four: Christmas Eve, #12-20

The great irony of this project for me: Messiah is most often (around here, anyway) regarded as a Christmas work. On the afternoon of our Advent performance, the Handel and Haydn Society in Boston presented its 155th annual rendition of complete Messiah in Advent. When you get right down to it, though, the "Christmas" portion is relatively small. We are working these movements into a service of Lessons and Carols- and there is so little for the choir to do, I am adding a few non-Messiah works.

We are blessed with the presence of Synergy Brass Quintet, a phenomenal professional touring group that used to be based nearby. We are also lucky to have a member of the soprano section that can handle such florid melismas as those in "Rejoice Greatly."

Again, the worship geek factor is high. Be warned. All readings are the traditional Cambridge ones, except for the First, which will be Genesis 1.

Prelude: Messiah #13 (Pastoral Symphony) for organ solo
Light Christ Candle
Hymn: Once in Royal David's City -with first verse child solo and Willcocks brass parts
Greeting and Invocation
Reading 1 / Hymn: Angels from the Realms of Glory wth brass REGENT SQUARE
Reading 2 / Messiah #17 and 18 He Shall Feed His Flock - adult (soprano) and child (alto) solo
Reading 3 / Messiah #12 For Unto Us... choir, organ, and doubling brass
Hymn: Lo, Ho a Rose ES IST EIN ROS
Reading 4 / Climb to the Top of the Highest Mountain- Carolyn Jennings (choir and junior choir)
Reading 5 / Messiah #16 Rejoice Greatly solo soprano
Reading 6 / Hymn: Away in a Manger AWAY IN A MANGER
Reading 7 / Messiah #14-15 There were shepherds.... Glory to God! (maybe add trumpets)
Hymn: Hark! the Herald Angels Sing MENDELSSOHN with Willcocks fanfare for brass
Reading 8 / Messiah #19 His Yoke is Easy for solo brass quintet (thanks to the arranging of one of my tenors who is a brass player and enthusiast!)
Reading 9 / Hymn: O Come, All Ye Faithful ADESTE FIDELIS with Willcocks brass parts
Prayer
Anthem: Night of Silence- Daniel Kantor
Hymn: Silent Night STILLE NACHT a cappella by candlelight
Benediction
Postlude by the quintet- which will conclude with Messiah #44 Hallelujah!

designing worship: Advent II

The excerpt we sang timed at around 42 minutes, which made designing worship to include it tricky. This congregation is accustomed to a 70-minute service. It was also a Communion Sunday, which meant 1) of course, allowing time for the sacrament, and 2) necessitating a sermon of some type. (My initial plan was to "let Handel preach the sermon" this morning; our in-house theologians reminded me of the importance of linking word and sacrament.)

I had already dismissed the interim pastor from preaching duties for Dec. 7th. Lucky for me I am married to a theologian, and she prepared a short meditation around the text of #6 (who may abide /refiner's fire.) Many of the congregrants voiced their appreciation of a meditation that was scripturally based, got right to the heart of the matter very quickly, and even brought up unexpected perspective on the liturgical season. (Are we waiting for the infant Jesus? Or the returning Messiah?)

Anyway, if you are a worship geek like me, here are the details.

Prelude (Messiah #1)
Welcome - Call to Worship
Hymn: Lift Up Your Heads, O Mighty Gates (TRURO) - first two verses
Prayer of Confession - Assurance - Response
Advent Candle Lighting
Reading Isaiah 40:1-11 (Comfort, Comfort you my people....)
Children's Sermon (names for Jesus, including "Messiah")
Reading Malachai 3:1-4 (WHo may abide?)
Meditation
Messiah #2-11, 33
Offering (#35 played by ensemble)
Prayer of Dedication - Passing of Peace
Communion Hymn (two verses of "Let All Mortal Flesh" PICARDY)
Communion *#41 played during distribution)
Prayers
Hymn- final two verses of "Lift Up Your Heads"
Announcements
Benediction

85 minutes. Next time, not on a Communion Sunday.

three: Advent II #1-11, 33, 35, and 41

FP Choir with guest string ensemble: Lidija Peno-Natchev and Oana Lacatus (violins). Alexia Pizziferri (viola), and Chari Peno (bass). Karen Tucker, harpischord/organ (actually Casio keyboard), Kathy Davis (soprano), Pam Kane (alto), Joanna Hawkins Nannestad (alto), Marco Carneiro (tenor), Colin Levin (baritone). Conducted by Joshua Hawkins Nannestad.

The largest and most concerted section of this project was presented on Sunday during worship. We performed much of Part One, creating a distinction between Advent and Christmas texts that is not realized in Handel's three part structure. #1 was played as the prelude to the worship service. Following a brief meditation on "refiner's fire," we started with #2 and went straight through to the bass aria (The People That Walked in Darkness). Then we leapt to #33 (Lift up your heads), a chorus with trio, which served as a fitting conclusion to this portion, and also referenced the hymn of the day (Lift up your heads, O mighty gates). During Communion, the instrumental ensemble played #35 (Let all the angles of God worship Thee) and #41 (Let us break their bonds asunder). Now we've got these difficult choruses covered, just in case the choir doesn't get them by the end of the year!

The sound was rich and full: the presence of the entire choir at one time (save for one alto) was a rarity, plus the men's sections were bulked up with our two guest soloists. The tenor was a former student of mine who is studying vocal performance in conservatory now; what a treat for me as a teacher! The baritone I hired on recommendation, as he is originally from the area and free on this particular date. He displayed excellent technique, tone, and diction.

Advent rehearsal

We just completed the final rehearsal for the Advent portion. I have hired strings to join us for this portion: two violins, viola, and bass. The bassist provided the means of transport for both the violinists. so I chose him instead of the more traditional cellist. I feared the unusual instrumentation might be distracting- but after the first minutes, I forgot about it. Continuo is continuo, and he is a very good player. (This makes me think of our scheme to teach bassoon to our daughter- so that she will be valuable to her school bands and orchestras, and more importantly, she will be able to play unorthodox continuo in church for us on the weekends!)

The rehearsal went pretty well- I am exhausted! Physically worn. Surely a combination of nervous energy and worry about creating the right rehearsal environment: setting up the performance space, hoping the electric heat would rise to the occasion, worrying about soloists who may or may not be fully prepared, designing the worship service of which this music is the central portion, dealing with the chorister who has not rehearsed for a month and doesn't seem to have a Messiah score... and, oh yeah, trying to conduct clearly and efficiently.

Choir was hesitant at first, but grew more confident and began really singing well at the halfway point of the rehearsal. Hearing the polyphony from four separate string instruments- rather than four voices on a single keyboard- really helps them hear their own part and its interplay with the others.

Just this week, I was reading this interview with a prominent conductor. A snippet: "I don't think I've ever worked harder than trying to conduct a great Handel oratorio, or one of the Bach Passions, or, as is happening just this week, the B Minor Mass."

That interview also has some passing discussion of Messiah, touching on how Handel adapted his work to suit the specific performing forces he had on hand- something I will be doing a lot of this year.