Music for the Season of Advent / The Advent Choir

Tallis - Missa Salve Intemerata - Agnus 1 & 2 / The Advent Choir

The Advent Choir, Katelyn Emerson conductor, Mark Dwyer, organist

 I was glad when they said unto me 			Leo Sowerby (1895-1968)

I was glad when they said unto me, We will go into the house of the Lord. Our feet shall stand in thy gates, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem is built as a city that is at unity in itself. For thither the tribes go up, even the tribes of the Lord, to testify unto Israel, to give thanks unto the Name of the Lord. For there is the seat of judgment, even the seat of the house of David. O pray for the peace of Jerusalem; they shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls, and plenteousness within thy palaces. For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will wish thee prosperity. Yea, because of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek to do thee good.
(Ps 122)

Sowerby-I Was Glad / The Advent Choir

The Advent Choir, Agnes Coakley, soloist; Katelyn Emerson conductor, Mark Dwyer, organist

‘Twas in the year that King Uzziah died  		Larry Palmer (born 1938)

‘Twas in the year that King Uzziah died, a vision by Isaiah was espied; a lofty throne, the Lord was set thereon; and with his glory all the temple shone. Bright seraphim were standing round about, six wings had every of that quire devout; with twain he awesome veiled his face, and so with twain he dreadful veiled his feet below. With twain did he now hither, thither fly: and thus aloud did one to other cry: Holy is God, the Lord of Sabaoth, full of his glory, earth and heaven, both. And at their cry the lintels moved apace, and clouds of incense filled the Holy Place. [Jesaia, dem Propheten, das geschah, Martin Luther tr George R. Woodward (1848-1934;) cf Isaiah 6:1-4 ]

Palmer - Twas In The Year That King Uzziah Died-The Advent Choir

The Advent Choir, Mark Dwyer, conductor

Canite tuba in Sion         Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c1524-1594) 

Canite tuba in Sion, quia prope est dies Domini: ecce venit ad salvandum nos. Erunt prava in directa, et aspera in vias planas: Veni, Domine, et noli tardare. Alleluia.

Rorate cæli desuper et nubes pluant justum. Aperiatur terra, et germinet salvatorem: Ostende nobis Domine misericordiam tuam, Et salutare tuum da nobis: Veni Domine et noli tardare. Alleluia 

Blow ye the trumpet in Sion, for the day of the Lord is at hand: behold, he cometh to save us. The crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: Come, O Lord, and do not tarry. Alleluia. 

Drop down, ye heavens, from above,  and let the skies pour down righteousness,  let the earth open  and bring forth a Savior.  Show us thy mercy, O Lord and grant us thy salvation. Come, O Lord and do not tarry. Alleluia. (Advent IV, Psalm antiphons 1 & 3 at Lauds; cf Joel 2:1; Isaiah 40:4, Isaiah 45:8; Ps 85:7)

Palestrina - Canite Tuba-The Advent Choir

The Advent Choir, Ross Wood, conductor, Mark Dwyer, organist

Sir Alfred Herbert Brewer (21 June 1865 – 1 March 1928) was an English composer and organist. As organist of Gloucester Cathedral from 1896 until his death, he contributed a good deal to the Three Choirs Festival for 30 years. Brewer's D Major Service was composed for the Three Choirs Festival of 1927.

Brewer lived in Gloucester his whole life. He was the organist at two of its churches, and also founded the city's choral society in 1905. He had been a Gloucester Cathedral chorister in his boyhood, and began his organ studies there under C. H. Lloyd. He was educated at the Cathedral School, Oxford and at the Royal College of Music.

In 1913, at the Three Choirs Festival in Gloucester, Brewer was entrusted with conducting the premiere of Sibelius's tone-poem for soprano and orchestra, Luonnotar, Op. 70.

Brewer's output includes church music of all types, cantatas, songs, instrumental works, and orchestral music. The greater part of his life was devoted to the advancement of the standards of ecclesiastical music. He was knighted in 1926. His notable pupils included Herbert Howells, Ivor Gurney and Herbert Sumsion.

Brewer In D Major - Magnificat / The Advent Choir

12.10.17 Monteverdi-Messa a 4 da cappella-Agnus Dei / The Advent Choir

Monteverdi-Messa a 4 da cappella-Sanctus / The Advent Choir

Monteverdi-Messa a 4 da cappella-Kyrie / The Advent Choir

The Advent Choir, Mark Dwyer, conductor

Jesus Christ the Apple Tree 		Elizabeth Poston (1905-1987)

The tree of life my soul hath seen, laden with fruit and always green: the trees of nature fruitless be compared with Christ the apple tree.

His beauty doth all things excel: by faith I know, but ne’er can tell the glory which I now can see in Jesus Christ the apple tree.

For happiness I long have sought, and pleasure dearly I have bought: I missed of all; but now I see ‘tis found in Christ the apple tree.

I’m weary with my former toil, here I will sit and rest awhile: under the shadow I will be, of Jesus Christ the apple tree.

This fruit doth make my soul to thrive, it keeps my dying faith alive; which makes my soul in haste to be with Jesus Christ the apple tree.
(Joshua Smith’s Divine Hymns or Spiritual Songs, New Hampshire, 1784)

Poston - Jesus Christ The Apple Tree / The Advent Choir

The Advent Choir, Katelyn Emerson, conductor

Attollite portas, principes, vestras				William Byrd (1543-1623) 

Attollite portas, principes, vestras, et elevamini, portæ æternales: et introibit Rex gloriæ. Quis est ipse Rex gloriæ? Dominus fortis et potens in prœlio. Quis est ipse Rex gloriæ? Dominus virtutum ipse est Rex gloriæ. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto: Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen.

Lift up your gates, O ye princes, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors: and the King of glory shall come in. Who is the King of glory? It is the Lord strong and mighty, even the Lord mighty in battle. Who is the King of glory? even the Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost: as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
(Ps 24: 7, 8, 10)

Byrd - Attollite Portas / The Advent Choir

The Advent Choir, Mark Dwyer, conductor

Lætentur cœli, et exsultet terra -- William Byrd (1543-1623)

Lætentur cœli, et exsultet terra. Jubilate montes laudem, quia dominus noster veniet, et pauperum suorum miserebitur. Orietur in diebus tuis justitia et abundantia pacis. 

Sing O ye heavens, and be joyful O ye earth, and break forth into singing, O ye mountains, for our Lord will come and will have mercy upon his afflicted. In your time shall justice flourish, yea, and the abundance of peace.
(Responsory for Matins for the first Monday in Advent: Isaiah 49:13, Psalm 72:7)

Advent Lessons & Carols 11-28-2010

Byrd-Laetentur coeli / The Advent Choir

Advent Lessons & Carols 11-27-11

Hymn-Merton / The Advent Choir

The Advent Choir, Mark Dwyer, conductor

Turn our captivity, O Lord				William Byrd (1543-1623) 

Turne our captivitie, O Lord, as a brooke in the South. They that sowe in teares, shall reap in joyfulness. Going they went and wept, casting their seeds. But comming, they shall come with jolitie, carrying their sheaves with them. (cf Ps 126:4-6, from The Primer or Office of the Blessed Virgin Marie (1599)]

Byrd-Turn our captivity /The Advent Choir

Luther & Wood-Twas in the year that king Uzziah died / The Advent Choir

The Advent Choir, Mark Dwyer, conductor

Ut queant laxis	    Guillaume Dufay (c1400-1474)

Ut queant laxis, resonare fibris, mira gestorum, famuli tuorum, solve polluti, labii reatum Sancte Joannes.

Nuntius celso veniens olympo te patri magnum fore nasciturum, nomen, et vitae seriem gerendae ordinae promit.

So that these your servants can sing your wonderful exploits with all their voice, clean the blemish of their spotted lips, O Saint John! 

An angel came from the heavens to announce to your father the greatness of your birth:
dictating to him the name that you should take and revealing to him the course of your life.
[Paulus Diaconus, (c 720-800)]

Dufay-Ut queant laxis /The Advent Choir

The Advent Choir, Ross Wood conductor

Ave Maria 			John Taverner  (c1495-1545)


Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum; benedicta tu in mulieribus et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Jesus.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. (Luke 1)

Taverner-Ave Maria / The Advent Choir

The Advent Choir, Jessica Petrus, Steven Cosnek, soloists; Mark Dwyer, conductor

I waited for the Lord, op 70, no 3 		Barrie Cabena (born 1933)

The Lord is in his holy temple:  let all the earth keep silence before him. 

I waited for the Lord; he bent down to me and heard my cry. And on my lips he put a new song, a song of praise to our God.

The Lord is in his holy temple:  let all the earth keep silence before him. Be still and know that I am God. (Habakkuk 2:20; Ps 40:1,3; Ps 46:10)

Cabena-I waited for the Lord / The Advent Choir

The Advent Choir, Mark Dwyer, conductor

Vigilate, vigilate			William Byrd (1543-1623)

Vigilate, nescitis enim quando dominus domus veniat, sero, an media nocte, an gallicantu, an mane. Vigilate ergo, ne cum venerit repente, inveniat vos dormientes. Quod autem dico vobis, omnibus dico: Vigilate!

Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: lest coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you, I say unto all: Watch! (Mark 13:35-37)

Byrd-Vigilate, vigilate-The Advent Choir

The Advent Choir, Mark Dwyer, conductor

Bogoroditse Devo, raduisya, op 37, no 6 	Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)

Bogoroditse Devo, raduisya, Blagodatnaya Mariye, Ghspod s Toboyu. Blagoslovenna Ti v Zhenah, i blagosloven Plod chreva Tvoyego, yako Spasa rodila yesi dush nashih.

Rejoice, O Virgin Mother of God, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, for thou hast borne the Savior of our souls.
(Богородице Дѣво, Russian Orthodox Vesper Service)

Rachmaninoff-Богородице Дево, радуйся, op 37, no 6, The Advent Choir

The Advent Choir, Mark Dwyer, conductor, Ross Wood, organist

O thou the central orb 			Charles Wood (1866-1926)

O thou the central orb of righteous love, pure beam of the Most High, eternal Light of this our wintry world, thy radiance bright awakes new joy in faith; hope soars above.

Come, quickly come, and let thy glory shine, gilding our darksome heaven with rays divine.

Thy saints with holy lustre round thee move as stars about thy throne set in the height of God’s ordaining counsel, as thy sight gives measured grace to each thy power to prove.

Let thy bright beams disperse the gloom of sin, our nature all shall feel eternal day, in fellowship with thee, transforming clay to souls erewhile unclean, now pure within. Amen.
[Henry Ramsden Bramley (1833-1917) for an edition of Anthems by Gibbons prepared (1873) by Frederick A. Gore Ouseley (1825-1889) to substitute for the secular original, a congratulatory motet “A thanksgiving for the King’s happy recovery from a great dangerous sickness” in 1619, as adapted by Charles Wood]

Wood-O thou the central Orb-The Advent Choir

A site for live recordings of The Advent Choir, an all-professional choral ensemble in Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Music for the Season of Advent / The Advent Choir

The Advent Choir, Boston