MAJESTY
PROGRAM NOTES
We begin our 19th season of Griffin Choral Arts with the singing of a communal hymn, “O Worship the King, all glorious above.” This hymn, taken directly from the United Methodist Hymnal (in these pews), is a nod to the rich church-music tradition in our community. A GCA concert is an opportunity to combine congregational voices from all denominations represented in our choir and in our audience in an expression of communal worship. Inasmuch as a GCA concert is a celebration of singing, it makes sense to have us all singing together! The hymn is sung to the tune LYONS, which was composed by German composer Joseph Martin Klaus, a friend of the Haydn brothers, Michael and Joseph, while they were all working together in London. Originally an instrumental theme from a sonata, it was easily converted to be used as a hymn tune.
You can almost imagine King David looking up at the night sky as he was inspired to compose Psalm 8. The majesty of the stars must have impressed him as he considered the role of humanity in such a vast universe. “When I consider the heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast ordained”… (vs.3, KJV). Our opening set of pieces tonight are about the nighttime, the night sky, and the stars.
“Stars I Shall Find” by Victor Cohen Johnson, a prolific composer from Texas with over 350 compositions published, is a setting of the Sara Teasdale poem “There will be rest”. (The composition title is from the concluding line of the poem.) Perhaps inspired by the same night sky as King David, she imagines an escape to a world of her own devising. One poetic phrase that is particularly captivating is “the music of stillness holy and low.” Mysterious and beautiful, Johnson’s setting captures the serenity of the poem.
Next, the choir presents “Ave Maris Stella” a Vesper Hymn composed by Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg in 1898. The text was originally used in plainchant in the 9th century. The chant tune was especially popular in the Middle Ages and was frequently quoted and used as a cantus firmus for Mass settings. The text has been used by composers throughout the ages, including settings by Hassler, Dufay, Palestrina, Byrd, Dvorak, and even Liszt. The translated title is “Hail, star of the sea”, and it was used as a prayer for those who traveled using the stars to navigate. The Grieg setting captures the shimmery beauty of the heavenly bodies and features, at different times, four-part female chorus and four-part male chorus.
The text for Rheinberger’s “Abendlied” is from the New Testament story about what happened on the road to Emmaus. Unaware that they are walking and talking with Jesus, the two disciples invite Jesus to stay with them for the evening. This simple expression of hospitality (post resurrection) has several levels of meaning, even having a place in Advent readings as we invite Jesus to be Immanuel, God with us. A six-voice motet (SSATTB), it is one of the most gorgeous a cappella compositions we have performed with GCA.
The central work of tonight’s concert is Illuminare, a recent composition (2022) by Elaine Hagenberg.
I cannot help but make parallels to Dan Forrest’s Requiem for the Living, a GCA singer and audience favorite extended work. Just as Dan Forrest composed Requiem for the Living when he was emerging as a leading composer of sacred cantatas, this is Hagenberg’s first larger, multi-movement effort. Both composers are pianists and love to feature the piano, even in choral-orchestral works. Both Requiem for the Living and Illuminare feature a highly agitated middle movement—Forrest’s was “Vanitas” from the “all is vanity” text in Ecclesiastes, and Hagenberg’s is titled “Nox” which is a dark and turbulent setting of a text from Aurelius Prudentius Clemens (AD 348-413). Both works feature a tenor soloist bringing the gospel of peace towards the end: Forrest using the Matthew 11:28 “Come unto me, all you that labor…”, and Hagenberg using John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you…”.
That is not to suggest that Illuminare is a copycat composition. Hagenberg’s unique compositional style uses harmonic tensions and melodic lilts that are distinctly her own. The notable part is that we have another young composer who is seeking to stretch beyond composing the single Sunday morning anthem octavo, instead seeking to compose more ambitious, more complex works. We are pleased to perform this work while it is “hot.” Hagenberg’s website lists scores of 2025 Illuminare performances by date and location.
Hagenberg’s website describes the program of Illuminare this way:
Using lesser-known sacred Latin, Greek, and English texts, the piece takes us through a season of beauty and goodness that has been disrupted by darkness and confusion. But as Light gradually returns, hope is restored, illuminating our future and guiding us in peace.
In Genesis, we read that the first “word” of creation was “Let there be light.” In Psalm 8, David names many of the “and it was good” things in creation: beasts of the field, birds of the air, fish of the sea. Illuminare begins with a description of the “Splendor” of the light of creation. It ends with a plea to illuminate those who are in darkness and walking in the valley of the shadow of death. The hope and peace at the end of Illuminare sets up the final set tonight which focuses on the Kingdom of God and the promise of eternal life.
After singing another hymn together, this time “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name” from the Episcopal 1982 Hymnal, we hear two pieces with the same title, “Beautiful City.” The first “Beautiful City” is a duet from the musical Godspell by Stephen Schwartz. Although it was not part of the original 1971 musical, it was added for the film version released a year later. The lyrics call on us to bring God’s kingdom “on earth as it is in heaven” using the analogy of building a beautiful city. The song implies cooperation and necessary perseverance to accomplish this goal.
In contrast, Andre’ Thomas’ “Beautiful City” is a high energy gospel setting that incorporates the hymns “Oh, What a Beautiful City” and “In Bright Mansions Above.” The catchy chorus returns throughout the piece, and there is a nice building up of tension towards the end, using repetitive ostinato phrases in the lower voices. Instead of the majesty of the creation as told in the first book of the Bible, this piece reminds us of the visions of John as expressed in the last book of the New Testament, Revelation. A flashy and capable gospel pianist, Andre Thomas composed a piano part that highlights the “sparkling” fingering technique of Alicia Smith, our accompanist.
Tom Fettke’s “The Majesty and Glory of Your Name” was originally published in 1979 and almost immediately became a favorite anthem for many church choirs. In fact, it is the only anthem that has remained on the Church Music Report’s list of All-Time Favorite Anthems every year for the past several decades. The text is an adaptation of Psalm 8 that begins with that moment of David’s inspiration, as he looked at the night sky. After the ethereal opening, a simple and soft refrain is presented with all voices in unison. As the anthem progresses phrase by phrase, the Alleluias become more dramatic, louder, and more insistent. The climactic moment has the first sopranos on a high B-flat before the anthem concludes serenely.
The final selection tonight is “A New Jerusalem Arise” by Minneapolis-based composer Kyle Pederson. Incorporating themes and snippets from the Old Testament book of Isaiah and the book of Revelation, the text describes a world redeemed and transformed into the New Jerusalem. A place of peace and justice and a place where there are no more tears, the music inspires us to arise into the light of this new Kingdom.
As we aspire to live lives that bring forth this Kingdom of Light, we remember in our hearts the saints who have walked in the light and brought this light into our lives while we knew them here.
–Stephen J Mulder
In memory of Anne Thomas (1930-2025)
