The ‘Vocalstration’ of my choral works, especially the Te Deum (2010-11)
A Little on the Te Deum The Te Deum is part of the office on Morning Prayer in the Anglican Church, derived post- reformation from the earlier Catholic service on Matins. Various canticles (songs) and other liturgical texts are used, but the most prominent are the Te Deum and Jubilate . The Morning Service was once one of the most important choral services in the Anglican Church, but (for various reasons) it is now only celebrated in full-choral services in a handful of cathedrals and churches. Both the Te Deum and the Jubilate have lives outside the Morning Service – the jubilant text of the Jubilate (Psalm 100) means it works as a church anthem or sacred setting – the Te Deum with it’s long hymn of praise is often reserved for ceremonial and important services and state occasions (such as William Walton’s Coronation Te Deum ). My setting of the Morning Service was commissioned by the Dean and Chapter of St Paul’s Cathedral, London for their female voice choir, Aurora Nova. The first performance of the Te Deum was given on the 02 January 2011 at St Paul’s Cathedral, the first performance of the Jubilate was given on the 22 April 2012 in the same venue. I arranged the two pieces for SATB choir in 2011 and they were recorded by the Choir of Selwyn College, Cambridge on the 13 January 2013.
Te Deum The Te Deum (also known as the Ambrosian Hymn) is an early Christian hymn of praise. The title is taken from its opening Latin words, Te Deum laudamus , rendered as ‘We praise thee, O God’. The hymn remains in regular use in the Catholic Church in the Office of Readings found in the Liturgy of the Hours, and in thanksgiving to God for a special blessing such as the election of a pope, the consecration of a bishop, the canonization of a saint, a religious profession, the publication of a treaty of peace, a royal coronation, etc. It is sung either after Mass or the Divine Office or as a separate religious ceremony. The hymn also remains in use in the Anglican Communion and some Lutheran Churches in similar settings. Authorship is traditionally ascribed to Saints Ambrose and Augustine, on the occasion of the latter's baptism by the former in AD 387. The petitions at the end of the hymn (beginning Salvum fac populum tuum ) are a selection of verses from the book of Psalms, appended subsequently to the original hymn. The hymn follows the outline of the Apostles' Creed, mixing a poetic vision of the heavenly liturgy with its declaration of faith. Calling on the name of God immediately, the hymn proceeds to name all those who praise and venerate God, from the hierarchy of heavenly creatures to those Christian faithful already in heaven to the Church spread throughout the world. The hymn then returns to its credal formula, naming Christ and recalling his birth, suffering and death, his resurrection and glorification. At this point the hymn turns to the subjects declaiming the praise, both the universal Church and the singer in particular, asking for mercy on past sins, protection from future sin, and the hoped-for reunification with the elect. It’s long. Unwieldy. And dull. It’s a composer’s worst nightmare.
Te Deum - Text We praise thee, O God : we acknowledge thee to be the Lord. All the earth doth worship thee : the Father everlasting. To thee all Angels cry aloud : the Heavens, and all the Powers therein. To thee Cherubim and Seraphim : continually do cry, Holy, Holy, Holy : Lord God of hosts; Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty : of thy glory. The glorious company of the Apostles : praise thee. The goodly fellowship of the Prophets : praise thee. The noble army of Martyrs : praise thee. The holy Church throughout all the world : doth acknowledge thee; The Father : of an infinite Majesty; Thine honourable, true : and only Son; Also the Holy Ghost : the Comforter. Thou art the King of Glory : O Christ. Thou art the everlasting Son : of the Father. When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man : thou didst not abhor the Virgin's womb. When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death : thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers. Thou sittest at the right hand of God : in the glory of the Father. We believe that thou shalt come : to be our Judge. We therefore pray thee, help thy servants : whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood. Make them to be numbered with thy Saints : in glory everlasting. O Lord, save thy people : and bless thine heritage. Govern them : and lift them up for ever. Day by day : we magnify thee; And we worship thy Name : ever world without end. Vouchsafe, O Lord : to keep us this day without sin. O Lord, have mercy upon us : have mercy upon us. O Lord, let thy mercy lighten upon us : as our trust is in thee. O Lord, in thee have I trusted : let me never be confounded. Book of Common Prayer
On writing a Te Deum... A hugely difficult text to set, to try and convey all that information in a way that is easily understandable, audible and interesting to both worshipper and listener. The commission had some added intricacies – it had to be performable on one 30 minute rehearsal (admittedly, the choir were of the highest standard – many sung regularly with The Sixteen, BBC Singers etc). What to do first? Where to go? I know...I’ll write a blog...canvas opinion: http://www.phillipcooke.com/on-writing-a-te-deum/ Settings of the Te Deum seem to fit into two camps – the liturgical settings (Purcell, Handel, Howells, Britten etc); and the concert settings (Verdi, Bruckner, Rutter, Pärt, Penderecki etc). Britten, Festival Te Deum (1944): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyIRqroOZR0 Penderecki, Te Deum (1980): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sCAQH3kQLY Walton, Coronation Te Deum (1953): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_lfKdAHgGw Worry about the old adage – ‘More tedium than Te Deum ’... How to write the best piece utilising such little rehearsal time?
Formal Scheme of Te Deum We praise thee, O God : we acknowledge thee to be the Lord. All the earth doth worship thee : the Father everlasting. To thee all Angels cry aloud : the Heavens, and all the Powers therein. To thee Cherubim and Seraphim : continually do cry, Holy, Holy, Holy : Lord God of hosts; Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty : A of thy glory. The glorious company of the Apostles : praise thee. The goodly fellowship of the Prophets : praise thee. B The noble army of Martyrs : praise thee. The holy Church throughout all the world : C doth acknowledge thee; The Father : of an infinite Majesty; Thine honourable, true : and only Son; D Also the Holy Ghost : the Comforter. E Thou art the King of Glory : O Christ. Thou art the everlasting Son : of the Father. When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man : F thou didst not abhor the Virgin's womb. When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death : thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers. Thou sittest at the right hand of God : in the glory of the Father. We believe that thou shalt come : to be our Judge. We therefore pray thee, help thy servants : whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood. Make them to be numbered with thy Saints : in glory everlasting. O Lord, save thy people : and bless thine heritage. Govern them : and lift them up for ever. Day by day : we magnify thee; And we worship thy Name : ever world without end. Vouchsafe, O Lord : to keep us this day without sin. O Lord, have mercy upon us : have mercy upon us. O Lord, let thy mercy lighten upon us : as our trust is in thee. O Lord, in thee have I trusted : let me never be confounded. Repetition!!!
Harmonic Design The main underpinning harmonic material is based on this scale, basically a Lydian mode with an added flattened seventh – much favoured by the composer Herbert Howells (1892 – 1983). I also used this scale in The Hazel Wood (2012) and some satellite works. Te Deum , bars 1-5, soprano
It occurs throughout, much like a tonic key in a traditional tonal work. Te Deum , bars 111 – 116, Tenor solo Te Deum , bars 140 – 143, full choir and organ
Closely related ‘key’ areas Rather than move to direct transpositions of the scale or mode, closely related ‘key’ areas are derived from the initial scale: G minor (#6): Te Deum , bars 16 – 19, full choir B minor: Te Deum , bars 33 – 35, full choir
A ‘key’ change The very middle of the work (section F) moves to a modal C# Minor. This is for necessary harmonic contrast, but is also the most reflective moment of the piece, both in terms of the text (‘When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death’), and the musical material. Although awash with added notes, it is a simple harmonic progression of i – iv – v – VII. VII then moves by semi-tone to C major for the next section.
Harmonic ‘shifts’ A harmonic device that I use in many pieces is the idea of harmonic ‘shifts’, i.e. using a particular note as a pivot to move to a different key area that shares that particular note. This is somewhat related to the idea of a pivot chord in a traditional tonal modulation (i.e. a chord that is common in both the home key and the key to modulate to) and is a way of moving tonality without adhering to the traditional tonic/dominant hierarchy. Te Deum , bars 45-48, full choir and organ
The Hazel Wood , bars 91-94, brass and organ
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