Letters From Mr. Sheranian

A Holy Week Letter

       During Lent, the choir has been busy learning some new choral repertoire for Holy Week. Many of the anthems and motets will be familiar to the congregation, but the mass settings are for the most part "new" to us.

       On Palm Sunday, the choir will sing a mass by Herbert Howells in C minor. If Charles V. Stanford is to be considered the composer who defined English church music in the 19th century, then Herbert Howells is his parallel in the 20th. Deeply affected by the death of his son at an early age, Howells' music is infused with a melancholia that so typified the political turmoil and devastation of the last century. His Communion Service in C is written for unison voices, and includes an independent organ part rich in harmonic interest.

       Because of the unique nature of the Maundy Thursday liturgy here at Ashmont, (which dictates that the organs be silenced after the singing of the Gloria in excelsis), the choir has usually sung a "hybrid" mass setting in the past: i.e. Kyrie/Gloria sung to a setting with an organ accompaniment, and the rest of the mass sung an unaccompanied setting, usually from the Renaissance. Philip Stopford's Keble Missa Brevis provides a clever solution to this particular liturgical pickle, because the only accompanied movement of this mass is the Gloria in excelsis! Stopford is a British composer, born in 1977, and was organ scholar at Keble College, Oxford. It is to Keble College that this mass setting is dedicated, and was premiered there in 1997 at a celebration of Corporate Communion. Perhaps the most unusual treatment of the mass text occurs in the Sanctus/Benedictus. The choir, singing in eight parts, repeats the word "Holy" while the trebles sing the text of the Sanctus. However, it is the composer's treatment of the Hosanna that is particularly thrilling. You'll have to come to mass on Thursday to hear it. Spoiler alert: the boys sing a lot of high notes!

       The mass setting for the Easter Vigil was sung here first in Advent of 2012; however, because it was Advent, the choir did not sing the Gloria. This mass was composed by Josef Gabriel Rheinberger (1839-1901). Rheinberger was born in the tiny alpine principality of Liechtenstein, but spent most of his musical career in Munich, where he was professor of composition at the conservatory. Cantus Missae, opus 109 (composed in 1878) is scored for unaccompanied double choir. Most choral music is written in four parts: this setting is written in eight. Cleverly crafted, it is a delight to observe the two choirs on either side of the chancel handing the musical material back and forth. Having twice the number of vocal lines imparts a sumptuousness to the texture that brings a rich and luxurious quality to the declamation of the mass text. This setting formally harks back to the great Renaissance masters such as Palestrina and Victoria; however, in harmonic and melodic structure the Cantus Missae is unmistakably the work of an unpredictable Romantic. The work is dedicated to Pope Leo XIII: indeed, it found such favor with the Pontiff that Rheinberger was made a knight of the Order of St. Gregory by papal brief.

       On Easter morning, the choir will sing a mass composed in 1776 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, for use at the cathedral in Salzburg, Austria. The Archbishop of Salzburg at the time was adamant that even Solemn Masses be kept under an hour in length, making these settings perfectly suited for use in modern liturgical settings. Missa Brevis in C "Organ Solo Mass" is similar in structure to the "Little Organ Mass" by Haydn that was sung here on the Fourth Sunday of Lent. In the Latin Mass, the Benedictus qui venit was sung while the celebrant continued with the Eucharistic prayer at the altar: this allowed that particular movement to be longer than the others. Mozart uses this movement to display the talents of both choir and organist. Its effervescent atmosphere and limpid vocal lines are perfectly suited to the joy of the Easter celebration.

       Finally, I conclude with a plea for help. It is my goal to recruit five more treble boys (grade 3-6) between now and the end of the school year. If you know any private music teachers, school teachers, coaches, social workers, nannies, or anyone else who might know boys, please talk to them about the choir. Mention our newly formed relationship with the Harvard Glee Club. Point out the opportunity for a free music education, grounded in the English Cathedral tradition, and the chance to sing with some of the finest professional singers in Boston. Invite them to attend one of our weekly rehearsals or to a mass. Give me their names and contact information. Together we can reach this goal. Thank you in advance.

       Andrew P. Sheranian

A Lenten Letter

       I'd like to give a brief update on the goings-on in the music department. What one hopes will be a time of quiet reflection, the month of January in fact ended up being a very busy time for the music department. At the beginning of the month, we celebrated the great feast of the Epiphany, bringing the twelve days of Christmas to a close. Soon after that, the choir began to prepare for three special events which came in rapid succession at the end of the month.

       The first was the annual mass for the Society of King Charles the Martyr, which our parish had been asked to host this year. On a snowy, late-January Saturday morning, a large and enthusiastic group of high churchmen gathered here at Ashmont to celebrate the life and witness of the Royal Saint. The choir sang W. A Mozart's Missa in C "Spatzenmesse", as well as S.S. Wesley's beloved anthem "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace" – in addition to some hymn singing that will not soon be forgotten.

       The following day, the Third Sunday of Epiphany, we had the great privilege to host the Harvard Glee Club at Sunday mass. The collaborative relationship between the two choirs, now in its second year, continues to enliven and enrich the music program here at All Saints. Sunday, 27 January 2013 was the first time in which the Harvard Glee Club sang for mass at the church in which their first official director was once Organist and Choirmaster: Archibald T. Davison was employed here at All Saints from 1906-1910, after which he took up a post at the Memorial Church at Harvard. The Glee Club joined the All Saints' Choir in singing a mass by French organist and composer Maurice Duruflé. Messe 'Cum jubilo' is scored for unison men's voices and organ. It was a great chance for our men and teen boys to get a chance to sing with the Glee Club in the context of a Sunday morning mass.

       One week following, we celebrated another great feast of the church year: Candlemas. For the second year in a row, our choir was joined by the choir of All Saints' Church, Worcester and their director, Graeme McCullough. Nearly sixty choristers were packed into our choir stalls, which Ralph Adams Cram designed to accommodate only forty! Extra chairs were brought in to make room for happy singers, all of whom have come to look forward to this biannual collaboration. On a more personal note, Graeme McCullough (the music director in Worcester) is a Protestant from Northern Ireland. After last year's Candlemas Procession, he remarked to me how strongly his Protestant relatives and former colleagues in Belfast might react, should they come to learn that he, candle raised high in the air, was to be found at a catholic parish, singing "Ave, Ave, Ave Maria" at full voice!

       I thank you all for your continued support, and ask, as ever, that you keep the choir in mind as you go about your daily lives in the community. If you come across a boy (3rd-6th grade) who might be a good addition to the choir, please contact me with his and his parents' names and phone numbers, and I will follow-up and do the rest. A few things you may mention in your conversations with parents of prospective choristers might be: the new mentoring program with the Harvard Glee Club; the chance to get high quality, free music education in the English Cathedral tradition; the opportunity for kids to make music at a professional level; and the reality of a safe environment where boys can thrive personally and musically. Our choir is wonderful opportunity for local boys: I ask for your help in making it available to more. May we all have a blessed and holy Lent.

       Andrew P. Sheranian

A Christmas Letter

       In March of 2012, the All Saints' Choir participated in a joint concert with the Harvard Glee Club. The concert was a great success, drawing in a large crowd and generating quite a bit of excitement. One of the things we learned during the course of preparing for the concert was that All Saints and the HGC have a thread of commonality: Archibald T. Davison. "Doc" Davison was Organist and Choirmaster here at All Saints from 1906-1910, after which he was hired to be the Organist at the Memorial Church at Harvard University. He made such a positive impression on the students, that the Harvard Glee Club appointed him to be their first official director. Prior to that time the Glee Club had been a rag-tag group of students that sang together in a mostly informal fashion. "Doc" Davison turned the Harvard Glee Club into what it is today: one of the finest male choral ensembles in the country. When the two o rganizations discovered the Davison connection, there sprung up an ardent desire for the relationship to become more firmly established. After lengthy discussion between Andrew Clark, (director of the HGC) the rector, and me, it was decided that a mentoring fellowship program would be the best way to cement the relationship.

       In September, Michael Raleigh was appointed as the first Archibald T. Davison Fellow. He is a Boston native who grew up in Hyde Park and attended Boston Latin School. He's currently a sophomore at Harvard College studying music. Michael comes to All Saints on Thursdays to help the boys work on musicianship skills and homework before rehearsal; during rehearsal, he helps things run smoothly, ideally making my job easier so the choir can make it through more repertory for Sunday masses. He also sings alto with the choir almost every Sunday and special feast days. Michael has played piano for ten years, percussion for six years, and has studied voice off and on for five years, though he has been singing since childhood. He studied jazz piano at Berklee College of Music in high school through the City Music program and the Berklee five week summer program. He is currently studying voice as a countertenor with tenor Charley Blandy. At Harvard, Michael sings in the Harvard Glee Club, conducts the Holden Chamber Singers, and plays snare drum and cymbals with the Harvard University Band. He has also managed the Harvard Summer Chorus and has sung with Harvard Glee Club Lite, a pop music a cappella subset of the Glee Club. We are all very pleased with the progress of the Fellowship, and are hopeful that it will be able to continue into the future.

       As we near the end of this year, I am prompted to reflect on the happy situation in which I find myself as your parish musician. Rare it is in the field of church music to encounter a parish as supportive of sacred music as All Saints is. Your words of encouragement and support constantly bear me up, and I am ever grateful for it. I am also very fortunate to have the chance to work with a helpful and hardworking priest, who spends countless hours assisting me with the many mundane tasks associated with running a boys choir. In addition to the support I feel from the parish and from the clergy, I am also humbled by the contributions of some new volunteer men who have joined the choir. All these aspects are vital components of successful music program.

       I do often remark, however, that there is one constant challenge that weighs on me in my work here at Ashmont, namely the recruiting of boys for the choir. I try to spend a portion of every day focusing on recruitment. While a number of new boys have joined and their voices have added enormously to the sound of the choir, the issue is always looming on the horizon. I am all too aware of the fragile, time-sensitive nature of a boys' choir. I share this concern of mine because there is something you can do to help! Please spread the word about this unique opportunity for boys in grades 3-8. Our choir is a rare and special opportunity for local boys: help me extend it to a wider circle. If you know a boy in the neighborhood, please speak with his parents and pass their contact information along to me. I will do the rest.

       Andrew P. Sheranian

An Advent Letter

       An annual tradition at Ashmont, a Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols will be offered at All Saints on the afternoon of December 16. The service, which has gained world-wide popularity due to the radio broadcasts from King's College, Cambridge, actually originated in the Cornish town of Truro in 1880. Legend states that the then Bishop of Truro, Edward White Benson (who later went on to become Archbishop of Canterbury) initiated the service to keep men out of the pubs on Christmas Eve.

       This year's Festival will begin in the traditional manner, with a solo treble boy singing the first verse of "Once in Royal David's city". Some of the most loved carols will be sung both by choir and congregation, as well several lesser-known works, ranging from the Renaissance to the present day. Please mark your calendars, plan to attend, and bring a friend or neighbor.

       Andrew P. Sheranian

A Letter for All Saints' Day & All Souls' Day

The Favorite Hymns List

       Over the past few months, parishioners have had the opportunity to submit lists of their favorite hymns. As promised, what follows is a list of the parish's most favorite hymns, according to the results of this survey. The hymns are listed in ranked order: the hymns at the top of the list were submitted at the highest rate.

Christ the fair glory – Caelites Plaudant
A mighty fortress is our God – Ein Feste Burg
Jerusalem my happy home – Land of Rest
Ye watchers and ye holy ones – Vigiles et sancti
I bind into myself today – St. Patrick
When I survey the wondrous cross - Rockingham
The King of Love my Shepherd is – St. Columba
Alleluia, sing to Jesus – Hyfrydol
The Church's one foundation – Aurelia
Eternal Father, strong to save – Melita
And now, O Father, mindful of the love – Unde et memores
Let all mortal flesh – Picardy
Humbly I adore thee – Adoro devote
Come, Holy Ghost – Veni Creator
Holy, holy, holy – Nicaea
O love how deep – Deus tuorum militum
Glorious things of thee are spoken – Austria
What a friend we have in Jesus – Erie
Dear Lord and Father of mankind – Repton
For all the saints – Sine nomine
The day thou gavest – St. Clement
I sing a song of the saints of God – Grand Isle
All people than on earth do dwell – Old 100th
Praise to the Lord – Lobe den Herrn
O God our help in ages past – St. Anne
There's a wideness in God's mercy – Beecher
O for a thousand tongues to sing - Stracathro
In the cross of Christ I glory – Rathbun
Crown him with many crowns – Diademata
At the name of Jesus – King's Weston
All praise to thee – Engelberg
Christ is made the sure foundation – Westminster Abbey
Just as I am – Woodworth
Guide me, O thou great Jehovah – Cwm Rhondda
Abide with me – Eventide
Rock of ages – Toplady
Lead on, O King eternal – Lancashire
O Jesus, I have promised – Llanfyllin
Ye holy angels bright – Darwall

       Thank you to each and every one who took the time to share your favorites!

       Andrew P. Sheranian

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