Sacred Works: Bruckner & Beethoven
March 27, 2011 I 3:00 PM
Riverside Presbyterian Church, Cocoa Beach
Sherry MacLean, soprano
Regina Torres, alto
Frederick Kilgallin, tenor
Stephen Mumbert, bass
Anton Bruckner I Te Deum
Ludwig Van Beethoven I Christ on the Mount of Olives
The Space Coast Oratorio Society present two powerful works by Bruckner and Beethoven. This annual free concert features over 140 musicians. The Te Deum is a work of Bruckner’s steadfast faith, carrying his typical dedication “to the dear Lord.” Mahler scribbled in his own score his assessment of the performing force: “angelic tongues, Godseekers, tormented hearts and souls purified by flame.” Bruckner was more hopeful, suggesting that on the day he was to meet his maker, “I will show him the score of my Te Deum, and he may judge me accordingly.” (Holoman). Beethoven's only oratorio, Christ on the Mount of Olives is rarely performed today. This powerful work is a testament to Beethoven's genius.
PROGRAM NOTES
Anton Bruckner
Born September 4, 1824 Ansfelden, Austria
Died October 11, 1896 Vienna, Austria
Te Deum
Te Deum is an early Christian hymn of praise that remains in regular use in the Roman Catholic Church. Tradition says that it was written by Saints Ambrose and Augustine for Saint Augustine’s baptism by Saint Ambrose in 387 CE, but that isn’t known to be a fact.
Bruckner, Haydn, Mozart, Berlioz, Verdi, Dvořák, Britten and Pärt all wrote well-known compositions based on Te Deum. Bruckner wrote his Te Deum in 1881 and revised it in 1883-1884. It was premiered on May 2, 1885 in Vienna with 2 pianos substituting for the orchestra. The premiere with full orchestra was on January 10, 1886 also in Vienna.
Josef Anton Bruckner’s father was a village schoolmaster and church organist. Anton learned music from his father and his cousin. After his father’s death in 1837 Anton moved to St. Florian, a city in Upper Austria, where he became a choirboy at the monastery, which is renowned for its boys’ choir, and also studied organ, piano, violin and music theory. He held various teaching positions while continuing his musical studies. In 1856 he became the organist at the Linz cathedral and still continued his musical studies. He was almost 40 years old when he fell under the influence of Wagner’s music and began composing in earnest.
He obtained a lectureship in harmony and counterpoint at the University of Vienna in 1875 and was granted a pension in 1891. In failing health, he resigned the lectureship in 1894 and devoted his remaining time to writing his Ninth Symphony which was unfinished at the time of his death.His works include 9 symphonies, sacred works, chamber music and organ music.
Ludwig van Beethoven
Born December 16, 1770 Bonn, Germany
Died March 26, 1827 Vienna, Austria
Christ on the Mount of Olives (Op. 85)
In 1802 Beethoven wrote a poignant document, the “Heiligenstadt Testament” which wasn’t discovered until after his death, in which he revealed his impending deafness and the despair he felt as a result. Remarkably, his response to that realization was a period of great creativity during which he created, among many other great works, the oratorio Christus am Öelberge, or, in English, Christ on the Mount of Olives. This oratorio was premiered in Vienna on April 5, 1803 in a concert which also included his Symphony No. 2 and Beethoven, himself, performing his Piano Concerto No. 3. He revised the oratorio in 1804 and in 1811.
Christ on the Mount of Olives is Beethoven’s only oratorio. The libretto by Franz Xaver Huber is based loosely on the Gospel accounts of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Huber's text contains three sections: Christ's prayer on the Mount of Olives, His arrest, and His glorification. The work is scored for soprano, tenor, and bass soloists (Seraph (the intermediary between Christ and God), Christ, and Peter, respectively), a four-part chorus representing soldiers and disciples, and a large orchestra. Early on after its premier, the oratorio was performed regularly but since then it has drifted into obscurity. It is rarely heard today.
Beethoven's parents were alcoholics and very poor. Consequently, he had little general education, had trouble expressing himself, and in adulthood seemed boorish in the aristocratic company he kept. He did manage to study piano, organ, violin and viola, and at age fourteen he became assistant to his teacher as court organist in Hanover. In 1787, it is believed, he met Mozart in Vienna and may have had some lessons from him.
In his thirties, his hearing began to leave him and by mid-forties he was profoundly deaf. This personal crisis left him isolated and eccentric. Remarkably, however, it was during his deaf years that he produced his greatest works. As his hearing became less and less, his works became more and more intimate and revealing. Beethoven was the dominant composer of the nineteenth century. His approximately 600 surviving works include 9 symphonies, 5 piano concertos, 1 violin concerto, 16 string quartets, 10 violin and piano sonatas, 32 piano sonatas, 5 cello sonatas, 8 choral works, 1 opera, and 200 song settings.
Program Notes by Enoch Moser
