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JULIAN ANDERSON : Four American Choruses
(for unaccompanied SATB div. choir)
Saturday 24 April, 2004 – The Concertgebouw, Amsterdam Netherlands Radio Choir, cond. Simon Halsey
Faber Music, Ltd., 2008
Texts: Mary S. B. Dana, William O. Cushing, Victoria Stuart,
and P. P. Bliss
“The texts of these four choruses were chosen from Ira D. Sankey's popular 'Gospel Hymn Book' from the mid-nineteenth century, a volume much beloved by Charles Ives who quoted numerous Sankey tunes in almost all of his mature works. I have not used any of the tunes, being struck more by the optimism and artless directness of the texts themselves. There is something socially very moving about them, providing as they did a means of solace, comfort and hope for a better life for people whose lives were, on average, probably terrible.
Some of the phraseology and turns of phrase may also have been an influence on American poets in the latter half of the nineteenth century. I hear pre-echoes of Emily Dickinson, at least, in the texts of both 'I'm a pilgrim' and 'Beautiful valley of Eden'. In all four cases, the chosen texts generally avoid any specifically denominational religious references, as I wanted to focus on the social idea of collective hope and celebration.” — Julian Anderson
I. I'm a pilgrim:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPtPYbxrO9Y
JULIAN ANDERSON : Four American Choruses
(for unaccompanied SATB div. choir)
Saturday 24 April, 2004 – The Concertgebouw, Amsterdam Netherlands Radio Choir, cond. Simon Halsey
Faber Music, Ltd., 2008
Texts: Mary S. B. Dana, William O. Cushing, Victoria Stuart,
and P. P. Bliss
“The texts of these four choruses were chosen from Ira D. Sankey's popular 'Gospel Hymn Book' from the mid-nineteenth century, a volume much beloved by Charles Ives who quoted numerous Sankey tunes in almost all of his mature works. I have not used any of the tunes, being struck more by the optimism and artless directness of the texts themselves. There is something socially very moving about them, providing as they did a means of solace, comfort and hope for a better life for people whose lives were, on average, probably terrible.
Some of the phraseology and turns of phrase may also have been an influence on American poets in the latter half of the nineteenth century. I hear pre-echoes of Emily Dickinson, at least, in the texts of both 'I'm a pilgrim' and 'Beautiful valley of Eden'. In all four cases, the chosen texts generally avoid any specifically denominational religious references, as I wanted to focus on the social idea of collective hope and celebration.” — Julian Anderson
I. I'm a pilgrim:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPtPYbxrO9Y