Day 26: April 12 - All Alleluia
To celebrate Easter, a hail Mary of Alleluias!
Gregorian Chant - Alleluia: Pascha nostrum
Latin for ‘our Passover,’ this alleluia chant, typical of what might be incanted in an Easter Service, starts us off. In between the alleluias are praises and thanksgiving for Christ’s sacrifice and his defeat of sin. Performed here by Riga Scholars Cantorum under Guntars Pranis.
John Adams - Hallelujah Junction
American neo-Romantic minimalist composer John Adams brings us a radiant instrumental Hallelujah. Two pianos phase between similar ostinati (repeated figures) creating a bright, rich, and joyous texture. This is just one movement of a very long pice (which is why it cuts off at the end, sorry!). A very playful, delightful, and life-affirming piece. Performed here by Gerard Bouwhuis and Cees van Zeeland.
Howard Hanson - Chorale and Alleluia, Op. 42
Finally, the trumpets resound! American mid-century composer Howard Hanson brings us a moving, simple, and splendidly sincere American exultation. For symphonic wind band, this opens with a plaintive chorale, an alleluia appears, soon calling the drums in with it. This builds into a beautiful brass fanfare, rich with solemn relief. A very earnest and modern take on the Easter sentiment. Performed here by Philharmonia A Vent under John P Boyd.
Keith & Kristin Getty - In Christ Alone
Not an alleluia, but I wanted to acknowledge the Gettys. Within the contemporary Christian Worship circle, they are top dogs and rightuflly so. The whole field is extremely spotty, ham-handed and often lazy writing (creativity and progression is not necessarily their goal, but rather theological aid, to be fair to them), but the Gettys manage to be both exegetically solid and consistently well-crafted. This is performed by Allison Kraus, who brings a very refined sensibility to the tune.
Olivier Messiaen - Resurrection
More Messiaen! (I am a fiend…) Dawn Upshaw delivers a powerful take on this very harmonically colorful and virtuosic alleluia. Built off French chant traditions, Messiaen ornaments them into frenzied and magnificent exaltations. It’s also all in French, but it is rich in Biblical allusions, with references to Revelations, Matthew, and John (I’ll leave it as an Easter Egg hunt to find the references to scripture in the text below! hints are in the here, on page 55) I love this piece; I love how complex it is and how that speaks to the complexities and mysteries of faith. Performed here by Dawn Upshaw and Gilbert Kalish.
Halleluyah, halleluyah.
He is the first, the Lord Jesus.
He is the first-born of the dead.
Seven stars of love for the pierced one,
Put on your garment of light.
I have risen again, I have risen again;
I sing: For Thee, my Father, for Thee,
My God, Halleluyah.
I pass from death to life. An angel.
He has alighted on the stone.
Perfume, gate, pearl,
Unleavened bread of Truth.
Halleluyah, Halleluyah.
We have touched Him, we have seen Him.
With our hands we have touched Him.
A single stream of life in His side,
Put on your garment of light.
I have risen again, I have risen again.
I ascend: to Thee, my Father, to Thee,
My God, Halleluyah.
I pass from death to light.
Bread. He breaks it and scales fall from their eyes.
Perfume, gate, pearl,
Wash yourselves in Truth.
Perotin - Alleluia Posui Adiutorium
The earliest boi we’ve had yet, Perotin lived in the late 12th century and was integral in the flourishing of early Western art music as part of the Notre Dame school. They created early polyphony through pedals, or fixed voices. Note how the upper voice moves against the steady lower voice and how they create tension and release with just two voices. Very moving and arresting. Again, like yesterday, imagine yourself in the Notre Dame cathedral hearing this ring out through the stones. Amazing. Performed here by the Hilliard Ensemble.
John Taverner - Out of the Night (Alleluia)
John Taverner was a contemporary English composer who looked back at early music for inspiration. Much of his work was religious and he brought a lot of the antique musics from hundreds of years ago into modern discourse. You can hear how he starts of with a fixed pedal, like in the Perotin, but the moving voice is a lyrical viola and the singer is the violist themself. A very simple, but beautiful work, performed here by Andrew Parrott.