The West Somerset Singers

Transcription

1 The West Somerset Singers Spring Concert Saturday 1 st April 2017 St George s Church Taunton

2 Zadok the Priest and The King Shall Rejoice from the Coronation Anthems by Handel Olivet to Calvary by J.H. Maunder Tenor Solo: Chris Davies Baritone Solo: John Thorogood Organist: John Bodiley Pianist: Rachel Robinson Musical Director: David Knight In Olivet to Calvary the soprano solo in Another temple waits thee Lord divine and Droop sacred head will be sung by Pat Moore. In Crucify Him! the part of Pilate will be sung by John Gillard.

3 PROGRAMME Coronation Anthem I Zadok the Priest (Handel) Coronation Anthem III The King Shall Rejoice (Handel) ** Interval of 20 minutes - refreshments served ** No 1 When O er the steep of Olivet No 2 Like a fair vision O Jerusalem No 3 And Jesus entered into the Temple of God Another temple waits thee Lord divine No 4 Not of this world the Kingdom of our Lord Twas night o er lonely Olivet He was despised Come unto Him Just as I am (Hymn) ON THE WAY TO JERUSALEM BEFORE JERUSALEM Recit. (Tenor) Recit. And Air (Baritone) IN THE TEMPLE Recit. (Tenor and Baritone) THE MOUNT OF OLIVES Air (Tenor) Solo (Tenor) Solo (Baritone) and

4 Olivet to Calvary Part 2 No 5 A new commandment O Thou Whose sweet compassion No 6 A NEW COMMANDMENT Recit. And Air (Baritone) GETHSEMANE And when they had sung a hymn Recit. (Baritone) Thy will be done (Hymn) No 7 And while He yet spake Ye who sin, and ye who sorrow No 8 Crucify Him! No 9 The Saviour King goes forth to die No 10 BETRAYED AND FORSAKEN Recit, And Air (Tenor) BEFORE PILATE with Solo (Pilate) THE MARCH TO CALVARY CALVARY And when they came to the place Recit. (Baritone) Droop, sacred head Rock of Ages (Hymn)

5 PROGRAMME NOTES Zadok the Priest and The King Shall Rejoice from the Coronation Anthems - George F Handel ( ) One of the last acts of King George I before his death in 1727 was to sign "An Act for the naturalizing of George Frideric Handel and others." Handel's first commission as a naturalised British citizen was to write the music for the coronation later that year. The four anthems Handel composed for the coronation of King George II and Queen Caroline on 11 October 1727 have never lacked popular favour. They were repeatedly performed at concerts and festivals during his life and since, and he incorporated substantial parts of them, with little change except to the words, in several oratorios, notably Esther and Deborah. (Incidentally, two of them were performed at the opening concert of Oxford's Holywell Music Room in 1748). Their success may have contributed to the popular image of Handel as a grandiloquent composer demanding huge forces of voices and instruments - the more the better - the figure stigmatised by Berlioz as a barrel of pork and beer! In fact Handel always matched his music to the occasion and the building for which it was written, and no occasion could be grander than a coronation. His ceremonial style in these anthems differs from his music for theatre in much the same way as the Fireworks Music, designed for performance outdoors, differs from the instrumental concerti. It is wholly extroverted in tone, dealing in masses and broad contrasts rather than delicate colour: he was not going to waste finer points of detail on the reverberant spaces of The Abbey. The forces that he used were substantial for the period: an augmented Chapel Royal Choir of 47 and an orchestra that may have numbered as many as 160!

6 Zadok the Priest (with words adapted from the first chapter of the First Book of Kings) opens with a tour de force that no degree of familiarity can stale. The long ritornello prepares the way for a resplendent climax at the entry of the voices in 7 parts. Handel specifies no tempo and no dynamics except soft at the start and loud at the chorus entry; but the music implies a long sustained crescendo that conveys an overwhelming sense of expectation and suspense. The anthem is in three sections with the chorus for the most part moving homophonically to present the text clearly: there is scarcely any counterpoint. There is little harmonic surprise and the piece is firmly rooted in the tonic D major, thus Zadok is a supreme example of Handel's power to make a unique statement by the simplest means. The words of Zadok the Priest have been sung at every coronation since that of King Edgar in 973AD, and Handel's setting has been sung at every one since The King Shall Rejoice uses a text from Psalm 21 and Handel sets each of the four sentences and the final Allelujah as separate musical sections. The first movement, full of festive pomp and glittering fanfares with a long introductory ritornello, exercises the full strength of the choir. The second movement is in a lilting triple time. The choir enters in just 4 parts (Exceeding Glad) and then enjoys long chains of suspensions on of thy salvation. The brief outburst of the triumphant third movement, with its extraordinary harmonic surprise, links directly to the fourth. This movement is again in triple time. The final movement is an exuberant double fugue (a fugue with two simultaneous melodies pitted against each other from the outset) which gives the piece a magnificently grand and elaborate conclusion which, as it was performed at the actual crowning. [Programme edited from a note supplied by Aylesbury Choral Society through British Choirs on the Net ]

7 Programme Notes Ctd Olivet to Calvary J.H. Maunder John Henry Maunder was born in Chelsea and studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He was organist at St Matthew s, Sydenham , and St Paul s, Forest Hill , neither of which now exists, as well as churches in Blackheath and Sutton, and accompanied concerts in the Albert Hall. He was conductor of the Civil Service Vocal Union from 1881, and also trained the choir for Henry Irving s original production of Faust at the Lyceum Theatre in The words Olivet to Calvary were written and arranged by Shapcott Wensley, a pseudonym for the English poet Henry Shapcott Bunce ( ). This work depicts the last few days of the Saviour's life. The rejoicing of the multitude with hosannas and palms, the view of Jerusalem from the steep of Olivet and the lament over the city, the dispersal of the money changers in the Temple, and the sad nocturnal walk on the Mount of Olivet are all portrayed in the First Part. Part Two opens with the Last Supper, at which Jesus washed His disciples' feet, and commanded them to love one another. Then follows the agonizing prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, the sudden appearance of the hostile crowd, the abandonment of Jesus by His disciples, His utter loneliness among ruthless enemies, the turmoil before Pilate when Barabbas is released, the tragedy of the Cross, and the triumph of Calvary. [Programme note edited from an entry in Wikipedia and description as printed in the Novello edition of the score]

8 Biographies Tenor Chris Davies CBE, DL Chris learned to love singing in the chapels and rugby clubs of his native South Wales. He sang in his first major choral works and opera chorus at University. On coming to Taunton, in 1972, with his wife Katy (his built-in great accompanist) to take up work as a social worker, they were lucky to be in at the very beginning of Somerset Opera. Over 10 years or more, he sang principal roles including; Tamino, Canio, Alfred (Traviata), Lysander, and Don Ramir (Cenerentola). He currently sings with Amici, plays bass trombone in the Wednesday Orchestra, and enjoys performing relaxed ballads. He is semi-retired, and runs his own small business. He is non-executive Chair of the Somerset Care Group, Associate for the Social Services Improvement Agency in Wales and Chair of Taunton Music Trust (which runs Orchestra West and SingingWorx). He is a Deputy Lieutenant of Somerset. Baritone John Thorogood John has been singing since he was at school, largely with church choirs. His last church choir was at Dulverton where he was Rector for 10 years and David Knight was Music Director. John sang the part of The Mikado at the West Somerset Singers performance of the comic opera last year. At home he enjoys the company of two Labradors who are not at all sure about his singing! Organist John Bodiley John taught English professionally in comprehensive schools and adult education, but following organ lessons from Michael Nicholas and Stephen Cleobury at St. Matthew's Church, Northampton, he held posts as organist in parish churches in Oxfordshire and Bedfordshire. A later move to teach in Lancaster brought another organist's job, and he was also the conductor of two choral societies.

9 Biographies Ctd Following early retirement in Somerset, he has been the organist of St. Mary's Church, Bridgwater, and Holy Trinity Church, Taunton. He was the accompanist at Richard Huish College for ten years, and the accompanist to Bridgwater Choral Society. After a second retirement, he plays occasionally in a number of churches in the area. Piano Rachel Robinson Since graduating with a degree in music from Cardiff University Rachel has been teaching piano in schools, music centres and at home. As well as being the West Somerset Singers regular rehearsal pianist Rachel accompanies North Curry Village Choir. Musical Director David Knight MA, MMus, LRAM, ARCM, ARCO David was educated at the Royal Academy of Music and the University of London. He has held posts as Director of Music at a comprehensive school and a college of higher education. During this time he also had posts as accompanist and conductor of a selection of choral societies. He has been a church organist for over forty years, not only for the Church of England, but also for the United Reformed Church and the Church of Norway. He has taught at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and was an examiner for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. He has performed in cathedrals in England, Ireland, Norway and Hong Kong. In addition to his post as Musical Director of the West Somerset Singers, he is the organist and choirmaster of Holy Trinity Church, Taunton. He also directs the Watchet and District Choral Society and the Apollo Wind band of Yate. He is Past President of the Dorset Association of Organists. In the summer of 2016 David gave organ recitals in Latvia and Lithuania sees David celebrate 50 years as a church organist!

10 The Choir Sopranos Marianne Bray Alison Edwards Gillian Greig Catherine Hartland Ka Kitching Christine Knapman Pat Moore Pat Phillips Julie Pope Hilary Shaw Betty Stone Pam Whittaker Altos Tenors Mike Hawkins John Page Basses John Evemy John Gillard David Greig Bob Hart Nigel Moyle Malcolm Summers Keith Taylor Bob Town Judi Boobyer Gill Brown Janet Hall Louise Hayden Esther Naguib Sheila Ruff With special thanks to Elaine Thomas and Emma Forward (guest Altos) and David Elkington (guest Tenor).

11 Acknowledgements The West Somerset Singers would like to thank St George s Church, Wilton for their hospitality. Special thanks also to Rachel Robinson for accompanying the choir during their Monday evening rehearsals. Thank you to Hampshire County Library and Somerset Library for loan of the music copies. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH FOR COMING TO SEE AND HEAR US THIS EVENING AND FOR SUPPORTING THE WEST SOMERSET SINGERS Rehearsals begin on Monday 11th September 2017 New members always welcome. SAVE THE DATE! Our next concert will take place on Saturday 9th December 2017 We will update our website with further details Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

12 Join Us! The West Somerset Singers are a mixed voice choir who meet on Monday evenings at Taunton School. No formal auditions Friendly and welcoming atmosphere Varied and interesting repertoire Competitive membership fees Highly experienced musical director and accompanist Minimum two concert performances each year Perhaps you haven t sung with a choir since school days, or have just moved into the area and are looking to join a choral group? Singing is good for both body and soul! For membership information please visit our website or call Secretary, Chris Knapman on (01823)

13 The West Somerset Singers