Live recording of Pax CHristi Chorale singing "Cold is the Night" in 2011
Text: Cold is the night when stars shine bright. Red sky at night, sailors delight. When the wind is out of the east, 'tis neither good for man nor beast. When sounds travel wide a stormy day will betide.

Cold Is The Night: Stephanie Martin

An edgy carol couched in melancholy; from Tennyson's long poem "In Memoriam." Commissioned by MennoSingers, in memory of Mary Martin. Sung here by Pax Christi Chamber Choir. The score is published by Cypress Choral Music https://cypresschoral.com/composers/stephanie-martin/ring-out-wild-bells/

Full text:
"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 want, the care, the sin, the faithless coldness of the times; Ring out my mournful rhymes, but ring the fuller minstrel in. 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 for all mankind. 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 in the land. Ring in the Christ that is to be."

Ring Out Wild Bells. music: Stephanie Martin poetry: Tennyson

A modern setting of the ancient Byzantine funeral rite. Written for, and performed here by the Gallery Choir of the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene in Toronto, directed by Stephanie Martin. 
Full text: "Give rest, O Christ to your servants with your saints, where sorrow and pain are no more, neither sighing, but life everlasting. You only are immortal, the creator and maker of all, and we are mortal, born of the earth and to earth shall we return. For so did you ordain when you created me saying: You are dust and to dust you shall return. All of us go down to the dust, yet even at the grave we make our song, "Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia."
Published by:
Cypress Choral Music
http://cypresschoral.com/Canada/Composers/Martin.html


Kontakion: Stephanie Martin

Flute and oboe accompany SATB chorus in this setting of the biblical passage "God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish, but have eternal life. No one has ever seen God. The only son, closest to the Father's heart has revealed him." Score and parts available from <a href="http://www.renforthmusic.com/works/rmach625.php">Renforth Music</a>
Performers: Victoria Hathaway, oboe; Jamie Thompson, flute; Gallery Choir of the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene, Toronto. Recorded 2010

God so loved the world: Stephanie Martin

Schola Magdalena, recorded 2011 in Toronto at Church of St. Mary Magdalene. www.scholamagdalena.ca 

Translation: Hail, O greenest branch,
sprung forth in the airy breezes
of the prayers of the saints.

So the time has come
that your sprays have flourished:
hail, hail to you,
because the heat of the sun has exuded from you
like the aroma of balm.

For the beautiful flower sprung from you
which gave all parched perfumes
their aroma.

And they have radiated anew
in their full freshness.

Whence the skies bestowed dew upon the pasture,
and all the earth was made joyful
because her womb
brought forth corn,
and because the birds of the firmament
built their nests in her.

Then there was harvest ready for Man
and a great rejoicing of banqueters,
whence, O sweet Virgin,
no joy is lacking in you.

Eve rejected all these things.

Now let there be praise to the Highest.



O Viridissima Virga: by Hildegard von Bingen sung by Schola Magdalena

Performed live at Church of Saint Mary Magdalene, this motet was first sung on Passion Sunday, 2008. 
The score is a free download on my website http://www.stephaniemartinmusic.com/compositions/

Text:
"Drop slow tears, and bathe those beauteous feet which brought from heaven the News and Prince of Peace. Cease not wet eyes his mercy to entreat; to cry for vengeance sin doth never cease. In your deep floods drown all my thoughts and fears, not let my eyes see sin, but through my tears." 
Phineas Fletcher 16th century

Drop Slow Tears: Stephanie Martin

I composed "Ave Verum Corpus" for the Gallery Choir of the Church of St. Mary Magdalene, Toronto in 2008 during a snow storm which forced us to cancel choir practice. This performance of the motet was recorded in 2010 on our CD "Alleluia" which is available through iTunes. The well-known, ancient latin text "Hail true body, born of Mary" is sung at the eucharist. The score is published by Cypress Choral Music, Vancouver. 

Ave verum corpus: Stephanie Martin

Behold a new joy; behold a new wonder:
A Virgin, who knew not a man, bears a son.
She knew not a man, but as the pear-tree bears the pear, the
flourishing papyrus brings the lily from the soil.

See how nature changes her laws:
a pure virgin bears the son of God.

God, seeing the world, lamentable in its ruin,
has brought forth a delightful rose from a thorn.
From a thorn he has brought forth from a queen a son,
who is the remedy and salvation of the peoples.

Divinity could not have come lower,
Nor could our flesh have been more exalted,
put on a level with God, established in heaven, by marriage.

Full album "O Gracious Light" available on iTunes.

Visit our website at www.scholamagdalena.ca

Schola Magdalena sings "Ecce Quod Natura" - Medieval carol

This is movement 3 from my string quartet. Penderecki String Quartet performs here at the Laurier New Music Festival, Jan. 30, 2016 in Waterloo, Ontario. My string quartet was written during a stay at a convent on the Isle of Wight, UK.

"Lied" from String Quartet, by Stephanie Martin

This is the live recording of the premiere of Stephanie Martin's "Babel: a choral symphony" on a text by Cori Martin. Lee Willingham conducts the Wilfrid Laurier University symphony and combined choirs on April 3rd, 2016 in the WLU Theatre Auditorium, Waterloo, Ontario, with soloists Sarah Amelard, Midori Marsh, Jamie Groote, River Guard and Dylan Langan, preparation by Paul Pulford and Gerard Yun. The full text of the poem is found on my blog:
http://www.stephaniemartinmusic.com/babel-the-poem-by-cori-martin/ 
and the score is available through the Canadian Music Centre.
http://www.musiccentre.ca/node/138861

The piece is scored for full orchestra (including extensive percussion) double choir, SSATB soloists. The poem is a masterful, modern reflection on the Biblical story of Babel, with marginalia in many languages.
The arc of the piece is like this:
1st mvt: Choir, Bass soloist, full orch  (The optimistic building of the first tower, its fall and the confusion of languages.)
2nd mvt (12:36) Choir, SS soloists, orch  (The people are confounded, and they lament their failures.)
3rd mvt (23:10) Tenor solo, strings, percussion, women's choir (An angry Britten-esque rant against a jealous God whose actions seem unfair)
4th mvt (28:45) Choir a cappella (A motet for art so beautiful it causes us pain)
5th mvt (31:07) Orch, mezzo solo (The turning point, when we resolve to build something better and lasting that finds favour with God)
6th mvt (35:45) Orch, choir, all soloists (A joyous conclusion, time will run back and fetch the age of gold)

Martin - Babel: A choral symphony

'O sacrum convivium' is the fourth of Four Motets by Stephanie Martin, published by Cypress Choral Music http://cypresschoral.com/Composers/Martin.html

Here it is exquisitely sung by the choir of Saint James' Cathedral, Toronto, conducted by Vicki St. Pierre, recorded by Rob Devito on January 10, 2015.

The text is in Latin and translates thus:
O sacred feast in which Christ is consumed. The memory of his passion is renewed in us, the mind is filled with grace and a pledge of future glory is given to us.

Like Tallis' piece on the same text, there is no final alleluia, so this motet can be sung during Lent.



Martin - O Sacrum Convivium

Pax Christi Chamber Choir of Toronto, conducted by Stephanie Martin, composer of this motet for SATB choir. Published by Cypress https://soundcloud.com/cypress-choral-music/rise-up-my-love

Words from the Song of Solomon.
Text: Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away; for lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone, the flowers appear upon the earth and the time of the singing of birds is come, the voice of the turtle is heard in our land. Take us the little foxes that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender fruit. My beloved is mine and I am his. He feedeth upon the lilies until the day break, and the shadows flee. Turn my beloved, and when the shadows flee, be thou like a deer upon the mountains.

Rise Up My Love - Martin

Translation: When the days of the Pentecost were accomplished, they were all together in one place: And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a mighty wind coming, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 
And there appeared to them parted tongues as it were of fire, and it sat upon every one of them: And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Alleluia. 
Acts 2:1-4
This six-part motet for SSATBB, written for Pentecost Sunday at St. John Cantius Church, Chicago, USA, performed here by St John Cantius 'St. Cecilia' Choir, Fr Scott Haynes director, with the composer as guest conductor. The published score is available through Biretta Books http://birettabooks.com/go/webstore/product/dum_complerentur_stephanie_martin/

Stephanie Martin - Dum Complerentur - motet for Pentecost

Missa Chicagoensis, a complete SATB setting of the Latin mass,  was commissioned by Fr Scott Haynes of St John Cantius Church in Chicago. This is the Kyrie, the first movement. You can download performance scores of the entire mass here:
http://birettabooks.com/go/webstore/product/missa_chicagoensis_stephanie_martin/

Stephanie Martin - Missa Chicagoensis: Kyrie

Missa Chicagoensis, a complete SATB a cappella mass in Latin, was commissioned by Fr Scott Haynes and is published by Biretta Books in Chicago. This is the second movement, the Gloria. The complete score is available for download here:
http://birettabooks.com/go/webstore/product/missa_chicagoensis_stephanie_martin/

Stephanie Martin - Missa Chicagoensis: Gloria

Missa Chicagoensis, a complete SATB a cappella mass in Latin, was commissioned by Fr Scott Haynes of St. John Cantius Church, and is published by Biretta Books in Chicago. This is the third movement, the Credo. The complete score is available for download here:
http://birettabooks.com/go/webstore/product/missa_chicagoensis_stephanie_martin/

Stephanie Martin - Missa Chicagoensis: Credo

Missa Chicagoensis, a complete SATB a cappella mass in Latin, was commissioned by Fr Scott Haynes and is published by Biretta Books in Chicago. This is the fourth movement, the Sanctus & Benedictus. The complete score is available for download here:
http://birettabooks.com/go/webstore/product/missa_chicagoensis_stephanie_martin/

Stephanie Martin - Missa Chicagoensis: Sanctus and Benedictus

Missa Chicagoensis, a complete SATB a cappella mass in Latin, was commissioned by Fr Scott Haynes and is published by Biretta Books in Chicago. This is the last movement, the Agnus Dei. The complete score is available for download here:
http://birettabooks.com/go/webstore/product/missa_chicagoensis_stephanie_martin/

Stephanie Martin - Missa Chicagoensis: Agnus Dei

This setting of the Magnificat for SATB choir and organ accompaniment was written in 2010 for the Chapel Choir of Selwyn College, Cambridge, England,  conducted by Sarah MacDonald. 
Copies of the score available through Canadian Music Centre
https://www.musiccentre.ca/node/123526

Text: The Bible, Luke 1 :46

Selwyn College Chapel Choir

Stephanie Martin - Selwyn Service: Magnificat

This setting of the Nunc Dimittis was written for Sarah MacDonald and the Selwyn College Chapel Choir, Cambridge, UK, in 2010.
Score available through the Canadian Music Centre
https://www.musiccentre.ca/node/123526
Text: The Bible Luke 2:29

Stephanie Martin - Selwyn Service: Nunc dimittis

'Hear my prayer' by Stephanie Martin, performed by the 2013 Ontario Youth Choir conducted by Elroy Friessen.

The score is published by Cypress Choral Music and can be found here:
http://larrynickel.com/CypressAudio/Hear.html

The text is from Psalm 102:
Hear my prayer, O Lord,
And let my crying come unto Thee 

Hide not Thy face from me
In the day when I am in trouble

For my days are consumed like smoke
And my bones are burned as a hearth
My heart is smitten and withered like grass
For I have eaten ashes bread
And mingled my drink with weeping

For Thou hast lifted me up
And Thou hast cast me down.
My days are like a shadow that declineth
And I am withered like grass

But Thou O Lord shall endure 
for ever and ever

Ontario Youth Choir 2013

Stephanie Martin - Hear My Prayer

The text describes the descent of the Holy Spirit in sound, wind and flames at Pentecost.
Complete text and translation can be found on the publisher's website
https://www.birettabooks.com/stephanie-martin/dum-compleretur-stephanie-martin/

Sung here by Montreal's Voces Boreales (via Montreal Choral Institute) conducted by Andrew Gray. 
http://www.vocesboreales.org

Stephanie Martin - Dum Complerentur

Schola Magdalena sings the Gregorian chant Marian anthem "Salve Regina". Visit us at www.scholamagdalena.ca

Virgo Splendens

Salve Regina

Schola Magdalena (Toronto, Canada) This Gregorian chant is from our first CD "O Gracious Light." Visit us at www.scholamagdalena.ca or www.stephaniemartinmusic.com

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