As part of the 100th Anniversary of Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Kissimmee, the choir will present the Requiem of Gabriel Faure in concert and in memory of all the members of the parish who have died.
11/04/2012
From: 4:00 – To: 5:00 pm
Holy Redeemer Catholic Church
1603 N. Thacker Ave.Kissimmee, FL
For the Mozart Coronation Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe, Dr. William Picher asked if I’d like to collaborate on the musical setting of the psalm to be used at Mass that evening. Since most of the music for Mass is by Mozart, he had found a phrase from a Mozart string quintet to use as the refrain and asked if I’d write music for the verses. Bill has used several of my psalm settings previously, so was looking for a simple tone much like those I’ve sent him previously.
After having a look at the last movement of K. 516 that Bill used for the refrain, I found a portion of the string quintet that lent itself as a nice chord progression for the psalm verses. Knowing that there would at least be strings available, it made sense to me to create an entire orchestration for the composition. A recording of the live performance is now available here.
Here’s a clip from the recent Vierne concert at St. James Cathedral.
Dividing the organ into the grande orgue and orgue de choeur proved to be challenging. While planning for the installation of the instrument, this was one of the pieces that I envisioned performing in order to work out all the little details necessary for the two consoles to function at the same time. How thrilling it was to actually hear the piece come to life. Thanks to David Brunner, Ben Lane, the CFAGO and all the singers for making this vision a reality.
Kyrie from Messe Solennelle by Louis Vierne from Karen Osborne on Vimeo.
The audio is from the in-camera microphones. Once I get the professional audio, I’ll update this with better sound.
Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to perform Faure’s Requiem on numerous occasions. While flipping through my photo album this afternoon, I came across the poster from the performance that we did in Albany six months after 9/11. It’s hard to believe that the concert was ten years ago this month.
One of my many pleasures during my tenure in Albany was working with the Festival Celebration Choir. Founded by my predecessor at the Cathedral, J. Robert Sheehan, the group was initially quite large. By the time I encountered the group, it had become a more moderate 60-80 voices. While under its second director, Deacon Neil Hook, I was offered several opportunities to accompany the choir for different concerts, including a presentation of the Mozart Requiem on June 6, 2004. The group even commissioned me to write a Te Deum for them. Eventually, Neil decided it was time for him to retire as the group’s conductor and passed the baton to me. Regrettably, only a year later, I had to pass the baton along again as my tenure in Albany came to a close and new opportunities awaited for me in Orlando.
Regina caeli laetare, Alleluia,
Quia quem meruisti portare. Alleluia,
Resurrexit sicut dixit, Alleluia.
Ora pro nobis Deum. Alleluia.
Intended for use during the Easter Season, this is the second Marian antiphon I set for SSAATTBB choir. The traditional chant melody is cast in a modern tonal language. A piano reduction of the SSAATTBB piece provided in the score for rehearsals. The audio below was generated by the Finale music notation program.
A Christmas carol for unaccompanied SATB choir. Lyrics by John Dalles. The piece is included on the recording “Christmas with the Basilica Choir.” and is also available on iTunes and may be heard on Spotify.
A Christmas carol for SATB choir with some changing meter. Lyrics by John Dalles. Instrumental parts available upon request.
Ave Regina caelorum,
Ave Domina angelorum,
Salve radix, salve porta,
Ex qua mundo lux est orta.Gaude Virgo gloriosa,
Super omnes speciosa;
Vale, o valde decora,
Et pro nobis Christum exora.
Intended for use during the Lenten Season, this is the third of the four Marian antiphons I set for SSAATTBB choir. The traditional chant melody is cast in a modern tonal language. A piano reduction of the SSAATTBB piece provided in the score for rehearsals. The audio below was generated by the Finale music notation program.
Alma Redemptoris Mater,
Quae pervia caeli porta manes,
Et stella maris, succurre cadenti,
Surgere qui curat, populo:
Tu quae genuisti, natura mirante,
tuum sanctum Genitorem,
Virgo prius ac posterius,
Gabrielis ab ore, sumens illud Ave,
peccatorum miserere.
Intended for use during the season of Advent, this is the fourth Marian antiphon I set for SSAATTBB choir. The traditional chant melody is cast in a modern tonal language. A piano reduction of the SSAATTBB piece provided in the score for rehearsals. The audio below was generated by the Finale music notation program.