Magnificat for the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo - 1. My Soul

"Magnificat for the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo" tells the story of the organization of Argentine mothers who campaigned for their children who had been “disappeared” by the military junta that formally ruled the nation.  The libretto includes Spanish poetry as well as prose testimonies from the mothers themselves.

TEXT:
“Many months went by until I was able to talk about my son. ...I couldn't speak his name.”

Text from "Circle of Love Over Death: Testimonies of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo" by Matilde Mellibovsky. Specific excerpt is from an interview with Alicia Rivarola de Cárdenas, mother of Alvaro Cárdenas (abducted at 23 years of age, November 9, 1976).

Magnificat for the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo - 3. His Name

Magnificat for the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo - 4. The proud

"O Fragile Human, Speak..." for 8 female voices and 3 trumpets. Commissioned by the Lorelei Ensemble (Beth Willer, director). Premiered May 23, 2014.

Recording by the Lorelei Ensemble, May 24, 2014 at Marsh Chapel, Boston University, Boston, MA.

Lorelei Ensemble:
Sonja Tengblad
Margot Rood
Emily Culler
Shari Wilson
Clare McNamara
Mary Gerbi
Stephanie Kacoyanis
Emily Marvosh

Trumpets:
Chris Belluscio
Jonah Kappraff
Paul Perfetti 

O Fragile Human, Speak...

Commissioned by the Lorelei Ensemble, Of a rose synge we recasts the text of a fifteenth-century English carol, by the same name, in a contemporary light. Although lines and stanzas remain somewhat intact, the macaronic text (in both Middle English and Latin) is not always presented in its original order. I urge the listener to read the text and translation before, rather than alongside, the performance in hope that the labyrinthine setting will move through the listener more directly and more powerfully.

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TEXT
Of a rose synge we			
Misterium mirabile			

This rose is railed on a rys;		
He hath bought the prince of prys,	
And in this tyme soth hit ys,		
Viri sine semine.			

Of a rose synge we			
Misterium mirabile			

This rose is reed of colour bryght,	
Throw whom oure joye gan alyght,	
Uppon a Cristys masse nyght,		
Claro David germine.			

Of a rose synge we			
Misterium mirabile			

Of this rose was Cryst y-bore,		
To save mankynde that was forlore;	
And us alle from synnes sore,		
Prophetarum carmine.	
	
Of a rose synge we			
Misterium mirabile			

This rose, of flourys she is flour,		
She ne wole fade for no shour,		
To synful men she sent socour,		
Mira plenitudine.			

Of a rose synge we 			
Misterium mirabile			

This rose is so faire of hywe,		
In maide Mary that is so trywe,		
Y-borne was lorde of virtue,		
Salvator sine crimine.			

Of a rose synge we			
Misterium mirabile

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LITERAL TRANSLATION
We sing of a rose
Miraculous mystery

This rose is staked upon a branch;
He bought the best of princes
And in this time it is true;
Without seed of man.

We sing of a rose
Miraculous mystery

This rose is a plant of bright color,
Through whom our joy began,
Upon a Christmas night,
Born of the house of David.

We sing of a rose
Miraculous mystery

Christ was born of this rose,
To save mankind that was forsaken;
And us all from painful sins,
After the prophet’s song.

We sing of a rose
Miraculous mystery

This rose, she is the flower of flowers,
She will not fade from any shower,
To sinful men she sent succor,
In wondrous plenty.

We sing of a rose
Miraculous mystery

This rose is so fair of hue,
In maid Mary who is so pure,
He was born the lord of virtue,
Savior without sin.

We sing of a rose
Miraculous mystery  

Of a rose synge we

Saro (cello version)

The works of Boston-based composer, Joshua Shank (b. 1980), have been widely performed by educational and professional ensembles alike.  His music has been called “jubilant…ethereal” (Santa Barbara News-Press) and “evocative and atmospheric” (Gramophone).  The Boston Classical Review  called his Magnificat for the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo “powerful” and “emotionally charged.”

His music often features the human voice and focuses on social justice or the amplification of marginalized communities.  His work, capable of anything, celebrated the nationwide passage of marriage equality in the United States, and his oratorio, "Magnificat for the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo," tells the story of the organization of Argentine mothers who campaigned for their children who had been “disappeared” by the military junta that formally governed the nation.  His work, "Primavera en silencio," is based on American conservationist Rachel Carson’s landmark writing on climate change, and his "alleluia (from quarantine)" was commissioned by a consortium of 35 ensembles from across the United States as a way to raise money for gigging musicians whose livelihoods have been decimated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He has been commissioned by ensembles such as True Concord Voices & Orchestra, Lorelei Ensemble, and The Choral Project. From 2004-2014 he served as Composer-In-Residence for the Minneapolis-based professional choir, The Singers: Minnesota Choral Artists, where he collaborated annually to expand and invigorate the repertoire for professional-caliber ensembles through innovative programming as well as new works written specifically for the choir.  In 2002, he became the youngest composer ever awarded the prestigious Raymond W. Brock Composition Award by the American Choral Directors Association. The winning piece, "Musica animam tangens" (“Music touches the soul”), was premiered in Avery Fisher Hall at the Lincoln Center and has since been performed and recorded all over the world.  His music was featured in the 2009 documentary about the extensive choral tradition in the Upper Midwest, "Never Stop Singing," and his published works have sold over 150,000 copies worldwide. 

Joshua received his undergraduate degree in Music Education from Luther College where he studied conducting with Weston Noble.  He has also earned master’s and doctoral degrees in Musicology and Composition from the University of Texas at Austin where he studied with Charles Carson, Yevgeniy Sharlat, Donald Grantham, and the late opera composer Daniel Catán.  A fierce advocate for students’ access to music education, he served as a public school teacher in Minneapolis/St. Paul for many years and he has taught on the faculties at Gonzaga University, Valley City State University, and Eastern Washington University.

I'm a composer/trumpeter/improviser/ of music that mostly fits into that hard-to-name genre of "contemporary classical" or "new music" or "I don't get it" or "that sounds weird". I'm also an Assistant Professor at East Carolina University, where I teach music theory/composition, and Director of the NC NewMusic Initiative. I have a wonderful wife, Lauren; an amazing son, Owen; and a splendiferous wiener dog, Toby.

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