Word: chorales
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LAST FRIDAY NIGHT'S choral concert in Sanders drew a sizeable and appreciative audience. It was, all told, a pleasant evening...
...INTERESTING that the two greatest symphonists of the latter 19th century were also the finest composers of choral music. A comparison of their choral writing is fascinating for the light it sheds on two very different aesthetic concepts. The essential traits so dramatically obvious in the symphonies are also discernable in the choral works...
...music of each man reflects his religious background. Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) was a Catholic composer; Brahms (1833-1897) was essentially Protestant. In his choral music, Bruckner attempts to suggest the most sacred mysteries of the Catholic faith by manipulating chromatic harmonies which build towards thrilling climaxes. He is grandiose and monumental, as the great baroque churches of Bavaria and Austria are grandiose and monumental. He seeks the feverish ecstasy of the visionary. Brahms, on the other hand, is a more sober, conservative writer, working from a close, personal religion, and with a style virtually baptized in a Protestant ethic...
...start of the cantata. This is important for a building of Mem Church's acoustics where the lack of echo mercilessly exposes poor ensemble. The opening chorus has a beautiful trumpet part. It was played with a smooth and searing quality that cut right through the dense choral and orchestral texture...
...more interesting compositions were the Herbert Howells Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis. The Magnificat's Gloria section typified English choral music of the last hundred years. It was well-registered by the organist with enough reed mixtures to complement the thick vocal textures. The Nunc Dimittis, more restrained than the Magnificat, used extreme vocal ranges effectively...