7.30pm Saturday 1 April 2017 7.30pm Saturday 1 April 2017

George Dyson: George Dyson: To Julia O Praise God in His Holiness  Nebuchadnezzar 

Spring Concert

Spring Concert

Vaughan Williams: Vaughan Williams: O Taste and See Five Mystical Songs 

Scottish Charity No. SC002864

Jonathan Millican, TenorMichael Deakin, Bass 

Margaret Harvie, PianoJordan English, Organ

www.dumfrieschoralsociety.co.uk

Dumfries Choral SocietyEdward Taylor, Conductor

Programme £1.50St John’s Church, Newall Terrace, Dumfries St John’s Church, Newall Terrace, Dumfries

Programme £1.50

Honorary President: The Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry

!

The!origins!of!the!Society!can!be!traced!back!to!1863,!when!it!was!founded!as!Dumfries!and!Maxwelltown!Choral!

Society,!continuing!without!break!until!1915.!At!that!point!its!activities!appear!to!have!lapsed,!presumably!because!of!

the!First!World!War,!and,!although!a!few!minor!contributions!were!made!to!a!series!of!subscription!concerts!at!the!

Lyceum!Theatre!between!1919!and!1921,!no!formal!choral!activity!during!the!next!thirty!years!has!been!identified.!!

!

In!1943!Edward!Murray,!the!headmaster!of!St!John’s!School,!started!up!a!small!choir!which!met!on!Monday!evenings!

in!St!John’s!Church,!with!the!curate!accompanying!on!the!organ.!As!the!numbers!increased,!Murray!proposed!the!

formation!of!a!choral!society;!this!came!about,!and!the!first!concert!took!place!on!30th!March!1944,!with!Murray!

conducting!a!performance!of!Handel’s!Messiah!in!St!John’s!Church.!

!

!

!

Sopranos((

Jill!Asher!

Morag!Blair!

Melody!Campbell!

Pauline!Cathcart!

Jane!Cook!

Lesley!Creamer!

!

Pamela!Crosbie!

Janette!Davidson!

Maureen!Dawson!

Julie!Dennison!

Valerie!Fraser!

Fiona!Graham!

!

Rosie!Hancock!

Clare!Hodge!

Kate!Hunter!

Hilary!Jack!

Carina!Lamb!

Kathryn!Logan!

!

Angela!McCullough!

Jean!Mason!

Elizabeth!Meldrum!

Daveen!Morton!

Alison!Robertson!

Vera!Sutton!

!

Pam!Taylor!

Anne!Twiname!

Elise!Wardlaw!

Margaret!Young!

Altos((

Sheila!Adams!

Marilyn!Callander!

Eileen!Cowan!

Sarah!Cussons!

Christine!Dudgeon!

Jill!Hardy!

!

Faith!Hillier!

Jenny!Hope[Srobat!

Fiona!Horsburgh!

Kay!Keith!

Nan!Kellar!

Barbara!Kelly!

!

Jane!Kennedy!

Claire!McClurg!

Esther!Mackenzie!

Lizanne!MacKenzie!

Margaret!Mactaggart!

Audrey!Marshall!

!

Sheena!Meek!

Emma!Munday!

Margaret!Newlands!

Lynn!Otty!

Fiona!Power!

June!Pringle!

!

Nina!Rennie!

Nancy!Rigg!

Janet!Shankland!

Joanna!Sinclair!

Moira!Troup!

!

Tenors(!

Ann!Beaton!

Alistair!Brown!

!

Helen!Copland!

Ian!Crosbie!

!

Keith!Dennison!

Brenda!Macleod!

!

Fraser!McIntosh!

John!McMillan!

!

Mike!Stenhouse!

Basses(!

Malcolm!Budd!

Peter!Clements!

!

Geoff!Creamer!

Geoff!Davidson!

!

Douglas!Dawson!

George!Ferguson!

!

Andrew!MacKenzie!!

Brian!Power!

!

Alistair!Rigg!

Mike!Shire!

Dumfries( Choral( Society,! a! member! of!Making( Music( Scotland,! gratefully! acknowledges! the! generous! financial!assistance!and!services!given!by!the!following!Patrons!and!Friends:!!

Patrons! ! Friends!The!Duchess!of!Buccleuch!

Mrs!Margaret!Carruthers!

Mrs!Barbara!Kelly!

Miss!Gerry!Lynch,!MBE!

Mr!J!&!Dr!P!McFadden!

Mrs!Agnes!Riley!

Mrs!Jennifer!Taylor!

! Mr!&!Mrs!Peter!Boreham!

Mrs!Jessie!Carnochan!

Mrs!Nan!Kellar!

Dr!Ron!Meek!

!

Mr!Ian!P!M!Meldrum!

Mr!Hugh!Norman!

Mr!John!Walker!

Mrs!Maxine!Windsor!

!

If!you!would!like!information!about!becoming!a!Friend,!Patron,!or!Sponsor!of!Dumfries(Choral(Society,!please!contact!the!Patrons’!Secretary,!Mrs!Sheena!Meek!(07753!824073),!or!visit!the!website!at:!www.dumfrieschoralsociety.co.uk!

THE$PERFORMERS!

EDWARD&TAYLOR&(Conductor)!!Assistant!Organist!and!Youth!Choir!Director!at!Carlisle!Cathedral,!Edward!holds!a!Bachelor!of!Music!Degree!from!the!University!of!Leeds!and!is!an!Associate!of!the!Royal!College!of!Organists,!having!held!organ!scholarships!at!Portsmouth,!Wakefield,!and!Ely!Cathedrals,!and!at!Leeds!Parish!Church.!He!has!studied!the!organ!with!Nicholas!Kynaston,!David!Sanger,!Simon!Lindley!and!Henry!Fairs,!and!with!Christophe!Mantoux!at!the!Strasbourg!Conservatoire!in!France,!and!attended!masterMclasses!with!Naji!Hakim,!Thomas!Dahl,!SophieMVéronique!CaucheferMChoplin,!David!Briggs!and!Gillian!Weir.!With!a!vast!repertoire!of!works!from!the!Renaissance!to!the!21st!Century,!and!particularly!from!the!French!romantic!period,!he!leads!a!busy!freelance!career!as!a!concert!organist,!accompanist!and!chamber!musician,!travelling!extensively!in!Europe!and!North!America.!&Edward&is!also!active!as!a!choral!conductor!and!specialises!in!choral!workshops!for!children,!youth!choirs!and!'Come!and!Sing'!events!for!adult!choirs.!Music!Director!of!both!

Dumfries!Choral!Society!and!Penrith!Singers,!Edward!is!also!a!Musical!Animateur!for!the!Government's!‘Singing!Out!Project’,!in!which!he!leads!singing!in!primary!schools!throughout!Cumbria!and!hosts!choral!workshops!for!children,!working!with!over!500!children!each!year,!and!in!2009!he!coMfounded!the!Carlisle!Cathedral!Children’s!Choir,!Carlisle!Cantate.!As!a!Cathedral!musician,!Edward!plays!the!organ!for!seven!services!each!week!and!has!directed!the!Cathedral's!Youth!Choir!on!various!broadcasts,!in!numerous!concerts!throughout!Cumbria,!on!successful!tours!to!Brittany!and!Mallorca,!and!in!the!making!of!their!debut!CD!God!is!Gone!Up!with!a!Triumphant!Shout!in!collaboration!with!Borders!Brass.!!

&

MARGARET&HARVIE&(Pianist)/Margaret&was!a!pupil!of!Mary!Moore!in!Edinburgh!and!a!member!of!the!Edinburgh!University!Singers!under!the!direction!of!Herrick!Bunney.!A!wellMknown!Dumfries!musician,!she!has!been!accompanist!of!Dumfries!Male!Voice!Choir!and!is!an!official!accompanist!to!the!Dumfries!and!District!Competitive!Music!Festival.!She!is!organist!of!Irongray!Church.!As!accompanist!to!the!Dumfries!and!Galloway!Chorus!and!in!a!similar!rôle!with!the!former!Dumfries!and!Galloway!Arts!Festival!Chorus,!Margaret!has!worked,!to!acclaim,!with!internationally!known!conductors!including!Christopher!Seaman,!Philip!Ledger,!Owain!Arwel!Hughes,!Takua!Yuasa,!and!Christopher!Bell.!In!March!1996!Margaret&was!honoured!by!Dumfries!and!Galloway!Regional!Council!with!an!Artistic!Achievement!Award!in!recognition!of!the!very!great!contribution!she!makes!to!the!artistic!life!of!our!community!as!an!accompanist,!and!in!November!2013!she!was!presented!with!a!Special!Award!commendation!for!her!services!to!music!as!a!culture!champion!nominee!at!the!

Dumfries!and!Galloway!Life!People!of!the!Year!2012!Awards.!Margaret!has!been!Dumfries!Choral!Society’s!incomparable!accompanist!since!1975.!

&

JORDAN&ENGLISH&(Organist) Jordan!began!his!musical!training!as!a!chorister!at!Carlisle!Cathedral,!where!he!took!part!in!a!live!BBC!broadcast!of!Choral!Evensong,!was!involved!in!several!CD!recordings!and!toured!to!America,!Ireland!and!Paris,!singing!in!NotreMDame!Cathedral!and!St!Sulpice.!In!2005!Jordan!began!organ!lessons!under!John!Robinson,!then!Assistant!Organist,!continuing!with!Edward!Taylor.!After!spending!three!years!as!Organ!Scholar!at!Carlisle!Cathedral,!he&began!studies!in!2011!at!the!Royal!Northern!College!of!Music!where!his!tutors!included!Jeffrey!Makinson,!Simon!Lindley!and!Thomas!Trotter.!Whilst!at!the!RNCM,!he!took!part!in!masterclasses!by!Gordon!Stewart,!Jacques!van!Oortmerssen!and!Kevin!Bowyer,!played!continuo!for!various!RNCM!events!and!frequently!returned!to!Carlisle!to!accompany!the!Cathedral’s!Youth!Choir,!including!being!the!tour!organist!for!their!tour!to!Mallorca!in!2013.!Jordan&continues!his!studies!with!a!Masters!degree.!He!is!a!member!of!the!Royal!College!of!Organists!and!is!currently!working!towards!his!Associate!diploma.!

!&

JONATHAN&MILLICAN&(Tenor) Jonathan!has!been!working!as!a!musician!in!the!North!of!England!for!over!20!years.!!He!began!his!career!as!a!chorister!of!Carlisle!Cathedral!under!Andrew!Seivewright!and!Jeremy!Suter.!Since!his!return!to!Carlisle!in!2008,!he!has!been!senior!bass!lay!clerk!at!the!Cathedral.!!He!holds!a!Master's!degree!at!Lancaster!University!for!vocal!performance!and!musicology.!!For!the!last!eight!years,!he!has!been!lecturing!at!the!University!of!Cumbria,!where!he!currently!holds!the!post!of!Senior!Lecturer!in!Singing.!He!has!performed!as!a!solo!baritone!at!various!locations!and!occasions!in!the!North,!among!them!performances!of!Samson,!Judas!Maccabaeus,!Mozart's!Requiem,!Brahms'!Requiem!and!Messiah.!!Jonathan!began!his!interest!in!directing!as!an!undergraduate!in!charge!of!the!Lancaster!University!Choir,!and!since!returning!to!Cumbria!has!directed!the!Solway!Singers,!

THE$PERFORMERS!

the!Gretna!Choral!Society!and!the!Lanercost!Festival!Chorus.!Over!the!past!few!years!he!has!been!teaching!music!and!promoting!singing!in!Primary!and!Secondary!Schools!around!the!Carlisle!Area!and,!together!with!Edward!Taylor,!started!up!the!Carlisle!Cantate!choir.!He!succeeded!Jeremy!Suter!as!Director!of!the!Abbey!Singers!in!2013.!Jonathan!is!also!a!keen!composer.!One!of!his!most!recent!compositions,!O!Sacrum!Convivium,!was!included!on!the!recent!CD!recorded!by!Carlisle!Cathedral!Choir.!His!mission!has!always!been!to!instill!the!great!passion!for!music!he!has!always!had,!based!on!his!experience!with!many!talented!people!over!the!years.!

!&

MICHAEL&DEAKIN&(Bass)/Born!in!Dumfries,!Michael!moved!to!Carlisle!Cathedral!Choir!to!sing!under!the!direction!of!Andrew!Sievewright.!After!the!voice!breaking,!he!pursued!a!Choral!Scholarship!and!first!singing!tuition!under!the!late!Muriel!Main.!After!reading!music!at!Anglia!Polytechnic!University,!Cambridge,!Michael!subsequently!continued!his!singing!tuition!with!Nigel!Wickens.!During!this!time!he!sang!in!their!successful!chamber!choir!which!won!the!Chamber!Choir!of!the!World!competition!at!the!National!Welsh!Eistedfodd.!!Of!late,!musical!achievements!consist!of!swapping!to!sing!Countertenor!as!well!as!Bass!in!performces!of!Orff’s!Carmina!Burana!and!Vivaldi’s!Stabat!Mater!with!Kirkcudbright!Choral!Society!and!Lanercost!Festival!Chorus;!Purcell’s!Te!Deum,!Jubilate!and!Verse!Anthems!with!Kendal!South!Choir,!Pergolesi’s!Stabat!Mater!with!Dalbeattie!Choral!and!Purcell’s!Dido!and!Anaeas!with!Ensemble!Buxtehude.!!As!well!as!being!a!full!time!secondary!school!teacher!in!Cumbria,!Michael!also!conducts!Dalston!Male!Voice!Choir.!

/

/THE$PROGRAMME$

!!

O&Praise&God&in&His&Holiness& George!Dyson! Choir!

O&Taste&and&See& Vaughan!Williams! Choir!

Three&Songs&to&Julia:&1.!When!I!behold!2.!Sweet,!be!not!proud!3.!Night!piece!!&

George!Dyson! Baritone!Solo!

Five&Mystical&songs:&1.!Easter!2.!I!got!me!flowers!3.!Love!bade!me!welcome!4.!The!call!5.!Antiphon!!&

Vaughan!Williams! Choir!with!Tenor!Solo!

INTERVAL&&[20&minutes]&

Nebuchadnezzar:&&&

George!Dyson! Choir!with!Tenor!and!Bass!Solo!

/Please/note/that/the/use/of/any/form/of/unauthorised/photographic/or/recording/equipment/during/the/performance/is/expressly/forbidden./You/are/also/politely/requested/to/ensure/that/all/mobile/phones,/pagers,/watch/alarms,/etc.,/are/disabled/before/the/start/of/the/performance.! ! ! ! ! ! ! Thank!you!

NOTES&AND&TEXTS&!

George&Dyson!!(1883%1964):!“his-taste-is-never-at-fault”!George!Dyson!was!born!in!Halifax!on!28th!May!1883,!by!a!curious!coincidence!the!same!month!that!saw!the!official!opening!in!London,!by!the!Prince!of!Wales,!of!the!Royal!College!of!Music,!the!institution!with!which!Dyson!was!to!become!intimately!associated!as!student,!professor!(Vaughan!Williams!was!also!a!partItime!professor!of!composition!there!from!1919!to!1938),!and!finally!Director,!a!position!he!was!to!hold!from!1937!to!1952.!From!an!industrial!workingIclass!background!he!inherited!his!love!of!music!from!his!blacksmith!father!who!was!also!organist!and!choirmaster!at!a!local!Baptist!church,!and!by!the!age!of!16!the!young!Dyson!had!secured!a!fellowship!of!the!Royal!College!of!Organists.!He!went!on!to!win!a!scholarship!to!the!Royal!College!of!Music!in!London,!where!he!met!and!studied!with!some!of!the!leading!musicians!of!the!day,!

including!Stanford!and!Parry,!and!made!the!most!of!an!opportunity!to!travel!to!Italy!and!Germany!on!a!Mendelssohn!Scholarship.!!Like!his!near!contemporary!Gustav!Holst,!Dyson’s!true!métier!was!in!music!education,!and!over!the!course!of!his!life!he!touched!almost!every!sphere!of!musical!life!in!Britain,!helping!to!change!the!face!of!musical!performance!and!education!in!this!country.!Although!from!humble!beginnings!he!went!on!to!work!in!some!of!the!greatest!English!public!schools,!including!the!Royal!Naval!College!at!Osborne,!and!Marlborough,!Wellington,!and!Winchester!Colleges,!where!he!established!his!reputation!as!a!composer!of!orchestral!and,!most!particularly,!of!choral!works.!He!regarded!Winchester!as!his!spiritual!home,!writing!most!of!his!best!music!during!his!schoolmaster’s!position!there!from!1924!to!1937,!and!on!his!retirement!to!the!city!on!relinquishing!his!post!as!Director!of!the!RCM!in!1952!until!his!death!on!28th!September!1964.!As!a!member!of!the!BBC!Brains!Trust!panel!Dyson!also!featured!on!the!radio!for!many!years,!helping!to!educate!the!nation!through!his!regular!broadcasts.!!!Few!people!of!his!time!had!such!a!finger!on!the!pulse!of!musical!life!in!the!country:!Dyson!helped!organise!and!administer!every!kind!of!musical!enterprise,!and!was!involved!in!all!the!larger!problems!of!policy!and!patronage!that!affected!the!art!and!the!profession;!he!observed!at!first!hand!the!methods!and!results!of!the!educational!system,!and!knew!every!type!of!artist,!teacher,!and!student.!Like!Holst!he!abhorred!the!view!of!the!arts!being!considered!in!any!way!elitist,!being!convinced!they!were!“a!potential!way!of!life!for!everyone,!a!part!of!our!social!sanity!and!the!foundation!of!our!active!and!recuperative!leisure.”!He!brought!a!high!degree!of!professionalism!to!everything!he!attempted,!and!nowhere!is!this!more!bizarrely!apparent!when,!as!a!commissioned!lieutenant!in!the!Royal!Fusiliers!in!the!First!World!War,!he!became!a!specialist!in!trench!warfare,!writing!the!only!manual!on!grenade!fighting!authorized!by!the!War!Office:!a!slim!paperback!volume!designed!to!fit!the!pocket!of!a!soldier’s!uniform,!it!was!published!at!sixpence!a!copy,!and!the!sale!of!hundreds!of!thousands!of!copies!as!the!war!progressed!considerably!boosted!Dyson’s!royalties!income!!Dyson!was!knighted!for!his!services!to!music!in!1941,!made!a!KCVO!in!1953,!and!was!the!recipient!of!many!academic!awards!and!honours.!!!!O&Praise&God&in&His&Holiness&As!one!of!the!leading!figures!of!the!musical!establishment,!and!with!a!body!of!church!and!largeIscale!choral!works!behind!him,!it!was!inevitable!that!Dyson!should!have!been!commissioned!to!contribute!works!for!the!Coronations!of!both!George!VI!in!1937!and!Elizabeth!II!in!1953.!For!the!1937!service!on!12th!May!in!Westminster!Abbey!he!was!asked!for!a!setting!of!Psalm!150!to!be!sung!during!the!Homage;!in!a!break!from!precedent!it!was!decided!to!use!six!short!anthems!instead!of!a!single!one!to!cover!the!timing!of!the!ritual!act,!and!consequently!Dyson’s!setting!was!very!concise,!being!programmed!alongside!anthems!by!Tye,!Purcell,!Gibbons,!Boyce,!and!S!S!Wesley.!The!grandeur!of!

NOTES&AND&TEXTS&!

the!occasion!and!the!spacious!venue!suited!Dyson’s!ceremonial!instinct,!and!this,!linked!with!the!need!for!brevity,!resulted!in!the!creation!of!a!small!masterpiece.!After!a!dramatic!organ!introduction,!each!element!of!the!praise!being!uttered!is!alternated!between!the!women’s!and!men’s!voices,!the!only!overlapping!occurring!in!the!opening!‘O!praise!God!in!his!holiness’!and!the!concluding!‘Let!everything!that!hath!breath!praise!the!Lord’.!The!Benedicite!section!at!the!end!of!the!earlier!Nebuchadnezzar,!which!uses!a!similar!text,!was!clearly!at!the!back!of!his!mind!when!he!composed!this!work,!for!which!he!also!produced!a!version!with!orchestral!accompaniment.!!!Three&Songs&to&Julia![When&I&behold;&Sweet,&be&not&proud;&Night&piece]!Dyson’s!favourite!poet!was!the!prolific!Robert!Herrick!(1591I1674),!and!he!used!his!texts!in!several!choral!works,!including!the!third!of!the!3-Songs-of-Praise!(1935),!the!huge!Quo-Vadis!(1935I9),!A-Spring-Garland!(1957),!and!A-Christmas-Garland!(1959).!Dyson!composed!very!few!solo!songs,!but!in!1957,!when!nothing!much!else!was!occupying!his!creative!mind,!he!turned!to!Herrick!once!again!and!produced!his!Three-Songs-to-Julia!for!medium!voice,!published!three!years!later.!Amongst!Herrick’s!works!the!figure!of!‘Julia’!appears!repeatedly!–!in!more!than!70!poems!–!!but!it!apparently!remains!unclear!who!the!female!figure!was!whose!body!and!personality!inspired!such!admiration.!The!first!of!Dyson’s!three!songs!is!a!straightforward!rhapsody!in!praise!of!the!beautiful!Julia!adorned!with!nature!from!head!to!toe,!with!lyrical!vocal!phrases!set!against!continuous!piano!arpeggios.!The!second!includes!a!number!of!unusual!and!unexpected!twists,!particularly!in!the!accompaniment,!as!the!poet!entreats!his!love!not!to!be!proud!of!her!feminine!attributes!as!‘the!ruby!which!you!wear!Will!last!to!be!a!precious!stone!When!all!your!world!of!beauty’s!gone’.!The!piano!in!the!final!song!reverts!to!the!style!of!the!first,!but!also!fluctuates!to!reflect!the!changing!imagery!of!the!poem.!!!Nebuchadnezzar&Dyson’s!compositional!output!was!not!extensive!–!no!opera,!and!orchestral!music!limited!to!a!single!symphony,!concertos!for!violin!and!piano,!a!pair!of!‘concerti!grossi’,!and!a!very!few!shorter!works.!Through!his!work!in!education!he!produced!a!number!of!secular!unison!and!partIsongs,!but!it!was!in!the!realm!of!largeIscale!cantatas!for!mixed!chorus!and!orchestra!that!he!achieved!his!greatest!success.!!A!setting!of!Dunbar’s!In-Honour-of-the-City!in!1928!was!followed!two!years!later!by!his!Chaucerian!masterpiece!The-Canterbury-Pilgrims,!which!was!to!be!his!most!successful!composition!and!was!for!a!time!a!staple!of!choral!societies!across!the!land.!Thereafter!appeared!St-Paul’s-Voyage-to-Melita!(1933),!The-Blacksmiths!(1933),!Nebuchadnezzar!(1934),!the!monumental!cycle!Quo-Vadis!(1939I1948),!Sweet-Thames-Run-Softly!(1954),!Agincourt!(1955),!and!Hierusalem!(1956).!!!The!story!of!Nebuchadnezzar!and!the!three!young!Israelites!has!been!treated!by!other!British!composers!–!Stanford!in!his!now!forgotten!1885!oratorio!The-Three-Holy-Children!and!Britten!in!his!second!church!parable!The-Burning-Fiery-Furnace!(1966),!but!Dyson’s!version!is!the!most!overtly!dramatic,!undoubtedly!imbibing!some!of!the!spirit!of!William!Walton’s!Belshazzar’s-Feast!which,!dealing!with!an!incident!in!the!life!of!Nebuchadnezzar’s!son,!had!taken!the!musical!world!by!storm!at!Leeds!in!1931.!Walton!had!thrown!caution!to!the!winds!in!his!use!of!his!choral!and!huge!orchestral!forces!to!convey!what!The-Times!critic!described!as!“ecstatic!gloating!over!the!fallen!enemy,!the!utter!negation!of!Christianity”,!and!it!was!hardly!surprising!that!the!work!did!not!appear!at!the!rather!more!conservative!cathedralIbased!Three!Choirs!Festival!until!1957.!But!whereas,!with!its!theme!of!pagan!hatred,!Belshazzar’s-Feast!is!wholly!secular,!Nebuchadnezzar-reverts!to!an!earlier!oratorio!tradition!in!which!Old!Testament!subjects!are!handled!religiously.!Dyson!recognised!the!dramatic!possibilities!inherent!in!the!story!of!Nebuchadnezzar!and!the!three!Jews,!and!took!the!main!part!of!his!libretto!from!the!revised!version!of!the!third!chapter!of!the!Book-of-Daniel!to!tell!the!story!of!Shadrach,!Meshach,!Abednego!and!the!burning!fiery!furnace;!but!as!a!doxological!conclusion,!which!gives!the!work!a!spiritual!and!unifying!dimension,!he!set!the!Benedicite!(which!had!also!been!set!by!Vaughan!Williams!in!1930,!and!would!have!been!a!work!known!to!Dyson),!a!section!

NOTES&AND&TEXTS&!

of!the!Song-of-the-Three-Holy-Children!which!appears!in!some!Bible!versions!after!the!third!chapter!of!Daniel.!!In!Part&I!Nebuchadnezzar,!the!King!of!Babylon,!dictatorially!demands!that!all!his!subjects,!including!the!captive!Jews,!should,!if!fanfares!are!sounded,!worship!a!huge!golden!idol!he!has!had!erected:!anyone!disobeying!this!proclamation!will!be!cast!into!a!burning!fiery!furnace!as!punishment.!There!is!a!menacing!feel!to!the!music!which!admirably!conveys!the!sense!of!oppression!and!threat!as!the!tension!builds.!In!Part&II!three!Jews,!Shadrach,!Meshach,!and!Abednego,!are!betrayed!by!the!Chaldeans!for!refusing!to!obey!the!King’s!command,!with!scurrying!and!energetic!phrases!for!the!tenors!and!basses!as!they!ingratiate!themselves!with!the!King!through!their!accusations.!Nebuchadnezzar!declares!his!verdict!to!the!Jews!–!worship!or!suffer!the!consequences,!but!the!victims!decline!to!bend!the!knee!on!the!grounds!that!they!will!be!delivered!by!their!God.!Nebuchadnezzar’s!rising!fury!opens!Part&III,!and!as!the!inevitable!death!sentence!is!passed!and!the!fires!are!stoked,!the!intensity!of!the!drama!builds.!At!the!height!of!the!conflagration,!which!sees!many!others!apart!from!the!three!accused!consumed,!a!transformation!occurs!as!the!Angel!of!the!Lord!appears.!An!incredulous!king!enquires!how!it!is!possible!not!only!for!the!three!victims!to!have!survived,!but!also!to!have!been!joined!in!the!flames!by!a!fourth!figure,!and!in!a!complete!reversal!orders!everyone!to!worship!the!God!of!Shadrach,!Meshach,!and!Abednego!on!threat!of!the!same!punishment!that!had!accompanied!his!original!proclamation.!An!atmosphere!of!hushed!awe!following!the!horrific!but!ultimately!triumphant!events!that!have!preceded!opens!Part&IV,!but!as!the!music!accelerates!and!builds!Dyson!conflates!various!elements!of!the!long!and!repetitive!Benedicite!text!to!maintain!concisely!the!sense!of!pace!and!drama,!which!concludes!with!the!final!hammering!out!three!times!(possibly!in!respect!of!the!three!Jews)!of!the!words!“hath!he!delivered!us”.!!Nebuchadnezzar!was!the!first!of!Dyson’s!works!to!be!published!by!Novello,!and!the!production!of!the!proofs!had!provoked!an!interesting!exchange!between!the!editor!and!the!composer,!who!discovered!that!several!of!his!note!values!had!been!altered!to!conform!to!the!publisher’s!‘house!style’.!Dyson!was!most!insistent!that!his!creative!intentions!be!conveyed!as!clearly!as!possible!to!minimise!performance!uncertainty,!to!which!end!tempo!and!expression!markings!should!also!be!reproduced!in!English!rather!than!the!editor’s!preferred!Italian:!he!won!persuasively,!concluding:!“I!think!we!should!all!now!recognise!that!conventional!musical!Italian!has!become!either!trite!or!ambiguous.!It!has!no!acknowledged!interpretative!meaning.!I!do!not!use!many!expressions,!but!I!chose!them!very!carefully;!to!give!an!English!(or!cultured!foreign)!conductor!an!idea!of!the!interpretative!attitude!I!want!him!to!take.”!!Nebuchadnezzar!was!commissioned!for!the!1935!Three!Choirs!Festival,!and!was!first!performed!in!Worcester!Cathedral!on!5th!September!with!soloists!John!Kentish!(1910I2006)!and!William!Parsons;!at!the!same!festival!Vaughan!Williams!conducted!a!performance!of!his!own!oratorio!Sancta-Civitas,!composed!a!decade!earlier.!The!work!provoked!a!mixed!response,!but!perhaps!the!most!perceptive!observation!was!that!of!The-Daily-Telegraph!critic:!“Dr.!Dyson!commands!a!medium!which!is!modern!without!ostentation,!and!in!which!modern!resources!are!used!not!for!the!sake!of!display,!but!because!they!give!point!and!piquancy.!In!the!long!choral!narrative!there!is!not!a!single!instance!of!dull!or!careless!writing;!his!taste!is!never!at!fault.”!

GC!!!

NOTES&AND&TEXTS&!

Ralph&Vaughan&Williams!!(1872&1958):!“a!cheerful!agnostic”!Although!the!son!of!an!Anglican!vicar!(whose!first!appointment!as!a!curate!in!1860!was!to!the!parish!of!Bemerton,!near!Salisbury,!where!the!poetBpriest!George!Herbert!had!served!and!was!buried),!Vaughan!Williams!was!not!a!conventional!believer!–!his!wife!Ursula!Wood!wrote!in!her!biography!of!him!“he!was!an!atheist!during!his!later!years!at!Charterhouse!and!Cambridge,!though!he!later!drifted!into!a!cheerful!agnosticism:!he!was!never!a!professing!Christian.”!He!had!been!confirmed!while!at!school!at!Charterhouse,!and!in!his!early!years!he!continued!to!attend!church!fairly!regularly!but,!in!his!own!words!“so!as!not!to!upset!the!family”.!But!there!is!no!doubt!he!was!far!more!in!tune!with!the!more!physical!trappings!of!religion!–!he!loved!the!Jacobean!English!of!the!Authorized!version!of!the!Bible,!and!was!in!awe!of!the!architecture!and!interiors!of!church!buildings!and!of!the!notion!of!communal!celebration.!When!in!1904!he!was!invited!to!be!the!music!editor!of!the!new!English!Hymnal!he!

protested!that!he!knew!little!about!hymns,!but!was!persuaded!by!the!argument!that!if!he!turned!down!the!opportunity!it!would!be!offered!“to!a!wellBknown!church!musician”!!His!agnosticism!gave!him!an!objectivity!that!did!not!prevent!him!from!being!able!throughout!his!life!to!set!“words!in!the!accepted!terms!of!Christian!revelation!as!if!they!meant!to!him!what!they!must!have!meant!to!George!Herbert!or!to!Bunyan”!(Wood),!and!there!is!an!obvious!logic!in!his!own!assertion!that!“there!is!no!reason!why!an!atheist!could!not!write!a!good!Mass”!–!something!of!an!understatement!from!a!composer!whose!sublime!Mass!in!G!minor!is!one!of!the!finest!of!all!Mass!settings.!!!O&Taste&and&See&This!short!motet,!setting!the!Prayer!Book!version!of!verse!8!of!Psalm!34,!was!completed!in!December!1952!for!the!Coronation!of!Queen!Elizabeth!II!on!2nd!June!1953,!and!was!sung!during!the!moment!of!the!Queen’s!Communion.!It!opens!with!a!three!bar!introduction!on!the!organ,!falling!silent!for!the!remainder!of!the!piece,!before!a!solo!treble!intones!a!folksongBlike!tune,!reminiscent!of!the!woodcutter’s!boy’s!song!that!opens!Act!IV!of!The-Pilgrim’s-Progress,!the!opera!(or!more!correctly,!morality)!completed!by!Vaughan!Williams!for!the!Festival!of!Britain!two!years!earlier!–!interestingly!both!are!of!nine!bars!length.!The!choir!then!enters,!part!by!part;!the!solo!treble!voice!briefly!returns,!before!the!full!choir!brings!this!little!gem!to!a!hushed!close.!It!had!been!preceded!in!the!Service!by!Vaughan!Williams’!magnificent!arrangement!of!The-Old-Hundredth,!which!included!massed!trumpets!and!the!whole!congregation!joining!in!in!full!voice,!so!the!soaring!treble!solo!at!the!start!of!O-taste-and-see!after!so!much!richness!of!texture!and!grandeur!must!have!created!an!amazingly!tranquil!dramatic!effect.!!!Five&Mystical&Songs![Easter;&I&got&me&flowers;&Love&bade&me&welcome;&The&Call;&Antiphon]!Vaughan!Williams’!entire!musical!output!is!dominated!by!melody!–!it!is!impossible!to!venture!very!far!in!almost!any!single!one!of!his!works!before!encountering!a!memorable!tune,!and!nowhere!is!this!more!apparent!than!in!the!Five-Mystical-Songs.!Although!the!response!to!a!commission!for!the!1911!Three!Choirs!Festival!at!Worcester,!Vaughan!Williams!had!already!been!working!on!them!on!and!off!since!1906,!the!same!year!he!composed!the!songBcycle!On-Wenlock-Edge.!They!were!written!with!the!voice!of!baritone!James!Campbell!McInnes!(1874B1945)!in!mind:!McInnes!had!promoted!many!of!Vaughan!Williams’!early!songs,!and!premiered!the!scena!Willow&Wood!in!1903!and!A-Sea-Symphony!in!1910.!The!final!revision,!undertaken!in!1910/11,!offers!alternative!versions!for!baritone!with!optional!chorus!and!orchestra,!or!with!string!quintet!and!piano,!or!for!baritone!with!piano.!!

NOTES&AND&TEXTS&!

The!composer!was!clearly!attracted!to!the!musical!imagery!and!metrical!versatility!of!the!metaphysical!verse!of!George!Herbert!(1593B1633),!whose!English!poems,!on!religious!themes!and!characterised!by!directness!of!expression,!were!published!in!a!single!volume!in!1633!as!The-Temple.!The!balance!in!the!poems!between!faith!and!doubt,!austerity!and!tenderness!is!evoked!in!music!of!devotional!simplicity,!a!kind!of!awed!innocence!which!Vaughan!Williams!brought!to!much!of!his!Christmas!music!and!his!Bunyan!settings.!He!set!four!of!Herbert’s!poems,!dividing!the!original!Easter!into!two,!bringing!to!them!several!of!his!own!character!traits!and!an!innate!sensitivity!to!Herbert’s!rhythms!and!metaphors.!In!the!rapturous!opening!song!Easter!the!lute!and!its!music!are!used!as!a!metaphor!for!the!poet’s!emotions!at!Easter,!the!tone!of!hectic!ecstasy!expressing!his!joy!at!the!Resurrection.!The!simple!but!profound!I-got-me-flowers,!with!the!choir!humming!in!the!final!verse,!sees!the!poet!imagining!being!present!at!Christ’s!Resurrection,!the!chorus!confidently!confirming!“There!is!but!one,!and!that!one!ever”.!Love-bade-me-welcome!is!the!most!sensuously!intimate!and!ambitious!of!the!songs,!and!was!the!last!to!be!written.!The!poet!reflects!on!his!relationship!with!God!while!the!choir!hums!the!melody!of!O-sacrum-convivium,!the!plainsong!antiphon!associated!with!Maundy!Thursday!services,!which!celebrate!Christ’s!last!supper!with!his!apostles!before!his!crucifixion.!The-Call!is!for!the!soloist!alone,!Vaughan!Williams’s!use!of!a!folksongBlike!melody!and!modal!harmony!ideally!suited!to!the!appeal!“come”,!the!poet’s!call!to!God!and!God’s!call!to!the!poet.!The!exuberant!Antiphon,!which!concludes!the!work,!is!for!choir!alone!in!this!version,!a!triumphant!hymn!of!praise!with!an!accompaniment!suggestive!of!pealing!bells!and!a!repeated!refrain!of!“Let!all!the!world!in!every!corner!sing:!my!God!and!King!”!!!The-Five-Mystical-Songs!were!first!performed!in!Worcester!Cathedral!on!14th!September!1911,!with!Campbell!McInnes!as!soloist!and!the!composer!conducting.!When!he!reached!the!podium,!Vaughan!Williams!was!astonished!to!see!the!great!Fritz!Kreisler!sitting!at!the!back!desk!of!the!first!violins:!he!was!scheduled!as!the!soloist!in!Elgar’s!Violin-Concerto,!the!next!work!on!the!programme,!and!he!had!decided!to!warm!up!by!playing!along!for!the!Vaughan!Williams!piece!!The!Choral!last!gave!the!work!in!March!1986,!also!here!in!St!Johns.!

GC!!!

!

Honorary President: The Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry

!Scottish!Charity!No.!SC002864!

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!www.dumfrieschoralsociety.co.uk!

!Dumfries! Choral! Society,! a! member! of!Making! Music! Scotland,! gratefully! acknowledges! the! generous!financial!assistance!and!services!given!by!the!following!Sponsors:! !!

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Sponsors!!

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The!Society!gratefully!acknowledges!a!generous!donation!received!from!the!Buccleuch!Charitable!Trust!and!also!the!use!of!Gardenwise!Garden!Centre!as!the!venue!for!our!charity!carol!singing.!!Dumfries!Choral!Society!also!thanks:!

!! Revd!Jim!Booth,!the!Vestry!and!the!Congregation!of!St!John’s!Church!for!permitting!the!use!of!the!Church!and!other!facilities!this!evening.!

!! The!staff!of!Midsteeple!Box!Office!(Dumfries!and!Galloway!Council)!for!assistance!with!ticket!sales.! If!you!would!like!information!about!becoming!a!Friend,!Patron,!or!Sponsor!of!Dumfries!Choral!Society,!please!contact!the!Patrons’!Secretary,!Mrs!Sheena!Meek!(07753!824073),!or!visit!the!website!at:!

www.dumfrieschoralsociety.co.uk!!

Date!for!your!diary:!Our!next!Concert!is!on!Saturday!4!November!2017!at!7.30pm!

St!John’s!Church,!Newall!Terrace,!Dumfries!

!Front!cover!image!!!C!Dudgeon,!used!with!permission!

Image!of!Ralph!Vaughan!Williams!by!William!Rothenstein,!in!the!Public!Domain.!Image!of!George!Dyson!by!Anthony!Devas!(Royal!College!of!Music,!London),!used!under!Creative!Commons!licence.!