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Hodie Christus Natus Est comes from the liturgy of the vesper
service for Christmas day. Two jubilant settings from the high renaissance
open and close the program. A plainsong setting is used by Britten
as the procession and recession for the Ceremony of Carols. The text
is a paraphrase of Luke 2:11, 13-14 and Psalm 33:1 and follows as the antiphon
to the textual climax of the Vesper office, the exultant Canticle of the
Virgin Mary, Magnificat anima mea ("My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior"), a paraphrase of Luke 1:46-55.
A setting of the Magnificat is also heard on
this program.
Gerald Finzi, a British composer noted particularly for his vocal and choral writing, worked in the English tradition of Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Parry, and Holst. He was a musical poet par excellence, with his special talent and most characteristic music being found in his songs. His music, written in a style considered by critics to be at least forty years old, left him open to the contempt and indifference of many who expected something "avant garde." Finzi lived most of his life in the country, and was a collector of rare books and grower of rare apples.
Finzi's grand setting of the Magnificat, Mary's song of praise,
is not intended for liturgical use, but was composed for Iva Hiatt and
Robert Beckwith and the choirs of Smith and Amherst Colleges, Massachusetts,
for Christmas, 1952.
Benjamin Britten's serene Ceremony of Carols for three treble parts, two soloists, and harp, was born during an uncertain voyage on board a Swedish cargo ship traveling through the submarine infested Atlantic as he returned to England from America during World War II. One of Britten's most popular works, the ceremony welds an exquisite selection of ancient carol texts, creating a cyclical unit. The medieval feeling is heightened by the plainsong processional and recessional as well as the use of the harp as the only accompanying instrument. The ten carols are divided in two sections by the harp interlude whose melodic material harks back to the procession and the first chorus.
Program notes by Linda Mack. Copyright 1992.
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