By Edward E. Jones
November began with an uplifting All Saints’ Day service that included a festive parade of our Sunday school pupils dressed up as their favorite heroes; the choir was particularly delighted that Yoda and R2-D2 made an appearance — staples, surely, of any fancy-dress pageant? The Harvard University Choir observed the Commemoration of All Souls that same afternoon with a performance of Mozart’s Requiem, given in the completion by Professor of Music Emeritus, Robert D. Levin. The choir was joined by the period instrument ensemble Grand Harmonie and a distinguished quartet of singers for a performance that filled the Memorial Church to capacity with an enthusiastic and attentive audience. The Requiem is so familiar and so beloved that it is easy to overlook the startling originality of what Mozart achieves therein: by fusing his research into earlier repertoires (from Gregorian chant onwards, including a thorough study of Bach and Handel in the late 1780s) with advances in his own musical language, he creates a veritable encyclopedia of compositional styles. Within the sober confines of church music, he packs the entire gamut of styles and textures he had developed in the opera house and on the concert stage, and I was delighted with the hard work of our singers and instrumentalists, who achieved moments of sheer terror alongside ones of exquisite beauty.
November’s annual cycle of remembrance and reflection continued the following week with the Commemoration of Benefactors and of the War Dead service, which featured Sir Hubert Parry’s ravishing Blest Pair of Sirens, a setting of John Milton’s Pindaric ode to the power of music, At a Solemn Music. The tolling of the Memorial Church’s solemn bell, inscribed with the dedication “In memory of voices that are hushed,” is one of the most moving moments in this already poignant service, particularly powerful this year as we continue to observe the centennial of World War One.
Earlier in the term, the Harvard University Choir returned to St. Paul’s School, Concord, New Hampshire on a beautiful Columbus Day weekend for its annual retreat of music-making and social-bonding. The day ended with a meditative service of Compline in the school’s Old Chapel; once again the Director of Chapel Music, Nicholas White, and the school’s staff and pupils welcomed us most graciously, and it was a wonderful field trip for the group. The following afternoon, the choir presented Choral Evensong to a full Appleton Chapel (and a Sanctuary filled with enthusiastic tourists); the strains of Stanford’s majestic Evening Canticles in B-flat, beautifully sung by the choir, and expertly accompanied by Tom Sheehan on our wonderful Skinner organ, made for a splendid end to the weekend.
Sunday and daily services have presented music from a wide variety of styles, including Bach’s sixth motet, Lobet den Herrn, Kodaly’s haunting Missa brevis, and Giovanni Gabrieli’s Jubilate Deo. Throughout my time at the Memorial Church I’ve been deeply grateful for the support and encouragement of Sam and Barbara Hayes, and it was a joy and privilege to lead the Choral Fellows in a recital at Fox Hill Village, Westwood, MA at their invitation. The Choral Fellows work tirelessly on a daily basis in Appleton Chapel, and it was a nice opportunity for the group to perform outside of their regular morning duties; the evening ended with a grand feast in their honor.
Several other highlights of the term so far include performing in the Medal of Honor service, participation in the opening of Harvard Square’s Y2Y homeless shelter, and a wonderful organ recital by our own Composer in Residence Carson Cooman. On Friday, October 23, the Memorial Church co-sponsored a remarkable event: a benefit concert given by local musicians to support the victims of the Syrian-Iraqi refugee crisis. The concert was organized by Joel Cohen, director of Camerata Mediterranea and an important figure in the early music world, with whom the Harvard University Choir has collaborated on a number of occasions. The concert brought together musicians from a wide variety of traditions and cultures and included a poignant interpretation of Carson Cooman’s Faith and Love by the Choral Fellows. The evening ended with a powerful rendition of the Sacred Harp tune Weeping Pilgrim sung by audience and musicians, and the evening raised over $3,500 for charity.
It was twenty years ago that my predecessor, Dr. Murray Forbes Somerville — alongside baroque violinist Robert Mealy and Professor of Music Tom Kelly — founded the Harvard Baroque Chamber Orchestra (HBCO) to perform the music of Henry Purcell. On Sunday, November 22, an anniversary concert was held in the Memorial Church that also served as a reunion, for Murray, Robert, and Tom all participated. I was particularly pleased that Murray led the Choral Fellows in Purcell’s 1683 Ode to St. Cecilia, “Welcome to All the Pleasures” on the feast day of music’s patron saint herself. It is always a pleasure to work with Phoebe Carrai, Sarah Darling, and the wonderful students of HBCO, and to have all the founding members back as well is a true delight. I was also excited about our collaboration with another wonderful colleague in the music department, Professor Kate van Orden: Kate’s class teaches its students to play the viola da gamba, and they joined the choir for Gibbons’s beautiful verse anthem “Great Lord of Lords.” And, of course, our annual Christmas Carol Services are just around the corner, this year featuring commissions by David Ashley White and Carson Cooman, alongside familiar carols. Once again, on Christmas Eve our 5 p.m. worship service will feature a choir of UChoir alums and community members: if you would like to sing on that festive occasion please arrive at 3:30 p.m. for a brief rehearsal in the choir room.
Looking ahead, in late January the choir will tour Savannah, Columbia, and Charleston and then return to Cambridge to work with the distinguished choral director, Dr. Barry Rose (formerly Master of the Choir at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London) for a service of Evensong on Sunday, February 7 at 4 p.m. in Appleton Chapel. Our spring concert presents music of Johann Sebastian Bach — the Magnificat and Ascension Oratorio — with the Harvard Baroque Chamber Orchestra, and the choir will once again join forces with Harvard’s Bach Society Orchestra for an Arts First performance of Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy.
I am thrilled with the choir’s work this year and it continues to be a pleasure to make music with such talented and hard-working students. Tom Sheehan and Carson Cooman continue to dazzle and impress through their many talents, and I am blessed to work with such wonderful colleagues. Under the inspiring leadership of Professor Jonathan L. Walton and the Rev. Dr. Lucy Forster-Smith, the Memorial Church is thriving, and I eagerly await what the future brings.