Program Notes

Written by Lydia Reifsnyder

Gloria in Memoriam George Walker

Gloria in excelsis Deo

Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis

Laudamus te

Benedicimus te

Adoramus te

Glorificamus te

Gratias agimus tibi propter magnum gloriam tuam

Domini Deus

Rex celestis

Deus Pater omnipotens

Domine Fili unigenite Christe

Domine Deus

Agnus Dei Fili Patris

Qui tollis peccata mundi

Agnus Dei miserere nobis suscipe deprecationem nostram

Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris miserere nobis

Quoniam Tu solus sanctus

Dominus Tu solus Altissimus

Jesus Christe Sancto in Gloria Dei Patris

Alleluja

Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth to all men of good will

We praise you

We bless you

We adore you

We glorify you

We thank you for your great glory

Lord God king of the heavens

God almighty Father

Lord begotten son Christ

Lord God

Lamb of God son of the Father take all sins from the world

Lamb of God have mercy on us receive our invocation

You who are seated at the right of the Father have mercy on us

Because only You are Holy

Only You are Highest

Jesus Christ in the glory of God the Father

Alleluja

George Walker was born in 1922 in Washington, D.C. Walker was a gifted musician even from an early age, being accepted into Oberlin College, Ohio, by the age of 16 because of his musical talents, receiving further education at the Curtis Institute of Music. He studied under various famous musicians of the 20th century, such as Samuel Barber, Rudolf Serkin, and Nadia Boulanger. Walker was the first Black composer to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1996, specifically for his orchestral/vocal work, Lilacs. Walker’s style of composition is very much of the experimental and atonal era of the mid-20th century combined with the melodies and texts of African American spirituals.

Gloria in memoriam, written in 1963, is a prime example of Walker’s talents as a composer. Written for Treble voices and includes three soloists and Organ, though the accompaniment is minimal at best. It has its SSA parts weaving in and out between being three distinctive sections and one cohesive choir, starting and ending in octave unisons. Very few recordings of this piece are available online.

Oh, How Can I Keep From Singing?

My life flows on in endless song above earth’s lamentation. I hear the real tho’ far off hymn that hails a new creation.

No storm can shake my inmost calm, I hear the music ringing; It sounds and echoes in my soul, Oh, how can I keep from singing?

What tho’ the tempest ‘round me roars, I know the truth, it liveth!

What tho’ the darkness ‘round me falls, Songs in the night, it giveth.

No storm can shake my inmost calm, I hear the music ringing; Since love is Lord of heav’n and earth, Oh, how can I keep from singing?

Robert A. Harris

Robert A. Harris was born in 1938 in Detroit, Michigan. He is a conductor, choral clinician and adjudicator who has written music for various schools and church organizations. Harris has taught at multiple universities, most notably serving as the Director of Choral Organizations and Professor of Conducting at Northwestern University for 35 years before stepping down in 2012. In his free time, he gives master classes about conducting globally, such as in South Africa and the Republic of China.

Oh, How Can I Keep From Singing? was written for the Area High School Concert Chorale from Williamsport, PA in 1988. It is an acapella piece for SATB choir based on a traditional folk hymn from an anonymous writer. Like the text “My life flows on in endless song…,” Harris writes as if each part is a current in a river, flowing on top of each other until they collide in unison for “No storm…” The question of whether or not we can keep on singing is reflected in the piece’s minor key. However, at the very end, Oh, How resolves not only on a Picardy Third, resulting in it ending on the relative major key, but also contextually, affirming that despite any potential struggles coming our way that we can keep singing.

Psalm 1

Nathan Carter

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly. Nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But his delight is in the light of the Lord; And in his law doth he meditate day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

The ungodly are not so; but are like the chaff which the wind driveth a way. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

For the Lord knows the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly.

Nathan Carter was born in 1936 in Selma, Alabama. He primarily spent his career as the music director of the Morgan State University Choir; in his 34-year tenure, the choir would perform all across the United States and expand outwards into European, Asian, and African countries. Carter would frequently guest conduct and lecture at various colleges and universities in the United States within his spare time.

The text for this piece comes from the New King James edition of Psalm 1. It is more harmonically clear than the previous piece, choosing to go with a pleasant piano accompaniment underneath a SATB choir sound. One of its more interesting features is how there is almost always a textual duet between two parts, where they will sing the same words in harmony. The piece delivers an uplifting tone that matches its calm and straightforward text.

Deep River Moses Hogan

Deep river, my home is over Jordan. Deep river, Lord, I want to cross over into campground.

O don’t you want to go to that Gospel feast? That promise land where all is peace?

Moses Hogan was born in 1957 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is most known for his over 80+ spiritual settings, serving as an editor of the Oxford Book of Spirituals, which was released a year before Hogan’s death. Hogan also founded and conducted the Moses Hogan Chorale and the Moses Hogan Singers in 1993 and 1997, respectively. Both groups have released albums and gained notoriety for their touring throughout the late 90’s and early 00’s.

The origin of Deep River’s text is relatively unknown, first appearing in “The Story of the Jubilee Singers: With Their Songs,” a multi-volume series about the history of the Fisk University Jubilee Singers. Today, it is recognized as being one of best known and most beloved spirituals. Hogan’s arrangement is harmonically dense, but feels lush to the ears. The piece is relatively soft in tone throughout, until it reaches a gorgeous eight-part split on the word “promise,” signifying the hopefulness of reaching across the Jordan to freedom.