Program Notes Winter Solstice, Welcome Winger

Ragazzi Winter Solstice, Welcome Winter

December 1-First Congregational Palo Alto

December 2-Notre Dame de Namus Belmont

December 9-Old First Church San Francisco

Tickets: www.ragazzi.org or 650-342-8785

Program Notes    Sarah Wannamaker

Jesus Christ the Apple Tree is a text from Puritan New England set by 20th-century English composer Elizabeth Poston (1905-1987). Although not overtly seasonal, this carol has been associated with Christmas since the Kings College Choir incorporated the song in its annual Service of Lessons & Carols. The allegorical text references two opposing ideas in the Christian tradition: the tree of life vs. original sin symbolized by an apple.  A simple strophic setting, the five verses are presented as pure, clean harmonies in a musical arch - the full choir in the middle with unison singing to bookend the piece.

Another example of contemporary English choral music, Pie Jesu is one of few classical compositions written by Andrew Lloyd Webber (b. 1948).  The lush harmonies and indulgent melody lines are influenced by Webber’s popular dialect.  In this piece, the chorus essentially serves as a very rich, plush support, accompanying the solo voices. Excerpted from a Requiem Mass for Weber’s father, the piece uses both the traditional Pie Jesu text combined with sections from the Agnus Dei.  

Like the opening number, Little Drummer Boy is a carol set in a strophic manner. It is a song from mid-century America, with possible references to a Czech folk song.  The text tells an archetypal story - a modern character has nothing to offer but a simple, humble gift of oneself  to the divine.  The simple setting is enlivened by the drums - both the actual percussion and the vocal imitation of instrument sounds.

Unending Flame was a commissioned piece written by Paul Carey (b. 1954). The poem and the music are newly written, and do not rely on specific Hebrew melodies or texts.  The composer indicated his care in selecting a text: “[to] capture the history, hope, and family traditions and fun of the holiday.”   The piece evokes the spirit of Hanukkah with the traditional klezmer-style solo clarinet and harmonies to celebrate the Festival of Lights.

Morning Song is written in honor of the Cherokee nation.  The music combines a traditional Teehahnahmah tune, Win-dey yah ho, with a version of, Amazing Grace, known as the Cherokee National Anthem.  Composer James Green (b. 1970) stacks these two melodies in different combinations and textures, allowing space between the vocal parts to feature percussion and vocal sounds to evoke the spirit of Native American life.

The tune of Personent Hodie comes from a 16th century Finnish book of chants.  The Latin text, commonly translated “On this Day, Earth Shall Ring” proclaims Christmas in four stanzas, culminating with the idea that all choristers should sing as if they were the original choir of angels.

A New Year Carol is taken from a collection called “Friday Afternoons” (Op 7) by Benjamin Britten (1913-1976).  The compilation was published when Britten was 23, and it confirms Britten’s continued interest in an English folk song style with simple, repeated harmonies.  The text is from a book of poems, “Tom Tiddler’s Ground,” collected by (not written by) Walter de la Mare.  The text is straddles a vague area between direct and symbolic, making interpretation tauntingly possible, yet elusive.

Randall Thompson (1899-1984) is one of the dominating figures in American composition of the last century.  Solstice is from the collectionFearful Symmetry (itself a gloss on a poem by William Blake).  The quick text, light texture, and momentum shifts convey the excitement of a new season giving us potential for a newness in how we live our lives.

Winter from Four Grassi Lakes Seasons relies on innovative vocal sounds to evoke the spirit of a winter landscape. Both the poem and the musical setting are minimalist, creating an atmosphere using morsels of words and sound. The Grassi Lakes are found in Allan Bell’s (b. 1953) home province of Alberta, Canada.  

Laudate pueri Dominum, based on the Gregorian antiphon “Assumpta Est”, is the middle movement in a set of three religious motets.  Mendelssohn (1809-1947) composed the set for the convent Trinità de Monti in Rome, which he likely visited as part of his Grand Tour of Europe.  The piece was written in 1830, when Mendelssohn was 21 years old.  His mastery of traditional forms, harmony, and musical line are clearly demonstrated in the piece.  Note the way the music alternates between a polyphonic and unison texture for emphasis of the text.  Mendelssohn’s background as both pianist and organist contributed to his writing an organ accompaniment that is just as interesting as the vocal parts.

Laus Deo (Praise be to God) are the words that appear on an aluminum cap high atop the Washington Monument.  No other building in Washington DC  may be taller than this monument.  John Leavitt, a contemporary composer, wrote this song about praising God in the highest, good will toward all mankind and peace on earth.

Kling Glocken or "Ring, Little Bell," is a German Christmas Carol from the 19th century. The lyrics were written by Karl Enslin (1819–75) to a traditional German folk tune.

Betelehemu is a Nigerian Christmas song sung in the Yoruba dialect.  The song was popularized by African drummer Babtunde Olatunji (b. 1927) who taught this carol while studying in the United States.  Arranged by Whalum, Olatunji’s teacher, this arrangement features a variety of percussion techniques, improvisatory vocal solos, and choral sounds.

The two settings of Ave Maria demonstrate two responses to a traditional text that has inspired for centuries. Biebl’s (1906-2001) version combines the traditional text with excerpts from the Angelus, a devotional book about the Incarnation.  Although the texts are ancient, the musical language is modern: full, lush, modern chords enriched by the presentation of multi-voiced harmonies.  Biebl particularly exploits the texture of the piece by writing for different combinations of voices, presenting a single line of chant, a 4-part chorus, and a two-choir conversation.  Saint-Saëns’ (1835-1921) version was written in 1890 and uses the familiar text with no additions.  The second version includes a flowing keyboard accompaniment to support the surprising key changes typical of a late-Romantic work.

The traditional Christmas carols presented in the last portion give an opportunity for all present to take part in song.  What Child Is This is an old folk tune from the British Isles that is equally known in a secular context with the “Greensleeves” text.  This choral arrangement by Jameson Marvin embraces the lullaby quality of the tune with a challenging a cappella setting.  Hark the Herald is an arrangement of a tune written by Mendelssohn.  Angels We Have Heard on High is a carol of French origin.  This hymn is unusual because of the melismatic (many notes per word) setting of the refrain.  Enjoy singing! The final carol is a popular interpretation of O Come, All Ye Faithful by David Willcocks.  This arrangement is now part of the core repertoire for the King’s College Festival of Lessons and Carols in Cambridge, featuring both an added descant and a new harmonization.  The traditional combined choir, descant and organ accompaniment culminate to remind us how music can transcend the boundaries of time and difference, giving us the tools to find newness, potential, and light in our world. 

An Old-Fashioned Education

An Old-Fashioned Education

And what shall be their education? Music for the mind and gymnastics for the body.

                                                                                Plato, The Republic

There is a revolution happening in the world of education. Schools  are finding that student success  increases when old-fashioned skills are taught. In an article by Peg Tyre titled “The Writing Revolution, “ in October 2012 The Atlantic,  the author looks at changes made at a public school in New York City. A failing institution, in 2009, New Dorp High School began to change the way students were taught. Using standards of Common Core (http://www.corestandards.org/), students were taught to write. According to David Coleman, the architect of Common Core, “…elementary students…will be required to write informative and persuasive essays….These standards are meant to reverse a pedagogical pendulum that has swung too far, favoring self-expression and emotion over lucid communication.” Students need structure, even formulas to organize their thoughts into lucid writing. “50 years ago teachers taught the general rules…”  Then 25 years ago, in an effort to enliven learning, students were encouraged to write about their feelings. Basic formal learning took a back seat to creativity. As a result, many students were not graduating with skills to succeed in the work world. This creative approach was based on the belief that students would “catch” the correct way of writing by simply finding fun ways to express themselves. While a small number of students did well with this method, many fell by the wayside and failed to graduate or graduated with minimal marketable skills. By implementing core standards and instructional fundamentals, students at New Dorp High School made huge strides as shown in graduation rates, performance on tests and college readiness.

What does this have to do with Ragazzi, you may ask? Well, first, let me ask who among us has not endured a performance by poorly trained but sincere musicians seeking to touch our hearts through their deeply felt emotional expressiveness? Remember how painful an experience that can be? Without the basics or the technique, that communication fails. We do not join the performers in their emotional release, but instead sit tensely feeling a combination of discomfort, embarrassment and sympathy for well-meaning kids.

As the pendulum swings back to traditional educational techniques, Ragazzi continues its “old-fashioned” commitment to vocal and choral technique, knowledge of music theory and excellence in performance. Yes, we want and expect our boys and young men to develop and express their emotional lives and we want to develop their emotional intelligence, but in order to succeed they need to be capable of critical thinking, self-evaluation, and be willing to work hard to develop their skills. Ragazzi boys take constant small steps toward excellence, sharing the fruits of their labors with our audiences.

Ragazzi has always stood firm, secure in the knowledge that what we do works, as the world of education now turns around and comes back to meet us.

     

Faith and Patience

Faith and Patience

At a small Ragazzi concert last Friday night I was thrilled to hear several boys sing solos. They and the chorus did a beautiful job presenting their program.  It made me think about how
success comes from the slow and steady persistence of a goal. This group has worked slowly and steadily over the years and the solo boys have studied voice for a long time, honing their skills and practicing diligently. Sometimes a singer thinks, “I’ll just take a few lessons and then I’ll be ready to sing a solo.” Or I’ll just miss a few rehearsals; I know my music, I can catch up. “Faith and persistence” are the watchwords of legendary UCLA coach John Wooden.  Rehearsals involve the slow learning of notes, rhythms, languages. Then we add the dynamics along with effects that bring the music to life.  It takes careful and consistent study to sing solos or in an outstanding choir, just like it takes practice to play the piano. Ragazzi is fortunate to have some outstanding voice teachers available to interested boys who wish to pursue this line of study. It’s the patience and persistence that yield the results whether for our groups or for our soloists.

Read what performance psychologist Noa Kageyama says in his blog.

From the blog of 'The Bulletproof Musician' by Dr. Noa Kageyama, a performance psychologist

Subject: Are You Winning or Succeeding?

Date: September 29, 2012 8:00:13 AM PDT

“Winning is not everything. It’s the only thing.”

This is one of the better known quotes in sports, often attributed to coaching legend Vince Lombardi of the NFL’s Green Bay Packers. It’s possible, if not likely, that he was misquoted, but it remains a common philosophy that permeates our culture.

Contrast that with this favorite poem of coaching legend John Wooden of the UCLA men’s basketball program.

Beyond the winning and the goal, beyond the glory and the flame,
He feels the flame within his soul, born of the spirit of the game,
And where the barriers may wait, built up by the opposing Gods,
He finds a thrill in bucking fate and riding down the endless odds.
Where others lag behind or tire and break beneath the handicap,
He finds a new and deeper thrill to take him on the uphill spin.
Because the test is greater still, and something he can revel in.
~Grantland Rice, “The Great Competitor”

Let the words sink in a bit. Deep down, which one resonates more strongly?

During his tenure at UCLA, John Wooden established a track record as one of history’s most successful coaches. At one point, his teams won 88 consecutive games, not to mention 7 NCAA national championships in a row (and 10 NCAA championships in 12 years).

Despite the enviable success he and his teams enjoyed, winning was something he rarely spoke of. Many players have remarked upon how he de-emphasized winning, and steered their attention more to doing their best and performing in such a way that they could walk off the court with their heads held high.

As former player Walt Hazzard said, “Before a game, the thing that always impressed me, that could take a lot of pressure off me as a player, was that he never challenged us to win the game. He always challenged us to do the best we could do. To walk into the locker room when the game was over, look in the mirror, and say to myself, Walt Hazzard, I did the best that I could do tonight.”

Winning as a side effect

Unbelievably, Wooden never once scouted an opposing team, but instead devoted his time and meticulous attention to making sure his players were prepared to do their best, rather than worrying about or trying to be better than another team. For instance, at the beginning of every year, he would show the freshmen in exacting detail how he wanted them to put on their socks (so as to prevent blisters).

Did he care about winning? Most certainly he did, but not at the expense of the broader life lessons and philosophies he wanted his players to learn. For Wooden, winning, awards, respect, fame, and all the rest were regarded more as side effects of successful personal growth and development than the primary aim and objective.

Controlling the controllables

Sport psychologists often talk about focusing on process variables, or those ingredients of performance and success that we have control over. This seems to be what Wooden was doing in the way he approached competition and prepared his players.

It’s just that this is a difficult adjustment to make when we’ve been conditioned to focus more on what others think and objective external measures of success like awards, advancing in auditions, glowing reviews in the NY Times, and so on. But all of that comes and goes, and isn’t something we can control even if we wanted to.

As Walt Hazzard suggests above, letting go of our attachment to wins and losses, great feedback and poor reviews, great performances and disappointing ones, and focusing only on that which we control instead is extremely liberating. It frees you up to enjoy the entire experience of performing and auditioning so much more. And while it may not happen overnight, it is one of the most valuable lessons I’ve taken from sport psychology, and is most definitely worth working towards.

Reread that poem above, and see if it starts to resonate more with each reading…

Take action

Time for a bit of self-reflection and evaluation. Consider the habitual thoughts and objectives that drive your actions on a day to day basis. Are they directed more towards winning? Towards gaining the esteem of others? Meeting another’s expectations of us? Beating or outperforming someone else?

Or developing your own personal criteria of success and excellence? Getting a step closer to whom you would love to be in the future? Finding a way to make steady progress towards your personal objectives and goals? In a word, succeeding?

Consider Wooden’s own definition of success (emphasis mine): “Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.”

Watch this video of John Wooden, where he shares more of his perspective on the difference between winning and succeeding. Here he expresses the belief that it takes “faith and persistence” to succeed.