God Is Seen

1. Creator of the Stars of Night (Chant)
2. God Is Seen (Parker, Alice)
3. Holy Radiant Light (Gretchaninoff, Alexandre)
4. For the Beauty of the Earth (Rutter, John)
5. The Heavens are Telling - The Creation (Haydn, Franz Joseph)
6. Achieved Is the Glorious Work (Haydn, Frank Joseph)
7. There Will Come Soft Rains (Beam, Douglas)
8. Kawouno Wan Gi Pi (Tate, Brian)
9. Let Everything (Thomas, Andre J.)
10. Old Hundredth Psalm Tune (Vaughan Williams, Ralph)
11. Beautiful Savior (Grotenhuis, Dale)

God is Seen
Program Notes

Where is God seen? Our universe is bursting with beauty and variety of every living and non-living thing, from the tiniest seed to the planets and stars! Tonight we journey through God’s creation via a wide variety of music, from simple to complex, from early chant to oratorio to gospel.
Chant: Creator of the Stars of Night
In the beginning, God said “Let there be light.” He separated the dark from the light, night from day. On the 4th day He gave us the night sky, with the stars to guide our sense of time and calendar.
This traditional Vespers (sunset evening prayer) chant stems from the 7th century. It underwent extensive changes under Pope Urban VIII in 1632, and it was first translated into English by J. M. Neale (1818-1866). You may recognize it as an Advent hymn.
Tonight the men will sing the first verse in Latin. The first verse will then be repeated, but in English, followed by 2 more verses:
Conditor alme siderum, aeterna lux credentium,
Christe, redemptor omnium, exaudi preces supplicum.

Creator of the stars of night, your people’s everlasting light,
O Christ, Redeemer of us all, we pray you hear us when we call.

At your great Name, O Jesus, now all knees must bend, all hearts must bow:
all things on earth with one accord, like those in heaven, shall call you Lord.

To God the Father, God the Son, and God the spirit, Three in One,
praise, honor, might, and glory be from age to age eternally.

Amen.

God Is Seen – Tune: CAPTAIN KIDD; Arranged by: Alice Parker (b. 1925)
The history of this tune is complex and difficult to trace. William Kidd, a Scottish sea captain in the 1600’s, was hanged as a pirate under controversial circumstances. This tune may have originally been a vehicle to tell his story, with the current text being added sometime in the late 1700’s. Eventually it found its way into The Southern Harmony, published by William Walker in 1834, which is most likely the source used by Alice Parker.
This haunting melody begins with the women singing as the men hum a single note. This changes rather quickly, as both parts grow in complexity. Verse two is split between women’s and men’s voices in gorgeous harmonies. Note also the progression of the text, stanza to stanza, from earthly to astronomical themes. Parker deftly paints the text of the third stanza as the choir bursts into full harmony, as the sun’s rays speak of God. Listen for the climax on “The comet in her blaze ‘God’, she cries”!
Through all the world below God is seen all around,
Search hills and valleys through, there He’s found.
The growing of the corn, the lily and the thorn,
The pleasant and forlorn, all declare, God is there,
In meadows drest in green, God is seen.

See springing waters rise, fountains flow, rivers run,
The mist that veils the sky hides the sun.
Then down the rain doth pour, the ocean, it doth roar
And beat upon the shore,
And all praise, in their ways, the God who ne-er declines His designs.

The sun with all his rays speaks of God as he flies
The comet in her blaze ‘God’, she cries;
The shining of the stars, the moon, when she appears,
His awful name declares; see them fly through the sky,
And join the solemn sound all around, all around.
Alice Parker was born in Boston in 1925. She completed her first orchestral score in high school, received her bachelor’s from Smith College in performance and composition, then her master’s from Juilliard. Her time at Juilliard spawned the well-known creative partnership with Robert Shaw, who was one of her instructors. She has over 500 published works, is still active in writing, teaching, and conducting, and even hosts small groups for study in her western Massachusetts home.

Holy Radiant Light – Alexandre Gretchaninoff (1864 – 1956)
Translated and Arranged by Noble Cain (1896 – 1977)

This piece comes from a Greek hymn (Phos hilaron), circa 300. Gretchaninoff arranged it for the Vesper service of the Slavonic church, originally titled Gladsome Light (in Cyrillic). It is an example of his “symphonic” approach to choral composition.

Holy radiant Light, Thou holy radiance of the Father, glorious and mighty,
Thou only begotten Son of God eternal, holy Jesu.

Come we, now, to the hour of setting sun; the lights of evening ‘round us shine; Holy,
O holy Ones, holy Trinity eternal, thou holy Ones, we sing Thy praise,
We sing Thy praise, evermore we sing Thy praise, holy Trinity.

O holy!
With undefiled lips evermore Thy glory to be praised art Thou worthy, to be praised evermore.

Holy Son of God, source of ev’ry life, now
Son of God, Thou radiant light, all the world doth praise Thee, evermore
Holy radiant Light, Holy!

Alexandre Gretchaninoff studied piano and composition at the Moscow Conservatory from 1881 to 1890. From 1890 to 1893, he studied composition and orchestration under Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakoff at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. He wrote for most musical genres. After the Bolshevik Revolution, he lost faith in his homeland, eventually emigrating to Paris in 1925, then New York City in 1940. He became a U.S. citizen in 1949 at the age of 85.

For the Beauty of the Earth – Text by F. S. Pierpoint (1835 – 1917), Music by John Rutter (b. 1945)
The GCA Children’s Chorus joins us for this lighter work by renowned British composer John Rutter. Originally commissioned for the Texas Choral Directors Association’s annual convention in 1980, it has been performed by countless choirs across the globe.
For the beauty of the earth, for the beauty of the skies,
For the love which from our birth over and around us lies:
Lord of all, to thee we raise this our joyful hymn of praise.

For the beauty of each hour of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale and tree and flower, sun and moon and stars of light:
Lord of all, to thee we raise this our joyful hymn of praise.

For the joy of human love, brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth, and friends above, for all gentle thoughts and mild,
Lord of all, to thee we raise this our joyful hymn of praise.

For each perfect gift of thine to our race so freely given,
Graces human and divine, flow’rs of earth and buds of heav’n,
Lord of all, to thee we raise this our joyful hymn of praise.

John Rutter was born in London and studied music at Clare College, Cambridge, where he quickly distinguished himself as a composer. From 1975-1979 he was Director of Music at his alma mater, directing the college chapel choir in many concerts, recordings, and broadcasts. In 1983 he formed his own choir, The Cambridge Singers, with whom he has recorded many works. He is a frequent guest conductor and choral ambassador in several countries. His compositions have been performed for numerous British royal occasions, including 2 royal weddings.

The heavens are telling Franz Joseph Haydn (1732 – 1809)
With verdure clad
Achieved is the glorious work

In 1791 Haydn was in London for the Handel Festival, held in Westminster Abbey. Over 1000 singers and instrumentalists performed Messiah and Israel in Egypt, and Haydn was overwhelmed. Giuseppi Carpani, an early biographer of Haydn, wrote that “he was struck as if he had been put back to the beginning of his studies and had known nothing up to that moment. He meditated on every note and drew from those most learned scores the essence of true musical grandeur”.

Haydn decided to compose a grand Biblical work, but several years passed before he settled on The Creation. In 1795, Haydn was in London again, and virtuoso violinist Johann Peter Salomon gave him an anonymous English libretto, ostensibly intended for Handel some 50 years earlier. Haydn returned to Vienna and shared it with Gottfried van Swieten, Imperial Court Librarian, who quickly recognized the potential of such a work. He rewrote the libretto in both German (Die Schöpfung) and English. Though Swieten proposed many musical ideas that Haydn rejected, they both agreed that one of the climaxes of the work, the words “Let there be light”, should occur only once in the entire oratorio.

The Creation is in 3 parts. GCA will sing “The heavens are telling” (the final chorus of Part I), “With verdure clad” (soprano aria from Part I), and “Achieved is the glorious work” (from Part II).

The heavens are telling the glory of God,
The wonder of his work displays the firmament.

Today that is coming speaks it the day,
The night that is gone to following night.

In all the lands resounds the word,
Never unperceived, ever understood.

With verdure clad the fields appear,
The eye with new delight rejoicing;
And lovelier still they grow adorned with flower fair and gay.

Here herbs breathe forth their fragrance sweet,
Here shoots the healing balm.

With golden fruit the boughs full laden bend.
The vaulted groves give leafy shelter cool;
The lofty hills are clothed in forests grand.

Achieved is the glorious work;
The Lord beholds it and is pleas’d.

In lofty strains let us rejoice,
Our song let be the praise of God.

Austrian composer Franz Joseph Haydn, among the most influential of the classical period, helped to establish forms and genres that are still in compositional use today, such as the symphony and string quartet. He had many pupils, including a young man named Ludwig van Beethoven. He was beloved by many, including Mozart (some called him “Papa Haydn”).
Haydn was born in humble circumstances in Rohrau, Austria. He demonstrated a talent for music very early. A cousin (a school principal and choirmaster) offered to instruct him in his home in the nearby city of Hainburg. Haydn moved away from his family at the age of 6, never to return except for short visits.
At the age of 8, he was noticed by the music director of St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna and became a chorister there. When his voice changed, he was dismissed from the choir, and at the age of 17 Haydn was on his own. Through sheer determination, Haydn survived on odd musical jobs and the kindness of fellow musicians. He studied music theory manuals and pored over compositions by musicians such as Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. Eventually he was accepted as a pupil of composer Nicola Porpora. and in return Haydn served as accompanist for Porpora’s vocal students. Haydn’s reputation grew with Austrian nobility, and his career flourished.

There Will Come Soft Rains – Text by Sara Teasdale (1884 – 1933), Music by Douglas Beam (b. 1945)
Teasdale’s poem, first published in Harper’s Magazine 100 years ago, is just as timely today. This was the last year of World War I, the “war to end all wars”. Yet today innocents still die, refugees worldwide are at an all-time high, and we shake our heads at the insanity of it all. And what does Mother Nature do? She reclaims the soil that was the dreadful battlefield. The latter half of Teasdale’s poem is especially sobering, and we are reminded that we are tasked with protecting God’s creation.
(War Time)

There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground,
And swallows circling with their shimmering sound;

And frogs in the pools singing at night,
And wild plum trees in tremulous white,

Robins will wear their feathery fire
Whistling their whims on a low fence-wire;

And not one will know of the war, not one
Will care at last when it is done.

Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree
If mankind perished utterly;

And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn,
Would scarcely know that we were gone.

Douglas Beam is a music teacher, singer, and composer who teaches at the International School of Amsterdam. He’s also taught in India, serving as head of the music department at the American Embassy School in New Delhi. Mr. Beam was educated in the U.S. and has also held the position of assistant director and accompanist for the Indianapolis Children’s Choir.

Kawouno Wan Gi Pi (Water Song) Words and Music by Vivian Aluoch and Vivian Anyango
Arranged by Brian Tate
In stark contrast to the previous selection, Kawouno Wan Gi Pi is a joyous expression of gratitude for the simplest thing—water. Brian Tate has arranged this Kenyan song for SATB and percussion. The language is Dholuo. Enjoy this exciting piece while remembering how much we have, perhaps remembering to give thanks as well.
Kawouno wan gi pi (Today we have water)
Erokamano (Thank you)
Wololore (La la)

Kawouno wan gi pi (Today we have water)
Erokamano (Thank you)
Wamor ahinya (We are so happy)

Imiyo wan gi pi (You’ve given us water)
Erokamano (Thank you)
Wololore (La la la la)

Imiyo wan gi pi (You’ve given us water)
Erokamano (Thank you)
Wamor ahinya (We are so happy)

Brian Tate lives in Vancouver and is an active musician, composer, teacher, choir director, and clinician. His Bachelor of Music degree is from the University of British Columbia, and he has furthered his studies in various locations, including London, Cuba, and Ghana. He composes for many genres, including film, stage, orchestra, and choir.

Let Everything: Psalm in Gospel Style – Andre J. Thomas (b. 1952)
Andre Thomas’s setting of Psalm 150 will have you moving in your seat. The performance indication is simply “In a joyful gospel swing”. Let us praise the Lord!
Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.
Praise ye the Lord, praise God in his sanctuary.
Praise him in the firmament of his power.

Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.
Praise him for his mighty acts;
Praise him for his excellent greatness.

Praise him with the sound of the trumpet;
Praise him with the psaltery and harp.

Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.
Praise him, praise the Lord.
Let everything praise the Lord.
Dr. Andre J. Thomas grew up in Wichita, Kansas. His mother sang in a church choir. Her singing was his first musical inspiration, which led to his informal pursuit of vocal and piano education. In junior high school he began formal piano lessons, and in 8th grade he won the Federated Music Clubs Competition. He graduated from Friends University with his baccalaureate degree, completed a master’s in piano performance at Northwestern University, and earned his doctorate in choral conducting from the University of Illinois.
Dr. Thomas is Director of Choral Activities and Professor of Choral Music Education at Florida State University. He is in great demand worldwide as choral director, clinician, and adjudicator. He has many published compositions and arrangements. He’s also published a book, Way Over in Beulah Lan’: Understanding and Performing the Negro Spiritual; he’s also written multiple journal articles.

The Old Hundredth Psalm Tune Arranged by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 – 1958)
Text by William Kethe (Daye’s Psalter, 1560-1)

This hymn tune is familiar to many people. It is sung every Sunday in some denominations, albeit with a different text. Vaughan Williams created this setting for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. A revered British composer, Vaughan Williams provided music for several royal ceremonies in his career, and this work was performed at his own funeral in Westminster Abbey.

All people that on earth do dwell, sing to the Lord with cheerful voice;
Him serve with fear, his praise forth tell, come ye before him, and rejoice.

The Lord, ye know, is God indeed, without our aid he did us make;
We are his folk, he doth us feed, and for his sheep he doth us take.

O enter then his gates with praise, approach with joy his courts unto;
Praise, laud, and bless his name always, for it is seemly so to do.

For why, the Lord our God is good: his mercy is forever sure;
His trust at all times firmly stood, and shall from age to age endure.

To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, the God whom heaven and earth adore,
From men and from the angel-host be praise and glory evermore. Amen.

Ralph Vaughan Williams was born in Gloucestershire, England in 1872. He was the founder of the nationalist movement in English movement. He studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, and at the Royal College of Music (London). Later he studied with Max Bruch in Berlin and Maurice Ravel in Paris. He served in World War I in artillery and then became professor of composition at the Royal College of Music. Vaughan Williams wrote for orchestra, chamber groups, theater, choir, and vocal solo.

Program notes by Jennifer J. Durham

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