Composer

Richard Rice

Program Notes

English hymns in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary span the history of Western polyphony, and witness the popularity of Marian devotion as a source of popular and burgeoning art music as early as the Middle Ages. In recent centuries, vernacular hymns became commonplace at Low Mass, as congregational substitutes for the Mass Propers. The Blessed Virgin, always a popular object of devotion among the lay faithful, became a dominant subject of these hymns, almost to the point of caricature. While many poor examples clogged Catholic hymnals through the mid-20th century, I was delighted to find these three very fine examples. I was greatly aided in my harmonizations by the fact that I had never heard the hymns before, and I purposely refrained playing their accompanying harmony (and haven’t yet). By concentrating on the melodies alone, I was able to enjoy the pure modality of the tunes, reminiscent of various folk traditions. My harmonies, though very rich at times (much more so than my Four Marian Antiphons), merely extend the modality and character of the melodies. In performance, I envision the first verse of each piece performed first by a soloist, preferably one schooled in folk singing or the Sacred Harp tradition. Besides establishing the character I’m after, it will help listeners, most of whom will be unfamiliar with these hymns, to remember the tune. The close and frequently crossing SSA texture (which becomes SSAA for the final verse of each), the migration of the melody from part to part, and the harmonic complexity in places do not make for melodic clarity. Careful balancing from the conductor and attentiveness from the singers can help.