In ‘From Quill to Chord,’ Soli Deo Gloria celebrates the power of words set to music
By Donald Munro
Soli Deo Gloria, Fresno’s premier woman’s chorale, on Friday presents “From Quill to Chord,” a concert harkening back to the rise of the art song movement during the Romantic era. Music director Julie Carter has curated a concert that explores “the depths of emotion through expertly crafted choral arrangements, bringing the eloquence of verse to life in ways you’ve never experienced,” says singer Krysta Nielsen.
The ensemble performs 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7, at University Presbyterian Church.
Here’s a recap:
The art song movement: Composers such as Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, and Johannes Brahms discovered the great poets such as William Shakespeare and Heinrich Heine and set their poetry to music, says Walter Saul, accompanist for the group. “Hundreds of songs for solo voice and piano were added to the repertoire. Now, two centuries later, Soli Deo Gloria continues this great tradition and its extension into the choral world. In the process, this acclaimed women’s choir (an ensemble which Schumann and Brahms pioneered in their careers) expands the repertoire by centuries, including a marvelous hymn by Hildegard von Bingen, of the twelfth century, and e. e. cummings, of the 20th century, and much in between. It also expands the role of women as both poets and composers by representing both in Friday’s concert.”
A program highlight: Saul says the the poignancy of Z. Randall Stroope’s “Echo of Silence” emanates from the pen of renowned poet Christina Rossetti as she looks the death of a loved one right in the eyes and mourns over the “door that, op’ning letting in, lets out no more.” The abject wanderings of the poet over turning back death are wonderfully reflected in Stroope’s frequent, startling modulations from key to key before settling on the strange and beautiful key of B Major, with its frequent allusions to B minor right up to the end of this epochal miniature drama. “This is a gut-wrenching testament to the life of the director’s husband, Michael Carter, who passed away last October and in whose memory Soli Deo Gloria presents this concert.”
Another highlight: Saul explains that Felix Mendelssohn’s Psalm 66 reminds us that, apart from being the word of God, the Bible is a tremendous work of literature in its own right that is unbounded by our sense of time. “The thirteen-year-old Mendelssohn may have chosen to reflect the timelessness of this Scripture by hearkening back a century or so to the Baroque period as he created a motet very much in that style and genre,” Saul says. “This motet was originally a cappella but has had keyboard accompaniments added to it by various composers and editors over the years. Fresno-area composer Peter Schank has taken this a step further by creating an accompaniment by a string quintet that undergirds this Baroque reference most effectively.”
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And another: Nielsen says that the magic of Lewis Carroll’s world has inspired countless artists, composers, and creatives. His famous poem “Jabberwocky” has been set to music by composer Ron Jeffers. “From its playful rhythm to its surreal imagery, the poem continues to captivate audiences for generations. Soli Deo Gloria’s Kay Kelm will set the scene for the song with a brilliant reading of the poem which will have everyone enthralled before we bring this famous poem to life in song.”
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What makes a great lyric? Saul says that surveying the amazingly diverse lyrics of the program, it’s impressive “to see their common compactness, being able to say so much with so few words, their ability to accompany us through our lives’ journeys in all their tragedies and triumphs, and their inherent music that a great composer does not create as much as merely discovers in the lyrics.”
Nielsen adds: “The best lyrics pull at your emotions through simplicity and resonance—each word echoing with meaning, much like the profound yet understated lines in Christina Rossetti’s poem. The words “Come back!” are so simple but filled with longing for what cannot be. It invites you to feel deeply, where even the simplest phrase carries layers of emotion and personal significance.”
