Lord Is My Shepherd
The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not want.
Brings me to green pastures.
Beside still waters.
He refreshes my soul.
He renews my life, and by such grace,
He leads me.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow
of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me.
Your rod and your staff, they comfort me;
As You prepare a table
in the presence of my enemies:
You have anoint my head.
My cup overflows.
Goodness and kindness will follow me
all the days of my life,
I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever and ever.
- Psalm 23
4. A Light Shines in the Darkness
The light shines in the darkness, the
darkness has not overcome it. You
will never walk in darkness, but will
have the light of life.
Arise, shine; for thy light is come,
and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.
- John 1:5, 8:13 &; Isaiah 60:1
5. Death Shall Be No More
Say not in grief that life is no more
but say in thankfulness that life was.
A death is not the extinguishing of a light,
but the putting out of the lamp
because the dawn has come.
One short sleep past, we wake eternally
And death shall be no more.
-Rabindranath Tagore and John Donne
6. I Saw A New Heaven
I saw a new heaven and a new earth,
for the first heaven and the first earth
had passed away.
God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes;
And death shall be no more.
- Revelation 21:1, 4
7. Love Conquers All
Love conquers all, even death itself;
let us to surrender to love.
Behold love shall
bless us,
console us,
and dry our tears,
until we meet again.
- Virgil and Traditional
8. Gaelic Blessing (Deep Peace)
Deep peace of the running wave to you,
Deep peace of the flowing air to you, Deep
peace of the quiet earth to you, Deep peace
of the sleeping stones to you!
In the name of the Three who are One
By the will of the King of All.
- Fiona Macleod
Introit et Kyrie
Grant them your eternal rest, O Lord,
may your light shine forever upon them.
O God, we sing to you hymns in Zion;
and to you we lift our praises in Jerusalem.
Hear thy faithful servants as we pray,
for unto you all flesh shall come.
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,
et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Te decet hymnus, Deus, in Sion,
et tibi reddetur votum in Jerusalem.
Exaudi orationem meam
ad te omnis caro veniet.
Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison. Kyrie eleison.
Dies Irae
Day of wrath and day of judgment,
Earth shall perish in an instant,
as foretold by prophets ancient.
Death and nature both are shaken,
as creation re-awakens,
to its Judge an answer making.
Remember me, merciful Jesus,
let me not perish (that terrible day).
Therefore, Gracious God, spare them,
grant eternal rest to them.
Dies irae, dies illa,
solvet saeclum in favilla,
teste David cum Sibylla.
Mors stupebit et natura,
cum resurget creatura,
judicanti responsura.
Recordare, Jesu pie,
ne me perdas (illa die).
Huic ergo parce, Deus,
dona eis requiem.
Lord, Jesus Christ, the King of glory,
deliver all souls of the faithful now departed.
Save them from the pains of hell and the lake of fire.
Deliver them from the mouth of the lion;
do not allow hell to swallow their souls,
nor fall into the darkness.
Yet may the archangel Michael
bring them forth into the holy light.
As you promised to Abraham and his descendants.
Sacrifices, prayers, and praises, Lord, we now offer to you:
we make them today for the sake of the souls
who have gone before us,
that they may pass from death into life!
As you promised to Abraham and his descendants.
Offertory et Hostias
Domine, Jesu Christe, Rex gloriae,
libera animas omnium fidelium defunctorum
de poenis inferni et de profundo lacu.
Libera eas de ore leonis;
ne absorbeat eas tartarus,
ne cadant in obscurum.
Sed signifer sanctus Michael
repraesentet eas in lucem sanctam. Heav’nly Hosts
Quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini eius.
Hostias et preces tibi, Domine, laudis offerimus:
tu suscipe pro animabus illis,
quarum hodie memoriam facimus,
fac eas, Domine, de morte transire ad vitam.
Quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini eius.
Sanctus
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Heav’nly Hosts!
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest!
Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth!
Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua.
Hosanna in excelsis.
Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.
Hosanna in excelsis!
Pie Jesu
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest!
Merciful Lord Jesus, grant them rest.
Merciful Lord Jesus, grant them rest eternal.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,
grant them your peace.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world
grant us them peace eternal.
May your light forever shine on them, O Lord,
with your holy saints forever, for you are gracious.
Grant them rest forever, O Lord,
and may your light forever shine on them,
thanks to your great mercy.
Save me, gracious Lord, from death eternal
on that day of judgement,
when the heavens and earth shall tremble,
when you shall come to judge the world by fire.
I am filled with fear and trembling,
as the coming Judgement fills me with dread.
On that day of wrath and judgement, calamity and misery, the great day of bitterness and sadness
when you come to judge the world with fire.
Grant them your eternal rest, O Lord,
and may your light shine forever upon them.
And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes,
and death shall be no more.
Neither mourning, nor crying,
nor grief shall be anymore,
for the first things have passed away.
O Death, where is your victory?
O Death, where is your sting?
May angels lead you into paradise;
may the holy martyrs welcome your coming,
and lead you into the holy city of Jerusalem.
May a chorus of angels welcome you,
and like Lazarus, who once was poor,
may you have eternal rest.
Pie Jesu Domine, dona eis requiem.
Pie Jesu Domine, dona eis requiem sempiternam.
Agnus Dei
Agnus Dei, qui tollis pecatta mundi,
dona eis requiem.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
dona eis requiem sempiternam.
Lux Aeterna
Lux aeterna luceat eis, Domine,
cum sanctis tuis in aeternum, quia pius es.
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,
et lux perpetua luceat eis,
quia pius es.
Libera Me
Libera me, Domine, de morte aeterna
in die illa tremenda,
quando coeli movendi sunt et terra,
dum veneris judicare saeculum per ignem.
Tremens factus sum ego et timeo,
dum discussion venerit atque ventura ira.
Dies illa, dies iræ, calamitatis et miseriæ,
dies magna et amara valde
dum veneris iudicare sæculum per ignem.
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,
et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Et Mors Ultra Non Erit
Et absterget Deus omnem lacrymam ab oculis eorum,
et mors ultra non erit,
neque luctus, neque clamor,
neque dolor erit ultra,
quia prima abierunt.
Ubi est mors victoria tua?
Ubi est mors stimulus tuus?
In Paradisum
In paradisum deducant angeli;
in tuo adventu suscipiant te Martyres,
et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem.
Chorus angelorum te suscipat
et cum Lazaro, quondam paupere,
aeternam habeas requiem.