Barnt Green Choral Society

Karl Jenkins

The ArmedMan

A Mass For Peace

Saturday 17th November 2007

The ArtrixBromsgrove

John Tavener

Song For Athene.

Price £1.

AlbinoniAdagio for Organ and Strings

Cover design:‘Tommy’. A photograph of the soldier on the War Memorial, St. Andrew’s Church, Barnt Green.

Art work © Margaret Maybee 2007. Clip art © Clipart.com 2007.Design, layout and D.T.P. © C. Hackney/Barnt Green Choral Society 2007.

May I start by welcoming all of you who have come to support us tonight . I know manyof you are close friends and relations of our singers, who have, in some cases over manyyears, become accustomed to a significant other's absence on a Monday evening when thesearch for the music bag is accompanied by the wheedling imperative 'and please don'tforget to record Doc Martin..' Many thanks to all of you who lend a hand behind the scenes.We sincerely hope that this rather grand concert will justify your forbearance.

This particular performance has been supported by the Elmley Foundation, an independentcharity which gives grants to events held in the counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire.It was endowed by the Countess Beauchamp, Else Schiwe, the Danish born widow of thelast Earl Beauchamp, William Lygon also known as Viscount Elmley , who was raised withhis six siblings at Madresfield Court in Malvern. During the 1920's and 30's, Madresfield, afrequent haunt of Evelyn Waugh, became the model for 'Brideshead', and a mecca for artisticpursuits. The charity's purpose is to continue the encouragement of all forms of the arts,crafts and design in the two counties, particularly those involving young people, and we aregrateful to its trustees for their support tonight. We are also fortunate in welcoming studentsfrom North Bromsgrove High School to sing with us this evening.

This is our fourth outing to the Bromsgrove Artrix and I should put on record how muchwe appreciate the help we receive from its staff when using its space as a venue. I hopethose of you here tonight also support this Arts initiative on other occasions. Do collect abrochure of coming events. There really is something for everyone!

Finally, performing this Mass for Peace in Remembrance Week, makes us particularlyconscious of its initiator's avowed wish in 2000 'to reflect as we leave behind the most wartorn and destructive century in human history and look ahead with hope to a more peacefulmillennium' . With so many young lives being risked all over the world at present in so manyconflicts, we raise our voices now in the spirit in which the composer intended, and the beliefthat every call for peace, no matter how fragile or seemingly powerless, is a small stand forthe future.

Full Wedding Service:Process with bride to Church and Happy Couple from Church to Reception as practicable. Manage andannounce Reception welcome. Liaison with Reception Management and full Toastmastering of mealand speeches.Formal Cry of the events of the day with presentation of signed and sealed Scroll.

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Ruth sang her first solo at the age of three! She was brought up in Astwood Bank, nearRedditch, where she sang many solos at the Baptist Church, in Sunday School Anniversaryservices and also in school concerts.

After training as a nurse, she moved to Bromsgrove and joined Northfield Operatic Societyperforming many shows with them at The Crescent Theatre.

She studied singing with Anne Linstrum at Bromsgrove College and gained ALCM in voice.After that she taught Singing and Recorder at home for a few years, coaching many studentsto Grade 8 in Singing or Recorder.

When her children had become teenagers she did a B’Ed. course, with music as her mainstudy, at what is now Wolverhampton University. She graduated in 1992 and now teachesat Parkside Middle School in Bromsgrove.

Ruth was one of the founder members of Bromsgrove Operatic Society and performed manyleading roles in their early shows, including Tessa, in The Gondoliers; Rosalinda, in DieFledermaus and Queen Elizabeth, in Merrie England.

She currently sings with Oakville Singers and also plays the Recorder with HERO (Heart OfEngland Recorder Ochestra) which meets in Coventry.

David hails from Kidderminster. Here hesang in various church and school choirs,but his love of performing was confirmedwhen he joined the local operatic society asone of the children in the Sound of Music.

On leaving school he gained a place at theGuildhall School of Music and Drama inLondon where he studied under RudolphPiernay. Here his musical repertoire wasbroadened considerably and opportunitiesalso arose for small parts in opera at anumber of London Theatres. However, hedecided that making a living in music wasrather precarious and so he joined theMetropolitan Police.

By taking part in their choir he was able tosing as a soloist at many of the great Londonvenues including The Royal Festival Hall, StPaul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey.Transferring to West Mercia Constabulary in1988, he soon joined the Hereford PoliceChoir and continued his singing in earnest.

He has performed some solo workelsewhere when duty allows and counts anumber of high points including taking thebaritone part in Carmina Burana inCambridge, Fauré’s Requiem in SouthwarkCathedral and the Bach Cantata Ich habegenug in Walsall. His particular favourite,however, is to make people smile by singingthe songs of Michael Flanders and DonaldSwann, and more recently those of RichardStilgoe and Peter Skellern.

Ros Bateman, Christine Bould, Sarah Cowen, Natasha Dougan, Eileen Felton, Sue Fox,Judith Gibbons, Vicky Hall, Karen Harvey, Phillipa Harvey, Lesley Henley,Judy Hickman Smith, Janet Lee, Betty Lucas, Ann McKay, Sylvia Parkinson, Joan Prescott,Mysie Raine, Elizabeth Richmond, Wendy Tricklebank, Julie Ward, Sue Wright,Helen Roberts, Gillian Yegwart..

Fiona Brown, Sylvia Cartwright, Jenny Edwards, Diane Freeman, Julie Flower,Hazel Flinn, Debbie Goodkin, Maggie Kelly, Julie Johnson, Pam Jones, Helen Maybee,Margaret Maybee, Christine Morse, Rosemary Parker, Margaret Parry, Pat Ratcliffe,Lucy Sherlock, Andrea Wilkie, Alyson Williams, Aileen Winwood, Ros Wright.

Michael Davenport, Paul Goldsmith, Kevin Ward, Albert Whurr, Harold Crisp,Jonathan Treml.

Simon Charles, Wally Davies, Simon Edwards, John Felton, Tony Fox, Jack Goodall,Chris Hackney, Richard Harvey, Tom Hollick, Andy Jones, Brian Jones, Len Kedge,Peter Main, Will Mason, David Richmond, Len Smith, Brian Williams, Ron Wills.

Song for Athene John Tavener (b. 1945).

John Tavener (not to be confused with John Taverner c. 1495 - 1545) studied at the RoyalAcademy of Music with Sir Lennox Berkeley and David Lumsdaine. In 1968 his dramaticcantata ‘The Whale’ (I was at the ‘Prom’ in the Albert Hall at its premiere!) took the audienceby storm and led to his music being recorded on The Beatles’ ‘Apple’ label! Tavener hascontinued to show originality of concepts and an immense personal idiom, making his voicequite separate from those of his contemporaries. Over the years the contemplative side of hisnature has led him in more spiritual directions and his commitment to the Russian OrthodoxChurch, which he joined in 1977, is now evident in his work.

‘Song for Athene’, which has become one of his best known pieces since it was sung at thefuneral of Diana, Princess of Wales, takes as its text a mixture of Shakespeare (specifically‘Hamlet’) and the Orthodox Funeral Service. The work, originally written in 1993, is typical ofTavener’s rich choral sound, with the Bass drone continuing for the whole piece. ‘Song forAthene’ was commissioned by the BBC. It was first performed on 22nd. January, 1994 at St.Giles in the Barbican, London, by the BBC Singers, conducted by Simon Joly.

Composer’s note: It was written in memory of Athene Hariades, who died tragically in March1993. Her inner and outer beauty was reflected in her love of acting, poetry and music andof the Orthodox Church. The texture of the work varies, growing from a single line melodyand various groupings of the choir to the full choir, the end sung molto forte (very loud) withall the voices singing similar, mainly step-wise melodies at different pitches, except for thedrone. Tavener’s marking is “With resplendent joy in the Resurrection”.

The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace. Karl Jenkins (b.1944).

`The armed man must be feared;Everywhere it has been decreedThat everyman should arm himselfWith an iron coat of mail'. (Anon c1450-1463).

Karl Jenkins was born in Penclawdd, South Wales and was introduced to music by his father,a local teacher, organist and choirmaster. He was educated at Gowerton Grammar School,subsequently graduating from the University of Wales, Cardiff before commencing graduatestudies at the Royal Academy of Music, London.

It was in jazz that he initially made his mark, playing at Ronnie Scott's club beforeco-forming ‘Nucleus’, which won first prize at the 1973 Montreux Jazz Festival. Over the yearshe has had links with many instrumental groups and musicians, and as a media composerhe has won several industrial awards. In the mid 1990's Karl, who has always resistedcategorisation in music, drew on his multifaceted background and created the `Adiemusproject' for which he is universally known, and which has crossed boundaries, toppingclassical and `pop' charts around the world, gaining fifteen platinum and gold album awards.Recent commissions include works for the Royal Ballet, Evelyn Glennie, Leslie Garrett, TheNational Eisteddfod, BBC Proms in the Park and the National Youth Orchestra. The year 2002saw the premiere of his harp concerto ‘Over the Stone’, which was commissioned by H.R.H.The Prince of Wales for the Royal Harpist, Catrin Finch. One of his most recent compositions,his Requiem, has proved to be very popular, and its success has included a nation-wide tourof Britain. Karl is a Fellow of both the Royal Academy of Music and of the Royal WelshCollege of Music and Drama. In the 2004 Honours List he was honoured with an OBE,bestowed on him by the Queen.

`The Armed Man' is the result of a special millennial commission from the Royal Armouries,and the latest in a six-century-old tradition of Armed Man masses that take the fifteenthcentury French song ̀ L'Homme Armé' as their starting point. According to Guy Wilson, Masterof the Royal Armouries, "The theme that `the armed man must be feared', which is themessage of the song, seemed to me painfully relevant to the 20th'. century, and so the ideawas born to commission a modern `Armed Man Mass'. What better way both to look backand reflect as we leave behind the most war-torn and destructive century in human history,and to look ahead with hope and commit ourselves to a new and more peaceful millennium.

Large in both scope and scale, `The Armed Man' is a profoundly moving and accessiblework that uses the most traditional means to explore an all too-contemporary subject. As KarlJenkins explains, "As I started composing `The Armed Man', the tragedy of Kosovo unfolded.I was reminded daily of the horror of such conflict and so I dedicate the work to the victimsof Kosovo".

In the manner reminiscent of Britten's `War Requiem', `The Armed Man' interpolates anumber of different texts within the usual Mass form. Malory, Dryden, Swift, Tennyson, Kipling,The Koran and the Hindu Mahabharata contibute to a compelling account of descent into,and the terrible consequences of war. Nevertheless the work concludes with a `Ring' of hope.

The initial tune in the first movement (the first four notes) look to be in the key of C majormatching the key signature, but then a Bb is introduced and in the context at that point givesthe feeling of G minor, although the E flat confirming this key doesn't appear until later inthe rnovement; the Bb has an alternative feeling of the flattened seventh, in keeping with thefolk song idiom. F sharps appearing later with E flats confirm G minor but then, for goodmeasure, F naturals conflict with them, all in all establishing an unsettling situation, part andparcel of wartime society, both for those taking part and for many not directly involved. Themusic reminds me of the score that William Walton created for the film `Henry V', with theparallel fourths and fifths etc. Another feature of the first movement is Jenkins's use of unisonsinging, sometimes by two sections of the choir and sometimes by the whole choir. He also

uses imitation, one voice copying another in different combinations. When the music of thefirst movement returns at the end of the work there are small differences whereby the use ofthe B flat is delayed and, at the very end F sharps can be heard with B naturals, establishingwithout doubt the triumphant key of G major, albeit with the major third missing in the finalchord, typical of the ancient music mirrored by Jenkins, and creating a certain vagueness. Heendeavours to represent the feelings of instability in other ways, such as introducing sharpsand flats foreign to the key centres of the movements, changing the beat of consecutive barsand using different rhythms at the same time e.g. two against three etc. Karl Jenkins usescompositional techniques that remind me of the works of Andrew Carter and John Rutter,which the Choir have performed in the past.

The styles he adopts in two other movements underline Karl's fondness for music of thepast and provide apt vehicles for the atmosphere he wants to create. They also underline themeaning of the words, e.g. the Kyrie, where in one section he imitates the compositionaltechniques of Palestrina, a sixteenth century Italian composer, who used a system of five rules(species) that dictated the juxtaposition of the voice parts, note lengths and rhythms resultingin him composing not only tightly organised textures, but rich, beautifully flowingcounterpoint.. Then, in movement four, `Save Me from Bloody Men', he resorts to the sixthcentury method of Gregorian Chant, associated with Pope Gregory l, which became thefundamental music of the Roman Catholic Church. The voices, in this case the tenors andbasses, sing in parallel fifths throughout the movement, with free rhythm (the beat changesalmost in every bar) melismatic semiquavers (several notes to a word) and several pauses,the whole creating an unusual effect in the context of the whole work.

‘The Armed Man' received its world premiere in April 2000 at London's Royal Albert Hall, torapturous applause. The Mass was "a firebomb of orchestral and human voices" (The Times)that drew "prolonged shouts of approval from the audience" (The Independent). Karl'scomposition is constantly voted one of the most popular pieces of music by Classic FM listeners.

- Albinoni

- John Tavener

- Karl JenkinsThe Armed Man

(L’Homme Armé)

The Call to PrayerKyrie

Save Me from Bloody MenSanctus

Hymn Before Action

Hymn Before ActionCharge

Angry FlamesTorches

Agnus DeiNow the Guns Have Stopped

John Tavener (b. 1945).

Alleluia, May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.. Alleluia, Remember me, O Lord, When you come into your Kingdom. Give rest, O Lord, to your hand maid who has fallen asleep. The Choir of Saints have found the well-spring of life and door of paradise. Life a shadow and a dream, Weeping at the grave creates the song: Come, enjoy rewards and crowns I have prepared for you. Alleluia.

Karl Jenkins (b. 1944).(A Mass for Peace).

(sung in French)The armed man must be feared;Everywhere it has been decreedThat every man should arm hiniselfWith an iron coat of mail. Anon. Trad.

(sung in Arabic) Trad.

(sung in Greek)Lord. have mercy.Christ, have mercy.Lord, have mercy. Ordinary of the Mass.

Be merciful unto me O God:For man would swallow me up.He fighting daily oppresseth me.Mine enemies would daily swallow me up:For they be many that fight against me.O thou most high. The Bible, Psalm 56

Defend me from them that rise up againstme.Deliver me from the workers of iniquity,And save me from bloody men. The Bible, Psalm 59

(sung in latin)Holy Lord God of HostsHeaven and earth are full of Thy glory,Hosanna in the highest. Ordinary of the Mass

The earth is full of anger,The seas are dark with wrath,The Nations in their harnessGo up against our path:Ere yet we loose the legionsEre yet we draw the blade,

Jehovah of the Thunders,Lord God of Battles, aid!High lust and froward bearing,Proud heart, rebellious brow,Deaf ear and soul uncaring,We see thy mercy now.

The sinner that forswore Thee,The fool that passed Thee by,Our times are known before Thee,Lord grant us strength to die! Rudyard Kipling

The trumpet's loud ClangorExcites us to Arms,With shrill notes of AngerAnd mortal Alarms. John Dryden, Song. for St. Cecilia's Day

How blest is he who for his country dies. Jonathan Swift,

(to the Earl of Oxford, after Horace Odes)

The double double beatOf the thundering drumCries, Hark! the Foes come.Charge, Charge, 'tis too late to retreat. John DrydenHow blest is he who for his country dies. Jonathan Swift

Charge, charge! John Dryden.

Pushing up through smokeFrom a world half darkenedBy overhanging cloud,The shroud that mushroomed outAnd struck the dome af the sky,Black, Red, Blue,Dance in the air,Merge,Scatter glittering sparks,Already towerOver the whole city.

Quivering like seaweed, the mass of flamesspurts forward.Popping up in the dense smoke,Crawling outWreathed in fire,Countless human beingsOn all foursIn a heap of embers that erupt and subside,Hair rent,Rigid in death,There smoulders a curse. Toga Sankichi [written in memory of the victims of Hiroshima]

The animals scattered in all directions,screaming terrible screams.Many were burning, others were burnt.All were shattered and scattered mindlessly,their eyes bulging.Some hugged their sons, others their fathersand mothers,unable to let them go, and so they died.Others leapt up in their thousands, facesdisfiguredand were consumed by the Fire. Everywherewere bodiessquirming on the ground, wings, eyes andpaws all burning.They breathed their last as living torches. The Mahàbharàta, begun 6th century

(sung in Latin)O Lamb of God,that takest away the sins of the world,grant us Thy peace. Ordinary of the Mass

Silent,So silent, now,Now the guns have stopped.

I have survived all,I, who knew I would not.But now you are not here.I shall go home, alone;And must try to live life as beforeAnd hide my grief.For you, my dearest friend,Who should be with me now,Not cold, too soon,And in your grave,Alone. Guy Wilson

(sung in Latin)Blessed is he that comethin the name of the Lord.Hosanna in the highest. Ordinary of the Mass

Lancelot - Better is peace than always war,Guinevere - And better is peace thanevermore war. Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte d,Arthur

That every man should arm himselfWith an iron coat of mail.Everywhere it has been decreedThe armed man must be feared; Anon, Trad.

Ring out the thousand wars of old,Ring in the thousand years of peace.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 old shapes of foul disease.The larger heart, the kindlier hand;Ring out the darkness of the land;Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;Ring out the thousand years of old,Ring in the thousand years of peace.Ring in the valiant man and free,Ring in the Christ that is to be. Alfred Lord Tennyson, (In Memoriam A. H. H.)

...God shall wipe away all tears...And there shall be no more death,Neither sorrow nor crying,Neither shall there be any more pain. The Bible, Revelations, 21.4.

Praise the Lord.

Steve joined Barnt Green Choral Society in May 2002. Hewas brought up in Hexham, Northumberland, where hewas a chorister in Hexham Abbey Choir, and where hestarted learning to play the organ. He read Music withapplied Physics at Surrey University, studying the Organunder Philip Moore and Gerald Gifford. He returned toHexham to teach Music after a post-graduate year atNewcastle University before moving to Bromsgrove, where

he works at North Bromsgrove High School. He spent many years as organist and choirmaster at St. Godwalds, Finstall, and hasconducting experience with a wide range of choirs and ensembles. He enjoys acting whenhe gets the chance, and loves Scottish Islands. He hopes that choir members find rehearsalsfun as well as challenging!

Would you like to become a ‘friend’ of Barnt Green Choral Society?

As a ‘friend’ you are entitled to reduced price tickets for our two main concerts, held inNovember and March, and priority booking for our popular Christmas and Summer concerts. Your contribution will be greatly appreciated and will help the Society continue to produceenjoyable concerts using first class soloists and musicians. If you would like to become a ‘friend’ of BGCS please send your name and address anda cheque for £10 to: Fiona Brown, The Secretary BGCS, Stable Door House, School Lane,Alvechurch, Birmingham B48 7SA.

Christmas Concert - December 15th 20077.00 p.m. St. Andrew’s Church, Barnt Green and afterwards in the Parish Centre.

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Spring Concert - March 15th 2007.at 7.30 p.m. St Andrew's Church, Barnt GreenFauré's. , and with John Rutter’s

Summer Concert - June 14th 2007.7.30 p.m. St. Andrew’s Church, Barnt Green and afterwards in the Parish Centre.

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The Society gratefully acknowledges support from:Worcester Music Library;Birmingham Library;The Elmley Trust.

Tuneful new members in all voices are welcome to join the society.Details from: Andrea Wilkie (Chairman) 0121 445 3710

Details of the society are also availble on its web site at:www.barntgreenchoralsociety.org.uk

Barnt Green Choral Society, is an affiliated member ofMaking Music (National Federation of Music Societies).