Lyrics & Program Notes
In the Dark Pine-Wood
Stephan Barnicle
In the dark pine-wood
I would we lay,
In deep cool shadow
At noon of day.
How sweet to lie there,
Sweet to kiss,
Where the great pine-forest
Enaisled is!
Thy kiss descending
Sweeter were
With a soft tumult
Of thy hair.
O unto the pine-wood
At noon of day
Come with me now,
Sweet love, away.
-- James Joyce
Composer’s Note: James Joyce had only one love in his life (other than drinking and writing) and that was his muse, (and eventually) his wife (when their 2 children were in their 20s), Nora Barnacle. During one of the many tempestuous arguments, Nora decided to “go home”, from their home in Trieste, Italy to visit her parents in Galway. During their months long separation James missed her so much that he wrote a book of poetry for her called “Chamber Music” which he had beautifully bound and inscribed to her and sent to her with a plea to return to him. It remained her most prized possession after his death. “In the Dark Pine-wood” is one of those poems, in which he expresses the ecstasy of making love to her while walking through the woods around Dublin. Noted for his creative use of language, he describes the “enaisled” forests (as one might see around a reservoir which has had forests planted to protect the watershed), and the “soft tumult of thy hair” as it falls over his face in love making. He pleads with her, in the end, to “Come with me now, Sweet love, away!”
Stephan Barnicle
In the dark pine-wood
I would we lay,
In deep cool shadow
At noon of day.
How sweet to lie there,
Sweet to kiss,
Where the great pine-forest
Enaisled is!
Thy kiss descending
Sweeter were
With a soft tumult
Of thy hair.
O unto the pine-wood
At noon of day
Come with me now,
Sweet love, away.
-- James Joyce
Composer’s Note: James Joyce had only one love in his life (other than drinking and writing) and that was his muse, (and eventually) his wife (when their 2 children were in their 20s), Nora Barnacle. During one of the many tempestuous arguments, Nora decided to “go home”, from their home in Trieste, Italy to visit her parents in Galway. During their months long separation James missed her so much that he wrote a book of poetry for her called “Chamber Music” which he had beautifully bound and inscribed to her and sent to her with a plea to return to him. It remained her most prized possession after his death. “In the Dark Pine-wood” is one of those poems, in which he expresses the ecstasy of making love to her while walking through the woods around Dublin. Noted for his creative use of language, he describes the “enaisled” forests (as one might see around a reservoir which has had forests planted to protect the watershed), and the “soft tumult of thy hair” as it falls over his face in love making. He pleads with her, in the end, to “Come with me now, Sweet love, away!”
Live, Love, Grow
Andrey Stolyarov
A seed within the earth
Hidden from the woes above
Longs to grow anew
We wait
We yearn
We grow
Nurtured by the rain
It pushes through the heavy loam
Searching for the sun
We dig
We fight
We grow
Strengthened by the light
No storm can stop it
Reaching for the sky
We work
We thrive
We grow
Blossoms rich with hope
Its radiant colors beam with joy
And wistful memories
We live
We love
We grow
Fading with the dusk
Its petals drop and coat the earth
Welcoming the change
For which
We'll wait
We'll yearn
We'll grow
--Andrey Stolyarov
Composer’s Note: Live, Love, Grow is an evocative exploration of life's seasons as told through the life cycle of a flower.
Andrey Stolyarov
A seed within the earth
Hidden from the woes above
Longs to grow anew
We wait
We yearn
We grow
Nurtured by the rain
It pushes through the heavy loam
Searching for the sun
We dig
We fight
We grow
Strengthened by the light
No storm can stop it
Reaching for the sky
We work
We thrive
We grow
Blossoms rich with hope
Its radiant colors beam with joy
And wistful memories
We live
We love
We grow
Fading with the dusk
Its petals drop and coat the earth
Welcoming the change
For which
We'll wait
We'll yearn
We'll grow
--Andrey Stolyarov
Composer’s Note: Live, Love, Grow is an evocative exploration of life's seasons as told through the life cycle of a flower.
Across the Empty Square
Ellen Gilson Voth
They say that in the streets of Assisi
People are singing to each other
Across the empty squares,
Keeping their windows open
So that those who are alone, are not alone.
They say that in Wuhan after so many years of noise
You can hear the birds again...
The sky is no longer thick,
But blue and grey and clear.
Yes, there is fear,
But there need not be hate.
In our isolation
We need not pass on loneliness.
In our sickness, we can halt disease of the soul.
Listen, the birds are singing again,
The sky is clearing,
And we are always encompassed by Love.
Open the windows of your soul.
And though you may not be able
To touch across the empty square,
Sing.
- Fr. Richard Hendrick
Composer’s Note: In March of 2020, a poem about the lockdown written by an Irish priest, Fr. Richard Hendrick, began circulating widely on the internet. The poem ends: "Though you may not be able to touch across the empty square, Sing." When I read this, my first thought was: That is a choral piece! Next: How do I find him? Through a miraculous email connection, I was able to reach Richard, who graciously gave permission for me to set his text. Richard was brilliant in the way he captured the pandemic and, at the same time, spoke to our human condition beyond. "Across the empty square" is built as a palindrome; the first and last sections refer to Italians singing, with moments of delay, and with fragments of Italy's national anthem underneath recitative. The second and fourth sections refer to the birds of Wuhan, first merging dissonance with a Chinese folk song, and later with the openness suggested by a clearing sky. The center section is the crux; it follows a descending bass line and common harmonic progression, but presents text about our power to work against, and rise above, common progressions in our behavior. Fear does not need to produce hate; isolation does not need to produce loneliness; in our sickness, we can halt "disease of the soul". Lines from the hymn tune, "How can I keep from singing?", are woven throughout. I am humbled and grateful for the journey of this piece since 2020, and hope in a small way it pays tribute to CONCORA and to all choirs who together prove the unstoppable force of choral music.
Ellen Gilson Voth
They say that in the streets of Assisi
People are singing to each other
Across the empty squares,
Keeping their windows open
So that those who are alone, are not alone.
They say that in Wuhan after so many years of noise
You can hear the birds again...
The sky is no longer thick,
But blue and grey and clear.
Yes, there is fear,
But there need not be hate.
In our isolation
We need not pass on loneliness.
In our sickness, we can halt disease of the soul.
Listen, the birds are singing again,
The sky is clearing,
And we are always encompassed by Love.
Open the windows of your soul.
And though you may not be able
To touch across the empty square,
Sing.
- Fr. Richard Hendrick
Composer’s Note: In March of 2020, a poem about the lockdown written by an Irish priest, Fr. Richard Hendrick, began circulating widely on the internet. The poem ends: "Though you may not be able to touch across the empty square, Sing." When I read this, my first thought was: That is a choral piece! Next: How do I find him? Through a miraculous email connection, I was able to reach Richard, who graciously gave permission for me to set his text. Richard was brilliant in the way he captured the pandemic and, at the same time, spoke to our human condition beyond. "Across the empty square" is built as a palindrome; the first and last sections refer to Italians singing, with moments of delay, and with fragments of Italy's national anthem underneath recitative. The second and fourth sections refer to the birds of Wuhan, first merging dissonance with a Chinese folk song, and later with the openness suggested by a clearing sky. The center section is the crux; it follows a descending bass line and common harmonic progression, but presents text about our power to work against, and rise above, common progressions in our behavior. Fear does not need to produce hate; isolation does not need to produce loneliness; in our sickness, we can halt "disease of the soul". Lines from the hymn tune, "How can I keep from singing?", are woven throughout. I am humbled and grateful for the journey of this piece since 2020, and hope in a small way it pays tribute to CONCORA and to all choirs who together prove the unstoppable force of choral music.
I Want to Be (An American Requiem)
Edward Tyler
How can I sing, when the cries are all around me?
How can I learn, when I’m hiding in the dark?
How can I laugh, when I’m running from this chaos?
How can I live? How can I love? How can I be?
I want to sing, from a heart that’s full of wonder,
I want to learn, and watch the world unfold,
I want to laugh, and wear my joy forever,
I want to live. I want to love. I want to be.
Pie Jesu Domine, Dona eis Requiem.
[Merciful Jesus, grant them rest.]
--Edward Tyler
Composer’s Note: “I Want to Be” is the Pie Jesu from my newest work, “An American Requiem,” which is both a tribute to the many lives cut short by gun violence, and a condemnation of a system that willingly sacrifices these lives. “I Want to Be” is written from the perspective of so many young people trying to make their way through life, only asking for the chance to sing, to laugh, to live, to love, and to be. The full work will be performed by CONCORA as part of Asylum Hill Congregational Church’s Music for Humanity concert series next spring.
Edward Tyler
How can I sing, when the cries are all around me?
How can I learn, when I’m hiding in the dark?
How can I laugh, when I’m running from this chaos?
How can I live? How can I love? How can I be?
I want to sing, from a heart that’s full of wonder,
I want to learn, and watch the world unfold,
I want to laugh, and wear my joy forever,
I want to live. I want to love. I want to be.
Pie Jesu Domine, Dona eis Requiem.
[Merciful Jesus, grant them rest.]
--Edward Tyler
Composer’s Note: “I Want to Be” is the Pie Jesu from my newest work, “An American Requiem,” which is both a tribute to the many lives cut short by gun violence, and a condemnation of a system that willingly sacrifices these lives. “I Want to Be” is written from the perspective of so many young people trying to make their way through life, only asking for the chance to sing, to laugh, to live, to love, and to be. The full work will be performed by CONCORA as part of Asylum Hill Congregational Church’s Music for Humanity concert series next spring.
Voices
Andrew Smith
Ideal and beloved voices
of those who are dead, or of those
who are lost to us like the dead.
Sometimes they speak to us in our dreams;
sometimes in thought the mind hears them.
And with their sound for a moment return
other sounds from the first poetry of our life --
like distant music that dies off in the night.
--Constantine P. Cavafy
Composer’s Note: Voices is a setting of the poem by the renowned Greek Poet, Constantine Cavafy. The poem is a beautiful contemplation on the poet’s relationship with loss. In some cultures we ‘remember those we have lost’. The dead depart this world and are confined to our memory. In others cultures, the dead exist in the present. They walk the earth with us and become an important part of our spiritual life. In such cultures, listening to the voices of the dead is an important part of connecting to the present. Music and art express that relationship. As a chorister, singing in ancient cathedrals, it was impossible for me not to feel the presence of the past. The majesty of history is felt in the echo of music in a space. Voices presents death as a journey and urges us to listen sensitively to the dead and celebrate with them in our living.
Andrew Smith
Ideal and beloved voices
of those who are dead, or of those
who are lost to us like the dead.
Sometimes they speak to us in our dreams;
sometimes in thought the mind hears them.
And with their sound for a moment return
other sounds from the first poetry of our life --
like distant music that dies off in the night.
--Constantine P. Cavafy
Composer’s Note: Voices is a setting of the poem by the renowned Greek Poet, Constantine Cavafy. The poem is a beautiful contemplation on the poet’s relationship with loss. In some cultures we ‘remember those we have lost’. The dead depart this world and are confined to our memory. In others cultures, the dead exist in the present. They walk the earth with us and become an important part of our spiritual life. In such cultures, listening to the voices of the dead is an important part of connecting to the present. Music and art express that relationship. As a chorister, singing in ancient cathedrals, it was impossible for me not to feel the presence of the past. The majesty of history is felt in the echo of music in a space. Voices presents death as a journey and urges us to listen sensitively to the dead and celebrate with them in our living.
Over the Rainbow
Harburg/Yarlen
arr. Jonathan Clune
When all the world is a hopeless jumble
And the raindrops tumble all around,
Heaven opens a magic lane.
When all the clouds darken up the skyway
There's a rainbow highway to be found,
Leading from your window pane
To a place behind the sun,
Just a step beyond the rain.
Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high,
There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby.
Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue,
And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.
Someday I'll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops away above the chimney tops,
That's where you'll find me.
Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly.
Birds fly over the rainbow; why, then, oh why can't I?
Someday I'll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops away above the chimney tops,
That's where you'll find me.
Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly.
Birds fly over the rainbow; why, then, oh why can't I?
If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow,
Why, oh why can't I?
--Yip Harburg
Arranger’s Note: Could there be a more iconic composition in the canon of American song than Over the Rainbow? I have always wished that the movie had included Judy Garland singing the beautiful, but little known, verse that begins “When all the world is a hopeless jumble . . .” This introduction perfectly sets up the familiar “octave leap” that starts the chorus with the wistful “Somewhere . . .” I composed this arrangement at the upright piano in my 9th floor NYC apartment (where I paid no rent for 3 years – ask me at the party!) for street performances by the Apple Quartet. The dedication is to Sarah Potter, our street soprano – and now my wife of some 40 years – who despite some qualms decided to take the “octave leap” and join her voice with those of the quartet’s other three disreputable buskers. I feel honored to have it included on this CONCORA anniversary program.
Harburg/Yarlen
arr. Jonathan Clune
When all the world is a hopeless jumble
And the raindrops tumble all around,
Heaven opens a magic lane.
When all the clouds darken up the skyway
There's a rainbow highway to be found,
Leading from your window pane
To a place behind the sun,
Just a step beyond the rain.
Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high,
There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby.
Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue,
And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.
Someday I'll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops away above the chimney tops,
That's where you'll find me.
Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly.
Birds fly over the rainbow; why, then, oh why can't I?
Someday I'll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops away above the chimney tops,
That's where you'll find me.
Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly.
Birds fly over the rainbow; why, then, oh why can't I?
If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow,
Why, oh why can't I?
--Yip Harburg
Arranger’s Note: Could there be a more iconic composition in the canon of American song than Over the Rainbow? I have always wished that the movie had included Judy Garland singing the beautiful, but little known, verse that begins “When all the world is a hopeless jumble . . .” This introduction perfectly sets up the familiar “octave leap” that starts the chorus with the wistful “Somewhere . . .” I composed this arrangement at the upright piano in my 9th floor NYC apartment (where I paid no rent for 3 years – ask me at the party!) for street performances by the Apple Quartet. The dedication is to Sarah Potter, our street soprano – and now my wife of some 40 years – who despite some qualms decided to take the “octave leap” and join her voice with those of the quartet’s other three disreputable buskers. I feel honored to have it included on this CONCORA anniversary program.
My Love Walks in Velvet
Gwyneth Walker
In her hand she holds the moon,
And softer than the kiss of dew
Descends her voiceless tune.
My love walks in silver,
With her tears she holds the rain,
And lighter than the snowfelt dove,
I kiss away her pain.
My love walks in crimson,
With her light she holds the dawn,
And I shall follow her rivers winding down,
Until the two are one.
My love walks in scarlet,
With her eyes she holds the sun,
And I shall love but her alone,
Until my life is done.
--Gwyneth Walker
Program Note: My Love Walks in Velvet was composed in 1978 as a wedding gift for Patricia Mays and James Adlam. The song was originally created for Soprano and Piano, and was premiered by Kathryn Shibley (Soprano) and Gwyneth Walker (Piano) at the wedding in Darien, CT.
Gwyneth Walker
In her hand she holds the moon,
And softer than the kiss of dew
Descends her voiceless tune.
My love walks in silver,
With her tears she holds the rain,
And lighter than the snowfelt dove,
I kiss away her pain.
My love walks in crimson,
With her light she holds the dawn,
And I shall follow her rivers winding down,
Until the two are one.
My love walks in scarlet,
With her eyes she holds the sun,
And I shall love but her alone,
Until my life is done.
--Gwyneth Walker
Program Note: My Love Walks in Velvet was composed in 1978 as a wedding gift for Patricia Mays and James Adlam. The song was originally created for Soprano and Piano, and was premiered by Kathryn Shibley (Soprano) and Gwyneth Walker (Piano) at the wedding in Darien, CT.
All of Us (Considering Matthew Shepard)
Craig Hella Johnson
What could be the song?
Where begin again?
Who could meet us there?
Where might we begin?
From the shadows climb,
Rise to sing again;
Where could be the joy?
How do we begin?
Never our despair,
Never the least of us,
Never turn away,
Never hide your face;
Ordinary boy,
Only all of us,
Free us from our fear,
Only all of us.
Only in the Love,
Love that lifts us up,
Clear from out the heart
From the mountain’s side,
Come creation come,
Strong as any stream;
How can we let go? How can we forgive?
How can we be dream?
Out of heaven, rain,
Rain to wash us free;
Rivers flowing on,
Ever to the sea;
Bind up every wound,
Every cause to grieve;
Always to forgive,
Only to believe.
Chorale:
Most noble Light, Creation’s face,
How should we live but joined in you,
Remain within your saving grace
Through all we say and do
And know we are the Love that moves
The sun and all the stars?
O Love that dwells, O Love that burns
In every human heart.
This evergreen, this heart, this soul,
Now moves us to remake our world,
Reminds us how we are to be
Your people born to dream;
How old this joy, how strong this call,
To sing your radiant care
With every voice, in cloudless hope
Of our belonging here.
Only in the Love,
Love that lifts us up,
Clear from out the heart
From out the mountain’s side,
Come creation come,
Strong as any stream;
How can we let go? How can we forgive?
How can we be dream?
Out of heaven, rain,
Rain to wash us free;
Rivers running on,
Ever to the sea;
Bind up every wound,
Every cause to grieve;
Always to forgive,
Only to believe.
--Michael Dennis Browne and Craig Hella Johnson
Conductor’s Note: This glorious movement, which combines two styles—gospel and a Bach-like chorale—is the denouement of Considering Matthew Shepard, an oratorio written in 2016 by Craig Hella Johnson that explores the life, murder, and legacy of Matthew Shepard. CONCORA presented the work in 2019 with the UCONN Chamber Singers under the direction of Dr Jamie Spillane, raising thousands of dollars for LGBTQ charities in Hartford, Stamford, and Worcester.
Craig Hella Johnson
What could be the song?
Where begin again?
Who could meet us there?
Where might we begin?
From the shadows climb,
Rise to sing again;
Where could be the joy?
How do we begin?
Never our despair,
Never the least of us,
Never turn away,
Never hide your face;
Ordinary boy,
Only all of us,
Free us from our fear,
Only all of us.
Only in the Love,
Love that lifts us up,
Clear from out the heart
From the mountain’s side,
Come creation come,
Strong as any stream;
How can we let go? How can we forgive?
How can we be dream?
Out of heaven, rain,
Rain to wash us free;
Rivers flowing on,
Ever to the sea;
Bind up every wound,
Every cause to grieve;
Always to forgive,
Only to believe.
Chorale:
Most noble Light, Creation’s face,
How should we live but joined in you,
Remain within your saving grace
Through all we say and do
And know we are the Love that moves
The sun and all the stars?
O Love that dwells, O Love that burns
In every human heart.
This evergreen, this heart, this soul,
Now moves us to remake our world,
Reminds us how we are to be
Your people born to dream;
How old this joy, how strong this call,
To sing your radiant care
With every voice, in cloudless hope
Of our belonging here.
Only in the Love,
Love that lifts us up,
Clear from out the heart
From out the mountain’s side,
Come creation come,
Strong as any stream;
How can we let go? How can we forgive?
How can we be dream?
Out of heaven, rain,
Rain to wash us free;
Rivers running on,
Ever to the sea;
Bind up every wound,
Every cause to grieve;
Always to forgive,
Only to believe.
--Michael Dennis Browne and Craig Hella Johnson
Conductor’s Note: This glorious movement, which combines two styles—gospel and a Bach-like chorale—is the denouement of Considering Matthew Shepard, an oratorio written in 2016 by Craig Hella Johnson that explores the life, murder, and legacy of Matthew Shepard. CONCORA presented the work in 2019 with the UCONN Chamber Singers under the direction of Dr Jamie Spillane, raising thousands of dollars for LGBTQ charities in Hartford, Stamford, and Worcester.
A Thousand Years of Peace (First Light)
Erik Nielsen
Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
Ring out the grief that saps the mind
For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.
Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.
Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes
But ring the fuller minstrel in.
Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.
Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.
Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in a new humanity!
--Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Conductor’s Note: I was the conductor of the Greater Middletown Chorale for three years in the 1990s before moving to Australia. The single most memorable project for us during those years was the co-commissioning of First Light, a challenging but extremely rewarding new work by Erik Nielsen, a Vermont composer who had previously lived in central Connecticut. With Larry Allen and Scott Reeves, he was a member of Tres Voces, and he sang in a number of CONCORA performances as well. This work for choir and chamber ensemble, celebrating the winter solstice, concludes with this exceptional setting of Tennyson’s great poem, In Memoriam. The text is a perfect way to mark our fiftieth anniversary, particularly in combining veteran singers with new voices. I am personally thrilled to give this movement another performance three decades after its premiere in Middletown.
Erik Nielsen
Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
Ring out the grief that saps the mind
For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.
Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.
Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes
But ring the fuller minstrel in.
Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.
Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.
Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in a new humanity!
--Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Conductor’s Note: I was the conductor of the Greater Middletown Chorale for three years in the 1990s before moving to Australia. The single most memorable project for us during those years was the co-commissioning of First Light, a challenging but extremely rewarding new work by Erik Nielsen, a Vermont composer who had previously lived in central Connecticut. With Larry Allen and Scott Reeves, he was a member of Tres Voces, and he sang in a number of CONCORA performances as well. This work for choir and chamber ensemble, celebrating the winter solstice, concludes with this exceptional setting of Tennyson’s great poem, In Memoriam. The text is a perfect way to mark our fiftieth anniversary, particularly in combining veteran singers with new voices. I am personally thrilled to give this movement another performance three decades after its premiere in Middletown.