Hodie is a cantata

Cantata

A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....

 by Ralph Vaughan Williams

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Ralph Vaughan Williams OM was an English composer of symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music, and film scores. He was also a collector of English folk music and song: this activity both influenced his editorial approach to the English Hymnal, beginning in 1904, in which he included many...

. Composed between 1953 and 1954, it is the composer's last major choral-orchestral composition, and was premiered under his baton

Baton (conducting)

A baton is a stick that is used by conductors primarily to exaggerate and enhance the manual and bodily movements associated with directing an ensemble of musicians. They are generally made of a light wood, fiberglass or carbon fiber which is tapered to a grip shaped like a pear, drop, cylinder...

 at Worcester Cathedral

Worcester Cathedral

Worcester Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Worcester, England; situated on a bank overlooking the River Severn. It is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Worcester. Its official name is The Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Mary the Virgin of Worcester...

, as part of the Three Choirs Festival

Three Choirs Festival

The Three Choirs Festival is a music festival held each August alternately at the cathedrals of the Three Counties and originally featuring their three choirs, which remain central to the week-long programme...

, on September 8, 1954. The piece is dedicated to Herbert Howells

Herbert Howells

Herbert Norman Howells CH was an English composer, organist, and teacher, most famous for his large output of Anglican church music.-Life:...

. The cantata, in 16 movements, is scored for chorus

Choir

A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...

, boys' choir

Boy soprano

A boy soprano is a young male singer with an unchanged voice in the soprano range. Although a treble, or choirboy, may also be considered to be a boy soprano, the more colloquial term boy soprano is generally only used for boys who sing, perform, or record as soloists, and who may not necessarily...

, organ

Organ (music)

The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...

 and orchestra

Orchestra

An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...

, and features tenor

Tenor

The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...

, baritone

Baritone

Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...

, and soprano

Soprano

A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...

 soloists.

Style

Stylistically, Hodie represents a synthesis of Vaughan Williams' entire artistic career, with elements drawn from most periods of his creativity. He had already experimented with the form, of Biblical

Bible

The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...

 texts interwoven with poetry, in his cantata Dona nobis pacem

Dona nobis pacem (Vaughan Williams)

Dona nobis pacem, , is a cantata written by Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1936 and first performed on 2 October 1936. The work was commissioned to mark the centenary of the Huddersfield Choral Society. Vaughan Williams produced his plea for peace by referring to recent wars during the growing fears...

. Musically, various movements may suggest different earlier works: for example, the accompaniment to the "Hymn" is very similar to the Sinfonia antartica, while the "Pastoral" shares some elements from the Five Mystical Songs

Five Mystical Songs

The Five Mystical Songs are a composition by Ralph Vaughan Williams, written between 1906 and 1911. The work sets four poems by George Herbert, from his 1633 collection The Temple: Sacred Poems. While Herbert was a priest, Vaughan Williams himself was an agnostic, though this did not prevent his...

of 1911.

Thematically, the work is bound together by two or three motives which recur throughout its length. One of these is first heard on the word "Gloria" in the first movement, and recurs whenever the word is introduced again. Another, introduced in the first narration, reappears at the beginning of the epilogue. In addition, the final setting of Milton's text uses the same melody as the first song for soprano, although orchestrated differently.

Performance history

Hodie has not remained among Vaughan Williams' more popular compositions, and is done less frequently than many of his other works. Nevertheless, it is still performed on occasion, recently being telecast

Telecast

Telecast may refer to:*television broadcast*Telecast , a Christian band from the United States...

 on PBS in a performance by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Mormon Tabernacle Choir

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, sometimes colloquially referred to as MoTab, is a Grammy and Emmy Award winning, 360-member, all-volunteer choir. The choir is part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . However, the choir is completely self-funded, traveling and producing albums to...

. http://www.kued.org/productions/giftofmusic/program.html In addition, the following recordings have been made:

• London Symphony Orchestra
  London Symphony Orchestra
  The London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:...
  
   cond. Willcocks
  Willcocks
  Willcocks is a surname, and may refer to the following:*Dianne Willcocks, Dianne Marie Willcocks CBE Willcocks is a surname, and may refer to the following:*Dianne Willcocks, Dianne Marie Willcocks CBE Willcocks is a surname, and may refer to the following:*Dianne Willcocks, Dianne Marie Willcocks...
  
   with Shirley-Quirk, Lewis, Baker (soloists) - recorded 1965 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004YU84
• London Symphony Orchestra
  London Symphony Orchestra
  The London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:...
  
   cond. Hickox with Roberts, Tear, Gale (soloists) - recorded 2001 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000005GJK
• Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
  Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
  The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It tours widely, and is sometimes referred to as "Britain's national orchestra"...
  
   cond. Wetton with Hoare, Gadd, Watson (soloists) - recorded 2007.http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000YFR09A

I: Prologue

The cantata opens with jubilant fanfare

Fanfare

A Fanfare is a relatively short piece of music that is typically played by trumpets and other brass instruments often accompanied by percussion...

s for brass, soon followed by cries of "Nowell!" from the full chorus. These introduce a setting of part of the vespers

Vespers

Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Western Catholic, Eastern Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran liturgies of the canonical hours...

 service for Christmas

Christmas

Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...

 Day, the only portion of the work that is not in English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

:

Latin text:

Nowell! Nowell! Nowell!

Hodie Christus natus est: hodie salvator apparuit:

Hodie in terra canunt angeli, laetantur archangeli:

Hodie exultant justi, dicentes: gloria in excelsis Deo: Alleluia.

English translation:

Christmas! Christmas! Christmas!

Today Christ is born: Today the Saviour appeared:

Today on Earth the Angels sing, Archangels rejoice:

Today the righteous rejoice, saying: Glory to God in the highest: Alleluia.

The setting of the text is direct and uncomplicated, apart from the varied settings of the final "Alleluia

Alleluia

The word "Alleluia" or "Hallelujah" , which at its most literal means "Praise Yah", is used in different ways in Christian liturgies....

", yet it includes many rhythmic irregularities.

II: Narration

The following narration is one of several linking the various solo and choral movements of the piece. Each narration is scored for organ and boys' choir, and takes its text from various portions of the Gospels. The first such narration takes as its text Matthew 1:18

Matthew 1:18

Matthew 1:18 is the eighteenth verse of Matthew 1 of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse opens the description of the events surrounding the birth of Jesus.-Text:The original Koine Greek, according to Westcott and Hort, reads:...

-21

Matthew 1:12

Matthew 1:12 is the twelfth verse of the first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. The verse is part of the section where the genealogy of Joseph, the father of Jesus, is listed....

 and 23

Matthew 1:23

Matthew 1:23 is the twenty-third verse of the first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. Joseph has just been informed of the nature of Jesus by an angel and in this verse the author of Matthew relates this to a quote from the Old Testament....

 and Luke 1:32. The tenor soloist, introduced by a quiet woodwind melody, serves as the voice of the angel

Angel

Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...

:

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was in this wise: when as his mother

Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was

found with child of the Holy Ghost.

Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, was minded to put her

away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the

angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream.

"Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife:

for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she

shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS."

The full chorus joins the soloist in the final part of the passage:

"He shall be great; and shall be called the Son of the Highest:

Emmanuel, God with us."

III: Song

The third movement is a gentle song for soprano, and sets a fragment of John Milton

John Milton

John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...

's poem "On the Morning of Christ's Nativity

On the Morning of Christ's Nativity

On the Morning of Christ's Nativity is a nativity ode written by John Milton in 1629 and published in his Poems of Mr. John Milton . The poem describes Christ's Incarnation and his overthrow of earthly and pagan powers...

":

It was the winter wild,

While the Heaven-born child,

All meanly wrapt in the rude manger lies;

Nature in awe to him

Had doffed her gaudy trim,

With her great Master so to sympathize:

And waving wide her myrtle wand,

She strikes a universal peace through sea and land.

No war or battle's sound

Was heard the world around,

The idle spear and shield were high up hung;

The hooked chariot stood

Unstained with hostile blood,

The trumpet spake not to the armed throng,

And Kings sate still with aweful eye,

As if they surely knew their sovran Lord was by.

But peaceful was the night

Wherein the Prince of light

His reign of peace upon the earth began:

The winds, with wonder whist,

Smoothly the waters kissed,

Whispering new joys to the mild ocean,

Who now hath quite forgot to rave,

While birds of calm sit brooding on the charmèd wave.

The women of the chorus join the soloist for portions of the last verse.

IV: Narration

The following narration is taken from Luke 2:1-7:

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from

Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. And all went to be

taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up into the

city of David, which is called Bethlehem; to be taxed with Mary his

espoused wife, being great with child.

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished

that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son,

and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because

there was no room for them in the inn.

V: Choral

The "choral" which follows is one of two in the cantata set for unaccompanied chorus, and uses a translation by Miles Coverdale of a hymn by Martin Luther

Martin Luther

Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...

:

The blessed son of God only

In a crib full poor did lie;

With our poor flesh and our poor blood

Was clothed that everlasting good.

Kyrie eleison

Kyrie

Kyrie, a transliteration of Greek κύριε , vocative case of κύριος , meaning "Lord", is the common name of an important prayer of Christian liturgy, which is also called the Kýrie, eléison ....

.

The Lord Christ Jesu, God's son dear,

Was a guest and a stranger here;

Us for to bring from misery,

That we might live eternally.

Kyrie eleison.

All this did he for us freely,

For to declare his great mercy;

All Christendom be merry therefore,

And give him thanks for evermore.

Kyrie eleison.

VI: Narration

The following narration was adapted by the composer from Luke 2:8-17 and the Book of Common Prayer

Book of Common Prayer

The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...

, and introduces the shepherd

Shepherd

A shepherd is a person who tends, feeds or guards flocks of sheep.- Origins :Shepherding is one of the oldest occupations, beginning some 6,000 years ago in Asia Minor. Sheep were kept for their milk, meat and especially their wool...

s:

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field,

keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of

the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round

about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto

them:

"Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,

which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in

the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this

shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in

swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the

heavenly host praising God, and saying:

"Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will

toward men. We praise thee, we bless thee, we worship thee, we

glorify thee, we give thee thanks for thy great glory, O Lord

God, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty."

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them

into heaven, the shepherds said one to another,

"Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which

is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us."

And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the

babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made

known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were

told them by the shepherds.

Once again, the tenor sings the words of the angel; the chorus, introduced by the soprano, sings the words of the heavenly host. The men of the chorus sing the part of the shepherds.

VII: Song

This movement features the baritone soloist, and is introduced by quiet and atmospheric woodwinds. Its text is "The Oxen" by Thomas Hardy

Thomas Hardy

Thomas Hardy, OM was an English novelist and poet. While his works typically belong to the Naturalism movement, several poems display elements of the previous Romantic and Enlightenment periods of literature, such as his fascination with the supernatural.While he regarded himself primarily as a...

:

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...

, and twelve of the clock.

"Now they are all on their knees,"

An elder said as we sat in a flock

By the embers in hearthside ease.

We pictured the meek mild creatures where

They dwelt in their strawy pen,

Nor did it occur to one of us there

To doubt they were kneeling then.

So fair a fancy few would weave

In these years! Yet I feel,

If someone said on Christmas Eve,

"Come; see the oxen kneel,

In the lonely barton by yonder coomb

Our childhood used to know,"

I should go with him in the gloom,

Hoping it might be so.

VIII: Narration

The following narration is taken from Luke, 2:20:

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God

for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was

told unto them.

"Glory to God in the highest."

IX: Pastoral

This song is again scored for the baritone soloist, and is a setting of a poem by George Herbert

George Herbert

George Herbert was a Welsh born English poet, orator and Anglican priest.Being born into an artistic and wealthy family, he received a good education that led to his holding prominent positions at Cambridge University and Parliament. As a student at Trinity College, Cambridge, Herbert excelled in...

:

The shepherds sing; and shall I silent be?

My God, no hymn for Thee?

My soul's a shepherd too; a flock it feeds

Of thoughts, and words, and deeds.

The pasture is Thy word: the streams, Thy grace

Enriching all the place.

Shepherd and flock shall sing, and all my powers

Outsing the daylight hours.

Then will we chide the sun for letting night

Take up his place and right:

We sing one common Lord; wherefore he should

Himself the candle hold.

I will go searching, till I find a sun

Shall stay, till we have done;

A willing shiner, that shall shine as gladly,

As frost-nipped suns look sadly.

Then will we sing, and shine all our own day,

And one another pay:

His beams shall cheer my breast, and both so twine,

Till ev'n His beams sing, and my music shine.

X: Narration

The following narration takes its text from Luke 2:19:

But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her own heart.

XI: Lullaby

Scored for soprano and women's chorus, the lullaby is based upon an anonymous text which is also known in a setting by Benjamin Britten

Benjamin Britten

Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...

:

Sweet was the song the Virgin sang,

When she to Bethlem Juda came

And was delivered of a Son,

That blessed Jesus hath to name:

"Lulla, lulla, lulla-bye,

Sweet Babe," sang she,

And rocked him sweetly on her knee.

"Sweet Babe," sang she, "my son,

And eke a Saviour born,

Who hath vouchsafèd from on high

To visit us that were forlorn:

"Lalula, lalula, lalula-bye,

Sweet Babe," sang she,

And rocked him sweetly on her knee.

XII: Hymn

The hymn which follows represents the only solo opportunity for the tenor in the entire cantata, and was reportedly a late addition made when the original tenor soloist complained about the size of his part. Its text is the poem "Christmas Day" by William Drummond

William Drummond

William Drummond or Bill Drummond is the name of:*William Drummond of Hawthornden , Scottish poet, influenced by Spenser; best known for illustrated essay, Cypresse Grove...

:

Bright portals of the sky,

Emboss'd with sparkling stars,

Doors of eternity,

With diamantine bars,

Your arras rich uphold,

Loose all your bolts and springs,

Ope wide your leaves of gold,

That in your roofs may come the King of Kings.

O well-spring of this All!

Thy Father's image vive;

Word, that from nought did call

What is, doth reason, live;

The soul's eternal food,

Earth's joy, delight of heaven;

All truth, love, beauty, good:

To thee, to thee be praises ever given!

O glory of the heaven!

O sole delight of earth!

To thee all power be given,

God's uncreated birth!

Of mankind lover true,

Indearer of his wrong,

Who doth the world renew,

Still be thou our salvation and our song!

The movement is brilliantly scored for full orchestra, and opens with a bright brass fanfare.

XIII: Narration

The following narration is adapted from Matthew 2:1

Matthew 2:1

Matthew 2:1 is the first verse of the second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. The previous verse ended with Jesus being named by his father, this verse marks the clear start of a new narrative. This verse deals with the arrival of the Magi at the court of Herod the Great in...

-11

Matthew 2:11

Matthew 2:11 is the eleventh verse of the second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. The magi, dispatched by King Herod, have found the infant Jesus and in this verse present him with gifts in an event known as the Adoration of the Magi....

:

Now when Jesus was born, behold there came wise men from the east,

saying, "Where is he that is born King? for we have seen his star in

the east, and are come to worship him." And they said unto them,

"In Bethlehem." When they had heard that, they departed; and, lo,

the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came

and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star,

they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into

the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell

down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures,

they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

The voice of the kings is provided by the men of the chorus.

XIV: The March of the Three Kings

The march of the kings represents the first time since the beginning of the cantata that soloists, choir, and orchestra join together to sing a movement. The chorus introduces the march, whose text was written expressly for the composer by his wife, Ursula

Ursula Vaughan Williams

Ursula Vaughan Williams, née Joan Ursula Penton Lock was an English poet and author, and biographer of her second husband, the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams.-Biography:...

. Each of the soloists sings a separate verse, each describing one king and his gift, before joining together to finish the march.

XV: Choral

The text of the second choral, again for unaccompanied chorus, is taken from an anonymous poem; the second verse was again furnished by the composer's wife:

No sad thought his soul affright,

Sleep it is that maketh night;

Let no murmur nor rude wind

To his slumbers prove unkind:

But a quire of angels make

His dreams of heaven, and let him wake

To as many joys as can

In this world befall a man.

XVI: Epilogue

The epilogue opens with a setting, for the three soloists, of a text adapted from John 1:1, 4, and 14, and Matthew 1:23:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God. In him was life; and the life was the

light of men. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among

us, full of grace and truth. Emmanuel, God with us.

The chorus joins in on the final words, and the remainder of the work is scored for full chorus and orchestra, with soloists. It again sets Milton's words, slightly adapted, from "On the Morning of Christ's Nativity":

Ring out, ye crystal spheres,

Once bless our human ears,

If ye have power to touch our senses so;

And let your silver chime

Move in melodious time,

And let the bass of heaven's deep organ blow;

And with your ninefold harmony

Make up full consort to the angelic symphony.

Such music (as 'tis said)

Before was never made,

But when of old the sons of morning sung,

While the Creator great

His constellations set,

And the well-balanced world on hinges hung,

And cast the dark foundations deep,

And bid the weltering waves their oozy channel keep.

Yea, truth and justice then

Will down return to men,

Orbed in a rainbow; and, like glories wearing,

Mercy will sit between,

Throned in celestial sheen,

With radiant feet the tissued clouds down steering;

And heaven, as at some festival,

Will open wide the gates of her high palace hall.