MUSICA SPEI (MUSIC OF HOPE)

presents

LAMENTATIONS:
RENAISSANCE VOCAL MUSIC FOR HOLY WEEK

Program

April 2000
(Please feel free to applaud at the end of each half of the program)

Stabant juxta crucem    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    Plainchant

Kyrie (from the Mass for Four Voices)     .    .    .    .    .    .        William Byrd

                                                                                                       (English, 1543-1623)

Gloria (from the Mass for Three Voices)     .    .    .    .    .    .     William Byrd

Sanctus (from the Mass for Four Voices)     .    .    .    .    .    .     William Byrd

Agnus Dei (from Mass for Five Voices)     .    .    .    .    .    .       William Byrd

Miserere    .    .    .     .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .        Jacobus Vaet

                                                                                                        (Flemish, 1529-1567)

 

Intermission

Ave verum corpus     .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .       William Byrd

Lamentations of Jeremiah 1.    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .      Thomas Tallis

                                                                                                        (English, 1505-1585)

 

Lamentations of Jeremiah 2   .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .   Thomas Tallis

 

Tenebrae factae sunt .    .    .     .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .     Giovanni Croce

                                                                                                        (Italian, 1557-1609)

 

 

Translations

Stabant juxta crucem                                                                                       Plainchant

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother; his mother's sister Mary, the wife of Clopas; and Salome; and Mary Magdalene. "Woman, behold your son!" said Jesus. Then he said to the disciple: "Behold your mother!" Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother...

Kyrie (from the Mass for Four Voices)                                                               W. Byrd

 Lord have mercy upon us. Christ have mercy upon us. Lord have mercy upon us.

Gloria (from the Mass for Three Voices)                                                           W. Byrd

Glory be to God on high, and peace on earth to men of goodwill. We praise you, we bless you, we worship you, we glorify you. We give thanks to you for your great glory. O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty. O Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ. O Lord God, lamb of God, Son of the Father, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us; who takes away the sins of the world, receive our prayer; who sits at the right hand of the Father, have mercy upon us. For you only are holy. You only are the Lord. You only are the most high, O Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen

Sanctus (from the Mass for Four Voices)                                                            W. Byrd

Holy, holy, holy. Lord God of Hosts. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. Agnus Dei (from the Mass for Five Voices)                                   W. Byrd O lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. O lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. O lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

Miserere                                                                                                                  J. Vaet

Have mercy on me, O God: according to your great kindness. And, according to the multitude of your mercies: blot out my wrongdoings. Behold, I was conceived in iniquity: and in sin did my mother conceive me. Have mercy...

Intermission

 

Ave verum corpus                                                                                                  W. Byrd

Hail the body born of the Virgin Mary; truly suffered and sacrificed on the cross for man, whose pierced side flowed with a wave of blood; may we have tasted of you when we come to the hour of our death. O sweet one, O holy one, O Jesus, son of Mary, pity me. Amen.

Lamentations of Jeremiah 1                                                                                T. Tallis

Here begins the lamentation of Jeremiah the prophet: Aleph. How deserted lies the city, once so full of people! How like a widow is she, who once was great among the nations! She who was queen among the provinces has now become a slave. Beth. Bitterly she weeps at night, tears are upon her cheeks. Among all her lovers there is none to comfort her. All her friends have betrayed her; they have become her enemies. Jerusalem, Jerusalem, return to the Lord your God.

Lamentations of Jeremiah 2                                                                                T. Tallis

From the lamentation of Jeremiah the prophet: Ghimel. After affliction and harsh labor, Judah has gone into exile. She dwells among the nations; she finds no resting place. Daleth. All who pursue her have overtaken her in the midst of her distress. The roads to Zion mourn, for no one comes to her appointed feasts. All her gates are desolate; her virgins grieve and she is in bitterness. Heth. Her foes have become her masters, her enemies prosper; the Lord has brought her grief because of her many sins. Her children have gone into exile, captive before the enemy. Jerusalem, Jerusalem, return to the Lord your God.

Tenebrae factae sunt                                                                                           G. Croce

It became dark when the Jews crucified Jesus. About the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "My God, why have you forsaken me?" And, bowing his head, he gave up the spirit.


David Ahn, Jeanne Beddoe, Jim Blake, Lynette Blake, Tina Curren, Kathy Duhig, Sharon Emerson, Joe Finetti, Edna Huelsenbeck, Eric Lobenstine, Steve Marcus, Tamela Nelson, Mark Ross, Richard Sauvain, Darlene Simmons

Special thanks to the Sibley Music Library, Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester.

 

Musica Spei (Music of Hope), now in its sixth season, was formed in the summer of 1995 to explore the vast but largely unperformed repertoire of sacred, unaccompanied choral masterworks of the 15th, 16th and early 17th centuries. Musica Spei performs without a conductor and gives several concerts each season at various locations in the Greater Rochester, Buffalo and Canandaigua communities. It has performed with other local groups, including Madrigalia and Air de Cour, participated in several choral PRISM concerts presented by the Eastman School of Music in the Eastman Theatre, and appeared twice during the 1999-2000 season at Memorial Art Gallery exhibition previews. This season, Musica Spei was invited to perform at the national conference of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association, return to the Memorial Art Gallery, appear at a celebrity-studded benefit for the Hochstein Youth Symphony Orchestra and, on April llth, perform on WXXI's "Live at Hochstein" concert series broadcast over WXXI 91.5 MHz, Rochester's public radio station. Every summer since 1995, Musica Spei has sponsored Renaissance Summer Sings at Saint Anne Church for members of the community who enjoy singing this repertoire.

 

Musica Spei's repertoire spans five centuries of music from Gregorian chant and medieval music to the complex polyphony of the early 17th century. The group's concerts have included music from Spain, Italy, Germany, England, Scotland, the Flemish countries and Slovenia by such well known Renaissance composers as Palestrina, Victoria, Lassus, Tallis, Byrd, Josquin, Gesualdo and others as well as by such lesser known Renaissance masters as Ockeghem, Handl (Gallus), Lobo, de Rore, de Wert, Senfl, Peebles, Guerrero, Vaet and many others. The goal of Musica Spei is to share the magnificence and beauty of this mostly unfamiliar music with a wider audience and to demonstrate the music's vibrancy and emotional impact in today's world.

 

The growth and development of Musica Spei, a member of the Greater Rochester Choral Consortium, has been made possible by the support of the parish community of Saint Anne Church. Musica Spei is also the recipient of a generous grant from the New York State Legislature, the New York State Council on the Arts and the Arts and Cultural Council for Greater Rochester.

 

If you wish to be placed on Musica Spei's mailing list for notification of future concerts and/or auditions, please fill out one of the postcards located at each of the entrances (indicate your voice category, if applicable); send your name and address to Musica Spei, c/o Steve Marcus, 1025 East Avenue, Apt. #2, Rochester, New York 14607; call (716) 244-7764; or contact us through our new website at www.musicaspei.org. Future appearances include a "Live from Hochstein," broadcast over the Rochester-based public radio station WXXI.91.5 MHz, on April llth at 12:10 p.m.