Rebecca Oswald Music

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The text of Love, Paul (1 Corinthians 13) presents a fresh yet familiar framing of Paul the Apostle's iconic writings on love to the early Christian church at Corinth. Paul expresses his thoughts on what love is and isn’t, what it does and doesn’t do — its eternal, complete, perfect, and consummate nature. A solo treble voice maintains Paul’s clear vision, while the mixed choir’s waxing and waning consonances and dissonances culminate in a rich tonal cadence, suggesting the faithful’s gradual understanding and embrace of his ideals.

Love, Paul (1 Corinthians 13)

SSATB Octavo

Die Alster sets a humorous, mid-18th c. German poem by Friedrich von Hagedorn (1708-1754). In the poem, Hamburg's bargeworkers praise the Alster river’s charming, vivid qualities, while playfully mocking their counterparts who work on the Elbe river. With a rippling, undulating piano accompaniment and a cheerful, flowing melody, modern day choristers who sing this work might yet share in Hagedorn’s Lebensfreude.

Die Alster

SATB Octavo

The Soul Contemplates the Creator In the Creation, the third piece in "Three Songs of the Soul", sets an English translation of a poem by metaphysical Dutch poet Jan Luyken (1649–1712). Through text painting, this sacred choral work strives to reflect the meaning and beauty of the poet’s spiritual ideals: here, he delights in the beauty of nature here on earth, and eagerly anticipates the ineffable beauty of Paradise. Within the lightly extended tonal and modal harmonies and the expanding and contracting progressions and modulations, each voice part has its own lyrical life.

The Soul Contemplates the Creator In the Creation

Here is a festive version of the familiar Christmas carol by Bernard de La Monnoye (1641-1728), set for men's choir. Originally written in de La Monnoye's local Burgundian dialect, this new English translation of Pat-a-Pan uses musical onomatopoeia to suggest the fife and drum. Each of the three verses modulates to a new key, giving different voice parts a chance to shine on the melody.

Pat-a-Pan

TTBB Octavo

The Soul Considers Its Nearness to God, the second piece in "Three Songs of the Soul", sets an English translation of a poem by metaphysical Dutch poet Jan Luyken (1649–1712). Through text painting, this sacred choral work strives to reflect the meaning and beauty of the poet’s spiritual ideals: here, the realization and confidence of God's presence as a unified, essential part of his very being. Within the lightly extended tonal and modal harmonies and the expanding and contracting progressions and modulations, each voice part has its own lyrical life.

The Soul Considers Its Nearness to God

The Soul’s Devotion at the Rebirth of Life, the first piece in "Three Songs of the Soul", sets an English translation of a poem by metaphysical Dutch poet Jan Luyken (1649–1712). Through text painting, this sacred choral work strives to reflect the meaning and beauty of the poet’s spiritual ideals: here, the hope of a new life in paradise after death. Within the lightly extended tonal and modal harmonies and the expanding and contracting progressions and modulations, each voice part has its own lyrical life.

The Soul's Devotion at the Rebirth of Life

The nine short movements of Wise Words of Love wend their way through a colorful musical landscape depicting various aspects of love. A unique collection of lines spoken by women characters in various plays by William Shakespeare serves as the text. Drawing from Shakespeare’s comedies and tragedies alike, the piece begins firmly tongue-in-cheek, eventually develops a deeply romantic tone, then suddenly returns to humor again toward the end. Text painting, musical archetypes, and consonant and dissonant harmonic language join together to reflect love’s changing moods.

Wise Words of Love

SA Octavo

This is a beautiful, peaceful setting of the meaningful Ubi Caritas text, traditionally heard at the Mass of Maundy Thursday, though it can also suit many other occasions. The recurring line “Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est” (“Where charity and love are, God is there”) elevates the ideals of lovingkindness, service, hope, and joy in uniting with fellow believers. This choral setting aims to express those concepts musically. With long, gentle, stepwise melodic lines, in verse 1 the soprano and alto phrases eventually join together in two-part harmony; in verse 2 the tenor and bass phrases do the same. Finally, in verse 3, all four voice parts ultimately intertwine and join together in glorious, tonal homophony.

Ubi Caritas

Gerard Manley Hopkins' charming, reverent poem Pied Beauty glorifies God by celebrating the beauty of “dappled things”, the repetition with constant variation found in the natural world and in human activity. This choral setting opens with joyous, dappled, madrigal-like polyphony using mixolydian, triadic harmony; the second half broadens into a smooth homophonic texture with extended harmonies for further color and expression.

Pied Beauty

This is a jubilant, profound setting of the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis texts in English. The Magnificat endeavors to convey Mary’s astonished joy at this holy mystery and her part in it, while the Nunc Dimittis expresses Simeon’s contentment upon the satisfaction of his lifelong hope of seeing the Savior. The two canticles share melodic gestures and harmonic language. The music is largely lilting and major, while at times modal and mystical in its text painting. Both canticles close with a majestic Gloria Patri (“Glory to the Father...”); these are similar but not identical.

Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis

A popular song in Victorian times, In the Gloaming was written by English composer Annie Fortescue Harrison (1848–1944), with words by prolific Scottish poet and author Meta Orred (1845–1925). “Gloaming” is a Scottish word meaning “twilight”, here a metaphorical setting for the poem’s romantic regret conveyed as if from beyond the grave. This choral setting aims to depict the song’s bygone era and lyrical beauty by way of a poignant, expressive tempo and rich, chromatic harmonies.

In the Gloaming

Carol of the Seekers is a sweet, simple Christmas piece for treble voices with handbells. (It may be performed a cappella, if desired.) The refrain’s joyous, cascading “Noel” suggests tintinnabulation, while the five verses offer a metaphysical interpretation of the Christmas story: like the shepherds and the wise men, all who seek the infant Jesus will find him within their own hearts.

Carol of the Seekers

SSAA Octavo

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