Third Concert of the 40th Season

I. Allegro

1. Buckaroo Holiday
2. Corral Nocturne
3. Saturday Night Waltz
4. Hoe-Down

Haydn composed this setting of the popular text in 1799-1800, and dedicated it to his friend and admirer, the Austrian Empress, Maria Therese. The composition functioned as a dedicatory piece and general hymn of thanksgiving.

The origin of the Te Deum text is not certain, though the attributions to both St. Amrose and Nicetus of Remesiana are supported. It is an early Christian text which serves the Catholic liturgy at Matins. After the seventeenth century the text began to be used for special occasions, and received significant settings by Purcell and Handel. After Haydn, the most notable settings in the nineteenth century were by Berlioz, Dvorak, Bruckner, and Verdi. In each case the music is conceived on a grand scale.

The music is divided clearly into sections which support the organization of the text. The only repetition of music comes with the "Tu Rex gloria, Christe," where the first theme is restated. Haydn articulates the "Te ergo quaesumus" with a slow, sensitive moment. The composition ends gloriously with a fugue which combines the two parts of the last line of text: "In te Domine speravi" is the main theme, and "non confundar in aeternum" is the countermelody. The music illustrates the intent of the text both through a general portrayal of the sentiment, and through the articulation of specific words and phrases.

Elijah received its first performance in 1846 and represented the culmination of about ten years labor. The original German text by the theologian Julius Schubring received immediate translation into English, under the guidance of both the composer and his associate, William Bartholomew. This chorus is one of the most popular from the work, and is often excerpted. The design is simple: two themes are presented for two separate text sections, and then they are masterfully combined.

Brahms selected his texts from Luther's version of the Old and New Testament. From 1857 to 1868 he worked on this personal, rather than traditional, Requiem setting. The first complete performance was in 1869 in Leipzig. This exceptionally fine chorus is the fourth movement of seven.

Haydn composed his Creation between the years 1795-1798. The text was derived from Milton's Paradise Lost and the Book of Genesis. The original language was German, as translated by Baron von Swieten. This popular chorus comes at the end of the first act, after the creation of the lights in the firmament of heaven. The three soloists are the archangels Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael, serving as narrators of the drama.

The ballet, Rodeo, was commisioned by the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo for its 1942-43 season. The choreographer, Agnes dell Mille, describes the idea for the drama:

"Throughout the American Southwest, the Saturday afternoon rodeo is a tradition. On the remote ranches, as well as in the trading centers and the towns, the 'hands' get together to show off their skill in roping, riding, branding and throwing. Often, on the more isolated ranches, the rodeo is done for an audience that consists only of a handful of fellow-workers, women-folk, and those nearest neighbors who can make the eight or so mile run-over.

The afternoon's exhibition is usually followed by a Saturday night dance at the Ranch House.

The theme of the ballet is basic. It deals with the problem that has confronted all American women, from earliest pioneer times, and which has never ceased to occupy them throughout the history of the building of our country: how to get a suitable man."

Copland wrote the score for the ballet in June, 1942, and completed the orchestration in September. The orcheestral suite is extracted from the complete ballet, and is intended for concert performance. The composer's fresh, personal style is characterized by complex rhythmic structure, clear tonality, and melodic content which is conspicuously American. Copland uses several genuine folk songs throughout, and a square dance tune named "Bonyparte" for the Hoe-Down.

Manchester College Chorale