Spring 2009 will celebrate the music of
 

Johann Sebastian

BACH

with guest artist
Ziad  Nehme, tenor
with the
Hamburg State Opera

and the Lebanese National Chamber Orchestra

May 2009 celebrated the bicentennial of
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy
(1809 – 1847)
and
The inauguration of AUB’s 15th president,
Dr. Peter F. Dorman.

Lobgesang Symphonie-Cantate , opus 52
The Hymn of Praise

Sunday, 3 May
7 pm precisely in
Assembly Hall     
All Are Welcome
 

The AUB Choir and Choral Society
National Lebanese Orchestra Members

Paul Meers, conductor      Reem Deeb, soprano      Cynthia Samaha, soprano
Rani Ayrouth, tenor    Ramzi Sabra, organ 

PROGRAM

O, For the Wings of a Dove, WoO

         Reem Deeb, soprano    Ramzi Sabra, organ

Lobgesang: Eine Symphonie-Cantate, opus 52 in B flat, 1840

No. 1.  Orchestral Sinfonia

Maestoso con moto -- Allegro

Allegretto un poco agitato

Adagio religioso

No. 2.  Chorus and Soprano Solo

No. 3.  Recitative, Tenor Solo

No. 4.  Chorus

No. 5.  Soprano Duet and Chorus

No. 6.  Tenor Solo

No. 7.  Chorus

No. 8.  Chorus

No. 9.  Soprano and Tenor Duet

No. 10.  Chorus

See text and translation in the Notes below.

PROGRAM NOTES, Texts and Translations

O, For the Wings of a Dove, WoO [Werke ohne Opuszahl] is the second part of a two-part anthem. The work appears to have been set originally in English, to a paraphrase of Psalm 55 by W. Bartholomew. Mendelssohn had a great affinity for England and all things English, and this piece has enjoyed great popularity with English choirs, and choirboy soloists. The soloist performs a straight-forward song, which builds in intensity with imitating accompaniment by the choir.

O, for the wings of a dove:  Far away would I rove,
In the wilderness build me a nest, and remain there, forever at rest.

Lobgesang (Song of Praise) Symphonie Cantata, opus 52. 

In the 1830s Mendelssohn worked on several incomplete symphonic compositions. He started work on a symphony in B flat, which came to completion via a commission in 1840 from the city of Leipzig to celebrate the 400th anniversary of movable-type printing. Using materials from the incomplete B flat symphony, he added a series of vocal movements, earning the work its name Symphonie Cantata.

Mendelssohn freely chose texts from the German hymn Nun danket alle Gott, and Luther's translation of the Bible, one of Gutenberg's most significant printing efforts. The texts reflect three main ideas, all of which emphasize the universal and non-dogmatic aspects of Biblical scripture: the praise of God, God's faithfulness to those who wait for His help and comfort, and the emergence from darkness into light. [1] The last is a metaphor for the illumination which Gutenberg's press brought to humanity, and it is particularly fitting for AUB, as it attempts to emphasize the liberal arts and critical thought.

Movement 1, Sinfonia consists of three parts, and as the name implies, is a small symphony. The first notes of the sinfonia introduce the signature motive of the entire piece, proclaimed in unison by the trombones in a slow introduction. By tradition, the trombones were only used in sacred or supernatural references, thus an audience in 1840 would know this was not an ordinary symphony. The first allegro movement uses this leading motive as its first theme; the second theme is more lyrical. The second part of the Sinfonia, allegretto un poco agitato contrasts with the fast, forceful intensity of the first movement. Its atmosphere is graceful, and in a flowing 6/8 meter, but the mode changes to G minor. At one point, the symphony’s signature motive is stated in long notes in the winds. The adagio religioso of the third part is in D major, a very bright key which initially creates an atmosphere of interiorized spirituality. This soon gives way to agitated rhythms and the minor mode, but it ends as expected, squarely in D major.  After a brief pause, the choir enters, and the cantata begins.

Movement 2 is in D minor, but it quickly finds its way back to the home key of B flat major, with the choir's acclamation on the first motive of the sinfonia:

Mendelssohn gives this theme the full fugal treatment, accompanied by brilliant passages from the strings and punctuations by the woodwinds, brass and timpani, and organ. Then, as out of nowhere, the soprano soloist enters on new text and music— but with a familiar rhythmic motive—accompanied by the women of the choir, and excited tremolo in the orchestra. The music begins in the home key of B flat, but touches on keys which will lead us to the G minor of upcoming movements.

 In Movements 3, the tenor enters in recitative followed by an aria in the closely-related key of G minor, proclaiming God's redemption and protection. The leading melodic material is made up largely of four-note descending scales, which will be also be taken up in the next movement.

However, the tonal center does not really settle until Movement 4, when the choir enters in clear G minor. They echo the tenor's text, but sing new music in a straight-forward texture: the choir tenors call and the ensemble responds, accompanied by insistent triplets from the strings. However, the choir soon recalls the descending melody of the tenor’s preceding aria.

Movement 5 is one of Mendelssohn's most famous pieces, known to English-speaking audiences as "I Waited for the Lord." Two sopranos and a solo horn lead the ensemble in a movement of great beauty and spiritual depth, in glowing E flat major.

In Movement 6, the tenor soloist returns in anxious C minor, allegro un poco agitato.  String tremolos, low four-part chords in the violas, and the unexpected addition of trombones all add to the foreboding quality. At the text “rise from death, I will enlighten you,” the key changes to G major.  However, the ensuing recitative is highly unstable in key and rhythm, and relentlessly questions, “is the night yet past?”  The soprano soloist answers, “the night has departed” and leads the ensemble directly into the triumphant D major of the next movement.

Movement 7 builds a tremendous amount of energy as the voices sing “the night has departed” on fanfare-like figures. These figures are spun out and developed in fugal style, accompanied by surging figuration in the strings. A highly-charged chord (the dominant 7^th in 3rd inversion) builds great harmonic tension for a full eight measures, before being released into the final passage in the home key of D.

Movement 8 comes as a surprise, after the celebratory outbursts of the previous movement. The choir sings a cappella for the first and only time in the work, a beloved Lutheran hymn, or chorale. After three unaccompanied verses, the orchestra joins with luminous figuration in G major. Yet, Mendelssohn accompanies the remainder of this very familiar tune with ingenious turns of chromatic harmony.

Movement 9 brings the music back around to the home key of B flat major, and the two individuals create a highly personal atmosphere, in contrast to the previous extroverted movements.  They are accompanied by strings and the somewhat unusual combination of flutes and bassoons.

The closing chorus, Movement 10, returns the music to triumphant exclamations, exhorting the People, Kings, Heaven, and Earth to bring their offerings. The style, with its sharp rhythmic profile, recalls the baroque-era French overture. This texture yields to pure, romantic Mendelssohn in the second section, with rapid figurations in wind and string, and strong, unified statements by choir and organ. However, baroque-inspired fugal treatment will not be neglected by Mendelssohn, one of the earliest enthusiasts of older music: he produced the first performance of J. S. Bach’s choral music after Bach’s death, the Saint Matthew Passion, in 1829.  After ecstatic fugal entries, and an unprecedented level of energy, the trombones proclaim the Lobgesang’s signature theme, as they did in the beginning of the Sinfonia.  But this time, human voices alone follow with the words which were left unspoken in the beginning: Let all that have breath, praise the Lord.

- Paul Meers, 2009

contact Paul Meers
pm05@aub.edu.lb
Nicely Hall 403
AUB telephone outside Lebanon 961-1-350000, ext. 4350 or 4041
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Last updated: 11 November, 2009