“Christmas Music from Northern Europe”

Music by Praetorius, Handl, Grieg, Gjeilo, Kirschner and others
With Adelyn Nelson, piano and organ
Nicholas So, Violin
Gary Hodges, cello
Hannah Messenger, French horn
Priscilla Stevens French, conductor

PROGRAM NOTES – Christmas Music from Northern Europe

A program focused on the abundance of sacred music from 17th c. Germany needs to first look back to theologian and reformer Martin Luther. With his “95 Theses” (1517) Luther famously attacked the corruption of the Catholic Church and espoused that the Bible is the central religious authority. The Protestant Reformation was born! He translated the New Testament from Latin into German, the common tongue, thus making the Bible available to everyone. More than that, Luther adapted plainchant, tavern songs and folk carols and brought them into the church as hymn tunes (or chorales) which could be sung by the congregation. The grand chorale “Wie Schön Leuchtet die Morgenstern” (How Brightly Shines the Morning Star) opens our program. Its text (from the Feast of the Epiphany) and tune by Philipp Nicolai reference a pestilence in Westphalia in 1599.   

Michael Praetorius (1571-1621), several generations later, was greatly influenced by Luther’s ideas. As a prolific composer, organist and music theorist, Praetorius’ liturgical music was compiled into a 9-volume collection for the Lutheran service called “Musae Sionae” (the Muses of Zion). Praetorius’ signature harmonization of the 15th. tune “Lo, How a Rose” may be found in Volume VI (1609). Praetorius wrote for professional, amateur and children’s choirs and mixed both Latin and the vernacular German in his music. On today’s concert is his festive “Puer Natus in Bethlehem”  (Born is a Child in Bethlehem) from 1619, based on a 14th c. Latin carol. It is a work that dazzles with vocal and instrumental color. Bookended by an instrumental sinfonia, a trio of soloists sings in Latin while the joyful choral refrain (ritornello) is sung in German.     

Praetorius met the other giant of German Baroque music Heinrich Schütz during a two-year stay in Dresden. Dresden had become a hot spot for the latest Italian music. The bulk of Schütz’s career was spent at the Dresden court for a total of 57 years as Kapellmeister (music director) where he provided music for many royal occasions! Schütz’s early musical training though was in Venice (two visits). San Marco cathedral, renowned for its reverberant dual choir lofts, sparked composers such as Gabrieli (Schütz’s teacher), Monteverdi and Schütz to exploit the spacious interior and compose antiphonal choral music. “Sing Unto the Lord” (from the Psalms of David, 1619)  for double chorus is a magnificent example of this style. It is based on the principle of contrast. Schütz’s music also shows the influence of the Italian madrigal with its several examples of text-painting (“let the seas roar” or “and with trumpets”). Jacob Handl’s  “Resonet in Laudibus” also utilizes the principle of opposing forces which would become a hallmark of Baroque music. 

We also salute three renowned Norwegian composers on today’s program. Edvard Grieg’s stunning motet “Ave Maris Stella” (Hail, Star of the Sea) has a rare simplicity and charm. Originally written for solo voice and piano in 1893, Grieg created the mixed choir arrangement in 1898. “The Holly and the Ivy” is PPM’s  third favorite seasonal selection by New York City based composer Ola Gjeilo (following “Ubi Caritas” and “Northern Lights” performed in past concerts). The melody is tossed between voice parts as it modulates to two related keys. The setting for mixed chorus of Kim Andre Arnesen’s “Christmas Night” originated with the Nidaros Cathedral Boys’ Choir in Trondheim, Norway. The English version was made by Euan Tait, poet of Arnesen’s “Wound in the Water”, the main work of PPM’s Spring Concert 2021 following Covid. 

Our program closes with a return to Praetorius’ “rose theme” in two contemporary settings. The first setting is “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming” by Herzogenberg from his 1895 oratorio “The Birth of Christ.” It begins with a tenor recitative, which leads into the tune delivered in long note values by the soprano (cantus firmus) and followed by the lower three voice parts. Shawn Kirchner’s arrangement of “Lo, How a Rose”  in a gospel swing style is scored for alto saxophone (or French horn today). Instead of the original 4/4 meter, Kirchner chose to compose it in triple time! Likewise, the voices in his “Silent Night” unfold in an arc of transcendent beauty over a simple piano and strings accompaniment.    

PSF