Hodie (This Day) by Ralph Vaughan Williams Ralph (pronounced “Rafe”) Vaughan Williams’ fans often assert that he was England’s greatest 20th-century composer. There is certainly room for other views, but he was without doubt an extraordinary composer. He essayed almost every musical form, and in ample quantity, save, perhaps, for chamber works; his expression in…

Opera Choruses As the theme of this concert—Love, Honor & Betrayal—suggests, these eleven opera choruses come mostly from 19th-century tragic dramas. Of the eight composers responsible for these works, only one– Mozart— died before 1800, and though three lived past 1900, only one of these operas premiered in the 20th century. These choruses are selected…

Carols Carols– the word originally identified a group dance, done in a circle– arose after about 1500, partly as a popular reaction against the somber, ecclesiastically prescribed plainsongs, chants and other formal religious music. They were religious in nature but still upbeat. However, many carols exist which do not focus on Christmas; there were, and…