Wow, what a great story Billy! I don’t have time yet to dig in deeper and to listen to some of the music. I appreciate your amazing historical grasp.
Chris From: BILROJ via Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Monday, December 4, 2017 2:58 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [RC] The most beautiful Christmas carol in human history The most beautiful Christmas carol in human history This is saying quite a lot; the competition for "most beautiful Christmas carol" includes possibly fifty other songs that could reasonably claim this distinction. On a given day, or as the result of performance excellence, or personal passions or still other factors, it would be entirely understandable to choose some other carol for this high honor. But here it is, five days after discovering the incredible performance of the medieval song, "Personent Hodie," by the Honors Chamber Singers, Chorale, and Contemporary Vocal Ensemble of Loyola University, of Chicago. I still cannot get enough; for now, at least, I don't even want to listen to anything else. If there is such a thing that combines perfect choral singing, perfect instrumental performance, in a setting that maximizes the sound of the musical composition in a perfect way, this is it. Everything about this is mind-blowing; when I first heard it my reaction was one of incredulity and the greatest thankfulness for finally finding not only a song I had been looking for, for many years, but a flawless and inspired performance like none other. Exactly when I first heard Personent Hodie is uncertain. For sure this took place no later than about 2005, but it may have been long before that. The song is relatively well known for a medieval Christmas carol and has been recorded maybe 25 times that can be found on YouTube, not counting other versions elsewhere. Still. it is not nearly as well known as other medieval or Renaissance Christmas classics like the Wexford Carol or "Three Ships" in some early version, or "Tomorrow will be my dancing day," or the "Cherry Tree Carol," a classic long before the 19th century. There is a lovely recording of this later carol, sung by Judy Collins in 1996, available on YouTube. Also very old is the carol featuring King Wenceslaus, which seems to be based on "Tempus adest floridum" of ca. 1250 AD; there is some uncertainty inasmuch as the supposed Latin original is somewhat different. But the 13th century apparently is as far back as we can reasonably go in determining the age of almost any such music. There are a few exceptions, one song dates to as far back as 1000 AD, but that is the known limit. Otherwise the first known carols in European history, as far as anyone can be certain, date to 1223 when St. Francis of Assisi is generally credited with introducing the custom of singing lively songs at Christmastide rather than the more traditional chant-like hymns that were just about universal until then. Wassail songs, which eventually morphed into the kinds of carols which have come to characterize British Christmas songs, also date to this era, although no-one can be certain which came first and we may never know. In any case, Personent Hodie is an absolute treasure and it can confidently be traced to about 1360; a manuscript of that time was discovered in the German town of Moosburg in Bavaria although later versions change the words and slightly modify the melody here or there. Before going further it would be a good idea to get some details right. Personent Hodie should not be confused with another ancient song for the season, "Hodie Christus Natus Est," Today Christ Is Born, which has been set by a number of famous historical composers including Palestrina, Gabrielli, and Sweelinck. Nor should it be confused with Gaudeamus Hodie, which is also very old. Those are different musical compositions. Which was why I had such difficulty finding the music; I had mistakenly remembered the title as "Hodie Christus Natus Est The word Hodie is pronounced as Hoe-dee- ay (as in "say"or "play," not "Hoodie"). A Google search, unless you are aware of the problem, may turn up Hoodie. The earliest known text of the composition was part of a collection of medieval carols entitled "Piae Cantiones" originally published in 1582. The carol is sometimes referred to under this nomenclature. The pronunciation is "pee-ay (as in "day" or "pray") not as in "apple pie"; nor as in "Lower Paiae" on Maui. Similarly for Pie Jesu from the Faure Requiem, viz, "pee-ay Yay-soo." Various carols from the Piae Cantiones remained current in Finland until approximately 1850 AD or somewhat later. A copy of the songbook was given to the British ambassador to Sweden in 1852; the collection had been assembled by a Swedish Lutheran clergyman. The 1852 book was subsequently passed on to British musicologists who, in 1853 or 1854, published a version that then entered the modern era musical performance repertoire. The process of adoption of this "new" Christmas carol was expedited by an orchestral arrangement made by Gustav Theodore Holst in 1916. There was an organ-only version as well that became commonplace in Anglican churches as a processional anthem; the original Holst version took on a life of its own and was broadcast with some regularity on the BBC until 2011, its last known on-air performance. This arrangement sometimes is called the "Theodoric" version, a reference to the Holst's middle name. What also contributed to the growing popularity of Personent Hodie was an English language translation written by Jane Joseph (1894–1929), a version which has given rise to an English language tradition in which the music is sung under the title "On this day earth shall ring," after the opening words: On this day earth shall ring with the song children sing to the Lord, Christ our King, born on earth to save us; him the Father gave us. Refrain Id-e-o-o-o, id-e-o-o-o, Id-e-o gloria in excelsis Deo! The 1582 Latin lyrics are: Personent hodie voces puerulae, laudantes iucunde qui nobis est natus, summo Deo datus, et de vir, vir, vir et de vir, vir, vir et de virgineo ventre procreatus. In some editions the repeats are not spelled out and we get: Personent hodie Voces puerulae, Laudantes iucunde Qui nobis est natus, Summo Deo datus, Et de virgineo Ventre procreatus. Etc. Here are the complete Latin lyrics along with an English language version as prepared by Walter Bitner in 2011: Latin Lyrics: Personent hodie, Voces puerulae, Laudantes iucunde, Qui nobis est natus, Summo Deo datus, Et de vir vir vir, Et de vir vir, Et de virgineo, Ventre procreatus. In mundo nascitur, Pannis involvitur, Praesepi ponitur, Stabulo brutorum, Rector supernorum, Perdidit dit dit, Perdidit dit, Perdidit spolia, Princeps Infernorum. Magi tres venerunt; Munera offerunt; Parvulum inquirunt, Stellulam sequendo, Ipsum adorando, Aurum, thus thus thus, Aurum, thus thus, Aurum, thus et myrrham, Ei offerendo. Omnes clericuli, Pariter pueri, Cantent ut Angeli: "Advenisti mundo, Laudes tibi fundo, Ideo o o, Ideo o, Ideo: Gloria, In excelsis Deo." English Translation: Today must resound, Children's voices, Praising delightfully, He who is born to us, Given by most high God, And of a vir vir vir, And of a vir vir, And of a virgin, Womb begotten. Born into the world, Wrapped in swaddling clothes, Placed in a manger, In a stable for animals, The Master of the heavens, Rescued cued cued, Rescued cued, Rescued the spoils, Of the Prince of Hell. The three Magi came, To offer gifts, Inquiring for the Little One, Following after a star, They adored Him, Gold, frankincense cense cense, Gold, frankincense cense, Gold, frankincense and myrrh, They offered to Him. All the small shepherds, As if they were children, Sang with the Angels: "You have come to the world, Praise to Thee be given, Therefore fore fore, Therefore fore, Therefore: Glory To God in the highest" A stunningly beautiful modern version of the medieval carol, sung in English, can be found on YouTube under the title: "Ideo -An ancient Christmas Carol." Two arrangements of Personent Hodie were made by <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Rutter> John Rutter; one for choir and orchestra that suggests medieval instrumentation, with another in his anthology Dancing Day which can be sung either by girls or women, or by boys. This version features a choice of harp or piano accompaniment. But by now there have been maybe a dozen renditions, the most famous of which seems to be that of Lara Hoggard, the version made use of by Loyola University. And made use of in other settings of many descriptions. Not that the Rutter version is shabby in any way. Indeed, in some ways you can say it is better, especially if you prefer an up-tempo interpretation. Still, there is something special about the Lara Hoggard rendering -which makes the most of whole notes to create an almost organ-like sound to the human voice which, in some venues, resonates vibrantly. A performance of the Rutter version by the University of Louvain choral ensemble in 2014 can be said to resemble Lara Hoggard's version for its sonoric qualities. Interesting about the Louvain performance is that the choir also sang Gaudete in a very similar style, a composition that, when you hear it, seems to belong with Personent Hodie as if it is a companion piece. Hearing Gaudete along with Hodie and you should have no difficulty in making a connection to the musical world of Carmina Burana. There are several first class performances of Gaudete available on YouTube. Mention should be made of the Mediaeval Baebes rendering, of the version performed by the Choir of Clare College at Cambridge, and by The King's Singers. Gaudete, for your information, is pronounced something like "geow" (or "Gow") day tay.. --- Another version of Personent Hodie that deserves note is that of Alice Parker. A performance is available on YouTube, presented by the Colorado Springs Chorale in 2015. It features piano obbligato with a number of new harmonies. There also are hand bell versions, a brass band version, a version for children's voices only, several for women's voices only, two or three for men's voices only, and a few boys' or girls' versions. There is a Jazz version as well, the work of Richard A. Williamson and the Lorenz Corporation. The Lara (think "Larry") Hoggard version deserves some commentary. He has become undeservedly an unknown figure in the history of choral music in America, someone whose accomplishments were impressive by any standards, who had a professional career in this field that dated to the early 1930s, not ending until near his death at age 92 in 2007. Along the way he was a hero in World War II during the Battle of Leyte Gulf where he was a communications officer on board the light aircraft carrier, USS Sangamon, commanded by Admiral Thomas Sprague. Hoggard received special commendation for his efforts and was then ordered back to Washington, DC, to act as symphony conductor for the popular radio show, The Navy Hour. Before the war Hoggard had already created a reputation for himself that had earned the respect of noted music critic Deems Taylor to the effect that there simply wasn't a better choral director in the United States. Taylor's judgement reflected the work that Hoggard had done at Oklahoma University in making its choral ensemble unmistakably world class. After WWII, Hoggard returned to school to obtain his doctorate in music from Columbia, which he accomplished in 1947. It was in 1948 that he became director of Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians, the nationally known choral group, heard on radio from coast to coast. Hoggard also was featured on the new medium of television later in the 1950s, employed by NBC and CBS. Keep in mind that Hoggard replaced none other then Robert Shaw and, in the process, establishing himself as a choral festival and workshop conductor, for one example, and no small accomplishment, directing the orchestra for the Centennial Celebration of the Church of Latter Day Saints in Salt Lake City. In 1953, when working for the Pennsylvanians in New York City, Hoggard was contacted by music promoters in North Carolina who asked him to serve as director for a new high school choral institute. Hoggard thought this was an excellent opportunity and he set out to organize the North Caroline Summer Institute for Choral Art, a post he was to hold for the next 31 years. Hoggard was never all that happy in large cities and in 1955 he left New York for good to take on still another assignment, that as director of the glee club of the Indian Springs School (near Birmingham, Alabama). Within a few years that ensemble had a reputation as one of the best choral groups in the entire Southeast. There was much more, but to give you some idea... In 1960 Hoggard relocated to Hemet, California, to work in setting up a choral group there under auspices of the University of Southern California. But an offer he could not refuse came from Midland, Texas, to serve as director of the Midland-Odessa Symphony Orchestra and Chorale, which was his home from 1962 until 1967. That was the year that the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill recruited Hoggard. At that school Hoggard could show what he was capable of doing in the world of choral music. Among other things, during his first year Hoggard acted as conductor for the premier of Dave Brubeck’s oratorio "Light in the Wilderness." In a few years, Hoggard also founded the world class Carolina Choir, which soon gained international recognition resulting in Hoggard traveling to Austria and other parts of Europe in subsequent years, both to direct various European orchestras and choral groups as well as the ensemble from the University of North Carolina he had created -a group that, by 1972, consisted of five specialized singing groups. Hoggard finally retired in 1980, spending the last 27 years of his life in Chapel Hill. Some time in early retirement was when Hoggard composed his version of Personent Hodie; a date of 1983 or 1984 might be used as a reasonable approximation. Materials I have consulted do not provide a specific date of composition. All of which, at any rate, helps explain why many performances of the Personent Hodie were featured where they were. The first version of the composition was the result of a request from the Dallas Symphony and Chorus. The music was set for full chorus of sopranos, altos, tenors, and basses, with 4 b-flat trumpets, an organ, and percussion instruments, primarily chimes (tubular bells) and cymbals. Sometimes there are medieval drums as well. In any case, one of the first performances (if not the first per se) was carried out in Dallas. Several other performances shown on YouTube are also Texas ventures including one by the University of Texas at Austin. The most recent Texas production seems to be the Dallas Christmas Gala which was held on April 1, 2014, featuring the Dallas Symphony and Chorus. Naxos made use of the concert in preparing a commercial CD. Performances of Personent Hodie have taken place all over the United States but most seem to have been someplace in the South or Southwest. An example was a 2011 concert at Wichita State University for a Christmas Candlelight Concert on December 5 that year. This was a top rate production although, oddly, the music was used as a recessional rather than a processional and this loses something of the value of the composition. A good number of performances have been at high schools, such as a Candlelight Processional at Athens Drive H.S. on December 17, 2014, featuring combined choirs of the school as part of a large scale event. The school is located in Raleigh, North Carolina. A good number have also been performed in churches -of all denominations. This is fitting inasmuch as the original song was created in a Catholic environment, it was first published by a Catholic, but Swedish and Finnish Lutherans were closely involved at different times in history, and various Protestant groups have presented the composition, including Methodists and Anglicans. Mormons have also performed the music. Hoggard himself was a believing Presbyterian. The quality of the work is undeniable. Hoggard was a conscientious musician and his version of Personent Hodie shows his attention to detail and performance art possibilities. Which follows from Hoggard's other choral music interests. All of his life he was a student of Brahms, for instance, a composer whom many people may not realize wrote most of his music for choral ensembles. Hoggard was especially devoted to “Ein Deutsches Requiem,” which he was researching until the very last days of his life. It has not been possible to find very much information about the December 7, 2013 Christmas concert at Loyola. But the evening must have been very special for everyone in attendance. It took place in Techny Towers, a facility on the Loyola campus which includes several "chapels" such as the Holy Spirit Chapel which seats 500 people. Of course, how do you know that something is going to be very special before you attend? But that was exactly what it was, not only special but a once-in-a-lifetime event. At this time I may have listened to the composition via YouTube maybe 40 or 50 times. It doesn't "get old." The magic is there each time. And when it ends I always get choked up. Nothing can be as beautiful yet there it is, wondrous in its loveliness. How I wish I could have attended that performance at Loyola in 2013. But a skilled cameraman was there, and a quality sound engineer, and we can see and hear for ourselves and be thankful for the video recording. The Loyola Honors Chamber singers, Chorale, and Contemporary Vocal Ensemble did the rest; which was perfect. --------------- Perhaps some day something of the spirit of that special concert can be captured on a CD recording. To comprehend the concept does not require anything besides bringing up the entries for Personent Hodie on YouTube The album as conceived here should include a variety of the best available versions of Personent Hodie; these are the obvious choices for the best combination of existing music: 1. Loyola Academy Festival Processional, 2013 2. Ideo -An Ancient Christmas Carol, 2011 3. Loyola Academy Festival Processional, 2013 4. Gaudete -The King's Singers, 2012 5. Rutter -Personent Hodie, Magnificat Choir Budapest new harmonies, rhythms, syncopation, sung in Magyar; 2016 6. Gaudete -Mediaeval Baebes, Houston Public Media, a capella; 2014. 7. Celtic Song -A Celtic Christmas, On this day earth shall ring, woman solo performer, New Age harmonies; 2013 8. Gaudete -Medieval Carol Gaudete, Choir of Clare College, 2013. 9. Personent Hodie -3 part mixed, Richard Williamson arrangement, jazz interpretation, flute, drums, piano; 2016 10. Gaudete -anomim, Piae Cantiones, 1582; Zaprasza, eu, 2013 11. Dallas Symphony Chorus -Christmas Gala, 2014. 12. Gaudete! -Glasgow Madrigals; spirited, inspirational, 2012. 13. Rutter -Cambridge Singers, 2014 14. Ideo -An Ancient Christmas Carol, 2011 15. Loyola Academy Festival Processional, 2013 All of which takes us into history, into the Christian past, making the story fresh and new in the process inasmuch as the music can be interpreted in contemporary ways. The idea is also to recapture pride in Christian faith, whatever else we may wish to say in our very different ecumenical world of the 21st century. This is to speak of our heritage -in which we should make our own as much as possible. In our world we need to respect other faiths which give good to the world, I certainly do. At the same time people of other faiths need to respect Christians as Christians. Personent hodie is an unmistakable -and exquisitely beautiful- statement of Christian faith like nothing else in the world. Billy Rojas 2017 -- -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> . For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. 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