The Music Ministry of the First Presbyterian Church presents

A Good Friday Concert

The Chancel Choir and Chamber Choir of First Presbyterian Church and Chamber Orchestra

Daniel Cole, conductor

Chichester Psalms Leonard Bernstein

I. Psalm 108, vs. 2; Psalm 100 (1918-1990)

II. Psalm 23; Psalm 2, vs. 1-4

III. Psalm 131; Psalm 133 vs. 1

Bonnie Lynch, soprano; Rhoda Paschal, alto; Aaron Cates, tenor; Jacob Will, bass

Christian Zeal and Activity John Adams

(b. 1947)

Intermission Tegel Passion N. Lincoln Hanks

I. “Stretched out on my cot” (b. 1969)

II. “Slowly and softly”

III. “Night and silence”

IV. “We the old, the young”

V. “Twelve cold, thin strokes”

VI. “See, O man”

Bryon Grohman, tenor

Friday, April 3, 2015 Jackson Hall, First Presbyterian Church 7:00 P.M. 1324 Marion Street, Columbia, SC

Chichester Psalms

I Psalm 108, verse 2 Urah, hanevel, v’chinor! Awake, psaltery and harp: A-irah shachar! I will rouse the dawn! Psalm 100 Hariu l’Adonai kol haarets. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye lands. Iv’du et Adonai b’simha. Serve the Lord with gladness. Bo-u l’fanav bir’nanah. Come before His presence with singing. D’u ki Adonai Hu Elohim. Know ye that the Lord, He is God. Hu asanu, v’lo anahnu. It is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves. Amo v’tson mar’ito. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Bo-u sh’arav b’todah, Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, Hatseirotav bit’hilah, And into His courts with praise. Hodu lo, bar’chu sh’mo. Be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. Ki tov Adonai, For the Lord is good, l’olam has’do, His mercy is everlasting, V’ad dor vador emunato. And His truth endureth to all generations.

II Psalm 23 Adonai ro-i, lo ehsar. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Bin’ot deshe yarbitseini, He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, Al mei m’nuhot y’nahaleini, He leadeth me beside still waters, Naf’shi y’shovev, He restoreth my soul, Yan’heini b’ma’aglei tsedek, He leadeth me in paths of righteousness, L’ma’an sh’mo. For His name’s sake. Gam ki eilech Yea, though I walk B’gei tsalmavet, Through the valley of the shadow of death, Lo ira ra, I will fear no evil, Ki Atah imadi. For Thou art with me. Shiv’t’cha umishan’techa Thy rod and Thy staff Hemah y’nahamuni. They comfort me.

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Ta’aroch l’fanai shulchan Thou preparest a table before me Neged tsor’rai In the presence of mine enemies, Dishanta vashemen roshi Thou anointest my head with oil, Cosi r’vayah. My cup runneth over. Ach tov vahesed Surely goodness and mercy Yird’funi kol y’mei hayai, Shall follow me all the days of my life, V’shav’ti b’veit Adonai And I will dwell in the house of the L’orech yamim. Lord Forever. Psalm 2, verses 1-4 Lamah rag’shu goyim Why do the nations rage, Ul’umim yeh’gu rik? And the people imagine a vain thing? Yit’yats’vu malchei erets, The kings of the earth set themselves, V’roznim nos’du yahad And the rulers take counsel together Al Adonai v’al m’shiho. Against the Lord and against His anointed. N’natkah et mos’roteimo, Saying, let us break their bands asunder, V’nashlichah mimenu avoteimo. And cast away their cords from us. Yoshev bashamayim He that sitteth in the heavens Yis’hak, Adonai Shall laugh, and the Lord Yil’ag lamo! Shall have them in derision!

III Psalm 131 Adonai, Adonai, Lord, Lord, Lo gavah libi, My heart is not haughty, V’lo ramu einai, Nor mine eyes lofty, V’lo hilachti Neither do I exercise myself Big’dolot uv’niflaot In great matters or in things Mimeni. Too wonderful for me. Im lo shiviti Surely I have calmed V’domam’ti, And quieted myself, Naf’shi k’gamul alei imo, As a child that is weaned of his mother, Kagamul alai naf’shi. My soul is even as a weaned child. Yahel Yis’rael el Adonai Let Israel hope in the Lord Me’atah v’ad olam. From henceforth and forever. Psalm 133, verse 1 Hineh mah tov, Behold how good, Umah naim, And how pleasant it is, Shevet ahim For brethren to dwell Gam yahad. Together in unity.

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Tegel Passion Text by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, taken from Night Voices in Tegel Prison.

I. Stretched out on my cot I stare at the great wall. Outside a summer evening goes singing into the countryside.

II. Slowly and softly the tides of the day ebb On the eternal shore. Sleep a little. Strengthen body and soul, head and hand. For people, houses, spirits and hearts Are aflame. Till your day breaks After bold red night. Stand fast!

III. Night and silence, I listen Only the stops and cries of the guards, The distant hidden laughter of two lovers. Do you hear nothing else, lazy sleeper? I hear my own soul tremble and heave. Nothing else? I hear the silent night thoughts Of my fellow sufferers asleep or awake, As if voices, cries, As if shouts for planks to save them. I hear the uneasy creak of the beds, I hear chains. I hear how sleepless men toss and turn, Who long for freedom an deeds of wrath. When at gray dawn sleep finds them They murmur in dreams of their wives and children. I hear the happy lisp of half-grown boys Delighting in childhood dreams; I hear them tug at their blankets And hide from hideous nightmares. Do you hear how in this silent house It quakes, it cracks, and roars When hundreds kindle the stirred up flame of their hearts. Their choir is silent, But my ear is wide open.

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IV. We the old, the young, The sons of all tongues, We the strong, the weak, The sleepers, the wakeful, We alike in misfortune The good, the bad, Whatever we have been. We the poor, the rich, Alike in misfortune, The good, the bad, Whatever we have been.

We men of many scars, We the witnesses of those who died, We the defiant, we the despondent, We the innocent and the much accused, Deeply tormented we are calling, brother, we are searching, do you hear me? Brother do you hear me? We are calling. Calling you...

V. Twelve cold thin strokes of the clock tow’r awaken me. No sound, no warmth in them To hide and cover me. Howling evil dogs at midnight Frighten me. The wretched noise divides a poor yesterday From a poor today. What can it matter to me Whether one day turns into another, One that could have nothing new, nothing better Than to end quickly like this one? I want to see the turning of the times, When luminous signs stand in the evening sky, And over the peoples new bells Ring and ring. I am waiting for that midnight In whose fearfully streaming brilliance The evil perish for anguish And the good overcome with joy. Atonement is near!

VI. See, O man, Holy strength is at work, setting right. Rejoice and proclaim steadfast love for a new creation. Heaven reconcile The sons of earth, to peace and beauty.

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Program Notes

Tonight’s program of music consists of three works by American composers. The earliest of these works, Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, was composed in 1965, and the latest, N. Lincoln Hanks’s Tegel Passion, dates from 2006.

Chichester Psalms was commissioned by the Dean of Chichester Cathedral, the Very Rev. Walter Hussey, for a performance combining the choirs of Chichester, Winchester, and Salisbury cathedrals. These three “neighbors” have combined each summer since Thomas Weelkes’s tenure in the early 17th century to form a music festival. However, the world premiere of Chichester Psalms took place on July 15, 1965 in New York, by the New York Philharmonic under the direction of the composer, and the first performance of Bernstein’s conception of the work for all male-choir followed just two weeks later at the home of its commission, Chichester Cathedral.

Bernstein set three Psalms in their entirety, incorporating appropriate verses from additional Psalms into each movement. The opening movement, a setting of Psalm 100, is introduced by an exuberant and dramatic setting of the second verse of Psalm 108: “Awake, psaltery and harp. I will rouse the dawn!” This verse explains aspects of Bernstein’s orchestration, which could be considered a literal modernization of instruments mentioned in the Psalms: trumpets (trombones), “loud clanging cymbals” (a percussion battery requiring seven players), strings, and harps. The work was later reduced to a version for organ, harp, and one percussion player, but this revised version, while making the work accessible, lacks the energy, vitality and remarkable color of the original version performed this evening.

The closing movement also begins with a dramatic opening, but this time a wordless lament, as though the composer had Psalm 137 in mind. For Bernstein, the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the murder of his colleague Marc Blitzstein in January of 1964 had stifled his creative energies. A deep sense of mourning, loss, and struggle is conveyed in the chromatic tension and dissonance of the prelude of the third movement. However this tension turns to hope as the music resolves to a grounded and memorable tune in G major. The remainder of the movement reveals Bernstein’s affinity for, and mastery of, the

American musical, poignantly concluding with a hushed and reverent a cappella setting of the first verse of Psalm 133.

The middle movement is unquestionably the most popular and performed movement of the work. The overlay of Psalm 2 and Psalm 23 is both brilliant and sobering – a moving representation of the apparently never-ceasing battle between righteousness and wickedness. For the unbeliever, this battle plays out on the cover of the daily newspaper. For the Christian, the spiritual reality of this movement finds voice in Ephesians 6:12. In setting the entire work in Hebrew, but in the Christian choral tradition, Bernstein was seeking to draw attention to the common heritage shared by Christians and Jews, resulting in a masterful setting of the Psalms that has yet to be surpassed.

John Adams’s Christian Zeal and Activity, composed in 1973, is originally from a three- movement work entitled American Standard. The titles from the three movements of the larger work are indicative of the styles they intend to represent: march, hymn, and jazz. The first recording of the work was produced by Brian Eno, of U2 fame. While the work in its entirety is rarely performed, Christian Zeal and Activity (hymn movement) has found life on recordings and performances alike. Adams makes use of the tape loop, an avant-garde procedure that originated as early as 1948, but became an established technique for use with voices and instruments in the 1960’s and 1970’s by composers such as Karlheinz Stockhausen, John Cage, Steve Reich, and Milton Babbitt. Adams compositional style here could be considered nonpulsed minimalism and perhaps reveals influences that have been consistent staples of much of Adams’s oeuvre, namely Copland, Mahler, and even Wagner (overture of Das Rheingold).

Our concluding piece has musical and extra-musical connections with both of the preceding works. Tonight’s performance of Tegel Passion commemorates the 70th Anniversary of the execution of German theologian and martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer on April 9, 1945 in Flossenbürg prison. Prior to his execution, Bonhoeffer was held in Berlin’s Tegel prison for a year and a half, awaiting trial for his alleged role in an assassination plot on Adolf Hitler. During his incarceration, Bonhoeffer wrote, among many other letters and a draft of his Ethics, a

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poem called Night Voices in Tegel Prison, from which the libretto for Hanks’s work was taken.

Tegel Passion consists of six movements which alternate between the protagonist, Bonhoeffer, and the chorus, with some call and response in the third and fifth movements. Like Chichester Psalms, the orchestra is divided into groupings of three – in this case, three winds (two flutes, clarinet), three brass instruments (two horns, trombone), a percussion battery played by one player, and strings. Another connection lies in Bonhoeffer’s association with Chichester Cathedral. Bishop George Bell, appointed Bishop of Chichester in 1929, became an ally of the German Confessing Church, which in its Barmen Declaration proclaimed that National Socialism was “false teaching” contrary to Christian orthodoxy. After they met in 1933, Bonhoeffer could inform Bishop Bell about the Nazis and the Deutsche Evangelische Kirche, as well as personally confide in him as a friend. In the fifth movement, as the tenor sings “I want to see the turning of the tides,” Hanks has the vibes play almost the entire sequence of what is known as “Plain Bob,” a change-ringing pattern that would have sounded from Chichester Cathedral, the same Cathedral that commissioned Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms.

Hanks’s composition bears audible connections to American minimalist procedures that are the hallmark of composers like John Adams and Philip Glass. These procedures are most evident in the substantial choral movements, namely the second movement and sixth movement. Hanks uses flowing sixteenth notes in triple meters (12/8, 6/8, 9/8) to represent the movement and freedom of the Holy Spirit, a rhetorical concept found in Bach cantatas. However, he also uses a recurring, rigid sixteenth pattern in 4/4 (the rhythmic ostinato pattern is in 7/8) to represent the Nazi machine that had engulfed Germany. The work as a whole seeks to represent the Biblical Christian doctrine of freedom in the cross of Christ and the responsibility of the Christian to be willing to stand in the gap and suffer for those who are voiceless and helpless. Bonhoeffer’s writings throughout his life, particularly in works like The Cost of Discipleship, Life Together, and his letters and poems from Tegel Prison evidence this. His life, ending in his execution at the hands of the Nazis, is a testament to the clarity and depth of his faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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Bryon Grohman - Guest Tenor

Dr. Bryon Grohman serves as Associate Professor and Chair of the Voice Department at Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Florida. As a tenor, he has received international recognition for his performances in opera, oratorio, and concert repertoire. Bryon made his Boston Symphony Orchestra solo debut in Oliver Knussen’s Where the Wild Things Are and has been a featured performer with the Palm Beach Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Chicago Opera Theatre, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Opera Circle of Cleveland, Opera Boston, Opera Europa, Monte-Carlo, Longwood Opera, and the Indiana University Opera Theatre. Recent concert engagements include Haydn’s Creation with the Florida Orchestra, the Evangelist in Bach’s Johannes-Passion with Seraphic Fire, Schubert’s Mass in E-flat with the New World Symphony, and Handel’s Messiah with the Bloomington Early Music Festival.

As a conductor, Bryon is active in collegiate, church, and community choral music. Awarded a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting, under the tutelage of Tamara Brooks, he subsequently served on the conducting faculty at New England Conservatory of Music, Boston, and Wellesley College. An active church musician, Bryon has been Minister of Music for the Church of Our Saviour, Boston and Wellington Presbyterian Church, in Wellington, Florida. He currently sings in a professional octet at the Royal Poinciana Chapel, Palm Beach. As a professional ensemble singer, Bryon is a core member of the Grammy-nominated ensemble Seraphic Fire, based in Miami. He holds a doctorate in Vocal Performance and Music Literature from Indiana University.

A native of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, Bryon and his wife Kristin, a mezzo-soprano, moved to Florida following their studies at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He currently spends his free time changing diapers, jumping in bounce houses, and dressing like a Disney princess for tea parties with his three daughters: Anneke (5), Ava (3), and Anneliesë (8 months). In addition to his professional responsibilities, Bryon loves cooking and spending time in nature. He is active in the children’s ministry at his church: teaching music for Vacation Bible School and directing the Christmas pageant. During last year’s Christmas pageant, his daughter Ava (dressed as an angel) kidnapped baby Jesus. (He probably shouldn’t have cast her baby doll in that role...)

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* Mark Bischoff Lynn Bogart Walt Bogart

*Drew Bozard Katharine Bryan

* Aaron Cates * Terri Chiles

Philip Cockrell * Holly Cole

Brian Cope Blakely Dunbar David Edwards Jenny Edwards

* Tracy Folks * Abraham Hardy

Ann Janosik Susan Jennings

*Eric Kessler Arden Korn David Kurlowich Bobbie Lackey

* Bonnie Lynch

* Katie MacLeod Rosanne McDowell Jane Nevitt

* Laura Nevitt Jim Newman

* Rhoda Paschal Gordon Query Leona Query Andrea Rudy Jonathan Rudy Susanna Rudy

* Courtney Trent * Ellen Weaver * Jacob Will

Debbie Wiser Les Wiser Caleb Wright Larry Wyatt Susan Wyatt

* Chamber Choir Guest Singer

Chancel Choir

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Orchestra

Violin I Ashley Horvat, concertmaster Damir Horvat Shr-Han Wu Catherine Hazan Essena Setaro Violin I I Rebecca Hunter, principal Adam DePriest Sadie Kenny Emily Wait Viola Daniel Sweaney, principal Preston Barbare Samara Humbert-Hughes Cello Ryan Knott William Laney Colleen Marcou Bass Austin Gaboriau Joe Gaskins Flute Diane Kessel Emily Stumpf Clarinet Joe Eller

French Horn Tyler Hutto Martha Edwards Trumpet Tony Roebuck Jason Ortiz Doug Leadbitter Trombones Andrew Reich Dwayne Greene Jonathan Warburton Timpani Matthew Jones Percussion Matthew Jones (Hanks) Jim Lindroth Allison Schweickert Brennan Davis Shane Velsor Colin Smith Chris Amick Harp Moriah Custer Kipper Ackerman Piano Lenora Jeffcoat

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All proceeds from tonight’s concert will support Westminster Theological College and Seminary Uganda. The seminary seeks to glorify God by equipping pastors and leaders to serve Christ’s church and advance His kingdom in Africa.

The mission of the seminary is to train pastors, preachers, and church planters who have a passion for the gospel of grace and a zeal for building and multiplying healthy, strong, biblical, God-centered and Christ-exalting churches.

Their primary responsibility is to educate future pastors for Christian churches in Uganda and other African nations, especially for the Presbyterian Church in Uganda and other Presbyterian and Reformed denominations. We also provide theological education for others who will serve Christ’s church and the larger society in non-ordained roles.

Training For Gospel Transformation For more information about the college and seminary, please visit their website at www.wtcwtsuganda.org.

Tonight’s Offering

Westminster Theological College and Seminary Uganda

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First Presbyterian Church Concert Series 2014-2015

First Presbyterian Church 1324 Marion Street

Columbia, South Carolina 29201 803-799-9062

www.firstprescolumbia.org

Mwangaza Children’s Choir Concert

The Mwangaza experience brings authentic African worship and dance that presents the Gospel message. Every year 20 Ugandan children tour with Mwangaza with the hope of seeing lives transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To hear the choir, or learn more, please visit their website at: mchoir.org.

Thursday, April 23, Family Life Center at 7:00 p.m.