And Glory Shone Around

an Early-American Christmas

Please turn off all cell phones and other electronic devices at this time.

Harps of Welcome* Anon., Shaker Music (1875) Pure Love / Give Good Gifts* Anon., Original Shaker Music (1893) Still Water* Hastings, A Selection of Spiritual Songs (1878) La Bastringue / A San Malo a Bord de Mer Traditional Acadian dances Peace and Joy* Anon., Original Shaker Music (1893) Mile of Dublin, Boys of Malin, Maids of Castlebar Traditional Irish dance tunes Niel Gow's Lament on the Death of his 2nd Wife Niel Gow (1727-1807) Christmas Eve Anon., Shaker Music (1875) Scotch Cap* John Playford (1623-1686) Juice of Barley* (tune: Stingo or Oyle of Barly) Our Forefathers’ Song (1630) Cpt. Johnson (1598-1672), arr. Patton Goin’ Across the Sea Traditional American, arr. Rose Ens.

15 Minute Intermission I Wonder as I Wander John Jacob Niles (1892-1980) Old Christmas Morning Traditional American Jordan’s Shore* White, The Southern Harmony (1854) Reel Beatrice (based upon Quando nevica) Traditional Quebecois Tenting on the Old Camp Ground Walter Kittredge (1834-1905) Drive the Cold Winter Away* John Playford

Jesus the Light of the World* American, ca. 1890, arr. Geo. Elderkin *included on our And Glory Shone Around recording, available for purchase in the lobby today or online at www.RoseEnsemble.org, iTunes, and Amazon.

Singers: Alyssa Anderson, Bradley King, Daniel Mahraun, Jordan Sramek (Founder/Artistic Director)

David Burk (guitar, mandolin, banjo); Josh Schwalbach (bass); Ginna Watson (fiddle, harp)

with Luke Pickman (winds, guitar, percussion)

and very special guest

Dan Chouinard (accordion, vocals)

About The Rose Ensemble

Founded in 1996 by Artistic Director Jordan Sramek and now in its 23rd and final performance season, The Rose Ensemble is based in Saint Paul, Minnesota and enjoys a full schedule of performing, recording, and outreach. Through virtuosic artistry and scholarly research, the group produces imaginative and inspiring musical performances and educational programs that connect each individual to compelling stories of human culture and spirituality from around the world. Each season, the group illuminates several centuries of rarely heard repertoire, bringing to modern audiences research from the world’s manuscript libraries and fresh perspectives on music, history, languages, politics, religion, and more. With eleven critically acclaimed recordings and a diverse selection of concert programs, The Rose Ensemble has thrilled audiences across the United States, Europe, and Latin America with repertoire spanning 1,000 years and over 25 languages, including recent unique programs highlighting Maltese, German, Italian, Hawaiian, Middle Eastern, and Cuban repertoire. Recognized as a leader and innovator in the world-wide vocal music scene, The Rose Ensemble tours regularly. Recent appearances include the World Symposium on Choral Music (Barcelona), Festival des Choeurs Lauréats (Provençe), and several performances across Germany. Other concerts included Sackville Early Music Festival (New Brunswick), Acadia University (Nova Scotia), the National Gallery, Cornell University, Luther College, the J. Paul Getty Museum, Princeton University, Houston Early Music, Chautauqua Institution, Renaissance and Baroque Society of Pittsburgh, and the Madison Early Music Festival. In 2014, The Rose Ensemble was chosen to represent the United States at the international Baroque music festival Misiones de Chiquitos in Bolivia, and later that year made its debut performance with the Minnesota Orchestra. The group can be heard regularly on American Public Media, the European Broadcasting Union, and NPR’s Performance Today. Mr. Sramek is the recipient of Chorus America’s 2010 Louis Botto Award for Innovative Action & Entrepreneurial Zeal. The Rose Ensemble is the recipient of the 2005 Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence and took first place in both secular and sacred categories at the 2012 Tolosa (Spain) Choral Competition. This past October, the group was awarded Early Music America’s 2018 Laurette Goldberg Award for lifetime achievement in early music outreach. Information on upcoming performances can be found at www.RoseEnsemble.org

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If one were to summarize the last 250 years of American music, how might they do it? Genres and styles immediately come to mind: jazz, blues, gospel, Old-time, Bluegrass, country, rock, pop, and the list goes on. “When one hears it, one knows it’s American,” some would say. Others might begin to describe what American music isn’t. Whatever the case or opinion, few would dispute that American music is as much defined by its people as anything. That may not seem unusual until we look at just who has come to our shores to contribute to what has often been called the great “melting pot.” Hundreds of years of arrivals to this country – whether by choice or by force – have laid layer upon layer of culture, language, inflection, and so much more to evolve – and remarkably quickly – into American musical styles that are not only unique, but to this day continue to shift and change. This program, therefore, is as much an exploration of American musical history as it is a celebration of the holiday season. In typical Rose Ensemble fashion, we “stop” at approximately 1940 with a nod to the Bluegrass tradition. But it is the journey from the 17th century forward which we hope will provide you an opportunity to witness the musical and cultural influences that gave birth not only to Bluegrass but helped form a variety of uniquely American traditions. We begin with perhaps the most humble of American singing styles, that of the Shakers. For the preservation of musically notated Shaker hymns, we owe much thanks to Frederick William Evans (1808-93), who was born in Leominster, England, and sailed with members of his family to the United States in 1820. Having been influenced by the Owenites and other free-thinking groups, he began editing several publications devoted to radical reform. After visiting a Shaker community in Lebanon, NY, he became a member and spent 57 of his last 63 years with the community as an elder. A born leader and natural orator, he became one of the nation's most influential Shaker leaders and published much on this topic, including collections in which hymns like Harps of Welcome, Pure Love and Give Good Gifts are found. With the rise of industrialism, more and more people flocked to cities seeking employment. Still Water represents a musical and spiritual movement to reconnect the city-dwelling faithful with the folk roots of Anglo-American Christianity. Our interpretation of this lovely little ditty holds fast to the rhythmic strength of the poetry, but our addition of guitar and fiddle gives a glimpse of what would become Old-time music. In 1651, a book by John Playford was published in London called, The English Dancing Master, or Plaine and easie Rules for the Dancing of Country Dances, with the Tune to each Dance. The original book, containing over 100 tunes, was an instant hit and enjoyed several re-printings (from 1651 until 1728, eighteen editions of this book were published by John Playford and his descendants). Dancing became an essential social grace and was given high priority in the education of Europe's upper class. Polite society in Colonial America was equally concerned about providing dance instruction for its children. Even George Washington - himself a lover of country dances - hired a dancing master to teach his children at Mount Vernon. Incidentally, The English Dancing Master is also the oldest reliable source for contra dancing and contains dances in many different formations. To this day it remains a beloved and well-used source by English Country Dancing groups both in England and the U.S., and it is, indeed, our source for the three tunes featured on this program, Scotch Cap, Juice of Barley and Drive the Cold Winter Away. Our program’s second half begins with the music of John Jacob Niles, composer and ethnomusicologist. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, on April 28, 1892, Niles began collecting folk songs at a young age and had already written his first song by 1907. Although he specialized in folk music, he was trained at the Cincinnati Conservatory, sang with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and studied in France. Moving to New York, he published in 1912 Songs of the Hill-Folk, in which Niles’s perhaps best-known composition appears: Black is the Color of my True Love's Hair. But for

Program Notes

And Glory Shone Around 3

us, his gorgeous I Wonder As I Wander (a piece that he originally stated he “collected” rather than penned), is a Christmas gem that has somehow managed to stay intact. The Southern Harmony, and Musical Companion is a hymn book compiled by William "Singin' Billy" Walker, first printed in Philadelphia in 1835, and is part of the larger tradition of shape note singing. It contained 335 songs, went through several editions (with songs being added and removed periodically), and became possibly the most popular southern tune book in the 19th century. Walker claimed his 1867 edition sold over 600,000 copies. The roots of Southern Harmony singing (like the Sacred Harp), are found in the American colonial era. The traditional practice of shape note singing calls for the hymns to be sung without instruments, allowing the voice alone to carry the melody. Indeed, even the word “harp” in the title of the famous shape note collection The Sacred Harp refers to the voice, not the actual instrument. However, it is important to consider that many melodies in these collections were originally folk tunes, which were then harmonized and given new religious texts. Similarly, the tunes and texts in such collections surely were not “protected” from then being utilized by other singing traditions. Our performance of Jordan’s Shore reflects this idea, with the notes and words being used from the shape note source, but featuring an array of instruments, including a reproduction of a 19th-century African-American, gut-strung, gourd banjo. Our program’s final piece comes from an 1890 collection published in Chicago called The Finest of the Wheat: Hymns New and Old for Missionary and Revival Meetings. At this time throughout America, the simple but infectious music of the revival tents and missionary halls began to overshadow the traditional folksongs that had once dominated the sacred and secular worlds. They feature characteristically simple melodies, catchy rhythms and the refrains are easy to remember. Just one time through a verse/refrain would enable huge masses to begin singing along. Perhaps you yourself might care to join in right now… -Jordan Sramek, Founder/Artistic Director, The Rose Ensemble, December 2018

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