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The Saint Olaf Choir


  The Saint Olaf Choir

The Saint Olaf Choir


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Selected cut: Sicut Cervus

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About the Choir

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April 15, 2001 Program
(Read full texts and translations)

Opening Music:
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594): Sicut cervus

Music from the Saint Olaf Tradition:
William Billings (1786-1800): Easter Anthem
Alexander Gretchaninoff (1864-1956): Our Father
F. Melius Christiansen (1871-1955): Psalm 50 (mvmts. ii, iii)

Music of the Twentieth Century:
György Orbán (b. 1947): Daemon Irrepit Callidus
Kenneth Jennings (b. 1925): The Lord is the Everlasting God (mvmt. ii)
Aaron Copland (1900-1990): The Promise of Living (from The Tender Land)

International Selections:
arr. Dudley Cohen: Yom Zeh Le-Yisrael (Hebrew)
arr. Robert Scholz: Children of the Heavenly Father (Swedish)
arr. Moses Hogan: My Soul's Been Anchored in the Lord (African American)
Keith Hampton (b. 1957): Praise His Holy Name! (African American)


TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS

Sicut Cervus (sung in Latin): Listen (RealAudio 3.0)
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594)

Sicut cervus desiderat ad fontes aquarum,
Ita desiderat anima mea ad te Deus.

As the deer longs for the water-brooks,
So longs my soul for you, O God.

-Psalm 42:1

  The Saint Olaf crest

The Saint Olaf crest

Easter Anthem
William Billings (1746~1800)

The Lord is ris'n indeed! Hallelujah!
Now is Christ risen from the dead,
And become the first fruits of them that slept.
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah.

And did He rise? Did He rise?
Hear it, ye nations! Hear it, O ye dead!
He rose, He rose, He burst the bars of death
And triumphed o'er the grave.

Then I rose,
Then first Humanity triumphant
Passed the crystal ports of light,
And seized Eternal Youth.

Hail, all immortal hail, hail.
Heaven all lavish of strange gifts to all,
Thine's all the glory,
ours' the boundless bliss.

- The New Testament and Young's Night Thoughts

Our Father
Alexandre Gretchaninoff (1864-1956)

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Sabaoth,
Heav'n and earth are full of Thy glory.
Thine are kindgoms, thrones, dominions, might and majesty.

Thy Name be hallow'd on earth,
As it is hallow'd in heav'n.
Thou givest strength to the weak;
Thou rememb'rest the poor,
and them that are distress'd.

And upon them that fear Thy Name
Show'rs of blessing unnumber'd shall fall:
Peace shall follow them.
By still waters their path shall be.

Sing then of mercy, judgment, of kingdoms,
Of thrones, dominions, and pow'r for evermore.
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of Hosts.

Come to us O Lord in splendor bright,
Fill our hearts with everlasting light. Amen.

-The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom


Psalm 50 (movements II, III)
F. Melius Christiansen (1871-1955)

II.
Offer unto God the sacrifice of thanksgiving
And pay, and pay the vows unto the Lord.

And call upon me in the day of thy trouble,
I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

III.
Whoso offereth praise glorifieth God.
Who showed to all the salvation of our God.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Praise God all creatures here below!
Praise God above, ye heav'nly host!
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!

-Psalm 50:14-15, Thomas Ken

Daemon Irrepit Callidus (sung in Latin)
György Orbán (b. 1947)

Daemon ponit fraudes - Dae', Dae' - inter laudes, cantus, saltus . . .
Allicit cor honoribus. Daemon dat cor Jesu minus aestimat.
Caro venatur sensibus; sensus ad haeret dapibus; inescatur, impinguatur, dilatatur.
Ad de mundorum milia, milena gaudia; Quid amabile Totum dat, cor Jesu…

The devil sneaks expertly amidst praise, song and dance . . .
However amiably the devil acts, it is still worth less than the heart of Jesus
Poor, passionate, undisciplined, frustrated devil!

-included in Chorubungen 95 (published by Museion)

The Lord is the Everlasting God (mvmt. II)
Kenneth Jennings (b. 1925)

II.
. . . The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth,
who does not faint or grow weary;
whose understanding is unsearchable.

God gives power to the faint,
and strengthens the powerless.
Even youths will faint and be weary,
and the young will fall exhausted;

But those who wait for the Lord
shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint.

Have you not heard? Have you not known?

-Isaiah 40:21-22, 25-26, 28-31

The Promise of Living
(from the opera The Tender Land)
Aaron Copland (1900-1990)

The promise of living with hope and thanksgiving
Is born of our loving our friends and our labor.
The promise of growing with faith and with knowing
Is born of our sharing our love with our neighbor.
The promise of living, the promise of growing
Is born of our singing in joy and thanksgiving.

For many a year we've known these fields
And known all the work that makes them yield,
Are you ready to lend a hand?
We're ready to work, we're ready to lend a hand.
By working together we'll bring in the harvest,
the blessings of harvest.

We plant each row with seeds of grain,
And Providence sends us the sun and the rain,
By lending a hand, By lending an arm
Bring out, bring out from the farm,
Bring out the blessings of harvest.

Give thanks there was sunshine, give thanks there was rain,
Give thanks we have hands to deliver the grain,
O let us be joyful, O let us be grateful to the Lord for His blessing.
The promise of ending in right understanding
Is peace in our own hearts and peace with our neighbor.

The promise of living, the promise of growing,
The promise of ending is labor and sharing and loving.

-Horace Everett

Yom Zeh Le-Yisrael (sung in Hebrew)
arr. Dudley Cohen

Yom zeh le -Yisrael ora vesimcha shabat menucha

Tsivita pikudim bemaamad Sinai shabat umoadim lishmor bechol shanai
Laaroch lefanai maset vaarucha maset vaarucha shabat menucha
Yom zeh le -Yisrael ora vesimcha shabat menucha

This day is for Israel light and rejoicing - a Sabbath of rest

Thou badest us standing at Sinai
That all the years through we should keep thy behest
To set out a table full-laden to honour
The Sabbath of rest.

Chemdat halvavot leuma shevura linefashot nichamot neshama yeteira
Lenefesh metseira yasir anacha yasir anacha shabat menucha
Yom zeh le-Yisrael . . .

Ki dashta beirachta oto mikol yamim besheishet kilita melechet olamim
Bo matsu agumim hashket uvitecha hashket u vitecha shabat menucha
Yom zeh le-Yisrael . . .

Treasure of heart for the broken people
Gift of new soul for the soul's distrest
Soother of sighs for the prisoned spirit
The Sabbath of rest.

When the work of the worlds in their wonder was finished
Thou madest this day to be holy and blest
And those heavy-laden found safety and stillness
A Sabbath of rest.

-Traditional Sabbath table hymn

Children of the Heavenly Father
arr. Robert Scholz

Children of the heavenly Father
Safely in his bosom gather;
Nestling bird or star in heaven
Such a refuge ne'er was given.

God his own doth tend and nourish,
In his holy courts they flourish.
From all evil things he spares them,
In his mighty arms he bears them.

Neither life nor death shall ever
From the Lord his children sever;
Unto them his grace he showeth,
And their sorrows all he knoweth.

Though he giveth or he taketh,
God his children ne'er forsaketh;
His the loving purpose solely
To preserve them pure and holy.

-Caroline V. Sandell Berg, trans. Ernst W. Olson

My Soul's Been Anchored in the Lord
arr. Moses Hogan

In the Lord, My soul's been anchored,
in the Lord.

Before I'd stay in hell one day,
My soul's been anchored in the Lord.
I'd sing an' pray myself away.
My soul's been anchored in the Lord.

Goin' shout an' pray an' never stop,
My soul's been anchored in the Lord.
Until I reach the mountain top.
My soul's been anchored in the Lord.

Do you love Him? Oh yes!
Do you love Him? Hallelujah!
Do you love Him? Oh yes! God almighty.

Are you anchored? Oh yes!
Yes, I'm anchored, my soul's been anchored in the Lord.

Yes, Will you serve Him? Oh yes!
Will you serve Him? Hallelujah!
Will you serve Him? Oh yes! God almighty.

Are you anchored? Oh yes!
Yes, I'm anchored, my soul's been anchored in the Lord, Hallelujah!

Will you praise Him? Oh yes!
Will you praise Him? Hallelujah!
Will you praise Him? Oh yes! God almighty!

Are you anchored? Yes, I'm anchored.
Lord, I'm anchored. Oh yes!
Lord, I love You. Oh yes!
Yes, I'll serve You. Oh yes!
Lord, I'll praise You. Oh yes! Hallelujah!
My soul's been anchored in the Lord, God almighty,
My soul's been anchored in the Lord.

-Traditional spiritual

Praise His Holy Name
Keith Hampton (b.1957)

Refrain
Sing till the power of the Lord come down.
Shout Hallelujah! Praise His Holy name!

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me;
I once was lost, but now I'm found, was blind, but now I see.
Jesus, Jesus, how I love Thee! Shout Hallelujah!
Praise his Holy name!

Refrain

Must Jesus bear the cross alone and all the world go free?
No, there's a cross for ev'ryone and there's a cross for me.
Jesus, Jesus, how I love Thee! Shout Hallelujah!
Praise His Holy Name!

Refrain

Hallelujah! Praise His Name! Let us Praise His Name, Hallelujah, Lord!
Praise His Holy Name! Hallelujah Oh, oh-
Praise High Holy Name!
Praise Him!

-Traditional

 

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