S.A.T.B. SOLI, CHORUS, AND PIANO

David Cameron THE GIFT OF LIGHT AN ADVENT CANTATA for S.A.T.B. SOLI, CHORUS, AND PIANO

Composer s note was commissioned by the Pro Arte Society of Kingston. The text is from three sources: three of the traditional Advent antiphons (O Sapientia, O Radix Jesse, and O Oriens); the English scholar and ecclesiastic Alcuin, or Albinus, who served at the court of Charlemagne; and from the first chapter of the Gospel according to St. John. The translations from St. John are a composite, drawn mainly from the Nen English Bible and the Authorised Version, with elements here and there from other translations. Those who know my short mass Missa Bicinia will recognize extensive allusions to its Kyrie. In part these indicate that no better setting of these words occurred to me when I was writing this cantata, but they have another purpose as well. When Shelagh Leach, Librarian of the Pro Arte Singers, first spoke to me about this cantata, she said kind things about the Missa Bicinia. The use of material from that mass is therefore meant as a compliment to Shelagh, who is a longtime and much valued friend and colleague. Myths of light and darkness hold a deep place in the human soul. For the orthodox Christian they may be transfigured by their association with the incarnation, but for all of us they still retain some of the feeling of Tolkien s work: the darkness is inhabited by horrors not quite unimaginable, and the splendour of light excels the sun. Music s province is really not philosophy, but feeling; and these ancient writers, however serious their final ends, valued dramatic imagery for its power to engage the feelings of the reader. They write of eternal things not just piously or cerebrally, but with passion, and reverence, and a rolling grandeur of language that can almost be tasted. I hope that the performance of this piece can capture some of their vividness; and with it, the energy and fun of good storytelling. David Cameron Kingston, November 1986. With this reengraving and editing, is presented once again. I have made very few changes, merely some adjustment to phrase marks, and a very few alterations to expressive directions. It may need to be said, as Brian Jackson remarked when he was preparing the first performance in 1986, that despite its occasional posthindemithian dissonance, this is a romantic work. It should be sung and played with a strong sense of vocal line and pianistic and choral drama. I could not write this music in 2015; too many things have changed in how we listen and perform. But it does, I think, present an authentic vision of these ancient texts, from the musician I was thirty years ago. And in it I celebrate the memory of Shelagh Leach, whose kind words inspired it. David Cameron, February 2015

Andante c. 100 5 David Cameron Yield somewhat a tempo Soprano/Alto Tenor/Bass Ky ri e e Ky ri e e lei son, 10 lei son, Ky ri e lei Ky ri e e Copyright 2015 by CPDL lei

4 Chri ste e Chri ste e lei son, Chri lei son, 15 Chri ste e lei ste e le i son, son, 20 Chri ste e lei son, e lei Chri ste e lei son, e lei

25 Ky lei son, Ky ri e lei lei son, e lei e 0 ri e e lei son, Ky ri e son, Ky ri e e 5 (Gradually gaining energy) (Gaining energy) Ky ri e lei son, Ky ri e e rit. e dim. lei son, Ky 5 Ky ri rie e

6 Soprano 40 Alto Tenor lei O O O O Bass Wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High! Wis dom, Wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High! Wis dom, Wisdom, Wisdom, coming forth from the Most High! Wis dom, coming forth from the Most High! Wis dom,

45 7 whose reach is bound less, whose reach whose reach is is whose reach is bound less, bound less, who or bound less, who or ders ders all things all things who might i ly, might i ly, might i ly might i ly, might i ly, might i ly, 50 or ders all things might i ly, div. who or ders might i ly,

8 a tempo 55 ness: ness. ness. più mosso più mosso Come Come Come might i ly, and with sweet might i ly Might i ly and with sweet a tempo p subito and and and Might 60 and i ly and with sweet teach us the teach us the teach us the way way Ky way sweet. of of ri of

pru pru dence; come and de li dence; come and de li ver us, come and de e pru e lei son, Ky ri dence; come and de liv ver us, de li 65 ver 9 us, li ver, de li e e ver ver lei Come and de us, 70 come us, and de li ver us, Ky ri Come come and and teach us the teach us the

10 75 e, way of li ver us, Ky ri e e lei Come and de way dim. of Ky pru pru ri e e lei dence; dence; come and de li li ver us, come, come and de li us, come de li come and de Come li 80 ver and de li us, ver ver ver ver

11 us, de li ver us, and de us, us, li de de li li ver ver ver us. us us. and 85 tarry not. tarry not. TENOR SOLO Quasi recitativo (c. 72 ) In the be gin ning was the Word, espress.

12 was poco a poco all things 90 God. were made, (yield) dim. 95 and the Word was ALTO/MEZZO SOLO with God, and the Word poco through Him 100 a tempo without Him

1 no thing was made that has been made: SOPRANO SOLO a tempo a tempo in Him was life, ALTOS TUTTI TENORS TUTTI BASSES TUTTI and 105 freely the life was the light of a tempo men: And the light and the light And TUTTI shines on, the light freely And the light shines on in the a tempo

14 shines on in the dark ness, and the dark div. shines in the dark ness, shines in the dark ness, and the dark dark dim. e ness, ness has ne ver mas dark ness has ne ver mastered it. ness has ne ver mas dark ness has ne ver mastered it. dim. 110 tered it. tered it. and and the the a tempo Bright Bright (Bass I only) BASSES div. a tempo (Bass II) Bright ness of the ness of the ness of the

light e ter nal, and Sun of right eous ness, light e ter nal, and Sun of right eous light, light e ter nal and Sun of right eous ness, Unis. the light e ter nal, and Sun of right eousness, Come and enlighten them that sit in dark that sit in dark 115 Come and enlighten ness, come and en Come and enlighten them them that sit in ness. dark ness, come; that Come and enlighten 15

16 ligh ten them that sit in dark ness, and in the sit in dark ness, in come and en ligh ten tham that sit in dark ness, and in the them that sit, that sit in 120 dark dark ness, ness, sha dow of and in the sha dow of sha dow of and in the sha dow of death. death. death. death. TENOR SOLO There was a man sent from BASS SOLO God whose name was

125 17 John. He was not that light, but he was but he was sent to bear wit ness sent, but he was sent to the light, to bear wit SOPRANO SOLO ALTO/MEZZO SOLO to the ness to the 10 the true light light; light, the which enlightens all of us was even then true light which en the the true lightens us was e ven then, true light was light which enlightens us was

18 com ing into the was com ing to the e ven then coming in to the e ven then com ing in to the made by Him, made by Him world. world. TUTTI world. world. TUTTI TUTTI TUTTI He was in the He was in the and the world was made by poco a poco and the world was made by poco a poco Ky 15 He was in the world, He was in the world, world, world, and the world was poco a poco and the world was Him, Him, ri e e lei son, poco a poco and the and the cres. poco a poco

world knew Him not! world knew Him not! the world the world knew Him knew Him 140 meno not! not! He Ky ri e e lei son, un to his He came un to his own, came un to his own, un to his 19 dim. and his own re own and his own re his own own, his own ceiv'd Him not! ceiv'd Him not! Ky ri e e lei re ceived Him not! re ceived Him not! Ky ri e e lei

20 145 ALTO/MEZZO SOLO But to all who received him gave he power, power to become the children of TUTTI TUTTI TUTTI TUTTI power power power to become the children of to become children of to become the children of 150 God; the Word was made God; God; God; and the Word The Word was made wasa made flesh and the and dwelt flesh and dwelt a Word was made among us, made div. mong us, made

flesh, flesh and dwelt and dwelt a a flesh and dwelt a flesh and dwelt a mong us, and we be held His mong us, His glo ry, and we beheld his glo div. mong us, and we beheld his glo ry, mong us, and we beheld his glo ry, glo glo ry, glo ry, 21 155 ry, Glo ry, Glo ry as of the on ly Glor ry as of the on ly be Glor ry as of the on ly ry as of the on ly be

22 got got begot ten of the Fa ther, ten of the Fa ther, ten of the Fa ther, begot ten of the Fa ther, 160 full full of grace, full of grace, full of of grace grace and and truth. truth. grace and truth. grace and truth. con moto 165 E ter nal Fa ther of E E ter nal Fa ther of ter nal Fa ther of E ter nal Fa ther of con moto

170 2 light, light, light, light, shine shine shine shine thou in our hearts! thou in our hearts! thou in our hearts! thou in our hearts! E ter nal Good ness, E ter nal Good ness, de E ter nal Good ness, de liv er us, de E ter nal Good ness, de liv er us, 175 de

24 liv er us from all that is ev liv er us from all that is ev liv er us from all that is ev us (background) 180 from all that is ev il. il. il. il. O O O O Meno mosso (c. 76 ) Wis dom, coming Wis dom, coming Wis dom, Wis dom,

forth forth from the mouth of the Most from the mouth of the Most coming forth from the Most High! Wis dom, whose reach is bound coming forth from the Most High! Wis dom, whose reach is bound 185 High! High! Wis dom, whose reach is bound Wis dom, whose reach is bound less, less, less, less, 25 dis dis disperse our foolish dark ness, our foolish darkness. disperse our foolish dark ness, our foolish dark perse our foolish dark ness, our foolish darkness. perse our foolish dark ness, our foolish dark 190 ness. ness.

26 Gently Gently 195 sion, E ternal com passion, e ter nal, E ternal com passion, E ternal com E ternal compas E ternal compas dim. poco a poco... do thou have mer cy up on our weak ness dim. poco a poco..... sion, do thou have mer cy up on our weak ness dim. poco a poco..... do thou have pas sion, have mer cy up on our weak ness mer cy up on our weak ness Tempo primo es. es. es. es. dim. poco a poco. Tempo primo

200 Ky 27 Ky Ky ri e e Ky ri e e 205 ri e e lei son, Chris te e ri e e lei lei lei son, Chris son, son,

28 le i son, Chris te e lei Chris te e le i son, Chris te e lei te e le i son, 210 Chris te e lei Chris te e le, e lei Chris te e le i son, Chris te e lei dim. rit. Chris te e lei son, Chris te e lei dim. rit. Chris te e lei son, Chis te e le i dim. rit. Chris te e lei son, Chris te e le i dim. dim. 215 rit. rit.

29 Ky ri e e Ky Ky ri e e lei son, Ky ri ri e e lei son, Ky ri Ky ri e e 220 lei son, e lei son, lei son, e lei e e lei son, son, e e lei son,

0 225 Ky rie e lei Ky rie e lei Ky rie e le i Ky rie e le i possibile laissez vibrer