Dear Friends,
I hope this finds you well and healthy.
I was also looking forward to this week's performance, sharing the stage with our chorus (CSO Chorus led by their fearless leader Darrin Hassevoort), and choruses from Lee University and UTC. They bring so much energy and genuine love for singing, which are infectious and inspiring. This week, we were programmed to perform Ralph Vaughan William's choral work, Dona Nobis Pacem. Written after the First World War, this monumental work's primary purpose is to call for peace.
This work would've been a perfect music to experience together at a time like this, but a recording will have to fill the void for now.
Here is a recording of Dona Nobis Pacem I found on youtube that follows along a score.
Dona Nobis Pacem with score
Perhaps you can follow the score and witness Vaughan William's word paintings. Luckily, the text is in English! The most obvious example of word painting is at the beginning of the second movement (4:03), you will hear the drums followed by the trumpets, then the text choir enters: "Beat Beat Drums! Blow Bugles Blow!"
It is also important to notice the "mood" of the music compared to the text. For example, listen to how the composer orchestrates when the text "dona nobis pacem" ("grant us peace") appears throughout the work. Depending on how it is orchestrated, these 3 simple words can sound: hopeful, hopeless, desperate, angry, anxious.
For further exploration, here are some videos of Dona Nobis Pacem by other composers.
Mozart Dona Nobis Pacem (music starts at 0:57)
Beethoven Dona Nobis Pacem from Missa Solemnis
Daniel Elder Dona Nobis Pacem
Happy listening and stay well!
Best,
Kayoko
