F. Mendelssohn – Fruhlingslied
Not much is known specifically of this particular part song, but it was composed as part of 4 Lieder, Op 100 from 1839-1844. It is one of 71 choral songs in total composed by Mendelssohn, but of the surviving part songs, he released only 24 in print in four volumes, while another 14 waited to appear posthumously (including 4 Lieder). Nearly half were left in manuscripts, and of those several remain unpublished to this day. 4 Lieder specifically appeared posthumously in 1852 a year after another of Mendelssohn’s compositions (Op. 88), both chosen and assembled by Breitkopf & Härtel, the principal publisher of the composer, from separate manuscripts in Mendelssohn’s estate, and thus he played no role in culling them and shaping them into coherent collections.
The incredibly poetic lyrics tell of an unknown protagonist vowing to roam through various spring mountains and valleys, while describing almost sensory experiences from every flowery meadow they will encounter. In addition, the musical homorhythm behind the very first phrase ‘Through mountain and valley will I roam in the spring days splendor’ mirrors the decisiveness of the protagonists intention.
German text:
Berg und Tal will ich durchstreifen in der Frühlingstage Pracht,
wo auf Wiesen und in Wäldern die verjüngte Schöpfung lacht.
In das Wonnemeer der Düfte, das aus allen Blüten quillt,
will ich ganz mich untertauchen bis der Seele Durst gestillt.
Bis ich selber untergehe in der Blüten Balsamduft,
und aus dir verjüngt erstehe du geliebte Frühlingsluft.
English translation:
Through mountain and valley will I roam in the spring days splendor
Where creation, young again, laughs in the meadows and woods.
In the blissful sea of fragrance pouring from every bloom
Full immersion will I seek, till my souls thirst is quenched
Till I drown in the balmy scent of flowers
And rise again, renewed in you, you darling air of spring.
P. Tchaikovsky – Crown of Roses
Also known as ‘Legend’, this was originally composed in 1883 as a song for solo voice and piano, before being rearranged for solo voice and orchestra a year later, then for unaccompanied choir in 1889. The lyrics are based on ‘Roses and Thorns’ by American poet Richard Henry Stoddard, which had completely different lyrics than what we will be singing today. This is because it was translated in 1877 by Aleksey Pleshcheyev, without crediting Stoddard, into Pleshcheyev’s anthology Snowdrop, and later found by Tchaikovsky. The lyrics were then translated back into English, albeit differently than the original lyrics, by Geoffrey Dearmer in 1913, and is the rendition that English-speaking choirs usually sing, and the one we shall sing for you all.
When Jesus Christ was yet a child
He had a garden small and wild,
Wherein he cherished roses fair,
And wove them into garlands there.
Now once, as summer-time drew nigh,
There came a troop of children by,
And seeing roses on the tree,
With shouts they plucked them merrily.
"Do you bind roses in your hair?"
They cried, in scorn, to Jesus there.
The Boy said humbly: "Take, I pray,
All but the naked thorns away."
Then of the thorns they made a crown,
And with rough fingers pressed it down.
Till on his forehead fair and young
Red drops of blood like roses sprung.
J. Farmer – Faire Phyllis
This is an English polyphonal madrigal composed in 1599 as part of Farmer’s only collection of four-part madrigals. He composed these after moving to London in the same year, four years after being appointed Organist and Master of Children at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin and also organist of St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin at the same time.
Fair Phyllis I saw sitting all alone
Feeding her flock near to the mountain side.
The shepherds knew not,
they knew not whither she was gone,
But after her lover Amyntas hied,
Up and down he wandered
whilst she was missing;
When he found her,
O then they fell a-kissing.
Farmer uses clever word painting in this madrigal: he had a solo soprano voice sing ‘Fair Phyllis I saw sitting all alone’ as they were singing all alone among the rest of the choir. Then, to show the flock beside her, three other voices join in for ‘Feeding her flock near to the mountain side. Later on, canonical repetitions of ‘Up and down he wandered’ emulated the lover’s long period of time searching for his love. Finally, the ending phrases combine together to provide a humorous elision, particularly in the tenor part: ‘o then they fell a-kissing up and down’.
Soprano
Emily Almond
Grace Aggett
Sasha Sumption
Lauren Woolley
Tiffany Chan
Alto
Mao Nakano
Naima Heath
Christine Chan
Louise Bachelor
Katherine Terence
Louisa Rosi
Tenor
Oli Rolfe
Anthony Ryan
Bass
Benedict Maddon
Cas Bradbeer
Henry Bowler
Edward Carew
James Laczko-Schroeder
Alex Walton-Keeffe
Acting Conductor
Olivia Shotton
Artistic Director
Quintin Beer
Thank you so much for coming to our virtual concert and supporting ULCC. We look forward to seeing you again in the near future.