The Silver Chords: Sharing Our Joy Of Music
Researching the pieces we perform enhances our understanding, and enjoyment of the music. To that end, our weekly newsletter always ends with a section called "A Chorster Prepares." (A take off on the Stanislofski motto "What does and Actor Do? An Actor Prepares.") Below are the background info and links from this season's newsletters.
From Wikipedia
Dona nobis pacem (English: Grant us peace) is a cantata written by Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1936 and first performed on 2 October of that year. 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 of a new one. His texts were taken from the Mass, three poems by Walt Whitman, a political speech, and sections of the Bible. A.V. Butcher has analysed Vaughan Williams' use of the Whitman poems in this composition.[1]
The work is scored for chorus and large orchestra, with soprano and baritone soloists. The phrase Dona nobis pacem ("Give us peace"), in different settings, punctuates the entire piece.
Carl Says:
So, I went down to Barnes and Noble one day this Summer, and whenever I do, I seek out a magazine called "BBC Music." The magazine features articles about classical music history, analysis of well known pieces, interviews with conductors and performers, and Reviews of Classical Albums broken down by category into Orchestral, Opera, Choral, etc. I often go through the choral section looking for new recordings to listen to. This often expands my music knowledge, and gives me ideas for repertoire.
On this particular day, I found the May 2025 issue, which had an article about the 80th Anniversary of VE Day, "How World War II shaped the sound of British Music." And among the articles was one about Dona Nobis Pacem.
I listened to the piece for the first time, and fell in love with it, and thought, as I often do, "The Silver Chords should perform this." Then, I came to my senses, and realized that the scope of the piece is too much for our little Holiday concert.
However, We could probably pull off one of the easier movements. That movement is the Finale. PLUS it incorporates the "Peace on Earth, Goodwill toward men" idea that fits with our theme, and with the holiday season. It also seems fitting for today's trying times.
CORRECTION: I may have said before that "Dona" was written to celebrate the end of WWII, I was mistaken. It was written in 1936 as a warning to try and AVOID war. Ralph Vaughan Williams was a veteran of World War I, and understood how important it is to seek out peace. Seeing Hitler's rise to power in Germany, and Mussolini's invasion of Ethiopia, he could read the winds of change, and feared for the future. I believe this reflects the world we're living in right now, which makes this piece all the more poignant.
This will be my first 3 Part "Chorister Prepares." This overview will be followed by one about RVW himself. He's one of my favorite composers, in the sense that he wrote 2 of my favorite pieces: the Song Cycle "Songs of Travel," and the Christmas Cantata "Hodie." The third will be about the piece itself, with info pulled from the BBC Music article. I'm looking forward to using this opportunity to learn more about the man whose music was such a part of my life.
You can listen to the FULL piece here:
Read up on Ralph Vaughan Williams.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Vaughan_Williams
In High School, as many teenage singers do, I prepared a song called "The Vagabond" for NYSSMA. The song is well suited to teenage men; it has a tone of heroism, describing a man who has devoted his life to traveling. It speaks of independence, and of the desire to find one's own place in the world, without anyone telling him what to do. The song is a part of a song cycle titled "Songs of Travel" based on a collection of poems by Robert Louis Stevenson, and the music was by this guy named Ralph Vaughan Williams. (Pronounced "Rafe")
Ironically, the main character of Songs of Travel is coming to terms with his old age, and beginning to regret his chosen life of homelessness. He reminisces about the loves he could have had if he had chosen a normal life. I never could have interpreted that as a young man, it was only now, looking at it from a middle aged perspective, that it becomes clear.
In college, I would add other songs from Songs of Travel to my repertoire, and I started to fall in love with the complete piece. I would also sing his art song "Silent Noon," and later, with Crane Chorus, his Christmas Oratorio "Hodie," which is one of my favorite pieces.
For a final exam, where I had to analyse a 20th century piece of music, I chose Songs of Travel, and my professor challenged me: You can do this piece, but you have to write about what makes it distinctly 20th Century. I was stumped, and I ended up changing my piece.
Vaughan Williams isn't avant garde, or atonal, or in any other way "Modern" like so many other composers from the 20th Century. On the contrary, he's distinctly tonal, melodic, and his music is beautiful and evocative.
According to the wikipedia history above, he learned a lot from Maurice Ravel, the French impressionist, and helped to shape the course of British Music by NOT being so enamoured with German Romantic style, and instead wrote in a uniquely British style; in a way that later Benjamin Britten, and Edward Elgar would follow.
"[H]istorically his achievement was to cut the bonds that from the times of Handel and Mendelssohn had bound England hand and foot to the Continent. He found in the Elizabethans and folk-song the elements of a native English language that need no longer be spoken with a German accent, and from it he forged his own idiom. The emancipation he achieved thereby was so complete that the composers of succeeding generations like Walton and Britten had no longer need of the conscious nationalism which was Vaughan Williams's own artistic creed. There is now an English music which can make its distinctive contribution to the comity of nations." - The Times
His choral music was heavily influenced by his work as an Organist and Choirmaster for a church, and many well known hymns are still performed with his harmonization and arrangement.
At age 42, he enlisted in the Army and served as a medic in World War I, and this experience forever changed his positive outlook. The music he composed after the war became darker, and more aggressive. He finally paused his composing altogether until he received the 1936 commission for what would become "Dona Nobis Pacem." His response to the ever changing politics that would lead to World War II compelled him to make this musical statement. Britten's War Requiem is said to have been influenced by the piece.
Vaughan Williams would later begin an affair with a woman named Ursula, who would become his second wife. She inspired him to write more productively in his later years. She contributed poetry for "Hodie." ("Hodie" in Latin means "On This Day" as in "Jesus was born on this day" meaning Christmas) The movements based on her poetry are some of the most beautiful in the piece.
My favorite fun fact about Ralph Vaughan Williams is that he was related to Charles Darwin, who was his Mother's Great Uncle. Margaret Vaughan Williams was asked by Ralph about the controversy over Darwin's "Origin of Species," and she responded:
"The Bible says that God made the world in six days. Great Uncle Charles thinks it took longer: but we need not worry about it, for it is equally wonderful either way".
Click on the Blue Words for links to recordings of the pieces.
Marta Keen's Own words about Homeward Bound:
Finding your true calling in life; knowing that those who love you trust that you will return… I wrote this song for a loved one who was embarking upon a new phase of life’s journey, to express the soul’s yearning to grow and change. It was premiered by a Seattle Irish tenor, but soon after was beautifully arranged by Jay Althouse and published by Alfred Music. It has been performed by choirs of all ages throughout the English speaking world and many Asian countries. There is even a Korean arrangement of this song. It is on choral contest and festival lists in the United States and Canada. In 2004 this song appeared in the video tribute to our American troops titled “Until Then” by Todd Clegg. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir recorded a spectacular arrangement by Dr. Mack Wilberg on their CD “Love Is Spoken Here”. The Canadian Tenors included a solo version of Homeward Bound on their DVD at Toronto’s Royal Albert Hall. I continue to be delighted at the wide range of performances and interpretations of this song, which now truly seems to have a life of its own.
This Arrangement of Homeward Bound was originally recorded by BYU Vocal Point, the a cappella group at Brigham Young University. For this arrangement they teamed up with the All-American Boy's Choir. The arrangement quote a familiar melody from Gustav Holst's The Planets. Jupiter: The Bringer of Jollity.
https://youtu.be/BUM_zT3YKHs?si=AJ6eTbkU_wFOvzzT&t=168
Many children were introduced to the Jupiter Theme through this landmark episode of Bluey. In the episode, Bingo, Bluey's younger sister is trying to stay in her own bed without crawling into bed with Mum and Dad. She has a dream about flying through space which brings her ideas to life. Watch it at your own risk: if you don't cry while watching it, then I don't know what to do with you.
https://youtu.be/5DEBViLEoXc?si=d85FkHZdcsdUhJ7U
Practicing Choral Music: Ten Ideas to help singers practice on their own
by Doreen Fryling
Congratulations! You’ve now been told for the millionth time to practice your music for your next choir rehearsal. But if you are someone who hears that and thinks, “I don’t play piano. I can’t do this without someone helping me,” here are some ways you can practice on your own and improve your singing. Grab your music and a pencil. Many of these steps can be done in a public place. No need to head to the practice room (stop using that as an excuse).
1. Start with the text. Make sure you know what you are singing. Think about the text. Find a translation if it is in another language. Write the poetic translation above/below the lyrics. If you want to go deeper, use a translation site to translate word for word (especially if there’s a word that you sing over and over again. You should know what that specific word means). Do you know who wrote the lyrics and why? Can you put the piece into historical context?
2. Listen to a recording. We live in a time of unbelievable access to recordings. Find them. Listen to more than one recording and compare them until you find one or two you really like. Follow along with your score. Listen while paying attention to all of the parts. Listen while paying attention to just your part.
3. Analyze your music. How is the piece organized? Does it have sections? Are there repeated parts? Does your part occur in another voice part? Are there key changes or meter changes? Is there a repeat sign/first and second ending/coda? How would you describe the organization of this piece to someone who has never heard it?
4. Find your starting pitches. For every entrance you have, figure out how you are going to find the starting pitch. Maybe another voice part just sang the note. Maybe it was just in the accompaniment. Do you know what note of the chord it is (e.g. I’m singing the root of this chord)? There is nothing worse than “sheep singing” (blindly following what the person next to you is singing). Take responsibility for being able to enter on your own.
5. Don’t just sing through the parts you already know. You’ll be wasting your practice time. Identify problem areas, analyze why you’re having a problem with that spot, figure out ways to solve the problem area.
6. Solve the problem area. Break it down to something you CAN do. Then add something to it. Practice with repetition, but only if you’re sure you’re doing it right! Start with just the pitches slowly (dare I say on solfege syllables?). Then add the rhythm to the pitches. Next, add in the lyrics. Make sure you slow down the tempo the each time you add another layer. No need to practice with dynamics, articulations, and breaths until you have mastered pitches, rhythms, and lyrics.
7. Work backwards to forwards. How many times have you felt great about the beginning of a piece, but completely unsure of the ending? During your own practice time, work on the ending section and progressively add sections, each time going through to the end. If you think of your piece as “ABCDE,” practice E, then DE, then CDE, then BCDE, and ABCDE.
8. Audiate your part. Sing your part through in your head. Do this while you are walking somewhere. Do this in your car while you’re waiting for someone. Do this before you go to sleep. Do this ALL OF THE TIME. (Friendly reminder: Audiating is virtually impossible if there is other music playing. Carve out some quiet time in your life.)
9. Use your pencil. Mark your score while you’re in rehearsal so you remember what was giving you problems. This will save you time when you plan out your next practice session.
10. Just practice. 99% of the time I don’t want to practice. No one does. But 99% of the time, once I start practicing, I get stuff done. I stop when I lose focus or I run out of time. I NEVER regret spending a little time practicing something. Do yourself a favor and make it part of your daily routine. You have the ability to do these ten things. Do them. You will reap the benefits of being more confident with your part, which will allow you to contribute to the ensemble in a more meaningful way. And your own vocal technique will improve, because you’ll be able to concentrate on how you sound instead of always worrying about how your part goes. You’ve got this.