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Combined Choirs Feature Baroque Composers in "Choral Masterworks" Concert

From the strains of harmony floating out of Alumni Hall, any passing musician could tell that the upcoming concert would not be a typical one. The combined Madrigal and Chambers choirs’ recent Choral Masterworks concert highlighted composers from the Baroque era. The unique style and independent but interwoven vocal parts set J.S. Bach’s “Dona Nobis Pacem” from his Mass in B Minor apart from the rest. Other songs from the Baroque era included the final chorale from Bach’s cantata Sleepers Awake, and two songs that featured the original string accompaniments – “Surely He Hath Borne Our Griefs,” from G.F. Handel’s Messiah, and “Gloria” from Antonio Vivaldi’s larger work by the same name. Additionally, the choirs sang Thomas Tallis’ classic “If Ye Love Me,” a piece written even before Bach’s birth, featuring intertwined vocal parts similar to “Dona Nobis Pacem.”

Baroque composers wrote their pieces in a style unfamiliar to most of the students, so the music was tough to learn. But the choirs worked hard and rose to the challenge to perform with precision and enthusiasm at the Choral Masterworks concert.

The choirs also performed several newer pieces. The ladies opened the concert with a piece from 21^st century English composer Morten Lauridsen entitled “Dirait-on.” “The Morning Trumpet”, sung by the choir men, conveyed a rugged, early American feel, the time period in which the song was written.

The Choral Masterworks concert stretched the choirs’ vocal abilities and raised the bar for future choral concerts. The directors look forward to building on the foundation laid here with next year’s repertoire.