Program notes, texts, and translations

In preparing for this concert of holiday music from the Nordic and Baltic countries, we undertook the challenge of singing in eight different languages – many of them unfamiliar to us. Demanding though this was, we didn’t want to dilute the flavor of the original works by singing them in English translation. To aid us in learning correct pronun ciation for all the works on the program, we had help from numerous native speakers and language teachers in the Seattle area. We’re grateful for their generosity of spirit and their willingness to share not only the intricacies of the languages, but also information and background on their cultures. Learning this music and the traditions associated with it has been a rich and exciting journey. We’d like to express our sincere appreciation and thanks to the following people: 

Jahn R. Hedberg, Swedish
Anne Grethe Nordal, Norwegian
Marit Nordal, Norwegian
Mall Pesti, Estonian
Andrew Schmidt, Estonian
Karen Segar, Church Slavonic
Vésteinn Þórsson, Icelandic
Marit Trelstad, Norwegian 

On December 13th in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland, girls dressed as Saint Lucy carry cookies and saffron/ cardamom buns in procession, while singing traditional songs. The celebration of Saint Lucy's Day is said to help one live the winter days with enough light. The Swedish Sankta Lucia tradition combines ancient pagan traditions with a Christian saint to bring light and hope during the darkest time of year. The celebration features a procession led by a girl chosen to portray Lucia, who wears a white gown and a crown of candles. The procession also includes children in white as handmaidens and starboys, who all hold candles and sing traditional songs. Families often celebrate at home by having the eldest daughter play the role of Lucia, serving coffee and Lucia buns (lussekatter). 

Sankta Lucia 

Natten går tunga fjät, runt gård och stuva.
Kring jord som sol’n förgät, skuggorna ruva.
Då i vårt mörka hus, stiger med tända ljus,
Sankta Lucia, Sankta Lucia.
Natten var stor och stum. Nu, hör, det svingar
i alla tysta rum, sus som av vingar.
Se, på vår tröskel står,
vitklädd med ljus i hår,
Sankta Lucia, Sankta Lucia.
Mörkret skall flykta snart, ur jordens dalar.
Så hon ett underbart ord till oss talar.
Dagen skall åter ny, stiga ur rosig sky,
Sankta Lucia, Sankta Lucia. 

Night walks with a heavy step, round yard and hearth,
As the sun departs from earth, shadows are brooding.
There in our dark house, walking with lit candles,
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!
Night walks grand, yet silent, now hear its gentle wings,
In every room so hushed, whispering like wings.
Look, at our threshold stands,
white-clad with light in her hair,
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!
Darkness shall take flight soon, from earth’s valleys.
So she speaks wonderful words to us:
A new day will rise again from the rosy sky,
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia! 

Veljo Tormis is considered by Estonians to be one of their most important composers of the 20th century. While he wrote opera and instrumental pieces (including film scores), he’s most celebrated as a choral composer. His choral work embodies the strong choral tradition of Estonia, both ancient and contemporary, and its appeal has reached far beyond the Baltics. Almost all of his choral works are based on ancient Estonian folksongs (regi laulud) – some are direct settings of folksongs, while others are original compositions that either use texts by 20th-century Estonian poets or are inspired by traditional Estonian or Finnish texts and melodies. His harmonic style comes from folk melodies, and features note clusters and parallel chords. Tormis’s reputation as a master of choral music led to commissions from the King’s Singers and The Hilliard Ensemble, among others. He wrote: “The most fundamental part of my work is choral music and its connection with ancient Estonian folk song and the folk song of other Finnic peoples…My music can by no means be labeled as folk or world music. It is rather an attempt to preserve the authenticity of the source material, whilst making a compromise with the forms and performing practices of today.” 

Lauliku lapsepõli  was written in 1966 for SSAA choir. Tormis wrote:
"It presents a theme frequently occurring in Estonian songlore describing the process of becoming a singer. The music is of rather melodious contour, dominated by the refrain al'leaa. The folk melody is complemented by an intentionally minimal harmony. My artistic credo insists that the folk song should retain as much of its authenticity as possible, and I try to avoid disturbing 'arrangements'... Deep concern for the fate of my tiny homeland, my people, and our culture have keyed my creative work through time and change." 

Lauliku lapsepõli 

Kui ma ol’li väikokõnõ, al’leaa,
Kas’vi ma sis kaunikõnõ, al’leaa,
ol’li üte üü vannnu, al’leaa,
pääle katõ päävä vannu,
imä vei kiigu kesä pääle,
pan’de hällü palo pääle,
pan’de par’dsi hällütämmä,
suvõlinnu liigutamma.
Par’dsil ol’le pal’lo sõnnu
suvõlinnul liia’ laalu’
par’ts sääl man mul pal’lo lauli
suvõlindu liiast kõnõli.
Säält mina lat’s sis laulu’ ope
ul’likõnõ sõna osasi,
kõik mina pan’ni papõrihe,
kõik mina raiõ raamatuhe.
Selle minol pal’lo sõnnu,
selle laajalt laaluviisi. 

When I was very little, al’leaa,
I grew so prettily, al’leaa,
I was but one night old, al’leaa,
just two days old,
mother took my cradle to the meadow,
put my crib on the heath,
put a duck to rock the cradle,
the bird of summer to push me.
The duck had many words,
the bird of summer had lots of songs,
the duck sang many songs to me there,
the bird of summer,
it spoke to me a lot.
That is where this child learned the songs,
this crazy one [got to] know the words,
all of them I placed on paper,
all of them I hewed into a book.
That is why I have so many words,
that is why I have lots of tunes. 

Virmalised (Northern Lights) is the final movement of the four-movement work Talvemustrid (Winter Patterns). Composed in the late 1960s, Winter Patterns is from an even larger set of pieces known as Looduspildid (Nature Pictures) which consists of four cycles that evoke the seasons: Spring Sketches, Summer Motifs, Autumn Landscapes, and Winter Patterns. The text of Virmalised paints a fanciful picture of the northern lights: in the wintry Estonian landscape, we see what appear to be horses on a blue field and fiery fox tails in the sky. 

Virmalised 

Virmalised virvendavad…
Valgeid hobuseid jookseb üle sinise põllu.
Kukub kerget lund üle karge talve.
Kusagilt kõlavad kellad üle kauge künka.
Rebastuled rebenevad…
Taevas rebaseid jookseb tulega sabas
Hännad välguvad vilkalt ööga rütmis.
Virmalised vehklevad, virmaliste virr ja varr…
Akna all tütarlaps istub tumedas kleidis.
Virmalised virvendavad… 

Northern lights are shimmering…
White horses are running over a blue field.
Light snow is falling over crisp winter.
Bells are sounding somewhere over the far hill.
Fox lights are tearing themselves apart…
Foxes are running in the sky, their tails fiery and
Blinking swiftly in the rhythm of the night.
Northern lights are jousting…
A girl in a dark dress is sitting at the window.
Northern lights are shimmering… 

Heyr, himna smiður (Hear, smith of heavens) is a well-known Icelandic hymn written in 1208 AD. The text was written by Kolbeinn Tumason (1173–1208), a powerful chieftain in one of the Icelandic family clans at the beginning of the most violent and turbulent period in Icelandic history. The poem is a prayer for strength, peace, and guidance in the face of the prospect of open inter-clan warfare. According to legend, Kolbeinn wrote the poem on his deathbed fol lowing the Battle of Víðines, during which his head was bashed in with a rock. 

The music was composed over 700 years later by Þorkell Sigurbjörnsson. After conservatory training in Reykjavik, Sigurbjörnsson went abroad to study in the United States and Germany. After his return to Iceland, he enjoyed a multi faceted career as a pianist, composition professor, broadcaster, festival director, director of the National Music Informa tion Centre, and chairman of various music organizations including the Icelandic Society of Composers. 

Heyr, himna smiður 

Heyr, himna smiður,
hvers skáldið biður.
Komi mjúk til mín
miskunnin þín.
Því heit eg á þig,
þú hefur skaptan mig.
Eg er þrællinn þinn,
þú ert drottinn minn. 

Guð, heit eg á þig,
að þú græðir mig.
Minnst þú, mildingur, mín,
mest þurfum þín.
Ryð þú, röðla gramur,
ríklyndur og framur,
hölds hverri sorg
úr hjartaborg.

Gæt þú, mildingur, mín,
mest þurfum þín,
helzt hverja stund
á hölda grund.
Send þú, meyjar mögur,
málsefnin fögur,
öll er hjálp af þér,
í hjarta mér. 

Hear, smith of heavens.
The poet seeketh.
In thy still small voice
Mayest thou show grace.
As I call on thee,
Thou my creator.
I am thy servant,
Thou art my true Lord. 

God, I call on thee;
For thee to heal me.
Bid me, prince of peace,
Thou my supreme need.
Ever I need thee,
Generous and great,
O’er all human woe,
City of thy heart. 

Guard me, my savior.
Ever I need thee,
Through ev’ry moment
In this world so wide.
Virgin–born, send me
Noble motives now.
Aid cometh from thee,
To my deepest heart. 

Ester Mägi has been called the "first lady of Estonian music” and is a greatly revered figure in Estonia. Much of her work consists of choral and chamber music, but her symphonic pieces are also highly regarded. She trained initially at the Tallinn Conservatory in Estonia and then studied from 1951-54 at the Moscow Conservatory in Russia. As a student, she studied Estonian folk music, and her compositions show the influence of those folk traditions. 

Lapi laul was composed in 1971 on a text by Ain Kaalep (1926-2020), a celebrated Estonian poet, literary critic, and translator. For his deep love of both world poetry and the Estonian language, Kaalep was dubbed Praeceptor Estoniae, the “teacher of Estonia.” The text and music of Lapi laul conjure images of ancient Estonian reindeer herders and sha manistic rituals. 

Lapi laul 

Kõrgel tundru harjal lallagol joo
on mu põdrakarjal vouva vouva goo
kena söömamaa. 

Päike silmapiiril lallagol joo
verekarva kiiril vouva vouva goo
põleb nagu toht. 

Pole teda kauaks lallagol joo
meri saab ta hauaks, vouva vouva goo
pea ta sinna kaob. 

Sealpool taevakummi lallagol joo
juba nõiatrummi vouva vouva goo
talvehaldjas taob.

Song from Lapland 

In high tundra (lallagol joo!)
my herd of reindeer (vouva vouva goo!)
have a nice feeding ground. 

The sun on the horizon (lallagol joo!)
blood red rays blazing (vouva vouva goo!)
burns like a birch bark. 

The sun will not last (lallagol joo!)
it will sink fast (vouva vouva goo!)
the sea becomes its grave. 

Far beyond the sky (lallagol joo!)
the winter spirit waits (vouva vouva goo!)
beating his shaman drum. 

Gaudete is a sacred Christmas carol, thought to have been composed in the 16th century. It appears in Piae cantiones, a collection of Finnish/Swedish sacred songs published in 1582 in the North German city of Greifswald. No music is given for the verses, but the standard tune comes from older liturgical books. The Latin text is a typical medieval song of praise, which follows the standard pattern for the time – a series of four-line stanzas, each preceded by a two-line refrain. Carols could be on any subject, but typically they were about the Virgin Mary, the Saints, or Yuletide themes. 

Gaudete 

Gaudete! Christus est natus
Ex Maria Virgine, gaudete! 

Tempus adest gratiae
Hoc quod optabamus,
Carmina laetitiae
Devote reddamus. 

Deus homo factus est
Natura mirante,
Mundus renovatus est
A Christo regnante. 

Ezechielis porta
Clausa pertransitur,
Unde lux est orta
Salus invenitur. 

Ergo nostra contio
Psallat iam in lustro;
Benedicat Domino: Salus Regi nostro. 

Rejoice! Christ is born
of the Virgin Mary. Rejoice! 

A time of grace is here,
For which we had hoped.
Songs of joy
we devotedly return. 

God is made man;
Nature marvels.
The world is renewed
By Christ's reign. 

Ezekiel's gate was closed,
but could be passed through;
Thus, the light shone
and found salvation. 

Therefore, our assembly
Sings now in brightness.
We bless the Lord:
Greetings to our king. 

Niels Gade ranks as the most important figure in 19th-century Danish music. Though best known as a composer, Gade was also active as a conductor, violinist, church organist, music educator, and administrator. His music combines traits of 19th-century Germanic style with a distinctive “Nordic” flavor inspired by Danish and Nordic folk music. 

Die Wasserrose 

Die stille Wasserrose steigt aus dem blauen See,
die Blätter flimmern und blitzen, der Kelch ist weiß wie Schnee. 

Da gießt det Mond vom Himmel all'seinen gold'nen Schein,
gießt alle seine Strahlen in ihren Schoß hinein. 

Im Wasser um die Blume kreiset ein weißer Schwan,
er singt so süß so leise, und schaut die Blume an. 

Er singt so süß, so leise, und will im Singen vergehn.
O Blume, weiße Blume, kannst du das Lied verstehn?

The water-lily rises out of the blue lake,
its leaves glimmer and flash,its calyx is white as snow. 

The moon in the sky pours its golden light,
pours all its moonbeams into its lap. 

In the water, round the lily, a swan, a white swan circles.
He sings so sweetly, so softly, and looks at the flower. 

He sings so sweetly, so softly, And will in singing pass away –
O lily, white lily, can you understand the song? 

The yoik is as old as the Sámi culture it comes from, and many yoiks or improvised chants have been passed down orally from one generation to the next. This tradition is among the earliest continuing vocal practices of Europe. Among the composers who put them to paper – and wrote their own songs in yoik style – was Johan Märak, a Sámi logger, reindeer herdsman, and rural vicar. Swedish composer Jan Sandström arranged this yoik by Märak, which is an atmospheric ode to nature and the wind. In Biegga Luohte the Sámi ceremonial drum provides a steady beat, the reindeer shepherd calls to his dog, and we hear the sounds of the ptarmigan - a kind of Nordic dove of peace. 

Biegga Luohte 

Na de jo biegga båsåðij
lo, lo, lo lo…
Ibmilis dervuoðajt
Ålmmojta sáme ednamij
Buorre sivnnjaðusájt 

Yoik to the mountain wind
Now the wind blows
lo, lo, lo, lo…
A greeting from God
to the people in our Lappland,
with his blessing. 

Ísland, farsælda frón is a traditional Icelandic tvísöngslag (“twin-song”). Tvísöngur (“twin singing”) is a type of improvised harmony that has existed in Iceland since the Middle Ages. It consists of two vocal parts sung in parallel fifths or fourths to a pre-existing melody. Traditionally, the melody was sung by a small group while the harmony line was sung by a soloist. What makes Tvísöngur notable is that the harmony line often crosses the melody in the middle of a song to create a dramatic change in tone. Tvísöngur were traditionally sung at festive secular occasions like weddings and other celebrations. 

Ísland, farsælda frón was collected by priest and composer Bjarni Þorsteinsson in the late 19th century when there was great interest in rediscovering Icelandic sagas and traditional music. The text is by Jónas Hallgrímsson (1807-1845), the most beloved poet in Iceland. Hallgrímsson was a master of many forms of poetry, from simple lyrics to intricate epics, and his poems are part of Iceland’s national identity. He played an important part in the early independence movement, and his best known poems celebrate the natural beauty of the land. 

Ísland, farsælda frón 

Ísland, farsælda frón
og hagsælda, hrímhvíta móðir,
hvar er þín fornaldar frægð,
frelsið og manndáðin best? 

Landið er fagurt og frítt
og fannhvítir jöklanna tindar,
himinninn heiður og blár,
hafið er skínandi bjart.

Iceland, land of good fortune
and snow-white mother of prosperity.
Where is your splendid renown,
freedom and manhood of old? 

The land is goodly and fair 

and snow-white the peaks of the glaciers. 

The sky is blue and serene, 

the ocean resplendently bright. 

Fagurt er í fjörðum is a traditional melody that was collected from a farmer in the 19th century by Icelandic priest and educator Sigtryggur Guðlaugsson. The arrangement in this concert is by John Hearne, a Scottish composer and singer, who wrote it for the famed Icelandic youth choir Hamrahlíðarkórinn. The text is by the 18th-century poet Björg Einarsdóttir (1716-1784). Known to Icelanders as “Látra-Björg,” she was considered a gifted poet who excelled at composing verse spontaneously for various occasions and circumstances (a time-honored tradition in Iceland). She was even thought by some to be able to influence the future with her verse. 

Fagurt er í Fjörðum

Fagurt er í Fjörðum
þá frelsarinn lánar veðrið blítt,
heyið grænt í görðum,
grös og heilagfiskið nýtt.
En þegar vetur að oss fer að sveigja
veit ég enga verri sveit
um veraldar reit.
Menn og dýr þá deyja. 

It’s lovely in these valleys
when God grants us weather fine,
with hay green in the gardens,
fresh grasses, and halibut divine.
But when winter turns upon us,
I know of no worse place
on this, our earth’s green face;
then men and cattle die. 

Latvian composer Ēriks Ešenvalds was born in 1977 and studied initially at the Latvian Baptist Theological Seminary, later receiving his Master’s degree in composition from the Latvian Academy of Music. He remains deeply religious and has set many sacred texts. Even in many of his secular pieces, there is an acknowledgment of the divine as seen in the night sky, stars, and heavens. In the last few years, he has emerged as one of the most sought-after composers of his generation. Recent commissions include works for the Boston and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestras, the BBC Proms, the Utah Symphony and Salt Lake Vocal Artists, and a new opera for the Latvian National Opera. 

In Northern Lights, Ešenvalds combines two texts: a Latvian folk song that describes the northern lights as the restless souls of fallen soldiers, and the English words of two 19th-century Arctic explorers (Charles Francis Hall and Fridtjof Nansen) who were both awed by the lights during their travels. Using chimes and tuned glasses to create an unearthly aura, the music is full of the wonder and drama of being immersed in the aurora borealis. 

Northern Lights

Cik naksnīnas pret ziemeli
Redzēj' kāvus karojam;
Karo kāvi pie debesu,
Vedīs karus mūs' zemē.

Whenever at night,
far in the north I saw
the kãvi soldiers (northern lights) having their battle,
I was afraid, perhaps they might
bring a war to my land, too. 

It was night, and I had gone on deck several times.
Iceberg was silent; I too was silent.
It was true dark and cold.
At nine o'clock I was below in my cabin,
When the captain hailed me with the words:
"Come above, Hall, at once! The world is on fire!"
I knew his meaning, and, quick as thought,
I rushed to the companion stairs.
In a moment I reached the deck,
And as the cabin door swung open,
A dazzling light, overpow'ring light
burst upon my startled senses!
Oh, the whole sky was one glowing mass of colored flames, so mighty, so brave!
Like a pathway of light the northern lights
seemed to draw us into the sky.
Yes, it was harp-music, wild storming in the darkness;
The strings trembled and sparkled in the glow of the flames like a shower of fiery darts.
A fiery crown of auroral light cast a warm glow across the arctic ice.
Again at times it was like softly playing, gently rocking silvery waves,
On which dreams travel into unknown worlds. 

Trond H.F. Kverno was born in Oslo in 1945, and studied at the Oslo Conservatory of Music. In addition to his career as a composer, he has served as an organist in a number of churches in Oslo and elsewhere. After beginning his teaching career at the Oslo Conservatory of Music in 1971, Kverno transferred to the Norwegian Academy of Music in 1973, the year of its founding, where he has been a prominent figure in the teaching of music theory. Since 1978 he has been senior lecturer in church music and composition theory. He has been particularly involved in the creative aspects of church, focusing on liturgical organ playing, improvisation and composition for use in church services. Of his composi tions, he has said: “I would liken my work to that of the painter of icons, where each icon is a window to a reality other than that which surrounds us." 

Kverno’s setting of Ave maris stella is notable for its complexity and dynamic range, in which quiet lyrical passages alternate with vigorous sections in irregular rhythms. 

Ave maris stella

Ave, maris stella,
Dei mater alma,
atque semper virgo,
Felix cæli porta. 

Sumens illud Ave
Gabrielis ore,
funda nos in pace,
mutans Evæ nomen.

 
Solve vincla reis,
profer lumen cæcis,
mala nostra pelle,
bona cuncta posce. 

Monstra te esse matrem,
sumat per te precem
qui pro nobis natus
tulit esse tuus. 

Virgo singularis, 

inter omnes mitis, 

nos culpis solutos 

mites fac et castos. 

Vitam præsta puram,

 iter para tutum, 

ut videntes Jesum 

semper collætemur. 

Sit laus Deo Patri, 

summo Christo decus, 

Spiritui Sancto 

tribus honor unus. Amen. 

Ave, gratia plena! Dominus tecum! 

Benedicta tu in mulieribus! 

Hail, star of the sea, 

Nurturing Mother of God, 

And ever Virgin 

Happy gate of Heaven 

Receiving that "Ave" (hail) 

From the mouth of Gabriel, 

Establish us in peace, 

Transforming the name of "Eva" (Eve). 

Loosen the chains of the guilty, 

Send forth light to the blind, 

Our evil do thou dispel, 

Entreat (for us) all good things. 

Show thyself to be a Mother: 

Through thee may he receive prayer 

Who, being born for us, 

Undertook to be thine own. 

O unique Virgin, 

Meek above all others, 

Set us free from our sins, 

Meek and chaste. 

Bestow a pure life, 

Prepare a safe way: 

That seeing Jesus, 

We may ever rejoice. 

Praise be to God the Father, 

To the Most High Christ (be) glory, 

To the Holy Spirit 

(Be) honor, to the Three equally. Amen. 

Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you! 

Blessed art thou among women! 

Arvo Pärt has achieved the status of “one of the most widely-performed living classical composers”, and in his native Estonia, he has the status of a rock star. Not only is his music performed by major orchestras worldwide, but it’s loved by musicians from the non-classical world. Björk, R.E.M., Radiohead, Rufus Wainwright, Nick Cave, and Keith Jarrett all claim him as a major influence, while heavy metal bands and Berlin DJs frequently sample his works. 

As the first Estonian composer to fully embrace the 12-tone system, Pärt became a rising star of the Soviet avant garde in the 1960s. He then entered a period of self-imposed compositional silence during which he made an intense study of medieval music, especially plainchant. The product of this period of study and introspection is the minimalist "tintinnabuli” (“little bells”) style that Pärt began using in 1976 and that has defined all of his music since. This is a radically simplified and spiritually charged idiom which pairs a melodic voice (often stepwise and chant-like) with a harmonic voice that is limited to the notes of a simple triad. The effect is ethereal and introspective, at once ancient and modern. As the commentator Alex Ross observed in a 2002 New Yorker article, Pärt has “put his finger on something almost impossible to put into words, something to do with the power of music to obliterate the rigidities of space and time [and] silence the noise of self, binding the mind to an eternal present.” 

Pärt's emotionally charged Bogoroditse Devo is a vibrant tribute to the Virgin Mary. It’s sung in the Orthodox Church Slavonic language, and its musical style evokes traditional Orthodox music. 

Bogoroditse Devo
Богородице Дево, радуйся,
Благодатная Марие, Господь с Тобою,
благословенна Ты в женах,
и благословен плод чрева Твоего,
яко Спаса родила еси душ наших 

Rejoice, O mother of God.
Virgin Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee;
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
for thou hast borne the Savior of our souls. 

The Estonian composer and choral conductor Cyrillus Kreek studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatory and later taught at the Tallinn Conservatory and in his home town of Haapsalu in Western Estonia. He was forced to abandon his position at the Tallinn Conservatory by Soviet authorities who labeled him a “bourgeois nationalist.” During his student years, he began to collect Estonian folk music, becoming one of the first Estonians to use the phonograph to record traditional melodies. His transcriptions include collections of folk hymn tunes and music from Estonian Swedish villages, and he was instrumental in creating a nationalistic Estonian musical style. His choral compositions reflect the influence of Estonian folk music as well as the harmonic language and color of classical Estonian choral music. The Taaveti laulud (Psalms of David), rediscovered in 1989, are based on the melodies and vocal traditions of the Eastern Orthodox Church. 

Taaveti laulud

Taaveti laul 104 
Kiida, mu hing, Issandat!
Kiidetud oled Sina!
Issand, mu Jumal, Sa oled suur.
Kiidetud oled Sina!
Kui suured on Sinu teod Issand!
Sa oled kõik targasti teinud.
Au olgu Sulle Issand,
kes Sa kõik oled teinud!
Au olgu Isale, Pojale, Pühale Vaimule
nüüd ja igavest. Aamen. 

Psalm 104
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Praise the Lord!
O Lord, my God,
Thou art great indeed.
Praise the Lord!
Countless are the things thou hast made, O Lord.
Thou hast made all by Thy wisdom.
Glory to Thee, Lord, who hast made everything.
Glory to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Now and forever. Amen. 

Taaveti laul 141
Issand, ma hüüan Su poole, kuule mind!
Kuule mu palve häält, kui ma Su poole hüüan.
Olgu mu palve kui suitsetamise rohi Su palge ees,
mu käte ülestõstmine kui õhtune ohver.
Kuule Sa mind, oh Issand!

Psalm 141
O Lord, I call to Thee, come quickly to my aid;
listen to my cry when I call to Thee.
Let my prayer be like incense duly set before Thee
and my raised hands like the evening sacrifice.
Listen to my cry, O Lord.

Õnnis on inimene
Õnnis on inimene,
kes ei käi õelate nõu järele. Halleluuja!
Sest Issand tunneb õigete teed,
aga õelate tee läheb hukka.
Teenige Issandat kartusega
ja olge rõõmsad värisemisega.
Väga õndsad on kõik, kes Tema juurde kipuvad.
Tõuse üles, Issand, päästa mind, mu Jumal.
Au olgu Isale, Pojale ja Pühale Vaimule,
nüüd ja igavest. Aamen. 

Happy is the one, Psalm 1:1,6; Psalm 2:11a, 12b; Psalm 3:7
Happy is the one
who does not take the wicked for his guide.
The Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked is doomed.
Worship the Lord with reverence,
and rejoice with trembling.
Happy are all who find refuge in Him.
Rise up, Lord, save me, O my God.
Glory to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Now and forever. Amen. 

Swedish composer Hugo Alfvén composed numerous works for orchestra in a late Romantic style, including tone poems and symphonies. Although less well known than some other Scandinavian composers, his music was well regarded in Sweden during his lifetime, and he was considered Sweden’s leading orchestral composer. He composed many songs and choral works in a folk idiom, including Aftonen, one of his most frequently performed choral songs, composed in 1942. The piece paints a picture of a silent, beautiful evening with echoing horn calls, often interpreted as a soothing and patriotic contrast to the era's wartime conflicts. 

Aftonen

Skogen står tyst, himlen är klar.
Hör, huru tjusande vallhornet lullar.
Kvällsolns bloss sig stilla sänker,
Sänker sig ner uti den lugna, klara våg.
lbland dälder, gröna kullar
eko mångdubbelt kring nejden far. 

Evening 

The forest stands silent, the sky is clear.
Listen to how the enchanting shepherd's horn lulls.
The evening sun's glow quietly sinks
down into the calm, clear waves.
Sometimes, over the green hills,
echoes roam around the region... 

Ola Gjeilo is one of the most frequently performed composers in the choral world today. Although Norwegian by birth, it is perhaps his adopted country of America that has influenced the composer's distinctive soundworld the most, evolving a style that is both contemporary and familiar; the thick harmonies and rich textures recall film scores – music that forms a major part of the composer's inspiration. Gjeilo studied at The Juilliard School, and the Royal College of Music, London, and currently lives in New York. He is especially inspired by the improvisational art of film composer Thomas Newman, jazz legends Keith Jarrett and Pat Metheny, glass artist Dale Chihuly, and architect Frank Gehry. His music is often described as cinematic and evocative, with a lush, harmonious sound. 

Det hev ei rose sprunge is Gjeilo’s Norwegian setting of the 19th-century translation, A spotless rose, by the acclaimed British translator Catherine Winkworth.

Det hev ei rose sprunge 

Det hev ei rose sprunge
ut av ei rot så grann.
Som fedrane hev sunge:
Av Isais rot ho rann,
og var ein blome blid
midt i den kalde vinter
ved mørke midnattstid.
Om denne rosa eine
er sagt Jesajas ord.
Maria møy, den reine,
bar rosa til vår jord.
Og Herrens miskunnsmakt
det store under gjorde
som var i spådom sagt. 

A spotless rose is blowing,
Sprung from a tender root,
Ancient seers’ foreshowing,
Of Jesse promised fruit;
Its fairest bud unfolds to light
Amid the cold, cold winter,
And in the dark midnight.
The rose which I am singing,
Whereof Isaiah said,
Is from its sweet root springing,
In Mary, purest Maid.
Through God’s great love and might,
The Blessed Babe she bare us,
In a cold, cold winter’s night. 

Nu är det Jul igen is a traditional and well-loved Christmas carol from Sweden. It speaks of the joys of the Christmas season and is sung by families and friends while dancing in a circle around the Christmas tree.

Nu är det Jul igen 

Nu är det Jul igen,
och Julen vara skall till Påska.
Så är det Påsk igen,
och Påsken vara ska’ till Jula.
Det var inte sant,
för där emellan kommer Fasta.

Now Christmas is here again 

Now Christmas is here again,
and Christmas we’ll have till Easter.
Then Easter is here again,
and Easter we’ll have till Christmas.
Now this will not be so,
for in between comes Lenten-Fasting. 

Vytautas Miškinis is active as a choral conductor, composer, and music educator. He studied at the Lithuanian State Conservatory, and has served as conductor of numerous adult and children’s choirs. Since 1985, he has taught at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, and since 1995 he has been the President of the Lithuanian Choir Union. Lucis creator optime is one of the oldest hymn texts in the Roman Catholic liturgy, praising God as the creator of light. Known for his ability to create shimmering colors through harmonic language based on the intervals of seconds, thirds, and fifths, Miškinis uses ascending vocal lines in this work to evoke the sound of prayers rising to heaven. 

Lucis creator optime

Lucis creator optime,
lucem dierum proferens,
primordiis lucis novae,
mundi parans originem.
Qui mane junctum vesperi,
diem vocari praecipis,
illabitur tetrum chaos,
audi preces cum fletibus.
Ne mens gravata crimine,
vitae sit exsul munere,
dum nil perenne cogitat,
seseque culpis illigat.
Praesta Pater piissime,
Patrique compar unice,
cum Spiritu paraclito,
regnans per omne saeculum. Amen.
Dirigatur, Domine, oratio mea,
sicut incensum in conspectu tuo. 

O blest Creator of light
producing light of days
at the beginnings of the new light,
preparing the origin of the world.
Who joins the morning to evening;
by your command, you name it day;
dreadful chaos now steals over us,
hear our prayers with our tears.
Let not our soul, weighed down by fault,
be exiled from the gift of life,
while thinking only of earthly things
and entangling itself in sin.
Grant this, most loving Father
and you, only Son equal to the Father,
with the Spirit, the comforter,
reigning through every age. Amen.
Let my prayer, O Lord,
come like incense before You.