Scandinavia has a rich history of choral music and music
for the organ. In 1997, Choral Arts Northwest put together a program of
Scandinavian Christmas music with David Dahl as guest organist. This
recording consists of works from that popular program, drawn from
traditional carols and texts as well as some of Scandinavia’s marvelous
contemporary composers. The traditional Latin hymn Ave Maris Stella
provided the basis for three selections, including the beautiful setting
by Norway’s best-known composer, Edvard Grieg.
Listeners will recognize in Berith Ballard’s
arrangement (“Swedish Christmas Medley”) some traditional Christmas
tunes from Sweden, and Norwegians will be familiar with “O Jul med din
glede” and “Jeg er så glad.” “O Jul” is traditionally sung with
children while dancing in a ring around the Christmas tree. In fact, one
of my nephews, Tore (then 4 years old), who is very aware of his
Norwegian-American heritage, recognized the song during our first concert
and wanted to get up and perform the dance! “Deilig er den himmel blaa”
is listed as a Danish folk carol, but Norwegian and Swedish versions of
the piece are similar, with some slight language differences.
In a similar vein, many of the organ pieces are based on
familiar chorales used by Bach in cantatas for Advent, Christmas, and
Epiphany-tunes such as “Von Himmel hoch” (From Heav’n Above to Earth
I Come); “Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern” (How Brightly Shines
the Morning Star); “Nun komm der Heiden Heiland” (Savior of the
Nations, Come); and “In dulci jubilo” (usually sung in English to the
words “Good Christian Men, Rejoice!”).
Gustav Nordqvist, writing in the early 1900s in the late
Romantic nationalist style, penned “Jul, jul, strålande jul,” which
manages to be simultaneously dreamy yet intensely yearning. A similarly
lovely setting of “O makalösa stjärna,” in a 1995 arrangement by Ola
Ericson, is paired with “Den yndigste rose” of Henrik Ødegaard (born
in 1955) to round out the offering of Romantic Nordic style.
When choosing repertoire for this program, I discovered
that Scandinavians love slow, lush pieces so much that I had to dig hard
to find faster, happier songs. Carolyn Jennings’s delightful arrangement
of “O Jul med din glede” in English provided a spirited contrast, and
I took the liberty of fitting the Norwegian text back into it. Even so,
the program needed more liveliness, so our own Berith Sandquist Ballard
arranged the lighthearted medley you hear at the end of this recording.
The Swedish music I wrote about in my book (The Swedish
Choral Miracle-Swedish A Cappella Music Since 1945) leans towards complex
harmonies and compound rhythms. Very little Christmas music, of course, is
written in such a style. However, “Ave Maris Stella” and the other
Latin texts are included here because, being Marian hymns, they could be
sung at Christmas. The contemporary settings by Bror Samuelson (a member
of Eric Ericson’s first Chamber Choir in 1945) and Trond Kverno (born in
1945) complement the more traditional Grieg rendition of this ancient
text.
Other works based on Latin texts include the “Ave
Maria” by Gottfrid Berg (1889-1970) and the “Gloria” by Jan
Sandström (born in 1954). Berg was primarily a church musician, and
became interested in the revival of early music, especially that of the
Renaissance. He was one of the first to publish performing editions of
Renaissance music in Sweden. Jan Sandström, Professor of Composition at
the Conservatory in Piteå, is one of most successful young composers in
Sweden today. This Gloria is one movement of what will be a complete a
cappella setting of the Mass, commissioned by the Erik Westberg Vocal
Ensemble.
-Richard Sparks
Text and Translation
Scandinavia has a rich history of choral music and music
for the organ. In 1997, Choral Arts Northwest put together a program of
Scandinavian Christmas music with David Dahl as guest organist. This
recording consists of works from that popular program, drawn from
traditional carols and texts as well as some of Scandinavia’s marvelous
contemporary composers. The traditional Latin hymn Ave Maris Stella
provided the basis for three selections, including the beautiful setting
by Norway’s best-known composer, Edvard Grieg.
Listeners will recognize in Berith Ballard’s
arrangement (“Swedish Christmas Medley”) some traditional Christmas
tunes from Sweden, and Norwegians will be familiar with “O Jul med din
glede” and “Jeg er så glad.” “O Jul” is traditionally sung with
children while dancing in a ring around the Christmas tree. In fact, one
of my nephews, Tore (then 4 years old), who is very aware of his
Norwegian-American heritage, recognized the song during our first concert
and wanted to get up and perform the dance! “Deilig er den himmel blaa”
is listed as a Danish folk carol, but Norwegian and Swedish versions of
the piece are similar, with some slight language differences.
In a similar vein, many of the organ pieces are based on
familiar chorales used by Bach in cantatas for Advent, Christmas, and
Epiphany-tunes such as “Von Himmel hoch” (From Heav’n Above to Earth
I Come); “Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern” (How Brightly Shines
the Morning Star); “Nun komm der Heiden Heiland” (Savior of the
Nations, Come); and “In dulci jubilo” (usually sung in English to the
words “Good Christian Men, Rejoice!”).
Gustav Nordqvist, writing in the early 1900s in the late
Romantic nationalist style, penned “Jul, jul, strålande jul,” which
manages to be simultaneously dreamy yet intensely yearning. A similarly
lovely setting of “O makalösa stjärna,” in a 1995 arrangement by Ola
Ericson, is paired with “Den yndigste rose” of Henrik Ødegaard (born
in 1955) to round out the offering of Romantic Nordic style.
When choosing repertoire for this program, I discovered
that Scandinavians love slow, lush pieces so much that I had to dig hard
to find faster, happier songs. Carolyn Jennings’s delightful arrangement
of “O Jul med din glede” in English provided a spirited contrast, and
I took the liberty of fitting the Norwegian text back into it. Even so,
the program needed more liveliness, so our own Berith Sandquist Ballard
arranged the lighthearted medley you hear at the end of this recording.
The Swedish music I wrote about in my book (The Swedish
Choral Miracle-Swedish A Cappella Music Since 1945) leans towards complex
harmonies and compound rhythms. Very little Christmas music, of course, is
written in such a style. However, “Ave Maris Stella” and the other
Latin texts are included here because, being Marian hymns, they could be
sung at Christmas. The contemporary settings by Bror Samuelson (a member
of Eric Ericson’s first Chamber Choir in 1945) and Trond Kverno (born in
1945) complement the more traditional Grieg rendition of this ancient
text.
Other works based on Latin texts include the “Ave
Maria” by Gottfrid Berg (1889-1970) and the “Gloria” by Jan
Sandström (born in 1954). Berg was primarily a church musician, and
became interested in the revival of early music, especially that of the
Renaissance. He was one of the first to publish performing editions of
Renaissance music in Sweden. Jan Sandström, Professor of Composition at
the Conservatory in Piteå, is one of most successful young composers in
Sweden today. This Gloria is one movement of what will be a complete a
cappella setting of the Mass, commissioned by the Erik Westberg Vocal
Ensemble.
-Richard Sparks