Download Program Notes Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal

Program Notes
Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal
The tune and lyrics of “Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal” appeared in William Hauser’s 1878 shape note book Olive
Leaf. Alice Parker, known for her many choral arrangements with Robert Shaw and for her New England choral
group Melodious Accord, arranged this hymn for mixed chorus. This arrangement has become a staple in the
choral repertoire.
Non nobis Domine
“Non nobis” is a short Latin hymn used as a prayer of thanksgiving and expression of humility. The Latin text
derives from Psalm 115:1. According to legend, Henry V ordered it to be recited, along with the Te Deum, in
thanksgiving for the English victory at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. The choral arrangement of the hymn we
will sing was featured in the 1989 film Henry V, starring Kenneth Branagh.
Zadok the Priest
George Frideric Handel composed “Zadok the Priest” in 1727 for the coronation of King George II. The text is
adapted from 1 Kings 1:38-40, words that have been used at every English coronation since 973. Handel’s setting
of this text must have pleased the King, because it has been used in every English coronation since 1727.
Bogorodĩtse Dẽvo, Op. 37, No. 6
Sergei Rachmaninoff composed All Night Vigil, a set of fifteen a cappella choral pieces based on texts from the
Russian Orthodox All-night vigil ceremony, during a two-week period in 1915. Regarded by many as the
composer’s finest achievement, the Pittsburgh Concert Chorale performed this monumental work in March 2012.
Bogorodĩtse Dẽvo, a hymn to the Virgin, is the sixth piece in the set and the best-known portion of the work.
How Can I Keep from Singing?
“How Can I Keep from Singing” is often cited as a Quaker hymn. In fact, the cover of the choral arrangement
that we are performing says: “How Can I Keep from Singing? Quaker Hymn.” This apparently is not the case.
The tune was written by Robert Wadsworth Lowry, an American Baptist minister. Authorship of the lyrics is
disputed. The words first appeared on August 7, 1868, in The New York Observer and were attributed to Pauline
T. Other sources cite Lowry as the author of both music and lyrics. Still others claim Anna Bartlett Warner, who
had written words for some of Lowry’s other hymns, as the author. Folk singer Pete Seeger learned the song
from Doris Plenn, a family friend who had learned it from her grandmother, a North Carolina Quaker. He
recorded the song, changing the lyrics and adding a verse written by Plenn. The arrangement we are performing
uses the original text in a lush a cappella setting by Connecticut conductor Edward Tyler.
The Battle of Jericho
American composer Moses Hogan is probably best known for his arrangements of African-American spirituals.
Made popular by his Moses Hogan Chorale, his spiritual arrangements are performed worldwide by high school,
college, church, community, and professional choirs. Published in 1996, “The Battle of Jericho” has become a
choral classic. The tenor and bass begin a driving rhythm that recurs throughout the piece as the syncopated
melody unfolds in the soprano and alto. The piece builds to a climactic finish.
Won’t You Be My Neighbor and It’s You I Like
Fred McFeely Rogers was a true Renaissance man – educator, ordained Presbyterian minister, songwriter, and
television personality. He is best known and loved as the creator, executive producer and host of Mister Rogers’
Neighborhood, which ran on PBS from 1968-2001 for a total of 895 episodes. He composed all the music for the
series. “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” was the theme song for the program. “It’s You I Like” is a classic example
of the positive, nurturing, loving nature of the series and its creator. These choral arrangements of Fred Rogers’
music are by Pittsburgh’s own legendary choral conductor Robert Page. The arrangements were commissioned
by the PCC and conductor Kate Mueller for the 2008 Pops Concert, “Pittsburgh on Parade.” They are now
published by Hal Leonard Corporation.
Take Me Out to the Ballgame
This unofficial anthem of baseball was written in 1908 by two men who, ironically, had never attended a baseball
game. The first recording of the song was named by the Library of Congress in 2010 to the National Recording
Registry, which recognizes recordings that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The
arrangement that you will hear is for barbershop chorus. Barbershop singing originated in the United States
during the latter half of the 19th century, when barbershops served as a community gathering place for men. It
began in the African-American community, where men waiting for a haircut would harmonize to folk songs,
spirituals, and popular songs. This developed into the four-part, close-harmony, unaccompanied singing that is
the hallmark of barbershop quartet music.
The Phantom of the Opera Medley
On February 11, 2012, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera became the first Broadway musical
in history to surpass 10,000 performances. It opened on Broadway at the Majestic Theatre on January 26, 1988
and is still running. Two years earlier it opened in London’s West End and is the second-longest running West
End musical in history, behind Les Miserables. The medley we will perform includes “The Phantom of the
Opera,” “Think of Me,” “Angel of Music,” “All I Ask of You,” “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again,” and
“The Point of No Return.”
Defying Gravity
Wicked opened on October 30, 2003 at the Gershwin Theatre and is still telling the story of the Wicked Witch of
the West eight times each week. One of the highlights of this wildly successful production comes at the end of
the first act, when the green-faced Elphaba soars over the stage singing “Defying Gravity.” Although no one will
fly during our performance, we hope that your spirits will soar.
Sure on This Shining Night
Morten Lauridsen is considered to be the most frequently-performed American choral composer. His
compositions appear on more than 200 CDs, and four of his choral works, including “Sure on This Shining Night,”
have become the all-time best selling choral pieces distributed by Theodore Presser, a company that has been in
business since 1783. Lauridsen has been on the faculty of University of Southern California since 1967, but he
spends his summers in a cabin on a remote island off the coast of Washington state, drawing inspiration from the
beauty and serenity of nature.
Shenandoah
The origin of this well-known folk song is unknown. It first appeared in print in an 1882 issue of Harper’s New
Monthly Magazine in an article entitled “Sailor Songs” by William L. Alden. Sea shanties were work songs sung
by sailors to coordinate the efforts of completing chores on board ship. It is likely that “Shenandoah” originated
with French-Canadian voyageurs, but this cannot be proven. The correct interpretation of the text is also not
clear. The Library of Congress website states, “Some believe that the song refers to the river of the same name.
Others suggest that it is of Native American origin, for it tells the tale of Sally, the daughter of the Indian Chief
Shenandoah, who is courted for seven years by a white Missouri river trader. Regardless of these textual
discrepancies, "Shenandoah" remains an American classic.” There are many choral arrangements of this folk
song, but James Erb’s setting has become one of the most popular for its beautiful harmonies and the echo effect
created in the third verse by the three-part canon in the women’s voices.
There Is Nothing Like a Dame
Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote “There Is Nothing Like a Dame” for their 1949 hit musical South Pacific. It is
sung by a group of sailors who are quick to point out that although they have lots of pleasant things in their lives,
they lack the most important of them all!
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
“Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” was a great World War II song and a major hit for the Andrews Sisters. It was
featured in the movie Buck Privates in 1941 and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song. In 1973
a Bette Midler recording of it peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. It was performed as recently
as 2010 by Katy Perry on VH1 Divas Salute The Troops.
I Love You
The great Cole Porter wrote “I Love You” in 1944 for his stage musical Mexican Hayride. Bing Crosby’s
recording in the same year made it a hit. Other versions of the song have been recorded by Frank Sinatra, Jo
Stafford, John Coltrane and Barbra Streisand. This arrangement is by the Pittsburgh Concert Chorale’s own Clark
Bedford, Chorale founder and Director Emeritus.
Best of the Beach Boys
The Beach Boys, formed in 1961, gained popularity for its close vocal harmonies and lyrics reflecting a Southern
California youth culture of cars and surfing. Brian Wilson’s growing creative ambitions later transformed them
into a more artistically innovative group that earned critical praise and influenced many later musicians. The
original members were Brian Wilson, his brothers Carl and Dennis, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine.
This core quintet, along with early member David Marks and later bandmate Bruce Johnston, were inducted into
the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 1988. The group has had thirty-six US top 40 hits (the most of any US
rock band) and fifty-six Hot 100 hits, including four number one singles. We will sing a medley of four of their
hits, “I Get Around” (1964), “In My Room” (1963), “California Girls” (1965), and “Fun, Fun, Fun” (1964).
Battle Hymn of the Republic
Julia Ward Howe wrote this poem in 1861 in response to a challenge from a friend, Rev. James Freeman Clarke.
During the Civil War, the Union soldiers sang "John Brown's Body" as an unofficial anthem. Confederate soldiers
sang it as well, but with words of their own. Clarke felt that the words should be more uplifting, so Howe wrote
what has come to be known as "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." Her poem was published in February, 1862,
in The Atlantic Monthly and, when set to the tune of "John Brown's Body," became the best-known Civil War
song of the Union Army. Probably the most frequently-performed version of "Battle Hymn" came from the pen
of composer, conductor, and educator Peter Wilhousky. His stirring arrangement serves as a fitting finale for the
Pittsburgh Concert Chorale’s 30th Anniversary Season.