Two pieces in this year's program are in honor of the Trinity, as Trinity Sunday falls in the middle of the summer program on June 18th. Composer Kevin Vogt is currently music director at the Catholic Cathedral in Omaha, which is dedicated to the patron saint of music, St. Cecilia. He studied music at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota before working at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Willmar and St. Paul Cathedral in St. Paul, Minnesota. This setting is based on "mode VIII" in the medieval numbering of the scale patterns in Gregorian chant. The text, "Glory to the Father…" commonly comes at the end of psalms in the Liturgy of the Hours (Office), as well as concluding other prayers.

Gregorian chant has been "in" ever since the astounding success of the "Chant" CD some years ago. The National Catholic Youth Choir sings Latin chant in concert, but also and especially in the original and proper home of chant, the liturgy. This Mode II piece was once an antiphon sung before and after a psalm of the Liturgy of the Hours (Office). It is now a "refrain" sung after each verse of a psalm, adapted since Vatican II for use on the Mass of Trinity Sunday in the 1975 Graduale Simplex (Simple Gradual). The verses (from Psalm 8) are sung by cantors.

Composer, organist, and choirmaster Richard Dirksen was on the staff of the Washington Cathedral in the District of Columbia for 49 years before retiring in 1991. This fresh musical setting of his is for a text from the 9th century, a hymn of the Liturgy of the Hours (Office). Note the interesting rhythmic variations in the 3rd stanza. The line of stanza 2 "This is none other than the gate of heaven" comes from Genesis 28:17, and often appears in fuller form as an inscription on church buildings —"This is the house of God and the gate of heaven."

Maurice Duruflé was a leading 20th century French Catholic composer. Typical of one of his techniques, he here takes a piece of Gregorian chant melody and weaves it through all of the choral parts to create a harmonious whole. The familiar line from the Gospel of Matthew has understandably been much beloved to the Catholic Church over the centuries. It appears in Latin and Greek in six-foot high letters in the cupola above the high altar of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. The NCYC is singing this piece as a tribute to the 264th successor of Peter, Pope John Paul II, in his 80th year and the 22nd year of his pontificate.

As a liturgical choir, the NCYC is singing three eucharistic pieces at worship services this season. In the Gospel of John chapter 6, Jesus teaches the crowds that he himself is the living bread. The church will be hearing John 6 as the Gospel reading at Sunday Mass this coming July and August. In the faith of the church, Christ's presence in the eucharist is primarily nourishment we receive at the eucharistic banquet, but is also a continuing gift of presence in our churches and chapels for our prayer and adoration. Palestrina is easily the most famous of Catholic composers, due in part to a legend that actually may be true. It is said that he "saved" Catholic church music by composing choral music that convinced the bishops of the 16th century Council of Trent not to ban harmonious part singing from the liturgy.

This text is often and fittingly used as a hymn of adoration before the eucharistic real presence. In fact, it recalls the whole mystery of our salvation wrought by Christ's death on a cross for us. It is attributed to the 14th century Pope Innocent VI. Frenchman Saint-Saens, a 19th century Romantic composer, is perhaps best known for his orchestral music including the "Carnival of Animals," but he also wrote sacred choral music for use in the Catholic liturgy.

Willan was an Anglican from Canada, and his compositional style is somewhat "neo-Romantic." Here he takes a 17th century English melody and passes it from sopranos to basses before the entire choir triumphantly sings it. The text is from the ancient Malabar liturgy, the rite of those Christians in India who received the faith from Syria in the earliest centuries of the church. Some Malabar rite Christians today are in communion with Rome; others belong to the Orthodox church. The text is a lovely and poetic reminder that our reception of Communion and our adoration of Christ must issue forth, as our worship ends, in lives of service and holiness.

This text was originally a prayer of the priest during Advent season in the medieval Latin liturgy. The great 16th century reformer Martin Luther translated it into German. (The NCYC is following Luther's lead and singing it in our vernacular, English.) The Lutheran composer Heinrich Schütz then set Luther's text for two voices (sung here in various alternations by males and females). No doubt Schütz set it for only two voices because musical forces were so limited during the tragic Thirty Years War (1618-1648) that pitted Catholics against Lutherans. Given that the piece is a rich blend of Catholic and Lutheran inheritances, we are singing it today as a prayer that unity among all Christian traditions will be ever deepened in our day.

Romantic composer Louis Vierne was organist of the great Gothic cathedral in Paris named for Mary, Notre Dame ("Our Lady"). The text is easily the most familiar of prayers to Mary — and a Marian piety of sorts in our day even calls an adventurous football pass a "Hail Mary"! The first part of the Latin text is from the Gospel of Luke, the words of the angel Gabriel to Mary at the Annunciation. The second part ("Holy Mary, Mother of God…") was added by the tradition of the medieval church. Christian faith in the Incarnation of Christ led quite naturally to veneration of Mary who bore him, and prayer to Mary has no other purpose than leading us to her Son, our only Savior.

Romantic composer Franz Schubert lived in Vienna, Austria, the hometown of NCYC conductor Axel Theimer. Schubert wrote this piece when he was only 19 years old. The text is often attributed to Hermann the Lame, a medieval Benedictine monk. This text is traditionally sung at the end of the daily Liturgy of the Hours (Office), and is also as well known prayer (as "Hail, Holy Queen") among the Catholic faithful.

Andrew Carter is an English composer, and the melody of this delightful setting is based on the French tune well-known to Catholics as "Immaculate Mary." The text is based on the writings of St. Bede the Venerable, an English monk, scholar, and historian of the 7th - 8th century.

From 1963 to 1983, gifted composer Calvin Hampton was music director at Calvary Episcopal Church in New York. The text is by Samuel Stone, a 19th century "high church" Anglican. The high church movement sought to restore to the Church of England elements of Catholicism such as Communion every Sunday, religious life and celibacy, veneration of Mary, chant, and richer ceremonial in worship. The text is one of twelve on each of the articles of the Apostle's Creed, a reflection on "I believe in the holy catholic church." Stone emphasizes that, in the "communion of saints," the earthly church below is united with the heavenly church above.

African-American Leon Roberts, who just died last year, was a convert to Roman Catholicism from the Baptist church. He brought with him a rich background in jazzy "Gospel" music. The singing of this piece is a reminder that the Catholic (that is, "universal") Church uses the music of all lands and all peoples as it preaches the Gospel to all the earth's inhabitants. The verses of Psalm 136 have a built-in refrain, "For his love endures forever." The verses are improvised in very free style to a melody that actually comes from Gregorian chant mode VIII — the one that Kevin Vogt used in the first piece of the concert.

The concert ends on a lighter — but decidedly God-centered — note, with tambourine and lively rhythms. Composer Jane Marshall has set this text of Psalm 106, from the 17th century Scottish Psalter. One line from the Rule for Monasteries that St. Benedict wrote in the 6th century, "That in all things God be glorified," has become a motto of the Benedictine order. It also expresses the purpose of the National Catholic Youth Choir. Everything we sing is for only one purpose, the glory and praise of God.

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© 2000 National Catholic Youth Choir

Saint John's Abbey and University,

Collegeville, Minnesota 56321

For information contact the choir founder and chaplain,

Fr.Anthony Ruff, O.S.B.

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This website was created and is maintained by Peter Habenczius

URL: http://www.csbsju.edu/ncyc/program_notes.html

Last update: June 9, 2000