| Cantate Domino (from Psalm 98) (2:22, 3.4 mb) | Claudio Monteverdi (1576-1643) |
| Cantate Domino canticum novum,
cantate et benedicite nomini ejus: Quia mirabilia fecit. |
Sing to the Lord a new song,
sing and give praise to his name: for he has done marvelous deeds. |
| Cantate et exultate et psallite
in cythara et voce psalmi: Quia mirabilia fecit. |
Sing and exult and praise
in songs with the harp and the voice: for he has done marvelous deeds. |
| Psalm 126 (4:05, 5.9 mb) | Salamone Rossi (c1570-1612) |
| Shir hamma'alót.
beshuv Adónai et shivat Tsiyón hayinu kehólemim. |
A Song of Ascents.
When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like unto them that dream. |
| Az yimmalé sehóq pinu ulshónénu rina,
az yómeru bagóyim higdil Adónai la'asót 'im élle. |
Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing:
then said they among the nations, The Lord hath done great things for them. |
| Higdil Adónai la'asót immanu hayinu seméhim. | The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad. |
| Shuva Adónai et sheviténu ka'afiqim banegev. | Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the South. |
| Hazzóre'im bedim'a berinah yiqtsóru. | They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. |
| Halókh yélékh uvakhó nósé meshekh hazzara'
bóyavó berina nósé alumótav. |
Though he goeth on his way weeping, bearing forth the seed;
he shall come again with joy, bringing his sheaves with him. |
| Lo V'chayil (2:14, 3.2 mb) | Elliot Z. Levine (living) |
| Lo v'cha-yil v'lo v'cho-ach
ki im b'ru-chi a-mar A-do-nai tz'va-ot. |
Not by might nor by power
but by My spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts. |
| Soprano solo: Julie Mack; Tenor solo: Brent Chivers | |
| Mass for five voices | William Byrd (1543-1623) |
| Gloria (5:00, 7.2 mb) | |
|
Gloria in excelsis Deo
Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis. Laudamus te, benedicimus te, Adoramus te, glorificamus te. Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam. Domine Deus, Rex coelestis, Deus Pater omnipotens. Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe. |
Glory to God in the highest
And on earth peace to men of good will. We praise Thee, we bless Thee, We adore Thee, we glorify Thee, We give thanks to Thee for Thy great glory. Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father almighty. Lord God, the only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. |
| Incipit: Brent Chivers | |
| Agnus Dei (3:11, 4.6 mb) | |
|
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi:
Miserere nobis; dona nobis pacem. |
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world:
have mercy upon us; grant unto us peace. |
| The Angels and the Shepherds (1:31, 2.2 mb) | Traditional Bohemian Carol arr. C. H. Trevor (1900) |
| Shepherds, O hark ye, glad tidings we bring,
Peace and goodwill to the world now we sing; See in a manger Christ the Anointed, Whom for your Saviour God hath appointed. Alleluia. | |
| In yonder manger behold now he lies,
Whom angel voices foretold from the skies. Seeking thy mercy, we kneel before thee, Singing thy praises, humbly adore thee. Alleluia. | |
| Still through the ages the song doth resound,
Peace and goodwill on the earth shall abound. Bear we the tidings to every nation, Born is the Chirst Child for man's salvation. Alleluia. | |
| Joseph, Lieber Joseph Mein (2:08, 3.1 mb) | Johann Walther (Blanckenmüller) (1496-1570) |
| Joseph lieber Joseph mein
hilf mir wiegen mein Kindelein, Gott, der wird dein Löhner sein im Himmelreich, der Jungfrau Kind Maria. |
Joseph, my dear Joseph,
help me rock my little child. God will recompense you in heaven, the Virgin Mary's child. |
| Eia, eia. Virgo Deum genuit,
quem divina voluit clementia. |
Hey, hey! The Virgin has given birth to God
whom the divine mercy willed. |
| Omnes nunc concinite,
nato regi psallite, voce pia dicite: sit gloria Christo nostro infantulo. |
Now let all sing together,
sing to the newborn king, saying with devout voice, "Glory be to Christ our babe!" |
| Hodie apparuit in Israel,
quem praedixit Gabriel, est natus Rex. |
Today the one whom Gabriel predicted
has appeared in Israel, has been born king. |
| O Magnum Mysterium (3:12, 4.6 mb) | William Byrd |
| O magnum mysterium,
et admirabile sacramentum, ut animalia viderent Dominum natum, jacentem in praesepio! Beata Virgo, cujus viscera meruerunt portare Dominum Christum. Alleluia. |
O great mystery,
and wonderful sacrament, that animals should see the new-born Lord, lying in a manger! Blessed is the Virgin whose womb was worthy to bear Christ the Lord. Alleluia! |
| There is No Rose of Such Virtue (2:53, 4.2 mb) | Raymond Weidner (1947-) |
| There is no rose of such virtue
As is the rose that bare Jesu: Alleluia. | Praise the Lord! |
| For in this rose contained was
Heaven and earth in little space: Res miranda. | Wondrous thing! |
| By that rose we may well see
That He is God in persons three: Pari forma. | In equal form! |
| The angels sung the shepherds to
"Gloria in excelsis Deo:" Gaudeamus. | Glory to God in the highest! We rejoice! |
| Leave we all this worldly mirth
And follow we this joyful birth: Transeamus. | Let us move to a new realm! |
| Tenor solo: Tim Burr | |
| Magnificat (8:39, 12.5 mb) | Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707) |
| Magnificat anima mea Dominum
et exultavit spiritus meus in Deo salvatore meo. |
My soul doth magnify the Lord,
and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. |
| Quia respexit humilitatem ancillae suae;
ecce enim ex hoc beatam me dicent omnes generationes, Quia fecit mihi magna, qui potens est, et sanctum Nomen eius, et misericordia eius a progenie in progenies et timentibus eum. |
For He hath regarded the humility of His handmaiden;
For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For He that is mighty hath done great things to me, and holy is His Name. And His Mercy is from generation unto generations upon them that fear Him. |
| Fecit potentiam in brachio suo,
dispersit superbos mente cordi sui. Deposuit potentes de sede, et exaltavit humiles. Esurientes implevit bonis, et divites dimisit inanes. |
He hath shewed might in His arm,
He hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble. He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He hath sent empty away. |
| Suscepit Israel, puerum suum
recordatus misericordiae. |
He hath received Israel, His servant,
being mindful of His mercy. |
| Sicut locutus est ad patres nostros,
Abraham et semini eius in saecula. |
As He spoke to our Fathers,
Abraham and His seed forever. |
| Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto.
Sicut erat in principio et nunc et semper. Et in saecula saeculorum. Amen. |
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now and forever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. |
| I saw three ships (1:44, 2.5 mb) | arr. Andrew Carter (1939-) |
| I saw three ships come sailing in on Christmas day, on Christmas day,
I saw three ships come sailing in on Christmas day in the morning. | |
| And what was in those ships all three, on Christmas day...? | |
| Our Savior Christ and His lady. | |
| Pray, whither sailed those ships all three? | |
| O they sailed into Bethlehem. | |
| And all the bells on earth shall ring. | |
| And all the angels in Heav'n shall sing. | |
| And all the souls on Earth shall sing. | |
| Then let us all rejoice amain! On Christmas day, on Christmas day,
Then let us rejoice amain! On Christmas day in the morning. | |
The Italian composers Monteverdi (1576-1643) and Rossi (1570-1630) knew each other at the ducal court of the Gonzaga family in Mantua, where both served as composers and performing musicians. Rossi, born in Mantua, was associated with music at the court for most of his life, but infrequently held a salaried position in those bigoted times because he was a Jew. Rossi's many-voiced Psalm settings were written for the synagogue which, until the sixteenth century, used only unharmonized cantorial music.
The preface to Levine's setting of Lo V'chayil contains a note by Rabbi Gerald Skolnik:
Even though today we celebrate Chanukah as a remembrance of the Maccabees' conflict with King Antiochus, the early Rabbis who established the traditions of Chanukah were troubled by the violent model of warrior priests.
In choosing this portion of the book of Zechariah to be chanted as the haftarah on the Shabbat of Chanukah, the Rabbis were reminding us that, through their special lens, the truest way to salvation must be via the spirit of God, and not exclusively the use of force.
Johann Walther (1496-1570) was closely associated with Martin Luther. Together they created hymns for Lutheran worship, adapting folksong and sometimes Gregorian chat to the German language.
O Magnum Mysterium is a responsorial chant from the Matins of Christmas.
There is No Rose of Such Virtue: Medieval English poetry often combined the language of the people with phrases in Latin, the language of learning and the Church.
| The AD HOC Singers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Louise Lee, Director | |||
| Sopranos
Hellen Gelband Beth Kepp Nancy Kolinski Karen Lee Julie Mack Norma Meyer Margaret Smith |
Altos
Louise Bedichek Jenny Bland Susan Lesser Laura Schneider Mary Wadleigh |
Tenors
Tim Burr Brent Chivers Joe Kolinski |
Basses
Martin Bernstein Jim McElfish Maurice Singer Jon Westergaard Peter Wolfe |
Louise Lee is a graduate of Smith College and Indiana University, where she received a Master of Music degree in organ performance, studying with Oswald Ragatz. Ms. Lee performs frequently as a piano accompanist. She is organist at Arlington Forest United Methodist Church. Ms. Lee has directed the Ad Hoc Singers since she founded the group in 1975.
The Ad Hoc Singers, an amateur chamber chorus devoted to traditional choral literature from the fifteenth through the twentieth centuries, has been in existence under the direction of Louise Lee since 1975. They perform regularly at churches and other locations throughout the area. Good sight readers interested in joining the group should call 703-538-2557 to set up an audition, or speak with Ms. Lee after the concert.
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