Canticle of the Sun
James Shaffran (bass), Susan Bender (soprano), Elizabeth McLean (mezzo-soprano), Richard Turner (tenor), Teri Lazar (violin), Paul Hardy (piano), Susan McAdams (soprano), Barbara Hollinshead (alto), Guadelupe Kreysa (soprano), Mary Shaffran (soprano), Paul Hardy (organ), Capitol Hill Choral Society
Amy Beach was a member first of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Boston and later of St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church in New York. Early in the century, a movement had begun in Oxford to renew in the Anglican church the Catholic traditions of the ancient past. The Church restored the ancient practice of singing the liturgy for the services and designed the rituals of worship to express the awe and mystery of the Christian faith. Choirs proliferated and there was a great demand for new liturgical music and anthems. During the years of Beach's marriage to Dr. Henry Harris Aubrey Beach, her publisher issued 14 separate pieces, including most of the music contained on this wonderful CD. The origin of The Canticle of the Sun is interesting. In 1924, she went to the MacDowell Colony. Here, she came across the text of St. Francis of Assisi's Canticle of the Sun. In a 1943 interview published in The Etude, she told this story. "I took it up and read it over - and the only way I can describe what happened as that it jumped at me and struck me, most forcibly! As if from dictation, I jotted down the notes of my Canticle. In less than five days the entire work was done." The first performance of the work with Organ accompaniment took place on December 8, 1928 at St. Bartholomew's in New York. The Toledo Choral Society, performing with the Chicago Symphony, gave the premiere of The Canticle with Orchestra on May 13, 1930. "The Canticle of the Sun by Mrs. H.H. A. Beach proved the sensation of the evening. This biblical hymn of praise and jubilation, set in a glorious musical expression of majestic melody... literally brought the audience to its feet in a desire to honor the composer."
Track Listing
| Title | Composer | Performer |
|---|---|---|
| Canticle of the Sun | Amy Beach | Capitol Hill Choral Society, Betty Buchanan, conductor, Paul Hardy, Organ and piano |
| Invocation for the Violin | Amy Beach | Capitol Hill Choral Society, Betty Buchanan, conductor, Paul Hardy, Organ and piano |
| With Prayer and Supplication | Amy Beach | Capitol Hill Choral Society, Betty Buchanan, conductor, Paul Hardy, Organ and piano |
| Te Deum, from Service in A | Amy Beach | Capitol Hill Choral Society, Betty Buchanan, conductor, Paul Hardy, Organ and piano |
| Constant Christmas | Amy Beach | Capitol Hill Choral Society, Betty Buchanan, conductor, Paul Hardy, Organ and piano |
| On a Hill | Amy Beach | Capitol Hill Choral Society, Betty Buchanan, conductor, Paul Hardy, Organ and piano |
| Kyrie eleison | Amy Beach | Capitol Hill Choral Society, Betty Buchanan, conductor, Paul Hardy, Organ and piano |
| Sanctus | Amy Beach | Capitol Hill Choral Society, Betty Buchanan, conductor, Paul Hardy, Organ and piano |
| Agnus Dei | Amy Beach | Capitol Hill Choral Society, Betty Buchanan, conductor, Paul Hardy, Organ and piano |
| Spirit of Mercy | Amy Beach | Capitol Hill Choral Society, Betty Buchanan, conductor, Paul Hardy, Organ and piano |
| Evening Hymn | Amy Beach | Capitol Hill Choral Society, Betty Buchanan, conductor, Paul Hardy, Organ and piano |
| I Will Give thanks | Amy Beach | Capitol Hill Choral Society, Betty Buchanan, conductor, Paul Hardy, Organ and piano |
| Peace I Leave With You | Amy Beach | Capitol Hill Choral Society, Betty Buchanan, conductor, Paul Hardy, Organ and piano |
Reviews
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"Amy Beach (1867-1944) was born to write music, began doing so when she was 4 years old and managed to win a substantial national reputation in her twenties, although women at that time were not really supposed to be composers. She composed, in a well-developed, largely self-taught late romantic style, in nearly all the standard classical forms, opera being the primary exception. Her work fell into neglect after her death but has been regaining the attention it deserves in the last quarter-century, and listings of her recordings now fill half a page in the Schwann Opus record catalogue. The latest recording of her work, "Canticle of the Sun,"has just been issued by Albany Records and features the Capitol Hill Choral Society and a fine group of Washington soloists, directed by Betty Buchanan. All of the 16 pieces on the disc are previously unrecorded except for the Te Deum and all are religiously inspired vocal works except her Invocation for the Violin, beautifully played by Teri Lazar. Most of the music is composed in traditional styles appropriate for services in the Episcopal Church, of which she was a member...The performances are skilled and idiomatic throughout."
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