Bernstein Mass

I've been on a Bernstein Mass kick. I rented the DVD of it that was recorded at the Vatican in 2000. The staging was interesting to see, but felt like some of the bite of the original album had been toned down. (I saw some comments on either Netflix or Amazon about censorship. At the Vatican? Image that.) The orchestra for that DVD was truly mediocre. However, I did notice some text changes, but more on that later.

So I went back to listen to the original 1971 production. Overall it is so superior. Some days I think "If only the modern text was not so dated" with the "groovy" feel of the 60s. Other days I think that it is the time that it was written.  Still, to hear Alan Titus sing Simple Song is worth it.

It turns out that I have another recording: the Marin Alsop recording of 2009 with Jubilant Sykes as the Celebrant. This seems to have the all the text changes and the orchestra sounds much better. Although, the technical quality of the recording doesn't sound right. The original 1971 recording has a real lush sound to it. It seems missing here. (I'm sure that some would say that is the difference between the analog and digital recording technique, but to be honest I've never bought that theory.)

What I love about the piece itself is that it presents a conflict with the celebrant. "The celebrant, in a furious rage, hurls the sacred bread, housed in an ornate cross-like monstrance, and the chalice of wine, smashing them on the floor. At this sacrilege the other cast members collapse to the ground as if dead while the Celebrant sings a solo..." (Wikipedia) (BTW--this act of sacrilege is what is missing from the Vatican version.) It also asks the question about what makes the celebrant (the priest) different from anyone else (the laity.) Given the behavior of the Catholic leadership in that not too distant past (regarding the sex abuse scandal), I find this to be a timely and valid question.

Psalm 139

A premiere of a new piece brings a combination of reflection, excitement, and (if I'm being honest with myself) nerves.  Adding to that I'm also singing as part of the choir in the premiere today.  There is always that part of the private rehearsal process for me when I look at my own music with anxiety and think "Why on Earth did I write it that way?"  But, with age you learn that that is part of "The Process."  You also learn to trust that there was a reason you wrote it that way at the time.  And finally, you learn to wait to hear the performance and then decide if that was an idea you might want to explore again or not.

Psalm 139 speaks of the wickedness within each of us and also of our enemies.  In these divisive times I felt these words had something to say to us now.  This psalm is considered one of the Imprecatory Psalms.  As Wikipedia states, they "invoke judgment, calamity, or curses, upon one's enemies or those perceived as the enemies of God."  When I began setting this piece I actually stayed away from that part of the psalm, focusing instead on the line "Thou hast knit me together in my mother's womb."  But the line "If Thou but would slay the wicked, O God" kept reasserting itself in my thoughts.

As a nation we are dealing with times where many people speak of enemies--of them versus us.  Part of what I love about the Psalms is that they are written from King David's point of view--not God's.  King David sins. He does horrible things. He rails against his enemies. Yet, he continues to try to walk with God.

For the past few years I have been singing with and composing for the Minnesota Compline Choir. They are a wonderful group of singers. I would like to thank the choir, its director, Adam Reinwald, and Pilgrim Lutheran Church's director of music, Paul Stever, for their continued encouragement and the premiere of this work.

Compline for a New Millennium this Sunday, October 15, at 6:51 pm.

Psalm 139, adapted by Chris Gennaula.

Biblical Sources:
King James Version,
Jewish Publication Society, 1917
Douay-Rheims

SOLOIST:
If Thou but would slay the wicked, O God.

ANTIPHON:
Prove me, O God, and know my heart: 
And see if there be any wicked way in me.

VERSE:
Thou hast knit me together in my mother's womb. 
I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: 
Marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them!  

SOLOIST:
If Thou but would slay the wicked, O God.

ANTIPHON:
Prove me, O God, and know my heart: 
And see if there be any wicked way in me.

VERSE:
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; 
Too high, I cannot attain unto it. 
If I take the wings of the morning,  
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 

SOLOIST:
If Thou but would slay the wicked, O God.

ANTIPHON:
Prove me, O God, and know my heart: 
And see if there be any wicked way in me.

VERSE:
Even there shall thy hand lead me,  
And Thy right hand would hold me.  
If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; 
even the night shall be light about me. 

ANTIPHON:
Prove me, O God, and know my heart: 
And see if there be any wicked way in me.

Compline Geek

In my late teens I tried to read Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose. (Looking back at this, I think you need to be a bit older to read Eco. But I digress.) Even being a Cradle Catholic, this was the first time I ever read or heard about Compline. Admittedly I probably would have been the only kid in CCD class (Sunday school) who would have been interested in the rich, somewhat esoteric history of the Catholic Church when I was a kid—I was that geek. I still am 

As part of the Liturgy of the Hours, Compline is the final ‘office’ or service at the close of the day. When I came to Minneapolis and began singing in the Basilica of St. Mary choir, I found that Compline was still done at the Basilica. Compline is the prayer before sleep.  Personally I view Compline from three different standpoints.  From a rational standpoint it is a time to begin to let the mind rest.  From an emotional standpoint it a time of gratitude for the day that has past.  From a spiritual standpoint it is a time of awe and wonder at the universe of God.

A bit less than two years ago I began singing with the Minnesota Compline Choir. This is an ecumenical choir—it’s not just Catholics who do Compline. This was part of reason I joined this choir. It is important to me to sing in a choir that crosses denominational lines. (In CCD I was also listening to some of the lessons of the Second Vatican Council.) Twice a month from September to May we sing the service on Sunday nights at 8:00 PM in the Basilica of St. Mary. 

Each time part of the service consists of a psalm setting, normally done as a chant, sometimes with minimal harmony added. I wanted to write a simple psalm setting. These settings are normally written and prepared quickly. To me, that was the challenge. Chant is the original musical minimalism and from a compositional standpoint one must write it while thinking ‘less is more.’

I approached our director, Aaron Humble, and asked if he would be willing to look at a psalm setting I would write for the choir. After he said yes I asked if there was a particular psalm I should set. He said set one that speaks to me.

Geek that I am, I began doing some research into psalms that have a long-standing relationship with compline. I decided to use Psalm 4. Although this psalm, according to the Rule of St. Benedict, is to be performed straight through without antiphon, I decided to structure the piece in an antiphon/verse format using the last line of the psalm as the antiphon: “I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.”

Now for the truly ‘esoteric’ composer-speak: Since the text referenced sleep I decided that I wanted to begin the piece with a downward melodic gesture. I did not want to use any pre-existing plainchant melody, but rather write my own. I also decided the antiphon would be metered (in 6 8 time) while the verses would be done in un-metered chant style. From a harmonic standpoint I choose to pentatonic scale, but not be strict and allow myself to borrow notes from other scales.

I am so thankful that Mr. Humble has included this setting in our service tonight (May 3, 2015 at 8:00 PM). I am looking forward to hearing the setting in the reverberant space of our Minneapolitan Basilica.

Psalm 4 from the King James Version 

Antiphon:

I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety. 

Verses:

Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.

Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.

There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.

Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased.

Sometimes the text finds you.

This coming Sunday a new work of mine will be sung at Spirit of Hope United Methodist Church in Golden Valley, MN.  In the Fall of 2011 Wendy Gennaula, my wife, began to sing there as a member of the quartet of choir section leaders.  Jerry Rubino, the director of music at the church, asked if I would be interested in writing a solo piece for Wendy.  I love to write music for Wendy and jumped at the opportunity to do so again.

But the first question that came to my mind was "what text to set to music?"  And my go to answer for this question is "the Psalms."  In my experience, all the emotions of the human experience can be found there.  When I was young I had the idea that the Bible was like a users manual for life.  It told you exactly what you should do.  As I've grown older, I have found that that approach is not very helpful.  Instead of finding the best answers in the Bible, I have found the best questions.  And a perfect place to find those questions is the Psalms.  There one will find joy, rage, loneliness, emptiness, fullness, companionship, peace, and sorrow.  But which Psalm?  There are 150 of them!

Sometimes the text finds you.  I honestly can't remember where I first heard Psalm 31 in the Fall of 2011. Was it at the wedding of friends?  It might have been during a service at First Covenant where I sing in the choir once a month.  It could have also been the Sunday that I visited Spirit of Hope to hear Wendy sing with the rest of the choir.  In any case I remember hearing a Psalm Response based on Psalm 31:24.  "...all you who hope in the LORD."  Hope in the Lord.  A Spirit of Hope.

Sometimes the text finds you.

Hello, again, hello....

Yes. I am quoting a Neil Diamond song. (Not that I'm saying there is anything wrong with that...)

It's been a while since I last posted anything here. Since my last post I've written 2 pieces for 1st Covenant Church in Minneapolis and started singing in the Gospel Choir there. Gospel singing was always something I've admired from a far. When I found out that 1st Covenant was starting one up with Robert Robinson as director I thought I can't let this opportunity pass. It's been great. A very different experience from singing in a cathedral or classical choir. I'm still trying to get use to the concept of learning things by rote without music. (After years of dealing with printed music it makes me feel exposed--vocally naked. I can't look at a page--I have to just use my ears. I'm not saying one is better than the other--just different.) Also it's been fun to just open up the vocal chords.

Right now I'm busy working on the music for YARRRH!!! which will be presented at the Minnesota Fringe Festival this summer (August 4th-14th, 2011). Women! Pirates! What more do you need to know?

That's all for now. More to come. Really...

Time to become a Note Head again

I've been more of a code monkey for a while now. I need to get back to being a Note Head. Mainly been loading new tunes to my iPod shuffle. Latest additional was actually the song "Code Monkey"--a really fun tune! Also got an old recording of La Traviata with Maria Callas recorded live at La Scala. It was the first opera album I ever bought. Although I know there are better sounding recordings, there is something to be said about your first love of a recording.

Sometime I need to blog about hearing most of my music now of days through my iPod shuffle instead of live performance. I think one would expect me to be quite snobbish about the superior quality of live performance--and yet for the trade off to enjoy music anywhere I don't really have much of a problem with my shuffle.

The Bells (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)

"Then, all at once, behold!--for it seems at times, as though the ear also possessed a sight of its own,--behold, rising from each bell tower, something like a column of sound, a cloud of harmony."



[ Link ] to The Bells.

For the opening of the Hunchback of Notre Dame Leah, the director, wanted to have the house lights up. The cast would wander onto the stage as music would be playing on the sound system.

"First, the vibration of each bell mounts straight upwards, pure and, so to speak, isolated from the others, into the splendid morning sky; then, little by little, as they swell they melt together, mingle, are lost in each other, and amalgamate in a magnificent concert."

I used the chant Ubi Caritas as the basis for the bell peel. “Where charity and love are, God is there.” This summarizes the time that Quasimodo and Esmeralda will spend together at the top of Notre Dame.

When the bell peel is done, one of the cast members would have a guitar and they would start playing along with the song.

"It is no longer anything but a mass of sonorous vibrations incessantly sent forth from the numerous belfries; floats, undulates, bounds, whirls over the city, and prolongs far beyond the horizon the deafening circle of its oscillations."

Italics text is a quote from The Hunchback of Notre Dame