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2025 Invitational Program
Past Life Melodies (1991) – Sarah Hopkins (b. 1958)
Past Life Melodies was composed in 1991 by Sarah Hopkins for St. Peters Lutheran College, a high school in Brisbane, Australia. It was commissioned specifically for the St. Peters Chorale compact disc Until I Saw: Contemporary Australian Choral Music. Sarah Hopkins is a renowned and respected Australian composer who has created a very distinguished place for her unique music on the world stage.
The materials for Past Life Melodies evolved over a period of years, the process commencing well before St. Peters Chorale requested a piece.
The melodic ideas of the work, like those in all of Sarah Hopkins' music, are simple in structure and reach deep into the soul. The first melody was one which haunted the composer for many years- melody which came to her at moments of deep emotion. a
The second melody reflects her considerable interest in the music of various world cultures, and in this particular case her eight years of residence in Darwin in the north of Australia, where she had much contact with Australian Aboriginal art and music.
The third section of the work utilises a concept called harmonic-overtone singing, which is as ancient a technique as singing itself. Here the separate harmonic voices weave and dart like "golden threads" above the earthy drone sustained by the main body of the choir.
The richness and subtlety of colours and the earthy hearty quality of the voices, along with an inner rhythm of very simple ideas and materials, offers the listener a communication with the very heart and soul of music itself.
Program Note by Stephen Leek
© Morton Music
Mass in G Minor (1921) - Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 - 1958)
Text: Mass Ordinary
Vaughan Williams wrote the Mass in G minor over a period of several months in 1920-21. It belongs to a series of works including A Pastoral Symphony that followed his experience as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War, in which he suffered the loss of close friends and relatives.
Going back to the a cappella tradition of Tudor church music, the spirituality of this mass setting is palpable from the very beginning with its pianissimo five-note motif reminiscent of plainchant. ‘There is no reason why an atheist could not write a good mass’, Vaughan Williams famously said. But he also stated his premise that ‘the object of all art is to obtain a partial revelation of that which is beyond human senses and human faculties – of that in fact which is spiritual’. The spiritual quality of his mass made it particularly successful in a liturgical context.
Although dedicated to his closest friend and colleague Gustav Holst and his Whitsuntide Singers, the work was premiered by the City of Birmingham Choir in December 1922. Its first liturgical performance took place in March 1923 in Westminster Cathedral under Richard Terry, a figure of great importance in the revival of the early English polyphonic school.
The critical reaction to the work was largely positive: Terry highlighted ‘the practical unanimity’ of the press ‘in noting its devotional spirit’ and congratulated Vaughan Williams for his successful fusion of old and new: ‘In your individual and modern idiom you have really captured the old liturgical spirit and atmosphere’. Thirty years later two parts of the Mass in G Minor, the Credo and the Sanctus, were sung in an adapted English-language version in the Coronation service of Queen Elizabeth II.
Kyrie
The choice of four solo voices and two choirs allows Vaughan Williams to introduce great variety in the texture of the traditional five parts of the mass. The modal five-note theme, with which the altos begin the Kyrie, is developed in counterpoint by the choir in four parts, while the middle section with its more intimate plea to Christ is given to the quartet of soloists, before the final section returns to the quiet supplication of ‘Kyrie eleison’, dying away with the initial alto motif.
Gloria
Vaughan Williams responds to the words of the Gloria by varying tempo, dynamics and texture between the two choirs and four solo voices. A peaceful homophonic section turns into a jubilant antiphonic praise of God’s glory, before both choirs together respond to each soloist with a subdued plea for mercy, harmonically shifting between major and minor modes. The Gloria culminates in a joyful fugue for double choir.
Credo
The Creed at the centre of the liturgy is the most elaborate part of Vaughan Williams’ mass. A vigorous canon evoking the almighty Father leads to an antiphonal recitation of the principles of faith. The mystery of the Incarnation and the story of Christ’s death is given to the soloists, answered by the two choirs in hushed homophony. The delicate melisma in the sopranos on ‘sepultus’ brings the music to a point of stillness, before a triumphant outburst in joyous triple time declaims the Resurrection. The soloists and both choirs are given the concluding declaration of faith in the Trinity in overlapping textures until the final choral fugue ‘Et vitam venturi’ proclaims hope for the future.
Sanctus – Osanna I – Benedictus – Osanna II
The setting of the Sanctus for double choir opens with an otherwordly melismatic line in counterpoint for the upper voices, while the lower voices, split into four parts, ground the worship in a chordal affirmation. This musical illustration of ‘caeli et terra’, heaven and earth, continues with a fugal evocation of the heavens full of excited worshipping voices, which finally join forces on ‘gloria tua’. The first vigorous Osanna is antiphonal and, in accordance with the traditions of early church music, in triple time. The Benedictus creates an interplay between the soloists and the two choirs responding as one, while the second Osanna is more majestic and assured with its long soaring notes and its rapid crescendo.
Agnus Dei
The final part uses the solo quartet in homophony as well as counterpoint, the two choirs singing together, but also each taking turns in responding to the soloists in the prayer for peace. The harmonic shift between the first supplication for mercy intoned by the solo quartet to the second sung by both choirs intensifies the sense of anguish. The five-note motif from the beginning of the Kyrie returns, first in the soloists’ fugal ‘miserere’. The third supplication for mercy, led by the choir, is much more agitated, before giving way to the calm prayer for peace. Both choirs and all four soloists sing the last ‘dona nobis pacem’ in homophony. The work ends with the alto motif from the opening ‘Kyrie’, this time on the word ‘pacem’, peace.
Notes from the London Concert Choir, reproduced with permission
Barry Creasy, Chair
Collegium Musicum of London
1. Kyrie
Kyrie eleison
Christe eleison
Kyrie eleison
Lord, have mercy
Christ, have mercy
Lord, have mercy
2. Gloria
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. Domine Deus,
Agnus Dei, Filius Patris,
Qui tollis peccata mundi,
miserere nobis.
Qui tollis peccata mundi,
suscipe deprecationem nostram.
Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris,
miserere nobis.
Quoniam tu solus Sanctus,
tu solus Dominus,
tu solus altissimus,
Jesu Christe,
cum Sancto Spiritu
in gloria Dei Patris. Amen.
Glory to God on high,
and on earth peace
to men of good will.
We praise You; we bless You;
we adore You; we glorify You.
We give You thanks
for Your great glory,
O Lord God, Heavenly King,
God the Father Almighty.
O Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only-begotten Son.
O Lord God, Lamb of God,
Son of the Father,
Who takes away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us.
Who takes away the sins of the world,
receive our prayer.
Who sits at the right hand of the Father,have mercy on us.
For Thou alone art holy;
Thou alone art The Lord;
Thou alone art most high,
O Jesus Christ,
together with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
3. Credo
Credo in unum Deum,
Patrem omnipotentem,
factorem coeli et terrae,
visibilium omnium et invisibilium.
Et in unum Dominum Jesum Christum,
Filium Dei unigenitum.
Et ex Patre natum ante omnia saecula.
Deum de Deo, lumen de lumine,
Deum verum de Deo vero.
Genitum, non factum,
consubstantialem Patri:
per quem omnia facta sunt.
Qui propter nos homines,
et propter nostram salute
descendit de coelis.
Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto
ex Maria Virgine Et homo factus est.
Crucifixus etiam pro nobis;
sub Pontio Pilato passus,
et sepultus est.
Et resurrexit tertia die,
secundum Scripturas.
Et ascendit in coelum:
sedet ad desteram Patris.
Et iterum venturus est
com gloria judicare vivos et mortuos:
cujus regni non erit finis.
Et in Spiritum Sanctum,
Dominum et vivificantem:
qui ex Patre Filioque procedit.
Qui cum Patre, et Filio
simul adoratur et conglorificatur:
qui locutus est per Prophetas.
Et unam, sanctam, catholicam
et apostolicam Ecclesiam.
Confiteor unum baptisma
in remissionem peccatorum.
Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum.
Et vitam ventura saeculi. Amen.
I believe in one God,
The Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth,
and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the Only-begotten Son of God.
Born of the Father before all ages.
God of God, Light of Light,
true God of true God.
Begotten, not made,
consubstantial with the Father,
by Whom all things were made.
Who for us men,
and for our salvation,
came down from heaven.
And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost
of the virgin Mary: and was made man.
He was crucified also for us,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
and was buried.
And on the third day He rose again,
according to the Scriptures,
and ascended into Heaven.
He sits at the right hand of the Father,
whence He will come again
with glory to judge the living and the dead.
And of His kingdom there shall be no end.
And in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord and Giver of life,
Who proceeds from the Father and the Son;
Who together with the Father and the Son
is no less adored and glorified,
and Who spoke by the prophets.
And in one, holy, Catholic
and Apostolic Church.
I confess one baptism
for the remission of sins.
And I expect the resurrection of the dead.
And the life of the world to come. Amen.
4. Sanctus & Benedictus
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus,
Dominus Deus Sabaoth.
Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua.
Hosanna in excelsis.
Benedictus qui venit
in nomine Domini.
Hosanna in excelsis.
Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God of Hosts!
Heaven and earth are filled with Your glory.
Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is He Who comes
in the Name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest!
5. Agnus Dei
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, misere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, misere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace.
Rejoice in the Lamb (1943) – Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
Text: Christopher Smart (1722–1771), excerpts from Jubilate Agno
Rejoice in the Lamb was written in 1943 shortly after Benjamin Britten’s (1913- 1976) return to Great Britain following a three-year stay in America. This work was preceded by the composition of two of Britten’s most popular and substantial choral compositions, the Hymn to St. Cecilia and the Ceremony of Carols. Those two works were written on Britten's journey home from the States. Musicologist Phillip Brett suggests that it was almost “as if to think of England were to think of choral music,” and his return might have been Britten’s impetus for the writing of some of his greatest works for chorus. The work was commissioned by the Rev. Walter Hussey, who also commissioned the Chichester Psalms from Leonard Bernstein twenty-two years later.
Jubilate Agno or “Rejoice in the Lamb” is a long poem written by Christopher Smart (1758-1763), known during his lifetime for his translations of some of the odes of Alexander Pope and his contributions to several literary magazines in London. His commitment late in his life to several mental asylums is often commented upon, though it is not clear to what degree he might have been unstable. What today might be called religious zealotry could have been an excuse for his wife’s stepfather to have Smart put away. Given the serious attacks made on Smart by his father-in-law in the press and through some other publishing ventures, one cannot be too sure of the nature or seriousness of Smart’s supposed mental illness. What is known is that Smart produced much of Jubilate Agno after being confined to St. Luke's Hospital for Lunatics on May 6, 1757, as a “Curable Patient.”
In “Rejoice in the Lamb,” he abandons the norms of eighteenth-century literary style for a personal poetic style. The composition of thirty-two pages of lines of poetry which start with the word “let” or “for” created a litany nearly ecstatic in its presentation of a theme of worship and praise. Britten carefully organized the excerpts he set to music. They are described in the preface to the score by Walter Hussey, as presented below:
“The cantata is made up of ten short sections. The first sets the theme. The second gives a few examples of one person after another being summoned from the pages of the Old Testament to join with some creature in praising and rejoicing in God. The third is a quiet and ecstatic Hallelujah.
In the fourth section Smart uses his beloved cat as an example of nature praising God by being simply what the Creator intended it to be. The same thought is carried on in the fifth section with the illustration of the mouse. The sixth section speaks of the flowers—“the poetry of Christ.”
In the seventh section Smart refers to his troubles and suffering, but even these are an occasion for praising God, for it is through Christ that he will find his deliverance. The eighth section gives four letters from an alphabet, leading to a full chorus in section nine which speaks of the musical instruments and music’s praise of God. The final section repeats the Hallelujah.”
Patrick Gardner
Westminster Church, Winnepeg, Manitoba, Canada
(CHORUS)
Rejoice in God, O ye Tongues; give the glory to the Lord, and the Lamb. Nations, and languages, and every Creature in which is the breath of Life. Let man and beast appear before him, and magnify his name together.
Let Nimrod, the mighty hunter,
bind a leopard to the altar and consecrate his spear to the Lord.
Let Ishmail dedicate a tyger,
and give praise for the liberty in which the Lord has let him at large.
Let Balaam appear with an ass,
and bless the Lord his people and his creatures for a reward eternal.
Let Daniel come forth with a lion,
and praise God with all his might through faith in Christ Jesus.
Let Ithamar minister with a chamois, and bless the name of Him that cloatheth the naked.
Let Jakim with the satyr bless God in the dance.
Let David bless with the bear the beginning of victory to the Lord—to the Lord the perfection of excellence.
Hallelujah for the heart of God, and from the hand of the artist inimitable, and from the echo of the heavenly harp in sweetness magnifical and mighty.
(SOPRANO SOLO)
For I will consider my cat Jeoffry.
For he is the servant of the living God, duly and daily serving him.
For at the first glance of the glory of God in the East he worships in his way.
For this is done by wreathing his body seven times round with elegant quickness.
For he knows that God is his saviour.
For God has bless'd him in the variety of his movements.
For there is nothing sweeter than his peace when at rest.
For I am possessed of a cat, surpassing in beauty, From whom I take occasion to bless Almighty God.
(ALTO SOLO)
For the Mouse is a creature of great personal valour. For this is a true case–cat takes female mouse, male mouse will not depart, but stands threat'ning and daring. . . . If you will let her go, I will engage you, as prodigious a creature as you are. For the Mouse is a creature of great personal valour. For the Mouse is of an hospitable disposition.
(TENOR SOLO)
For the flowers are great blessings.
For the flowers have their angels, even the words of God's creation.
For the flower glorifies God and the root parries the adversary.
For there is a language of flowers.
For the flowers are peculiarly the poetry of Christ.
(CHORUS)
For I am under the same accusation with my Saviour,
For they said, he is besides himself.
For the officers of the peace are at variance with me, and the watchman smites me with his staff. For the silly fellow, silly fellow, is against me, and belongeth neither to me nor to my family.
For I am in twelve hardships, but he that was born of a virgin shall deliver me out of all.
(BASS SOLO)
For H is a spirit, and therefore he is God. For K is king, and therefore he is God. For L is love, and therefore he is God. For M is musick, and therefore he is God.
(CHORUS)
For the instruments are by their rhimes,
For the shawm rhimes are lawn fawn and the like.
For the harp rhimes are sing ring and the like.
For the cymbal rhimes are bell well and the like.
For the flute rhimes are tooth youth and the like.
For the bassoon rhimes are pass class and the like.
For the dulcimer rhimes are grace place and the like. For the clarinet rhimes are clean seen and the like.
For the trumpet rhimes are sound bound and the like. For the trumpet of God is a blessed intelligence and so are all the instruments in Heav'n.
For God the Father Almighty plays upon the harp of stupendous magnitude and melody.
For at that time malignity ceases and the devils themselves are at peace.
For this time is perceptible to man by a remarkable stillness and serenity of soul.
Hallelujah for the heart of God, and from the hand of the artist inimitable, and from the echo of the heavenly harp in sweetness magnifical and mighty.
Noel Ancell OAM
Noel Ancell has had a long career as conductor, teacher, administrator, musicologist, organist and composer but now, largely retired from the first three activities, he finds himself concentrating on composition. He remains Artistic Director of the National Youth Choir of Australia (NYCA). Previously, he was for 35 years Artistic Director of the Australian Boys Choral Institute, conducting the Australian Boys Choir, the Kelly Gang (teenagers) and The Vocal Consort (adults). His voice studio has produced a number of successful professional singers as well as enthusiastic amateurs. His involvement in church music began as a boy and continued in such positions as Director of Music at St Mary’s Cathedral, Hobart. He was President of the Australian National Choral Association and has conducted as a guest at international festivals including World Alliance Festivals of Singing in the USA and Prague. He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2009 for service to choral music.
John O’Donnell
Monash University Organist, Founder/Director of Ensemble Gombert, and Director of Music at All Saints’, East St Kilda—was born in Sydney and educated at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where he was appointed Lecturer in Academic Studies at the age of eighteen. In 1974 he was appointed Senior Lecturer in Music at the Victorian College of the Arts, where he subsequently served a term as Dean. In 1990 he was appointed Senior Lecturer in Musicology at the University of Melbourne. In 1995 he became a freelance performer, combining this with the position of Choir Director at Ormond College from 2007 to 2010.
He performs regularly as conductor, organist, harpsichordist and pianist and is also active in music research and editing. He has undertaken 21 concert tours of Europe and 12 of North America, principally as organist and choral conductor. He is the first person ever to perform Bach’s complete keyboard works (organ and harpsichord) in public, a total of 29 recitals in all. His recordings of the complete keyboard works of Johann Caspar Kerll (which he had previously edited for the Viennese publisher Doblinger) and organ works of Bach have met with international acclaim, an album of the latter named “Best Recording of the Year” (2000) in the London International Record Review. During 2009 he conducted a highly-acclaimed season of Handel’s opera Xerxes with Victorian Opera, for which he was nominated for a Green Room Award, and in 2014 he directed four performances of the oldest extant opera, Peri’s Euridice, newly edited from the original print, at the Woodend Winter Arts Festival.
Fiore Chamber
Fiore Chamber is a newly formed choral quartet based in Melbourne, Australia. Dynamic, polished, sparkling and cheeky; they bring the full vibrancy of choral repertoire to audiences Australia-wide and have quickly established themselves as one of the most promising vocal ensembles since their formation in 2022.
Featuring four of Melbourne’s biggest choir obsessives: Monika Harris (Soprano), Alex Ritter (Countertenor), Anish Nair (Tenor), and Lachlan McDonald (Baritone). These performers know each other’s voices intimately through decades of combined experience singing with each other (inlcuding several seasons in the National Youth Choir of Australia!) and strive to delight audiences with polished performances of pristine polyphony.
Since their formation, Fiore have toured Victoria extensively, headlined the 2023 Fairfield in Feb Festival with the City of Yarra, had multiple performances broadcast through 3MBS, performed as Bach soloists with the Australian Boys Choir, and have commissioned over 12 works from 10 Australian composers.