We have an interesting and varied musical offering on Sunday morning this week, but I want to use this message to highlight our annual Advent Lessons and Carols service that will be held this Sunday at 4:00 p.m. The service will follow the familiar format of scripture readings outlining the story of Christ’s advent – his coming to live among us. However, instead of traditional Advent carols and anthems between the readings, our choir and guest musicians will present Bach’s Cantata 140 in its entirety.
 
The cantata has the parable of the wise and foolish virgins as its literary theme, and the great German choral (hymn), Wachet auf, serves as its musical theme. This monumental work – one of Bach’s greatest cantatas – is in the form of what is known as a choral fantasia. In the first movement, the soprano section sings the choral melody with the other voice parts swirling around it in ornate and vivacious figures. This is followed by a recitative sung by our own Leroy Roberson and a duet sung by our two guest soloists, Kathryn Hedlund and Patrick Jacobs. Next, the tenors and basses sing another setting of the choral tune, followed by another recitative and another duet. Finally, it all comes together with a glorious rendition of the final verse of the choral. Line for line translations appear alongside the German text in the programs. Aside from the pure genius of the musical writing, this cantata allows us to deeply meditate on the relationship between Christ and the soul during the two duets. You will not want to miss this! Our musicians have been hard at work preparing this for our community, and it is sounding wonderful.
 
To help you get to know our guest soloists, I have printed their biographies below. See you Sunday afternoon!
 

DR. KATHRYN HEDLUND:
Soprano Kathryn Drake Hedlund joined the voice faculty at University of Mobile as Assistant Professor of Music in Voice in 2012. A native of Big Rapids, Michigan, her recent performances include La Suora Infermiera in Suor Angelica with Mobile Opera, and the soprano soloist in Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass with the Eastern Shore Choral Society. Dr. Hedlund represented the Southeastern region last summer at the the NATS Artist Awards National Semifinals in Chicago,IL. An active local and regional performer, other recent performances include Mobile Opera’s Winter Gala Concert, singing the role of La Ciesca in Mobile Opera’s Gianni Schicchi, as well as soloing with the Eastern Shore Choral Society, Mozart’s Requiem with Florence Camerata, and a Valentine’s Day concert for Mississippi Opera with tenor Robert Grayson. Favorite performances include Marguerite in Gounod’s Faust with Opéra Louisiane, the soprano solo in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra, the role of Juliette in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette with LSU Opera, and the soprano solo in the Brahms Requiem with the Memphis Symphony under the baton of Dr. Kenneth Fulton. She was the soprano soloist in the Fauré Requiem and Handel’s Messiah with Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, and sang the roles of Pamina in The Magic Flute and The Sandman in Hansel and Gretel with Opéra Louisiane.
 
Dr. Hedlund completed her Master’s of Music and Doctorate of Musical Arts degrees from Louisiana State University, studying under soprano Patricia O’Neill. Roles with LSU Opera include Female Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia, Euridice in Orfeo ed Euridice, Violetta in La Traviata, Laetitia in The Old Maid and the Thief, Anne Stanton in Willie Stark (on DVD by Newport Classic, Ltd), the title role in Suor Angelica, Blanche in Dialogues of the Carmelites, and Micaëla in La Tragédie de Carmen. Other roles include Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro, and Beth in Little Women. She earned her Bachelor of Music from the University of Michigan in 2003, where she studied with soprano Shirley Verrett. Dr. Hedlund spent the summers of 2007 and 2008 as an apprentice artist at Des Moines Metro Opera. She was chosen as a Gulf Coast Regional Finalist at the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions from 2006 through 2008. She served as Associate Director of Opéra Louisiane until 2012.
 
Dr. Hedlund resides in Mobile with her husband Ryan, son Theo, and grumpy, giant cat Micio. She frequently adjudicates for local competitions, enjoys working with area high school choirs, and will begin her certification process in the Alexander Technique this fall. She serves in the choir and as a soloist at All Saints Episcopal Church. Other interests include running, soccer, languages, and enjoying the great outdoors with her family.
 
DR. PATRICK JACOBS:

Dr. Patrick Jacobs is an established veteran of hundreds of performances in opera and musical theater. He excels as an actor and singer “with a smooth baritone and a special talent for shifting from comedy to darker mischief.”
 
Born in Louisiana, Dr. Jacobs attended Loyola University in New Orleans, and The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music before he finished his education in New York at SUNY Stony Brook. He is a two-time Metropolitan Opera regional finalist and winner of the Orpheus National Vocal Competition, Dr. Jacobs has performed principal roles with opera companies throughout the United States, including: New Orleans Opera, Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh, Fresno Grand Opera, and many others. He is a featured soloist on the debut opera recordings of Hangman, Hangman! and The Town of Greed by Leonardo Balada on the Naxos recording label.

As a stage director, Dr. Jacobs has worked with the University of Mobile, the International Performing Arts Institute (Kiefersfelden, Germany), LOOK Musical Theater (Tulsa, OK), and the Joe Jefferson Players (Mobile, AL). In June of 2018, he will direct Ragtime for the Joe Jefferson Players.Recent singing engagements include Simone in Gianni Schicchi with Mobile Opera, Baron Gondremarck in La Vie Parisienne with First Coast Opera, George Benton in Dead Man Walking with Pensacola Opera, as well as solos in Handel’s Messiah with Choral Society of Pensacola and a concert of contemporary art song with Crescent Chamber Artists in New Orleans. During the 2017-18 season, Dr. Jacobs sings Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte with Mobile Opera, solos in Messiah with the New Orleans Symphony Chorus, and Bach’s Wachet auf, BWV 140 at Christ Church Cathedral (Mobile, AL). Dr. Jacobs is the Director of Vocal Studies and Opera at the University of Mobile and the Classic Worship Leader / Choir Director at Saraland United Methodist Church. He lives in Saraland, AL with his wife, Stephanie, and their two children, Samuel and Allison. For more information on Dr. Jacobs, including audio recordings, visit: www.patrickjacobsbaritone.com

• Communion Solo: Ave Maria – Louis Vierne (1870-1937)

During communion on Sunday, Ann Moody will sing a setting of Ave Maria by French organist and composer, Louis Vierne (1870-1937). Vierne was organist of Notre Dame de Paris for 37 years, although he was absent for quite some time due to health issues. Known almost solely as an organ composer, Vierne did venture into other forms of music. In fact, it is worth mentioning that most of the composers of his era were very diverse in their activities and interests both in the field of composition and in performance. Vierne’s Ave Maria is one of those pieces that is not often performed, but it has a beautiful character and, one could say, a certain sense of devotion. The tonal palate of this work is rich and dark – the gravity of the mezzo-soprano voice accompanied by the organ is fairly rare today. If you would like to continue your exploration of the lesser known works of Louis Vierne, I would recommend listening to his Symphony in A minor. A recording may be found by clicking here.  
 
 

• Congregational Music: Now thank we all our God – Nun danket alle Gott

“For modern American Protestant churchgoers, the hymn ‘Now thank we all our God,’ likely conjures up an image of a congregation singing in unison, a pipe organ blasting away at a stately tempo, and a church full of people thinking about the approaching feast of stuffed turkey with cranberry sauce. In order to understand where this hymn came from, I would like to offer a very different image: A minister and his family sing this hymn before dinner to thank God for the scraps of food they have on the table in their meager home in a desolate refugee city that is afflicted with famine and disease and war. Since the earliest projected date for this hymn is 1636 and the oldest known date is 1663, this hymn was certainly written during or soon after the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648).” – Alissa Davis
 
The above helps to put this hymn into perspective for us. I think that often, especially in the case of hymns strongly associated with a particular event, old hymns tend to fade away or adopt a very different meaning over time. Certainly, Amazing grace, was vibrant, striking, new, and even gripping when it was first written. Yet, today, it has become woven into our cultural consciousness so deeply that it is even sung by the non-religious. Take a hymn like, Now thank we all our God, and the effect can be compounded as this text is much older! In the midst of 17th century German life, with all of its daily hardships, how much more powerful it is to sing the words printed below? The truth is that, while we have come far, there are still many hardships the afflict people across the world and in our own country and cities. When put into perspective, this sturdy Lutheran hymn reveals greater depth and meaning.
 
“Now thank we all our God,
with heart and hands and voices,
who wondrous things has done,
in whom this world rejoices;
who from our mothers’ arms
has blessed us on our way
with countless gifts of love,
and still is ours today.”
 
 

• Instrumental Music: Concerto in A Minor, Allegro – J. S. Bach (1685-1750) after Vivaldi

This Sunday, the prelude will be the Concerto in A minor, Allegro, by Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741). However, this piece was not written for the organ – it was intended for two violin soloists and orchestra. J. S. Bach actually transcribed several of Vivaldi’s concerti for solo organ performance. We are lucky that he did, because it is great to be able to play these pieces on the organ. Because the organ is so different from bowed strings, certain changes need to be made in order for the music to sound right, and Bach has executed these changes well. Bach was an admirer of Vivaldi’s music, obviously, but it is interesting how very different the two composers were. In simple terms, one could say that Vivaldi is glittering and bright, and Bach is more complex and intense. Certainly, there are times when both composers broke free of their usual attributes, but it is worth pondering how much or how little our work resembles that which inspires us.
 
 

• Choral Music: Zion hört die Wächter singen – J. S. Bach (1685-1750)
• A Hymn of Peace - Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)

Sunday’s anthem is the fourth movement of Bach’s Cantata No. 140, Wachet auf. We will sing this cantata in its entirety during our service of Advent Lessons and Carols on December 3rd. You may be familiar with the hymn tune, as we sing it during the Advent season here at the cathedral, but you may not be familiar with the way Bach has rendered it here. Using a musical technique known as augmentation, Bach increased the note values of the tune and set it in the midst of a lovely accompaniment of faster notes. The tenors and basses of the choir will sing the chorale (hymn) tune while the organ plays the accompaniment. The text of the chorale is a perfect match for our Gospel lesson this Sunday which tells the parable of the ten bridesmaids. We hope that this colorful imagery will help to bring the reading to life for you.
 
“Zion hears the watchmen sing, 
her heart leaps for joy within her, 
she wakens and hastily arises.
Her glorious Friend comes from heaven, 
strong in mercy, powerful in truth,
her light becomes bright, her star rises. 
Now come, precious crown, 
Lord Jesus, the Son of God! 
Hosannah!
We all follow 
to the hall of joy 
and hold the evening meal together.”
-          P. Nicolai (1556-1608), tr. ©Pamela Dellal
Used by permission.
 
In lieu of an instrumental highlight this week, I want to draw attention to a second choral piece that has special meaning for us this Sunday. It is, A Hymn of Peace, by Jean Sibelius (1865-1957). The tune, known as Finlandia, is found in Sibelius’ symphonic poem by the same name. The true significance for us comes from the lyrics, however. They were penned in 1934 by Lloyd Stone (1912-1993), an American poet. These lyrics express a love for our country, but they also show understanding of the patriotism of others in other lands, and they express a hope for eventual peace. Being written in 1934, the winds of war in Europe were already stirring, and so this adds even greater significance. Now, 83 years later, there continues to be tumult between nations and blind fervor continues to drive different factions toward conflict. Lives continue to be lost in wars across the world. As we remember and honor our veterans this weekend, it is our hope that Stone’s text will help us remember to work toward a day when the nations can put aside conflict and live in peace.
 

• Congregational Music: “Sleepers, wake!” A voice astounds us – Wachet auf

If the tune name of this hymn sounds familiar, it should! It is not a coincidence that Bach’s Cantata 140 bears the same title as this hymn. The previously mentioned technique of an augmented chorale melody within a larger musical framework is used in the first movement of the cantata as well as in the above-mentioned fourth movement. While we will not hear the first movement on Sunday, we will sing the tune that serves as its foundation, Wachet auf, or, “Sleepers, wake!” This tune is rather long for a chorale, and it is regarded as one of the two greatest chorale tunes. It can be found in its original form at hymn number 62 in The Hymnal 1982 and in its present form at number 61. The difference between the original tune and the present one is interesting, but Bach’s brilliant harmonization has sealed the deal – the Bach version is the one that has endured and found its place in churches across the world. Notice that the lyrics move beyond the parable of the ten bridesmaids and on to the images found in the book of Revelation, “Twelve great pearls, the city’s portals.”  Musical highlights include the rhythmic change to elongate the words, “alleluia,” when they appear.