First Snow
This event has passed.
Please see the events listing for upcoming events.
Please see the events listing for upcoming events.
Event Dates
(EST)
The Boston Conservatory Choirs bid farewell to the fall semester and welcome winter break with a short concert of seasonal music.
Program Information
Repertoire
The Boston Conservatory Choir
Dr. Katie Gardiner, director
SARA QUARTEL (b. 1982): “This Endris Night”
arr. ABBIE BETINIS (b. 1980): “In the Bleak Midwinter”
CÉSAR CUI (1835–1918): “Vsudu Sneg”
MARQUES GARRETT (b. 1984): “The Savior’s Birth”
The Boston Conservatory Graduate Choir
Dr. Stephen Spinelli, director
JUDITH WEIR (b. 1954): “Drop Down Ye Heavens”
Jordan Conover, conductor
EDWIN FISSINGER (1920–1990): “In Paradisum”
Vachislav Kozlenko, conductor
BO HOLTON (b. 1948): “First Snow”
Combined Chorale and Graduate Choir
arr. BENJAMIN BOYLE (b. 1979): “Lo How a Rose”
The Boston Conservatory Chorale
Dr. Stephen Spinelli, director
SAMUEL BARBER (1910–1981): “Sure on This Shining Night”
Edith Mora Hernandez, conductor
arr. MARGARET BONDS (1913–1972): “Sing Aho”
SALAMONE ROSSI (1570–1630): “Barechu”
JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833–1897): “O Schöne Nacht”
Vachislav Kozlenko, conductor
MORTON LAURIDSEN (b. 1943): “Sure on This Shining Night”
Dr. Katie Gardiner, director
SARA QUARTEL (b. 1982): “This Endris Night”
arr. ABBIE BETINIS (b. 1980): “In the Bleak Midwinter”
CÉSAR CUI (1835–1918): “Vsudu Sneg”
MARQUES GARRETT (b. 1984): “The Savior’s Birth”
The Boston Conservatory Graduate Choir
Dr. Stephen Spinelli, director
JUDITH WEIR (b. 1954): “Drop Down Ye Heavens”
Jordan Conover, conductor
EDWIN FISSINGER (1920–1990): “In Paradisum”
Vachislav Kozlenko, conductor
BO HOLTON (b. 1948): “First Snow”
Combined Chorale and Graduate Choir
arr. BENJAMIN BOYLE (b. 1979): “Lo How a Rose”
The Boston Conservatory Chorale
Dr. Stephen Spinelli, director
SAMUEL BARBER (1910–1981): “Sure on This Shining Night”
Edith Mora Hernandez, conductor
arr. MARGARET BONDS (1913–1972): “Sing Aho”
SALAMONE ROSSI (1570–1630): “Barechu”
JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833–1897): “O Schöne Nacht”
Vachislav Kozlenko, conductor
MORTON LAURIDSEN (b. 1943): “Sure on This Shining Night”
Program Notes
SARA QUARTEL (b. 1982): “This Endris Night”
adapted from 15th-century carol
Canadian composer Sarah Quartel is best known for her engaging choral works that often blend traditional influences with contemporary styles. “This Endris Night” sets a 15th-century English carol text, reimagining its timeless message of wonder at the Nativity. “This Endris Night” exemplifies Quartel’s ability to bring historical material into a modern choral idiom, offering singers and audiences alike a poignant reflection on enduring holiday themes.
CÉSAR CUI (1835–1918): “Vsudu Sneg”
César Cui, a member of the “Mighty Five” composers who sought to create a distinctly Russian style of classical music, composed “Vsudu Sneg” as part of his extensive output of art songs. This miniature masterpiece, written for voice and piano, sets a poignant Russian text that paints a vivid winter landscape.
The song captures the stark beauty of snow-covered terrain, where nature’s stillness reflects a deeper emotional solitude. Cui’s music enhances this imagery through delicate piano textures that mimic the shimmering cold and flowing vocal lines that evoke both melancholy and wonder. Typical of his style, the piece combines Russian lyricism with French-inspired finesse, showcasing Cui’s ability to craft intimate, evocative settings. “Vsudu Sneg” is a striking example of Cui’s commitment to marrying poetic imagery with subtle musical detail, offering listeners a snapshot of Russian Romanticism at its most introspective.
JUDITH WEIR (b. 1954): “Drop Down Ye Heavens”
Judith Weir, Master of the King’s Music and one of Britain’s most celebrated contemporary composers, wrote “Drop Down Ye Heavens” as a choral anthem for Advent. The piece sets the “Rorate caeli” text, drawn from the Vulgate translation of Isaiah, alongside an English paraphrase from The English Hymnal.
Weir’s setting is marked by its clarity and economy, with modal harmonies and gently flowing lines that evoke a sense of stillness and anticipation. The music reflects the text’s dual themes of yearning and hope, creating a meditative atmosphere well-suited to the Advent season.
EDWIN FISSINGER (1920–1990): “In Paradisum”
Edwin Fissinger was an American composer, conductor, and educator whose contributions to the choral repertoire are widely recognized. His “In Paradisum” sets the Latin antiphon traditionally sung as part of the Roman Catholic requiem mass. This text is associated with the final commendation, where it serves as a prayer for the departed soul to be received into eternal rest.
BO HOLTON (b. 1948): “First Snow”
Bo Holten is a Danish conductor, composer, and musicologist, best known for his work in choral music. He founded the choral ensemble Musica Ficta in 1996, where he serves as both conductor and a key creative force. Holten is recognized for his dedication to early and contemporary choral music, and his work has a broad repertoire spanning from medieval to modern composers. His ensemble, Musica Ficta, has contributed significantly to both the performance and preservation of various choral works, often focusing on historical music from the Renaissance to the present day. Holten has also been involved in the development and recording of Danish music, including works by Carl Nielsen and contemporary Danish composers like Per Nørgård and Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen.
“First Snow” encapsulates the quiet calm brought about by the first snowfall of the season. As the upper voices create a textural representation of falling snow, the divided lower voices sing an ode to the snow, translated from the Icelandic words of poet Stephan G. Stephansson.
arr. BENJAMIN BOYLE (b. 1979): “Lo How a Rose”
Benjamin C. S. Boyle is an American composer and pedagogue known for his diverse body of work, which spans choral, orchestral, and chamber music. His compositions often blend traditional classical techniques with contemporary elements, showcasing a deep understanding of both historical and modern musical practices.
Boyle’s choral music, such as “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming” and “Three Carols for Wintertide,” demonstrates his ability to balance harmonic sophistication with accessibility. His choral works are often noted for their lyrical qualities and attention to text, while also incorporating rich, expressive harmonies. His music draws on both liturgical traditions and more secular forms, resulting in pieces that resonate with a wide audience.
SAMUEL BARBER (1910–1981): “Sure on This Shining Night”
text by James Agee
Composed in 1938, “Sure on This Shining Night” is one of Samuel Barber’s most beloved art songs. It sets a lyrical text by the American poet James Agee, capturing the stillness and wonder of a moonlit night. Barber’s writing is marked by its lush harmonic language and subtle, yet powerful use of melody, which elevates Agee’s reflective and tender poem about the beauty of life, love, and the natural world. The choral arrangement, made by Barber in 1961, expands this tender piece into SATB (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) forces, maintaining the original’s lush harmonies and emotive tone while offering a fuller, richer texture.
arr. MARGARET BONDS (1913–1972): “Sing Aho”
The great Margaret Bonds was so successful as a pianist, composer, and arranger during her lifetime that Chicago mayor Richard Daley declared January 31, 1967 “Margaret Bonds Day.” Her dedication to the preservation of the spiritual through arrangement was just one aspect of a multifaceted career that includes her status as the first Black soloist with the Chicago Symphony. Bonds wrote a set of five “Creek Freedmen” spirituals for the soprano Hortense Love. These are songs that came from the combined oral traditions of enslaved Africans and Muskogee tribe Native Americans. “Sing Aho,” originally a setting for solo voice and piano—and still unpublished in the choral arrangement created by the composer that you will hear tonight—bears the same markings of combined Native American and African diasporic and spiritual traditions. “Aho” is a word that comes from the Kiowa people of the Great Plains, and it is a general statement of agreement or affirmation. Originally arranged for choir for a performance by the Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers, there is no recording of this version to date, and the edition used tonight was created under Creative Commons from manuscripts consulted at Yale’s Beinecke Library and Special Collections.
SALAMONE ROSSI (1570–1630): “Barechu”
Salomone Rossi, an Italian Jewish composer, fused Baroque musical styles with Hebrew liturgical texts. His “Barechu,” from Hashirim Asher LiShlomoh (Songs of Solomon), is an innovative setting of the Jewish call to prayer. Written for mixed choir, Rossi blends contrapuntal techniques and Baroque harmony with Hebrew phrases, creating a work that is both devotional and musically sophisticated.
adapted from 15th-century carol
Canadian composer Sarah Quartel is best known for her engaging choral works that often blend traditional influences with contemporary styles. “This Endris Night” sets a 15th-century English carol text, reimagining its timeless message of wonder at the Nativity. “This Endris Night” exemplifies Quartel’s ability to bring historical material into a modern choral idiom, offering singers and audiences alike a poignant reflection on enduring holiday themes.
CÉSAR CUI (1835–1918): “Vsudu Sneg”
César Cui, a member of the “Mighty Five” composers who sought to create a distinctly Russian style of classical music, composed “Vsudu Sneg” as part of his extensive output of art songs. This miniature masterpiece, written for voice and piano, sets a poignant Russian text that paints a vivid winter landscape.
The song captures the stark beauty of snow-covered terrain, where nature’s stillness reflects a deeper emotional solitude. Cui’s music enhances this imagery through delicate piano textures that mimic the shimmering cold and flowing vocal lines that evoke both melancholy and wonder. Typical of his style, the piece combines Russian lyricism with French-inspired finesse, showcasing Cui’s ability to craft intimate, evocative settings. “Vsudu Sneg” is a striking example of Cui’s commitment to marrying poetic imagery with subtle musical detail, offering listeners a snapshot of Russian Romanticism at its most introspective.
JUDITH WEIR (b. 1954): “Drop Down Ye Heavens”
Judith Weir, Master of the King’s Music and one of Britain’s most celebrated contemporary composers, wrote “Drop Down Ye Heavens” as a choral anthem for Advent. The piece sets the “Rorate caeli” text, drawn from the Vulgate translation of Isaiah, alongside an English paraphrase from The English Hymnal.
Weir’s setting is marked by its clarity and economy, with modal harmonies and gently flowing lines that evoke a sense of stillness and anticipation. The music reflects the text’s dual themes of yearning and hope, creating a meditative atmosphere well-suited to the Advent season.
EDWIN FISSINGER (1920–1990): “In Paradisum”
Edwin Fissinger was an American composer, conductor, and educator whose contributions to the choral repertoire are widely recognized. His “In Paradisum” sets the Latin antiphon traditionally sung as part of the Roman Catholic requiem mass. This text is associated with the final commendation, where it serves as a prayer for the departed soul to be received into eternal rest.
BO HOLTON (b. 1948): “First Snow”
Bo Holten is a Danish conductor, composer, and musicologist, best known for his work in choral music. He founded the choral ensemble Musica Ficta in 1996, where he serves as both conductor and a key creative force. Holten is recognized for his dedication to early and contemporary choral music, and his work has a broad repertoire spanning from medieval to modern composers. His ensemble, Musica Ficta, has contributed significantly to both the performance and preservation of various choral works, often focusing on historical music from the Renaissance to the present day. Holten has also been involved in the development and recording of Danish music, including works by Carl Nielsen and contemporary Danish composers like Per Nørgård and Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen.
“First Snow” encapsulates the quiet calm brought about by the first snowfall of the season. As the upper voices create a textural representation of falling snow, the divided lower voices sing an ode to the snow, translated from the Icelandic words of poet Stephan G. Stephansson.
arr. BENJAMIN BOYLE (b. 1979): “Lo How a Rose”
Benjamin C. S. Boyle is an American composer and pedagogue known for his diverse body of work, which spans choral, orchestral, and chamber music. His compositions often blend traditional classical techniques with contemporary elements, showcasing a deep understanding of both historical and modern musical practices.
Boyle’s choral music, such as “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming” and “Three Carols for Wintertide,” demonstrates his ability to balance harmonic sophistication with accessibility. His choral works are often noted for their lyrical qualities and attention to text, while also incorporating rich, expressive harmonies. His music draws on both liturgical traditions and more secular forms, resulting in pieces that resonate with a wide audience.
SAMUEL BARBER (1910–1981): “Sure on This Shining Night”
text by James Agee
Composed in 1938, “Sure on This Shining Night” is one of Samuel Barber’s most beloved art songs. It sets a lyrical text by the American poet James Agee, capturing the stillness and wonder of a moonlit night. Barber’s writing is marked by its lush harmonic language and subtle, yet powerful use of melody, which elevates Agee’s reflective and tender poem about the beauty of life, love, and the natural world. The choral arrangement, made by Barber in 1961, expands this tender piece into SATB (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) forces, maintaining the original’s lush harmonies and emotive tone while offering a fuller, richer texture.
arr. MARGARET BONDS (1913–1972): “Sing Aho”
The great Margaret Bonds was so successful as a pianist, composer, and arranger during her lifetime that Chicago mayor Richard Daley declared January 31, 1967 “Margaret Bonds Day.” Her dedication to the preservation of the spiritual through arrangement was just one aspect of a multifaceted career that includes her status as the first Black soloist with the Chicago Symphony. Bonds wrote a set of five “Creek Freedmen” spirituals for the soprano Hortense Love. These are songs that came from the combined oral traditions of enslaved Africans and Muskogee tribe Native Americans. “Sing Aho,” originally a setting for solo voice and piano—and still unpublished in the choral arrangement created by the composer that you will hear tonight—bears the same markings of combined Native American and African diasporic and spiritual traditions. “Aho” is a word that comes from the Kiowa people of the Great Plains, and it is a general statement of agreement or affirmation. Originally arranged for choir for a performance by the Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers, there is no recording of this version to date, and the edition used tonight was created under Creative Commons from manuscripts consulted at Yale’s Beinecke Library and Special Collections.
SALAMONE ROSSI (1570–1630): “Barechu”
Salomone Rossi, an Italian Jewish composer, fused Baroque musical styles with Hebrew liturgical texts. His “Barechu,” from Hashirim Asher LiShlomoh (Songs of Solomon), is an innovative setting of the Jewish call to prayer. Written for mixed choir, Rossi blends contrapuntal techniques and Baroque harmony with Hebrew phrases, creating a work that is both devotional and musically sophisticated.
JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833–1897): “O Schöne Nacht”
Composed in 1888, Brahms’s “O schöne Nacht” opens his op. 92 set of quartets for SATB voices and piano. Setting a poem by Georg Friedrich Daumer, the piece captures the serene beauty of a starlit night, moving from tranquil wonder to a radiant, celebratory climax.
With its rippling piano introduction and lush vocal harmonies, Brahms masterfully evokes the interplay of light, shadow, and emotion in Daumer’s text. Compact yet profound, this gem of Romantic vocal chamber music is beloved for its lyricism and warmth.
MORTON LAURIDSEN (b. 1943): “Sure on This Shining Night”
Morten Lauridsen’s “Sure on This Shining Night” is the third movement of his choral cycle Nocturnes, composed in 2005. The piece sets James Agee’s poem of the same name, which reflects a moment of quiet, contemplative beauty under a starry sky. It is impossible to ignore the obvious homage to Barber’s setting of the same text. Lauridsen’s lush harmonies and sweeping melodic lines evoke a serene and dreamlike atmosphere, perfectly complementing the poem’s themes of light, peace, and longing.
Texts and Translations
SARA QUARTEL (b. 1982): “This Endris Night”
Burden:
This endris1 night I saw a sight,
A star as bright as day,
And ev’r among, a maiden sung,
“Lully, bye bye, lullay.”
This lovely lady sat and sang,
And to her child did say,
“My son, my brother, father dear,
Why liest thou thus in hay?”
“My sweetest bird, ’tis thus required,
Though I be king veray,2
But nevertheless I will not cease
To sing ‘Bye bye, lullay.’”
The child then spake in his talking,
And to his mother did say,
“Yea, I am known as heaven-king
In crib though I be laid.
“For angels bright down on me light;3
Thou knowest ’tis no nay.4
And for that sight thou may delight
To sing, ‘Bye bye, lullay.’”
“Now sweet Son, since it is come so,
That all is at Thy will,
I pray Thee grant to me a boon5,
If it be right and skill6,—
“That child or man, who will or can
Be merry on my day,
To bliss Thou bring—and I shall sing,
Lullay, by by, lullay.”
1. Endris – other
2. Veray – in truth
3. Alight
4. No nay – undeniable
5. Boon – favor
6. Skill – reasonable
arr. ABBIE BETINIS (b. 1980): “In the Bleak Midwinter”
Text by Christina Rossetti, John Andrew Storey, and Abbie Betinis
In the bleak midwinter
frosty wind made moan,
earth stood hard as iron,
water like a stone;
snow had fallen, snow on snow,
snow on snow,
in the bleak midwinter long ago.
Christ a homeless stranger,
so the gospels say,
cradled in a manger
and a bed of hay;
in the bleak midwinter,
a stable place sufficed,
Mary and her baby, Jesus Christ.
Angels and archangels
May have thronged the air,
Shepherds, beasts and wise men,
May have gathered there,
But only his mother
In her tender bliss
Blessed this new redeemer
With a kiss.
What can I give you,
poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb;
If I were a wise man
I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give you:
Give my heart.
I give my heart…
CÉSAR CUI (1835–1918): “Vsudu Sneg”
Всюду снег;
кругом всё тихо;
Vsyudu sneg;
krugom vsyo tikho;
Everywhere is snow;
all around is quiet;
Зимним сном природа спит,
Zimnim snom priroda spit,
Nature sleeps in a winter dream,
И едва пробившись в тучах,
Тускло солнышко глядит.
I yedva probivshis v tuchakh,
Tusklо solnyshko glyadit.
And barely breaking through the clouds,
The pale sun faintly gleams.
Под моим окном пустое
Птичье гнездышко одно,
Pod moim oknom pustoye
Ptichye gnezdishko odno,
Beneath my window,
One empty little bird’s nest remains,
Но весну, цветы и солнце
Мне напомнило оно.
No vesnu, tsvety i solntse
Mne napomnilo ono.
Yet it reminds me of spring, flowers,
And sunshine once again.
MARQUES GARRETT (b. 1984): “The Savior’s Birth”
based on Spiritual melodies
Hodie Christus natus est:
Today Christ is born;
hodie Salvator apparuit:
today the Savior has appeared.
There’s a star in the East on Christmas morn,
Rise up, shepherd, and follow,
It will lead to the place where the Savior’s born
Rise up, shepherd, and follow.
Follow, follow, rise up, shepherd, and follow.
Follow the star of Bethlehem.
Venite, venite in Bethlehem:
Come, O come to Bethlehem:
Mary had a baby, yes, Lord.
What did she name Him? Yes, Lord!
She named Him King Jesus, yes, Lord!
Natum videte Regem Angelorum.
See the newborn King of Angels.
If you take good head to the Angel’s word,
You’ll forget your flock, you’ll forget your herd.
Leave your flocks and leave your lambs,
Leave your sheep and leave your rams.
Puer natus est nobis,
A boy is born to us,
Puer natus est in Bethlehem,
A boy is born in Bethlehem,
Hic jacet in praesepio
Here lies in a manger,
et vocabitur nomen ejus,
and his name shall be called:
magni consilii Angelus.
the Angel of great council.
Oh, Mary, what you gonna call yo’ pretty little baby?
JUDITH WEIR (b. 1954): “Drop Down Ye Heavens”
Drop down ye heavens from above,
and let the skies pour down righteousness.
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people;
my salvation shall not tarry.
I have blotted out as a thick cloud,
thy transgressions:
Fear not, for I will save thee;
For I am the Lord thy God,
the holy one of Israel,
thy redeemer.
Drop down ye heavens from above,
and let the skies pour down righteousness.
EDWIN FISSINGER (1920–1990): “In Paradisum”
May the angels lead you into paradise,
May the martyrs welcome you upon your arrival,
And lead you into the holy city of Jerusalem.
May a choir of angels welcome you, and,
With poor Lazarus of old,
May you have eternal rest.
BO HOLTON (b. 1948): “First Snow”
You lucid, lustrous, tender snow,
Who paint the landscape all one shape,
the living, dead, ugly, fair,
You color all things white.
Burden:
This endris1 night I saw a sight,
A star as bright as day,
And ev’r among, a maiden sung,
“Lully, bye bye, lullay.”
This lovely lady sat and sang,
And to her child did say,
“My son, my brother, father dear,
Why liest thou thus in hay?”
“My sweetest bird, ’tis thus required,
Though I be king veray,2
But nevertheless I will not cease
To sing ‘Bye bye, lullay.’”
The child then spake in his talking,
And to his mother did say,
“Yea, I am known as heaven-king
In crib though I be laid.
“For angels bright down on me light;3
Thou knowest ’tis no nay.4
And for that sight thou may delight
To sing, ‘Bye bye, lullay.’”
“Now sweet Son, since it is come so,
That all is at Thy will,
I pray Thee grant to me a boon5,
If it be right and skill6,—
“That child or man, who will or can
Be merry on my day,
To bliss Thou bring—and I shall sing,
Lullay, by by, lullay.”
1. Endris – other
2. Veray – in truth
3. Alight
4. No nay – undeniable
5. Boon – favor
6. Skill – reasonable
arr. ABBIE BETINIS (b. 1980): “In the Bleak Midwinter”
Text by Christina Rossetti, John Andrew Storey, and Abbie Betinis
In the bleak midwinter
frosty wind made moan,
earth stood hard as iron,
water like a stone;
snow had fallen, snow on snow,
snow on snow,
in the bleak midwinter long ago.
Christ a homeless stranger,
so the gospels say,
cradled in a manger
and a bed of hay;
in the bleak midwinter,
a stable place sufficed,
Mary and her baby, Jesus Christ.
Angels and archangels
May have thronged the air,
Shepherds, beasts and wise men,
May have gathered there,
But only his mother
In her tender bliss
Blessed this new redeemer
With a kiss.
What can I give you,
poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb;
If I were a wise man
I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give you:
Give my heart.
I give my heart…
CÉSAR CUI (1835–1918): “Vsudu Sneg”
Всюду снег;
кругом всё тихо;
Vsyudu sneg;
krugom vsyo tikho;
Everywhere is snow;
all around is quiet;
Зимним сном природа спит,
Zimnim snom priroda spit,
Nature sleeps in a winter dream,
И едва пробившись в тучах,
Тускло солнышко глядит.
I yedva probivshis v tuchakh,
Tusklо solnyshko glyadit.
And barely breaking through the clouds,
The pale sun faintly gleams.
Под моим окном пустое
Птичье гнездышко одно,
Pod moim oknom pustoye
Ptichye gnezdishko odno,
Beneath my window,
One empty little bird’s nest remains,
Но весну, цветы и солнце
Мне напомнило оно.
No vesnu, tsvety i solntse
Mne napomnilo ono.
Yet it reminds me of spring, flowers,
And sunshine once again.
MARQUES GARRETT (b. 1984): “The Savior’s Birth”
based on Spiritual melodies
Hodie Christus natus est:
Today Christ is born;
hodie Salvator apparuit:
today the Savior has appeared.
There’s a star in the East on Christmas morn,
Rise up, shepherd, and follow,
It will lead to the place where the Savior’s born
Rise up, shepherd, and follow.
Follow, follow, rise up, shepherd, and follow.
Follow the star of Bethlehem.
Venite, venite in Bethlehem:
Come, O come to Bethlehem:
Mary had a baby, yes, Lord.
What did she name Him? Yes, Lord!
She named Him King Jesus, yes, Lord!
Natum videte Regem Angelorum.
See the newborn King of Angels.
If you take good head to the Angel’s word,
You’ll forget your flock, you’ll forget your herd.
Leave your flocks and leave your lambs,
Leave your sheep and leave your rams.
Puer natus est nobis,
A boy is born to us,
Puer natus est in Bethlehem,
A boy is born in Bethlehem,
Hic jacet in praesepio
Here lies in a manger,
et vocabitur nomen ejus,
and his name shall be called:
magni consilii Angelus.
the Angel of great council.
Oh, Mary, what you gonna call yo’ pretty little baby?
JUDITH WEIR (b. 1954): “Drop Down Ye Heavens”
Drop down ye heavens from above,
and let the skies pour down righteousness.
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people;
my salvation shall not tarry.
I have blotted out as a thick cloud,
thy transgressions:
Fear not, for I will save thee;
For I am the Lord thy God,
the holy one of Israel,
thy redeemer.
Drop down ye heavens from above,
and let the skies pour down righteousness.
EDWIN FISSINGER (1920–1990): “In Paradisum”
May the angels lead you into paradise,
May the martyrs welcome you upon your arrival,
And lead you into the holy city of Jerusalem.
May a choir of angels welcome you, and,
With poor Lazarus of old,
May you have eternal rest.
BO HOLTON (b. 1948): “First Snow”
You lucid, lustrous, tender snow,
Who paint the landscape all one shape,
the living, dead, ugly, fair,
You color all things white.
You fled your mother’s gentle arms,
Into the air as blueish mist:
turned home again one blizzard night,
so pure, but grim and cold.
SAMUEL BARBER (1910–1981): “Sure on This Shining Night”
Sure on this shining night
Of starmade shadows round,
Kindness must watch for me
This side the ground.
The late year lies down the north.
All is healed, all is health.
High summer holds the earth.
Hearts all whole.
Sure on this shining night
I weep for wonder
Wandering far alone
Of shadows on the stars.
arr. MARGARET BONDS (1913–1972): “Sing Aho”
Sing Aho that I had the wings of a dove,
I’d fly away and be at rest.
The Virgin Mary had one son,
(I’d fly away and be at rest)
The unbelievers had him hung.
Sing Aho that I had the wings of a dove,
I’d fly away and be at rest.
Zion’s daughters wept and moaned,
When their dying savior groaned.
Sing Aho that I had the wings of a dove,
I’d fly away and be at rest.
Sinner man see what a shame
(I’d fly away and be at rest),
to trample down your savior’s name,
(I’d fly away and be at rest).
Sing Aho that I had the wings of a dove,
I’d fly away and be at rest.
SALAMONE ROSSI (1570–1630): Barechu
Barechu et Adonai hamevorach
Baruch Adonai hamevorach leolam vaed.
Bless the Lord, the Blessed One"
Blessed is the Lord, the Blessed One forever and ever.
Concert Services Staff
Senior Manager of Concert Services – Luis Herrera
Coordinator, Concert Services – Matthew Carey
Concert Production Manager – Kendall Floyd
Performance Technology Technicians – Sara Pagiaro, Goran Daskalov
Coordinator, Concert Services – Matthew Carey
Concert Production Manager – Kendall Floyd
Performance Technology Technicians – Sara Pagiaro, Goran Daskalov
Related Categories:
Share To: