Concert Program Notes

Titan Voices & Singing Titans • May, 10, 2023

 

Shout for Joy | DAN DAVISON 

Using a rousing combination of triple and duple meter, Pacific Northwest composer Dan Davison sets Psalm 98 in a rhythmic journey. Known for his excellent arrangements, and 30 plus years as a Middle School choral educator, Davison uses simple harmonies and thoughtful piano accompaniment to uplift the listener’s spirits in this common praise text.   

 

Shout for joy to the Lord!  

Shout for joy all the earth.  

O burst forth with joy,  

in jubilant song, with music.  

Praise the Lord with the harp.  

Join with voices of singing.  

O shout to the Lord  

with the trumpets  

and the blast of the horn,  

Shout for joy to the Lord.  

Let the sea resound  

and all it contains,  

the people in all of the world.  

Let the rivers clap their hands,  

let the mountains  

sing together with joy!  

Shout for joy to the Lord.  

Shout for joy all the earth.  

Let there be sound!  

Let there be music!  

Praise the Lord with a joyful song!  

 

 

Nachtviolen (Evening Violets) | FRANZ SCHUBERT  

 

Originally composed as a solo song, this German lieder speaks of a delicate and lovely flower, the violet, with tender admiration. Prolific Romantic-era composer Franz Schubert sets this text gently within a lilting piano accompaniment—the perfect complement to Austrian poet and librettist Johann Baptist Mayrhofer.  

Nachtviolen, Nachtviolen,   Dunkle Augen, seelenvolle,   Selig ist es, sich versenken   In dem samtnen Blau.     Grüne Blätter streben freudig,   Euch zu hellen, euch zu schmücken;   Doch ihr blicket ernst und schweigend   In die laue Frühlingsluft.     Mit erhabnen Wehmutsstrahlen   Trafet ihr mein treues Herz,   Und nun blüht in stummen Nächten,   Fort die heilige Verbindung.

Dame’s violets,   dark, soulful eyes,   it is blissful to immerse myself   in your velvety blue.     Green leaves strive joyously   to brighten you, to adorn you;   but you gaze, solemn and silent,   into the mild spring air.     With sublime shafts of melancholy   you have pierced my faithful heart,   and now, in silent nights,   our sacred union blossoms.

 

Exsultate justi in Domino | BRANT ADAMS  

 

This glory-filled text uses the harp, psaltery, and ten-stringed instrument to praise the Lord! Set by composer and educator Brant Adams, faculty at Oklahoma State University since 1987. Much like the previous Latin composition, this work features a psalm. Psalm 33 similarly praises the Lord in King David’s exalting style, and paired joyous piano, creates another uplifting song of celebration.  

 

Exsultate justi in Domino:   rectos decet collaudatio.   Confitemini Domino in cithara.   In psalterio decem chordarum psallite illi.   Cantate ei canticum novum.   Bene psallite ei in vociferacione

Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous ones:   it is fitting for the upright ones to give praise.   Acknowledge the Lord with the harp.   Sing to him with a psaltery of ten strings.   Sing to him a new song.   Sing praises to him well with a loud voice

There is a Lady Sweet and Kind | PATTI DRENNAN  

 

Public school educator and church director Patti Drennan composed this piece while working for West Mid High School in Oklahoma. Her tender setting is nostalgic and sweet, using piano tom communicate an overwhelming longing. This gorgeous text can be found in 17th Century poet Thomas Ford’s Mvsicke of svndrie kindes , but the musical accompaniment leads us to wonder, is this a song of rejoicing in new love? Or reminiscing on love lost?  

 

There is a lady sweet and kind,  

Was never face so pleased my mind;  

I did but see her passing by,  

And yet I love her till I die.  

 

Her gesture, motion and her smiles,  

Her wit, her voice, my heart beguiles;  

Beguiles my heart, I know not why,  

And yet I love her till I die.  

 

 

O Captain! My Captain! | JOHN LEAVITT  

 

This Walt Whitman poem was written in 1865, to honor President Abraham Lincoln after his horrifying assassination. While there are many settings of this inspiring and pivotal text, John Leavitt’s composition plays on his background as a pianist. The rollicking introduction paints a picture of stormy seas, and uses a haunting baritone solo as an allegory for the despair of the American people.  

 

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,  

The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won,  

The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,  

While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;  

                         But O heart! heart! heart!  

                            O the bleeding drops of red,  

                               Where on the deck my Captain lies,  

                                  Fallen cold and dead.  

 

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;  

Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills,  

For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding,  

For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;  

                         Here Captain! dear father!  

                            This arm beneath your head!  

                               It is some dream that on the deck,  

                                 You’ve fallen cold and dead.  

 

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,  

My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will,  

The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and done,  

From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;  

                         Exult O shores, and ring O bells!  

                            But I with mournful tread,  

                                Walk the deck my Captain lies,  

                                  Fallen cold and dead.  

 

   

Lunar Lullaby | JACOB NARVERUD  

 

Living American composer Jacob Narverud works in a variety of musical styles, including pop, musical theater, and contemporary, and this traditional choral setting of Kathleen Nicely’s poem utilizes modern harmonies to paint a gorgeous aural picture. Originally commissioned by Kathleen’s parents Chris and Sharon Nicely, the work premiered in celebration of her ninth year singing with Kansas City’s Allegro Choir.  

 

The moon settles in the dusty sky.  

The gentle eyes of the north star  

rest upon your sleeping face  

and the heavens gaze upon you.  

 

 

In this moment, I know:  

You are not from the ground on which you tread,  

but of the stars.  

You are my radiant, my celestial child.  

 

As night is drown’d by morning  

you remain at my side,  

accompanying the sunrise  

until night swells again across the sky.  

 

Then, dreaming, you return to the stars.  

 

 

Hooked on a Feeling | MARK JAMES, ARR. JON NICHOLAS  

 

While most recently heard in the 2014 film Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 1 , this 1980’s pop hit has been a crowd favorite for decades. Playing with barbershop-style harmony and the classic “ooh-ga-cha-ka” refrain, the original version of this song was recorded by many artists until finally finding status as #1 with the band Blue Swede.   

 

Ooga-Chaka Ooga-Ooga  

Ooga-Chaka Ooga-Ooga  

 

I can't stop this feeling  

Deep inside of me  

Girl, you just don't realize  

What you do to me  

 

When you hold me  

In your arms so tight  

You let me know  

Everything's alright  

 

I'm hooked on a feeling  

I'm high on believing  

That you're in love with me  

 

Lips as sweet as candy  

It's taste is on my mind  

Girl, you got me thirsty  

For another cup of wine  

Got a bug from you girl  

But I don't need no cure  

I just stay a victim  

If I can for sure  

 

When you hold me  

In your arms so tight  

You let me know  

Everything's alright  

 

I'm hooked on a feeling  

I'm high on believing  

That you're in love with me  

 

 

That Lonesome Road | JAMES TAYLOR, ARR. SIMON CARRINGTON  

 

American singer-songwriter James Taylor originally wrote this song with his writing partner Dave Grolnick and released it in 1981. The melancholy text and melody touched King Singer Simon Carrington, who created this powerful arrangement for SATB. Our version, while slightly adjusted for a TTBB choir, highlights an ethereal Tenor solo, calling upon that same melancholy to bring the listener peace as they look forward in their lifelong journey.  

 

Walk down that Lonesome road  

All by yourself  

Don't turn your head  

Back over your shoulder  

And only stop to rest to yourself  

When the silver moon  

Is shining high above the trees  

If I had stopped to listen once or twice  

If I had closed my mouth and opened my eyes  

If I had cooled my head and warmed my heart  

I'd not be on this road tonight  

Carry on (carry on, carry on, carry on, carry on)  

Never run feeling sorry for yourself  

It doesn't save you from your  

Troubled mind  

Walk down that lonesome road  

All by yourself  

Don't turn your head  

Back over your shoulder  

And only stop to rest yourself  

When the silver moon  

Is shining high (shining high)  

Above the trees  

 

   

An Old-Fashioned Song | DOUGLAS & BERNSTEIN, ARR. CHRISTOPHER W. PETERSON  

 

Arranged by our very own Dr. Christopher Peterson, this silly choral closer is sure to tickle your funny bone. Originally from off-Broadway show “Showing Off,” this piece will surprise you at the lengths it will go to get you to sing along with us!  

 

 

Look Out Above | JOCELYN HAGEN  

Text by Dessa  

   

Look Out Above by Jocelyn Hagen is a hip-hop and gospel infused work for chorus. The text, by Minnesota rapper, Dessa, speaks of the intensity of life and reaching your goals, kicking up dust behind you as we race towards our goals. The work utilizes vocal percussion to imitate a clock’s ticks and tocks, building the energy throughout the piece. Jocelyn Hagen graciously created this Treble voice arrangement for Titan Voices.  

We can’t be stopped  
they can’t catch us  
just like midnight on the clock:  
it’s all hands up–  
before tick goes toc,  
it’s just the dust we kick up, so  
look out, look out, look out  
look out above  
cause we’re coming up  
look about above  
there’s no stopping us  
We can’t be stopped….  

 

Pueblito, mi pueblo | CARLOS GUSTAVINO  

Text by Francisco Silva  

   

Translated as “O Village So Lovely,” Pueblito, mi pueblo is a simple song by Argentinian composer, Carlos Gustavino. Gustavino worked to create a distinct Argentinian folk music sound without basing this work in Argentinian folk music. The piano part imitates the strumming of a guitar, while the free and lilting vocal lines imitate the style of traditional folk singing. The text speaks of missing home and the nostalgia of the place we grew up in. The music and text together create a serene soundscape to create that feeling of “home.”  

 

Pueblito, mi pueblo. Extraño tus tardes.  

Querido pueblito no puedo olvidarte.  

Cuanta nostalgia ceñida tengo en el alma esta tarde.  

Ah! Si pudiera otra vez,  

Bajo tus sauces sonar, viendo las nubes que pasan.  

Ah! Y cuado el sol ya se va, sentir la brisa al pasar  

Fragante por los azahares.  

Pueblito, mi pueblo. No puedo olvidarte.  

   

Little village, my village. I miss your afternoons.  

My beloved little village I cannot forget you.  

How much strained nostalgia I have in my soul this afternoon!  

Ah! If I could once more  

Under your willow trees dream, Seeing the clouds that pass.  

Ah! And when the sun is leaving, To feel the breeze passing  

Fragrant from the orange blossoms. Little village, my village  

I miss your afternoons.  

My beloved little village, I cannot forget you.  

 

   

Ikan Kekek | TRADITIONAL MALAY SONG, ARR. YU HANG TAN  

 

Ikan Kekek is a traditional Malay folk song from Southeast Asia. From the composer: “Despite the simplicity and repetitiveness of the melody, this sing if brought to life by the indirect expressions and metaphors in this pantum (poem). Pantun is a disjunctive form of poetry that comes in two parts: the first two lines being the pembayang (shadow) that usually connects to the isi (the heart of the message) by rhymes and verbal associations. In this pantun, different types of fish are symbols of the simple joys in everyday life that link to them in message: ‘let’s go home together, my dear younger brother/sister’.”  

 

Ikan kekek mak iloi iloi  

Ikan gelama mak ilia ilia  

Nanti adik mak iloi iloi  

Pulang sama mak ilia ilia  

Ada satu ikan parang  

Badannya Panjang berbelang-belang  

Isinya sikit banyak tulang  

Sedap dimakan kalua masak pindan  

   

The ponyfish, mak iloi iloi  

The soldier croaker fish, mak ilia ilia  

Wait a second, my dear younger brother/sister, mak ilia ilia  

Let’s go home together, mak ilia ilia  

There is a herring  

Its body is long and striped  

There are more bones than flesh  

It takes good if it is cooked in the style of pindang.  

   

 

Arirang | TRADITIONAL KOREAN SONG, ARR. HYO-WON WOOD  

 

This famed Korean song from the Seoul region was arranged by Korean composer Hyo-Wan Woo. The text recollects on the idea of home, centering on Arirang hill, a potentially fictional place where communal memories are made. This arrangement is separated into two sections, the opening, the traditional melody in triple time, then is transformed into a celebration of joy with the percussion, a faster tempo, and shift to 4/4 time.  

 

Arirang, Arirang, arariyo  

Arirang gogaero neomuhganda  

Nareul beorigo gasi neun nimeun  

Simridoh motgaseseo balbbyong nanda  

   

Arirang, Arirang, arariyo  

You are going over Arirang hill  

My love, you are leaving me  

Your feet will be sore before you go four hundred meters  

 

   

Salve Regina | CARLOS CORDERO  

 

Venezuelan-American composer Carlos Cordero composed this arrangement of the traditional Salve Regina text for the Concert Women’s Chorus of the University of Houston, where he completed his Master’s degree in Composition. The liturgical text draws on the concept of salvation from the Virgin Mary, and describes a cry for help and salvation. The work transforms itself from a gracious prayer to a more dynamic and aggressive B section when the choir is pleading, but returns to the more serene theme after modulating a tritone away from the original theme, symbolizing the hopeful future for the singers.  

 

Salve Regina, mater misericordiæ:  

Vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.  

Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Evæ.  

Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes,  

In hac lacrimarum valle.  

   

Eja ergo, Advocata nostra,  

illos tuos misericordes oculos  

Ad nos converte.  

   

Et Jesum, benedictum fructum  

Ventris tui,  

Novis post hoc exilium ostende.  

O Clemens: O pia:  

O dulcis Virgo Maria.  

   

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy:  

Hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope.  

To thee we do cry, poor banished children of Eve.  

To thee do we send up our sighs,  

Mourning and weeping in this vale of tears.  

   

Turn then, most gracious Advocate,  

Thine eyes of mercy  

Toward us.  

   

After this,  

our exile,  

Show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus  

O merciful: O Loving:  

O sweet Virgin Mary.  

 

 

L’dor Vador | MEIR FINKELSTEIN, ARR. REBECCA THOMPSON  

Text from the Hebrew Prayer Book  

   

L’dor vador is a traditional Hebrew text about passing stories and culture from generation to generation. This text is often sung during celebrations and rituals in the Jewish faith. While the tune of this song often changes, the text is reminder of where we came from and how we will always have a connection to our home, whether we are religious or not. The composer of this melody, Meir Finkelstein, was born in Israel and is currently and has had a career composing music in Hollywood before moving a residing in Michigan.  

 

L'dor vador nagid godlecha  

Ul’netzach n’tzachim k’dushatcha nakdish.  

V’shivchacha Eloheinu  

Mipinu lo yamush l’olam va’ed.  

Ki Eil Melech gadol v’kadosh atah.  

Baruch Ata Adonai  

Baruch hu u’varuch sh’mo  

Ha’el hakadosh. Amen.  

   

From generation to generation, we will tell of Your greatness  

And through all eternity we will sanctify Your holiness,  

and Your praise, our God, will not depart from our mouths forever and ever.  

For you are the Almighty who is King; Great and Holy,  

Blessed are You, Adonai, the Almighty, the Holy One.  

 
 

..................Column Break.................. I am the Wind | ELAINE HAGENBERG  

Text by Zöe Atkins  

   

I am the Wind looks at the feeling of home in a person, particularly a partner. The text by Zöe Atkins, looks at the contrast between self-doubt, and the steadiness that can be felt in a partner. That consistent connection can establish a feeling of home. Hagenberg’s setting of this text focuses on that contrast by raising the melody line whenever the choir sings of the positive traits of the partner.  

   

I am the wind that wavers,  

You are the certain land;  

I am the shadow that passes  

Over the sand.  

   

I am the leaf that quivers,  

You the unshaken tree;  

You are the stars that are steadfast,  

I am the sea.  

   

You are the light eternal—  

Like a torch I shall die;  

You are the surge of dep music,  

I but a cry!  

       

Dance in the Graveyards | IAN HOLLJES AND ERIC HOLLJES, ARR. LORNA KATZ  

 

Originally by North Carolina rock group, Delta Rae, this arrangement of Dance in the Graveyards was commissioned by Titan Voices. Former Titan Voices member Lorna Katz created this arrangement to feature a quartet of singers, along with the singers. The original tune encourages the listener to celebrate life and those that are close to them, in particular those that we’ve lost. Celebrating the joy in those that give us joy even in sadness is a perfect encapsulation of home and all that it represents.  

 

When I die,  

I don't want to rest in peace  

I want to dance in joy  

I want to dance in the graveyards,  

And while I'm alive,  

I don't want to be alone  

Mourning the ones who came before  

I want to dance with them some more,  

Let's dance in the graveyards.  

   

Gloria, like some other name we kept on calling ya  

and waiting for change  

But I belong to all of your mysteries.  

And all of us, were meant for the fire,  

but we keep rising up and walking the wires  

So when we go below don't lose us in mourning.  

   

'Cause when I die  

I don't want to rest in peace  

I want to dance in joy  

I want to dance in the graveyards,  

And while I'm alive  

I don't want to be alone  

Mourning the ones who came before  

I want to dance with them some more  

Let's dance in the graveyards  

   

Oh my love, don't cry when I'm gone  

I will lift you up, the air in your lungs  

And when you reach for me, we'll dance in the darkness  

And we will walk beyond our daughters and sons,  

they will carry on l ike when we were young,  

and we will stand beside and breathe in their new life.  

   

'Cause when I die  

I don't want to rest in peace I want to dance in joy  

I want to dance in the graveyards,  

And while I'm alive  

I don't want to be alone  

Mourning the ones who came before  

I want to dance with them some more  

Let's dance in the graveyards.