Tanzen und Singen
Program Notes
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Although this concert is about dancing and singing, we cannot forget what is going on in Ukraine. Musical organizations around the world have shown support for Ukraine by performing the Ukrainian national anthem or some other work that is as aptly appropriate. John Rutter, the English composer, wrote A Ukrainian Prayer just a few months ago, and offered it to choirs free of charge. Very much written in the call and response mode, the request “Lord God, we pray, protect Ukraine” is intoned by a single section to which all the others join in response. This phrase is uttered nine times throughout the piece. The style of the prayer is reminiscent of music one would hear at a Ukrainian worship service.
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Johannes Brahms was a great admirer of Johann Strauss, the waltz king; however, Brahms’ waltzes for piano favour the simple binary structures of Schubert’s keyboard waltzes rather than the large sectional forms favoured by Strauss. Brahms wrote two sets of Liebeslieder Waltzes, Opus 52 and Opus 65. It is the first of these that is on this concert. The texts for both sets were taken from Polydora by Georg Friedrich Daumer. Ironically, when Brahms finally met Daumer, the old poet indicated that he had never heard of this Brahms who had made him famous through the love-song waltzes.
Opus 52 can be divided into four sections of six, three, three, and six waltzes. Eighteen is the largest count of individual movements in any Brahms opus number. There are only two solos (#7 and #17) but there are four duets (#3 and #14 for men and #4 and #13 for women). The first section ends with the large scale #6 which is the only one not in some sort of binary form. #9 could be Brahms’ “Danube” tribute to Strauss. #11 and #12 are a clear pair with a much more defiant character than we have heard before. These two are loosely connected to the gentle #10 through rhythmic affinity. #13-15 flow directly into each other. #16 returns to the more defiant character and the final waltz (#18) makes “deft use of key relationships and spellings to provide a sophisticated conclusion.” Hemiola, or cross-meter, is a common device (as in #2 and #8) and so is the figure of one long note followed by three shorts ones. Another common occurrence is the use of conversation in the poetry which is usually a contrast between first and third person narrative. Unless otherwise indicated or demanded by the text, the tempo, as for the first waltz, “Im Ländler-Tempo” (the speed of the Ländler or German dance) is assumed. Primo is used for the top piano duet part and secondo for the lower part.
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Choric Song—A Romantic Idyl was originally written by Alfred Reed for choir and concert band. It will act as a buffer between the waltzes and the polkas. Set to a text from Tennyson’s The Lotus Eaters, Reed’s music is lush and evocative of the idyllic life depicted in Tennyson’s poem. The first words “There is sweet music here” and the repeated word “music” set the stage for us to experience a world in which the calming effect of music seems to transcend all else and unravel us from our daily toils and woes amid the tranquility of nature.
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The Liebeslieder Polkas is the first opus of P.D.Q. Bach to be discovered in which he inflicted his music on the work of well-known poets, or even known poets, for that matter. “The fact that all the poets represented are English leads one to surmise that P.D.Q.’s drinking companion Jonathan Boozey Hawkes had something to do with instigating the piece; Hawkes eventually married P.D.Q. Bach’s cousin Betty-Sue Bach and returned to his native Liverpool, where the two of them spent their senility publishing most of the unmourned composer’s vocal music. As far as observing the integrity of these already-famous poets is concerned, P.D.Q.’s attitude ranges from indifference to contempt. Some of the poems are set complete, others are rather haphazardly cut, some contain completely spurious interpolations, and in one case – Ben Jonson’s beloved Song to Celia—the poem has been extensively rewritten to reflect the composer’s besotted philosophy and outlook on life. A word about the fifth hand in the piano part: When Brahms wrote his Liebeslieder Waltzes (in obvious imitation of P.D.Q. Bach, but, as usual, without giving the earlier composer any credit) he scored the accompaniment for four hands; by adding a third person at the piano, P.D.Q. not only expanded the range of the accompaniment, but he also made sure that there was always one hand free for turning the pages. Or, to look at it another way, he made life much more interesting for the page turner.” (The previous section is taken verbatim from the Sheet Music Plus website). This set of ten polkas is set to texts by English poets Andrew Marvell, Robert Herrick, Christopher Marlowe, Sir John Suckling, William Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, and John Dryden.
P.D.Q. Bach is one half of the composer Peter Schickele who was born in Ames, Iowa in 1935. It was thirty years later that he introduced the general public to his satiric creation, baroque composer P.D.Q. Bach. Billing himself as Peter Schickele, head of the department of Musical Pathology at the fictional University of Southern North Dakota at Hoople, the entertainer recounted his discovery of this “last but not least” of Johann Sebastian Bach’s twenty-odd children (earlier known only “from police records and tavern IOU’s) while taking a tour of a castle in Bavaria. Studying classical composition with the distinguished Vincent Persichetti and William Bergsma at Julliard, Schickele earned a master’s degree in 1960 and later returned there to teach. As a student Schickele was often criticized for his compositions which went against the “institution’s restrictive attitude towards ‘quality’ music. Feeling that his serious music owed as much to jazz, folk, and rock as it did to traditional classical music, Schickele hatched in P.D.Q. Bach a good-humoured way to challenge such musical myopia. Admiring the entertainer's "ability to walk the fine line between humor and excess," UCLA musicologist Robert Winter told Alan Rich in Smithsonian: "It isn't only that [Schickele is] exposing sacred cows. He's spoofing things that most people don't even know, and yet he makes them feel like insiders."
Thank you all for your support, both moral and financial, during the pandemic and for once again continuing to come to our concerts. Be sure to mark your calendars with these dates for our 2022-2023 season (our 45th year).
Friday, November 11, 2022
Sunday, December 18, 2022
Sunday, March 5, 2023
Sunday, May 7, 2023
Text and Translations
John Rutter: A Ukrainian Prayer
Ukrainian text:
Боже, Україну храни
Дай нам силу, вірі, й надії
Отче наш, Отче наш
Амінь
English Text:
Lord, save the Ukraine
Give us strength, faith, and hope
Our Father, Our Father
Amen
Johannes Brahms: Liebeslieder Waltzer, Op. 52
1. Rede, Mädchen, allzu liebes
Rede, Mädchen, allzu liebes,
Das mir in die Brust, die kühle,
Hat geschleudert mit dem Blicke
Diese wilden Glutgefühle!
Willst du nicht dein Herz erweichen,
Willst du, eine Überfromme,
Rasten ohne traute Wonne,
Oder willst du, daß ich komme?
Rasten ohne traute Wonne,
Nicht so bitter will ich büßen.
Komme nur, du schwarzes Auge,
Komme, wenn die Sterne grüßen!
1. Tell me, my sweetest girl
Tell me, my sweetest girl,
who with your glances
have kindled in my cool breast
these wild, passionate feelings!
Will you not relent, will you,
with an excess of virtue,
live without love’s rapture,
or do you wish me to come to you?
To live without love’s rapture,
is a bitter fate I would not suffer.
Come, then, with your dark eyes,
come, when the stars beckon!
2. Am Gesteine rauscht die Flut
Am Gesteine rauscht die Flut
Heftig angetrieben;
Wer da nicht zu seufzen weiß,
Lernt es unterm Lieben.
2. The wildly lashed waves
The wildly lashed waves
dash against the rocks;
whoever has not learnt to sigh
will learn it when he loves.
3. O die Frauen, o die Frauen
O die Frauen, o die Frauen,
Wie sie Wonne tauen!
Wäre lang ein Mönch geworden,
Wären nicht die Frauen!
3. O women, o women
O women, o women,
how they delight the heart!
I should have long since turned monk,
were it not for women!
4. Wie des Abends schöne Röte
Wie des Abends schöne Röte
Möcht ich arme Dirne glühn,
Einem, Einem zu gefallen,
Sonder Ende Wonne sprühn.
4. Like a lovely sunset
Like a lovely sunset
I, a humble girl, would glow,
and find favour with one alone,
radiating endless rapture.
5. Die grüne Hopfenranke
Die grüne Hopfenranke
Sie schlängelt auf der Erde hin.
Die junge, schöne Dirne,
So traurig ist ihr Sinn!
Du höre, grüne Ranke!
Was hebst du dich nicht himmelwärts?
Du höre, schöne Dirne!
Was ist so schwer dein Herz?
Wie höbe sich die Ranke
Der keine Stütze Kraft verleiht?
Wie wäre die Dirne fröhlich,
Wenn ihr der Liebste weit?
5. The green tendrils of the vine
The green tendrils of the vine
creep low along the ground.
How gloomy, too,
the lovely young girl looks!
Why, green tendrils!
Why do you not stretch up to the sky?
Why, lovely girl!
Why is your heart so heavy?
How can the vine grow tall
without support?
How can the girl be joyful,
when her lover’s far away?
6. Ein kleiner, hübscher Vogel
Ein kleiner, hübscher Vogel nahm den Flug
Zum Garten hin, da gab es Obst genug.
Wenn ich ein hübscher, kleiner Vogel wär,
Ich säumte nicht, ich täte so wie der.
Leimruten-Arglist lauert an dem Ort;
Der arme Vogel konnte nicht mehr fort.
Wenn ich ein hübscher, kleiner Vogel wär,
Ich säumte doch, ich täte nicht wie der.
Der Vogel kam in eine schöne Hand,
Da tat es ihm, dem Glücklichen, nicht and.
Wenn ich ein hübscher, kleiner Vogel wär,
Ich säumte nicht, ich täte doch wie der.
6. A pretty little bird
A pretty little bird flew off
into a garden full of fruit.
Were I a pretty little bird,
I’d not hesitate, I’d do the same.
But treacherous lime-twigs lay in wait;
the poor bird could not fly away.
Were I a pretty little bird,
I’d hesitate, not do the same.
The bird alighted on a fair hand,
the lucky thing wanted nothing more.
Were I pretty little bird,
I’d not hesitate, I’d do the same.
7. Wohl schön bewandt war es
Wohl schön bewandt
War es vorehe
Mit meinem Leben,
Mit meiner Liebe!
Durch eine Wand,
Ja, durch zehn Wände,
Erkannte mich
Des Freundes Sehe.
Doch jetzo, wehe,
Wenn ich dem Kalten
Auch noch so dicht,
Vorm Auge stehe,
Es merkts sein Auge,
Sein Herze nicht.
7. All seemed rosy
All seemed rosy
at one time
with my life,
with my love!
Through a wall,
through ten walls,
my lover’s gaze
would reach me.
But now, alas,
I stand in front
of his cool gaze,
neither his eyes,
nor his heart,
takes note of me.
8. Wenn so lind dein Auge mir
Wenn so lind dein Aug mir
Und so lieblich schauet –
Jede letzte Trübe fliehet,
Welche mich umgrauet.
Dieser Liebe schöne Glut,
Laß sie nicht verstieben!
Nimmer wird, wie ich, so true
Dich ein andrer lieben.
8. When you gaze at me so tenderly
When you gaze at me so tenderly
and so full of love –
all the gloom that assails me
fades away.
Oh, do not let this love’s
sweet ardour vanish!
No one will love you
as truly as I.
9. Am Donaustrande
Am Donaustrande, da steht ein Haus,
Da schaut ein rosiges Mädchen aus.
Das Mädchen, es ist wohl gut gehegt,
Zehn eiserne Riegel sind vor die Türe gelegt.
Zehn eiserne Riegel – das ist ein Spaß!
Die spreng ich,
als wären sie nur von Glas.
9. On the Danube’s shore
On the Danube’s shore there stands a house,
from its windows a rosy girl looks out.
The girl is excellently guarded,
ten bolts are fixed to her door.
Ten bolts of iron – a mere trifle!
I’ll break them down,
as though they were glass.
10. O wie sanft die Quelle
O wie sanft die Quelle sich
Durch die Wiese windet!
O wie schön, wenn Liebe sich,
Zu der Liebe findet!
10. Ah, how gently the stream
Ah, how gently the stream
meanders through the meadow!
Ah, how sweet, when love
finds itself requited!
11. Nein, es ist nicht auszukommen
Nein, es ist nicht auszukommen
Mit den Leuten;
Alles wißen so giftig
Auszudeuten.
Bin ich heiter, hegen soll ich
Lose Triebe;
Bin ich still, so heißts, ich ware
Irr, aus Liebe.
11. No, it is not possible
No, it is not possible
to put up with these people;
they interpret everything
so spitefully.
If I’m happy, they say
I harbour lewd desires;
if I’m quiet, they say
I’m madly in love.
12. Schlosser auf, und mache Schlösser
Schloßer auf, und mache Schlößer,
Schlößer ohne Zahl!
Denn die bösen Mäuler will ich
Schließen allzumal.
12. Locksmith, come, make me padlocks
Locksmith, come, make me padlocks,
padlocks without number!
So that once and for all I can shut
their malicious mouths.
13. Vögelein durchrauscht die Luft
Vögelein durchrauscht die Luft,
Sucht nach einem Aste;
Und das Herz ein Herz begehrts,
Wo es selig raste.
13. A little bird flies through the skies
A little bird flies through the skies,
searching for a branch;
thus does one heart seek another,
where it might rest in bliss.
14. Sieh, wie ist die Welle klar
Sieh, wie ist die Welle klar,
Blickt der Mond hernieder!
Die du meine Liebe bist,
Liebe du mich wieder.
14. See how clear the waves are
See how clear the waves are,
when the moon shines down!
You, my dearest love,
love me in return.
15. Nachtigall, sie singt so schön
Nachtigall, sie singt so schön,
Wenn die Sterne funkeln –
Liebe mich, geliebtes Herz,
Küße mich im Dunkeln!
15. The nightingale sings so sweetly
The nightingale sings so sweetly,
when the stars are sparkling –
Love me, dear heart,
kiss me in the dark!
16. Ein dunkeler Schacht ist Liebe
Ein dunkeler Schacht ist Liebe,
Ein gar zu gefährlicher Bronnen;
Da fiel ich hinein, ich Armer,
Kann weder hören, noch sehn.
Nur denken an meine Wonnen,
Nur stöhnen in meinen Wehn.
16. Love is a dark pit
Love is a dark pit,
an all too dangerous well;
I tumbled in, alas,
can neither hear nor see,
can only recall my rapture,
and only bemoan my grief.
17. Nicht wandle, mein Licht
Nicht wandle, mein Licht, dort außen
Im Flurbereich!
Die Füße würden dir, die zarten,
Zu naß, zu weich.
All überströmt sind die Wege,
Die Stege dir,
So überreichlich tränte dorten
Das Auge mir.
17. Do not wander, my love
Do not wander, my love, out there
in the fields!
The ground would be too wet
for your tender feet.
The paths and tracks
are all flooded out there,
so abundantly have my eyes
been weeping.
18. Es bedet das Gesträuche
Es bebet das Gesträuche,
Gestreift hat es im Fluge
Ein Vöglein.
In gleicher Art erbebet,
Die Seele mir erschüttert
Von Liebe, Lust und Leide,
Gedenkt sie dein.
18. The foliage trembles
The foliage trembles,
where a bird in flight
has brushed against it.
And so my soul
trembles too, shuddering
with love, desire and pain,
whenever it thinks of you.
Poetry by Georg Friedrich Daumer (1800–1875)
Translations by Richard Stokes,author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
Alfred Reed: Choric Song—A Romantic Idyll
There is sweet music here that softer falls
Than petals from blown roses on the grass,
Or night-dews on still waters between walls
Of shadowy granite, in a gleaming pass;
Music that gentler on the spirit lies,
Than tir'd eyelids upon tirèd eyes;
Music that brings sweet sleep down from the blissful skies.
Here are cool mosses deep,
And thro' the moss the ivies creep,
And in the stream the long-leaved flowers weep,
And from the craggy ledge the poppy hangs in sleep.
P.D.Q. Bach: Liebeslieder Polkas, S. 2/4
(Additions to the text by P.D.Q. Bach are indicated with brackets.)
1. To His Coy Mistress (Andrew Marvell)
Had we but world enough and time,
This coyness, lady, were no crime.
(Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!)
We would sit down, and think which way
(Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!)
To walk, and pass our long love’s day.
(Hey! Hey! What say? No way! No way? Olé!)
But at my back I always hear
Time’s wingèd chariot hurrying near;
(Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!)
The grave’s a fine and private place,
(Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!)
But none, I think, do there embrace.
(Hey! Hey! What say? No way! No way? Okay! Hey! Hey! Hey!)
Let us roll all our strength and all
Our sweetness up into one ball,
Thus, though we cannot make our sun
Stand still, yet we will make him run.
(Hey!)
2. To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time (Robert Herrick)
Gather ye rose-buds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today
Tomorrow will be dying.
The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
The higher he’s a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he’s to setting.
That age is best which is the first,
When youth and blood are warmer;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
Times still succeed the former.
Then be not coy, but use your time,
And while ye may, go marry (Quite contrary.);
For having lost but once your prime,
You may forever tarry (And the pirates.).
3. The Passionate Shepherd To His Love (Christopher Marlowe)
Come live with me and be my love,
And we will all the pleasures prove,
That Valleys, groves, hills, and fields,
Woods, or steepy mountain yields.
And we will sit upon the Rocks,
Seeing the Shepherds feed their flocks,
By shallow Rivers to whose falls
Melodious birds sing Madrigals.
(Twitter twitter tweet tweet… chirp, caw)
And I will make thee beds of Roses
And a thousand fragrant posies,
A cap of flowers, and a kirtle
Embroidered all with leaves of Myrtle;
A gown made of the finest wool
Which from our pretty Lambs we pull;
Fair lined slippers for the cold,
With buckles of the purest gold;
A belt of straw and Ivy buds,
With Coral clasps and Amber studs:
And if these pleasures may thee move,
Come live with me, and be my love.
4. Why So Pale and Wan, Fond Lover? (Sir John Suckling)
Why so pale and wan fond lover?
Prithee why so pale?
Will, when looking well can’t move her,
Looking ill prevail?
Prithee why so pale?
Why so dull and mute young sinner?
Prithee why so mute?
Will, when speaking well can’t win her,
Saying nothing do’t?
Prithee why so mute?
Quit, quit for shame, this will not move,
This cannot take her;
If of herself she will not love,
Nothing can make her;
The devil take her.
5. It Was a Lover and His Lass (William Shakespeare)
It was a lover and his lass,
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
That o’er the green cornfield did pass,
In springtime, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;
Sweet lovers love the spring.
Between the acres of the rye,
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
Those pretty country folks would lie,
In springtime, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;
Sweet lovers love the spring.
This carol they began that hour,
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
How that a life was but a flower
In springtime, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;
Sweet lovers love the spring.
And therefore take the present time,
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
For love is crownèd with the prime
In springtime, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;
Sweet lovers love the spring.
(Boing, boing, boing…)
6. The Constant Lover (Sir John Suckling)
Out upon it, I have lov'd
Three whole days together;
And am like to love three more,
If it prove fair weather.
Time shall molt away his wings
Ere he shall discover
In such whole wide world again
Such a constant lover.
But the spite on't is, no praise
Is due at all to me:
Love with me had made no stays
Had it any been but she.
Had it any been but she
And that very face,
There had been at least ere this
A dozen dozen in her place.
(I have loved… Shoop, doowah…)
7. Song To Celia (Ben Jonson, adapted by P.D.Q. Bach)
Original text:
Drink to me only with thine eyes,
And I will pledge with mine;
Or leave a kiss but in the cup,
And I’ll not look for wine.
The thirst that from the soul doth rise
Doth ask a drink divine;
But might I of Jove’s nectar sup,
I would not change for thine.
I sent thee late a rosy wreath,
Not so much honouring thee
As giving it a hope, that there
It could not withered be.
But thou thereon didst only breathe,
And sent’st it back to me;
Since when it grows, and smells, I swear,
Not of itself, but thee.
Adapted text:
Eye me only with thy drink,
And I will pledge with this;
Or leave some wine but in the cup,
And I’ll not look to kiss.
The Thirst that from the soul doth rise
Doth ask a drink divine;
But if Jove’s nectar I can’t sip,
Some ale will do just fine.
I sent thee late a rosy wreath,
Not so much honouring thee
As giving it a hope that there
It could not withered be.
But thou thereon didst only breathe,
And sent’st it back to me;
Since when it smells, I kid thee not,
Of pretzels and chablis.
9. Farewell, Ungrateful Traitor (John Dryden)
Farewell, ungrateful traitor!
Farewell, my perjured swain
Let never injured creature
Believe a man again.
The pleasure of possessing
Surpasses all expressing,
But 'tis too short a blessing,
And love too long a pain.
The passion you pretended
Was only to obtain;
But once the charm is ended,
The charmer you disdain.
Your love by ours we measure
Till we have lost our treasure;
But dying is a pleasure
When living is a pain.
10. Who Is Sylvia? (William Shakespeare)
Who is Silvia? what is she,
That all our swains commend her?
(Boy, do they commend her.)
Holy, fair, and wise is she;
The heaven such grace did lend her,
(Brother, you should see what they lent her.)
That she might admirèd be.
Is she kind as she is fair?
For beauty lives with kindness.
(Beauty shacks up with kindness.)
Love doth to her eyes repair,
To help him of his blindness;
(He has a little trouble with blindness.)
And, being helped, inhabits there.
Then to Silvia let us sing,
That Silvia is excelling;
She excels each mortal thing
Upon the dull earth dwelling;
To her let us garlands bring.
(Helen is a beauty, the fairest in the land;
Maid Marian’s a groupie with the Robin Hood band;
Godiva is a lady, as everyone can see,But who is Sylvia, what is she?
Joanie is a martyr, and Lizzie is a queen;
And Jezebel’s a no-no, if you know what I mean;
Priscilla is a pilgrim, and Daphne is a tree,But who is Sylvia, what is she?
Who, me? Yeah, thee!
Who is Sylvia, what is she gunna say when she sees me?
Mi mi mi. Hey!)
Artist Information
James Hawn, Director
Photo Credit: Amy Violet Photography
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James Hawn, Director of Music since 2003, has been active with the Saskatoon Chamber Singers for most of its history, and has been involved with singing and choirs for as long he can remember. Prior to his current appointment as Director, he was a long-time member of the bass section, and served as the choir’s president for ten years. James has also been actively involved in national and provincial choral organizations for over twenty-five years. He is a member of the Saskatchewan Choral Federation (SCF) and Choral Canada and has served for a number of years on both organizations’ boards. In 2006 he was presented with the SCF’s Pro Musica Award, which recognizes “exemplary service to choral music in Saskatchewan.” James was an English language arts teacher for thirty- two years with the Saskatoon Public Board of Education. During that time he also taught music, was involved in choral and church music, musicals, and drama both in the school system and in the community.
Rod Epp, Accompanist
Photo Credit: Amy Violet Photography
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Rod Epp has been accompanist of the Saskatoon Chamber Singers since 2002. Prior to this role, he sang baritone with the choir, which he continues to do when the choir performs a capella pieces. Born and raised in Saskatoon, Rod received his B.Mus. degree from the University of Saskatchewan, and obtained Licentiate and Fellowship diplomas in piano performance from the Trinity College of London, England. He works part time for the Saskatoon Health Region, andhe also maintains a small private piano studio and directs a local church choir.
Janet Wilson, Piano
Photo Credit: Nicole Stevenson
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Janet Wilson is the Minister of Music at Grace-Westminster United Church. She is also the Musical Director of Zodiac Tapestry Handbells, a community based handbell choir. A graduate of the University of Saskatchewan, Janet received her Bachelor of Music with Distinction. She also holds Associate Diplomas from Trinity College of Music, England, in both piano and pipe organ performance. As a freelance accompanist, she works with many soloists, instrumentalists, schools, and choirs in the city.