This page intentionally left blank to represent front cover of program.

This page intentionally left blank
to represent front cover of program.

Emory University Department of Music
presents
Waiting on the Lord
A Master of Music Recital
in Partial Fulfillment for the Degree Master of Music
Emory University Mastersingers
Russell Hallman, conductor
with
Rob Lynch, piano
EMERson concERt HALL
scHwARtz cEntER FoR PERFoRMing ARts
sUnDAy, FEbRUARy 19, 2012, 5:00 P.M.
Program
Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir, bwV 131 Johann sebastian bach
(1685–1750)
soloists: Kristen wiram, soprano; natalie weiss, alto;
tyrone webb, tenor; Joel thompson, bass
orchestra
Songs of Anguish
Sehnsucht Johannes brahms
(1833–1897)
I Love My Love gustav Holst
(1874–1934)
Great God of Love Robert Lucas Pearsall
(1795–1856)
Songs of Praise
Rytmus ivan Hrušovský
(1927–2001)
I Believe in the Sun Jonathan Adams
(b. 1962)

Songs of Prayer
Rest Ralph Vaughan williams
(1872–1958)
Opferlied, op. 121b Ludwig van beethoven
(1770–1827)
Madhura Hallman, soprano
“Lux Aeterna” from Nimrod Variations Edward Elgar
(1857–1934)
(arr. John cameron)
Songs of Hope
At the Round Earth’s Imagined Corners williametta spencer
(b. 1932)
“in Remembrance” from Requiem Eleanor Daley
(b. 1955)
City Called Heaven arr. Josephine Poelinitz
chonise thomas, soprano
Program Notes
M usic possesses a power of expression that runs deeper than the
word alone. tonight we celebrate that power, particularly the
ability of choral music to capture and communicate the meanings of the
soul. the psalmist writes, “i wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait . . . ”
(Psalm 130:5). what does it mean to wait on the Lord? in a frantic culture
of light-speed business and information at our fingertips, it is a bizarre
and counterintuitive instruction. tonight we slow down and listen to the
glorious melodies that will provide deeper insight into this mystery. this
recital is a secular program exploring the sacred theme of waiting on the
Lord through the majesty of choral music.
Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir is one of Johann sebastian bach’s
earliest cantatas, composed soon after arriving in Mühlhausen in June
1707. Just prior to bach’s appointment, a fire destroyed a large part of the
city. this work was likely written for st. Mary’s church to commemorate
the tragedy. the text was chosen by g. c. Eilmar, who commissioned
the work and served as pastor of the church. bach combines the texts of
Martin Luther’s translation of Psalm 130 with the chorale Herr Jesu Christ,
du höchstes Gut from german hymn writer bartholomäus Ringwaldt.
the Adagio section begins with a call-and-response duet between the
violin and oboe followed by laments from the chorus. the vocal laments
morph into pleas starting at the Vivace section with cries of “Lord, hear
my voice.” Already at age twenty-two, bach demonstrates his skill at

harmony and contrapuntal writing. the following Andante movement
for bass and soprano soloists starts with the bass, whose short phrases
become progressively longer and increasingly melismatic in declaring fear
of the Lord’s judgement. simultaneously, the soprano sings contrasting,
sustained lines that cry out for mercy and redemption. this recital draws
its title from the third movement and center section, which begins with
choral, homophonic cries of “i wait for the Lord” (Ich harre des Herrn).
this is followed by a tender, slow fugue on the text “my soul waits, and in
his word do i hope.” throughout the fugue, the oboe and violin enjoy a call
and response duet while the voices support with long, lyrical descending
phrases. the movement ends with a hopeful g major chord which
contrasts with the initial g minor from the first and second movements.
the fourth movement follows the same pattern of the second—the tenor
sings the more demanding vocal line while the alto enunciates the words of
redemption in legato phrases above. bach often has the voices cross in this
section to signify how these messages are intertwined—that waiting on the
Lord is a process of redemption. the homophonic final section declares
god’s grace towards israel, but then ushers in a sprightly fugue that states
and restates the coming of israel’s redemption from Him. this last section
is the more demanding and melismatic of the two fugues, but like the third
movement, ends on the hopeful g major chord.
Songs of Anguish
waiting is often considered painful. it can be merely an irritation or a
soul-wrenching ache. Many composers created their best-known works
while in a state of depression or hurt. Music often reveals the veiled beauty
within such trying circumstances.
Johannes brahms, considered one of the greatest choral composers, sets
Franz Kugler’s poem, Sehnsucht or “longing,” during the latter part of his
compositional period. the accompaniment sets the mood by expressing
emotional turmoil in the triplets against quadruplets and depicts longing
“running like water” via ascending and descending arpeggios. the vocal
lines sigh with lyricism, burdened with pain in their chromaticism and
delayed harmonic resolutions.
gustav Holst’s I Love My Love is an a cappella arrangement of a cornish
folk song that hails from cornwall, from which come the legends of King
Arthur and tristan and isolde. I Love My Love tells of a woman placed
in an insane asylum where she waits for her lover who eventually returns
from sea to rescue her. throughout the song’s six verses, Holst weaves the
melody through different voice parts to illustrate different characters. the
remaining voice parts accompany the melody via siren-like calls from the
women and sustained chords in the lower voices.
4

Robert Lucas Pearsall is best known for helping revive Renaissance
music in nineteenth-century England. combining his german training
with his study of sixteenth-century madrigals, Pearsall fully emulates the
Elizabethan style while pushing beyond the harmonic conventions from
the past. A misleading title, Great God of Love is a plea to cupid to “bend
his bow” at Amarillis that she might feel the same ardent fervor of her
lover whose heart wastes away waiting from unrequited love. Pearsall’s
eight-part setting provides a rich, polyphonic texture through which he
threads several harmonic suspensions to paint the lover’s pain.
Songs of Praise
Due often to anguish, praise is difficult while waiting, yet the psalmist
certainly offers his share. However, there are seasons of joyful anticipation—
the season of Advent or the engagement period before a wedding. whether
a resounding “gloria” or a coronation anthem, choral music is unmatched
in lavishing praise and is often used by composers for that end.
Rytmus, translated “rhythm,” is the last of three choral etudes by
slovakian composer, ivan Hrušovský. this piece provides a choral
obstacle course both rhythmically and harmonically. the text, written by
the composer, proclaims praise to Eve—“the queen of all nobleness”—and
facilitates the rapid-fire outbursts from the chorus. the meter changes,
sudden dynamic shifts, and final choral shouts all contribute to the
rapturous energy of the work.
Dedicated to the victims of hurricane Katrina, Jonathan Adams’s
I Believe in the Sun addresses the darker side of praise: when god is
missing. the anonymous text was found scratched into a basement wall by
someone hiding from the gestapo. it consists of three iterations: i believe
in the sun; i believe in love; i believe in god. Adams depicts the simplicity
of these statements with stepwise melodies and close, clustered harmonies.
Songs of Prayer
Prayer sustains communion with the Divine. without that fellowship,
waiting loses its purpose and becomes meaningless. Music, often a form of
prayer, communicates longings and feelings too deep for words.
Ralph Vaughan williams composed Rest in 1902 with regard to the
popularity of part songs and madrigals. the text, a poem by christina
Rossetti, is a prayer for the Earth to closely cover a deceased woman
until the morning of Eternity where she will sleep no longer. williams sets
the poem for a cappella choir and in a five-part homophonic texture to
enrich the harmony and to ease comprehension. He ends the work with a
triumphant E major chord as she wakes to Eternity.
bridging the classical and the Romantic musical periods, Ludwig van
beethoven remains one of the greatest composers of all time. one of his
5

favorite texts was Friedrich von Matthisson’s Opferlied, which beethoven
set four times during his life. this version, written in 1824, is the last of
the settings. the text involves a young man offering sacrifice to zeus and
asking for beauty and goodness now and for his aging years. scholars have
questioned beethoven’s obsession with this text, and “it seems always to
have presented itself to him as a prayer.” beethoven elaborates on the
lovely, lyrical melody in the second verse with swift dynamic changes in
the accompaniment.
it was not until sir Edward Elgar reached his forties that he achieved
great fame as a musician in England. He was knighted in 1904 and received
other such honors during the next three decades. Lux Aeterna, arranged
by John cameron, is derived from one of Elgar’s most celebrated works,
Nimrod from his Enigma Variations. the text is from the communion
portion of the Requiem Mass praying for eternal light to shine on the
deceased and that they may find eternal rest in the Lord. cameron’s eightpart
setting captures the rich orchestration of Elgar’s original composition.
Songs of Hope
At the heart of waiting is hope. whether it is a paycheck, promotion,
victory, adventure, or rest, hope is a great motivator. in terms of waiting
on the Lord, hope refers to a journey beyond our three score years and ten
and a coming world that agrees with our sense of what should be.
williametta spencer’s At the Round Earth’s Imagined Corners won
the 1968 composition competition of the southern california Vocal
Association. A setting of John Donne’s Holy Sonnet VII, the text refers
to the last trumpet of Revelation and the resurrection of souls. However,
Donne realized that god should let those souls rest until he works out his
own sinful situation. thus, he prays for delaying god’s Judgement Day
in hope that his soul by then might be spared. spencer paints these shifts
of thought through alternating meters and abrupt dynamic changes that
capture both the angelic call-to-arms and Donne’s humble supplication.
one of Eleanor Daley’s most well-known works is her Requiem from
which In Remembrance is drawn. the anonymous poem Do Not Stand
at My Grave and Weep describes the continuation of life into all things.
it provides hope that death claims no finality but is only a transfiguration
from one state to the next. Daley captures this state through the harmonic
language—primarily modulating between major sonorities.
the program closes with Josephine Poelinitz’s arrangement of City
Called Heaven. Here, Poelinitz salutes the American gospel heritage evident
in the vocal spacing and piano accompaniment. while the soloist laments
about life’s troubles, the chorus and piano accompany with short, sighing
pulses. these aspects in the context of the F minor sonority create a weary
hopelessness overcome only by the hope to “make heaven my home.”
6

Russell Hallman
Russell Hallman is a master of music candidate studying choral
conducting with Eric nelson and voice with bradley Howard.
in 2009, he graduated from georgia state University with a degree in
vocal performance from the studio of sharon stephenson. He has lived in
Atlanta since 2001 and he has performed with the esteemed Atlanta opera
chorus; georgia tech’s sympathetic Vibrations, glee club, and chamber
choir; the georgia state University chorus; the Atlanta sacred chorale;
and the Like the Dickens carolers. since its formation in 2009, Hallman
has served as associate music director of the children’s Healthcare of
Atlanta volunteer choir. He has sung with many churches in the Atlanta
area and currently serves at Morningside baptist church.
Emory University Mastersingers
Soprano alto tenor BaSS
Meg granum Hannah Rose blakely Jonathan Easter Roy Atwood
zoë Pollock Janice Kuo Jake Light Andrew bolden
Meredith sharps Laurie Ann taylor tyrone webb Rob Lynch
chonise thomas Hannah teetor c. J. shepard brad schultz
Kristen wiram natalie weiss Joel thompson
Orchestra
Rebecca collins, oboe; Domenic salerni, violin; yinzi Kong, viola;
Margaret granum, viola; guang wang, cello; Rob Lynch, harpsichord
Arts at Emory Box Office/Audience Information
404.727.5050 • arts.emory.edu
the department of music gratefully acknowledges the generous gift of musical instruments
provided by the Dr. b. woodfin cobbs Jr. Music Endowment.
the cough drops in the lobby are courtesy of Margery and Robert McKay.
in consideration for other members of the audience, please turn off all pagers and phones.
Photographs and recordings may not be made during a performance without advance permission.
Ushers are members of Music at Emory Volunteers; Alpha Phi omega, a national service and
social fraternity; and tri-M Music Honor society at Lakeside High school. call 404.727.6640 for
information about ushering.
cover photography credits: (a) Vega String Quartet, photo by
Ann borden; (B) Sachal Vasandani, jazz vocalist, photo courtesy
E
A B
of Unlimited Myles inc.; (C) Dane Philipsen, oboe, photo by
Mike Muszynski; (D) Barenaked Voices 2011 A Cappella Concert,
C photo by tom brodnax; (E) Matt Haimovitz, cello, photo by
steph MacKinnon; (F) Jazz on the Green, photo by gary Motley
F
D Frequently updated event and program information available
online at arts.emory.edu.
facebook.com/emoryarts
twitter.com/emoryarts
Music at emory
7