Seven Words from the Cross Skylark Vocal Ensemble & Matthew Guard

• Traditional:
• 1 Were You There? 03:58
• William Billings (1746-1800):
• 2 When Jesus Wept 02:01
• Traditional:
• 3 Amazing Grace 01:51
• 4 Wondrous Love (Arr. A. Parker & R. Shaw for Choir) 03:54
• William Billings:
• 5 There Is a Land of Pure Delight 01:49
• Hugo Distler (1908-1942):
• 6 Geistliche Chormusik, Op. 12: No. 5, Ich wollt, dass ich daheime wär 03:45
• Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179):
• 7 Karitas abundat 01:54
• Frederick Buckley (1833-1864):
• 8 Break It Gently to My Mother 03:12
• William Billings:
• 9 David's Lamentation 01:04
• Francis Poulenc (1899-1963):
• 10 4 Motets pour un temps de pénitence, FP 97: No. 2, Vinea mea electa 03:30
• William Billings:
• 11 In Deep Distress I Oft Have Cried 02:22
• Anna Þorvaldsdóttir (1977- ):
• 12 Þann heilaga kross 06:08
• Jaakko Mäntyjärvi (1963- ):
• 13 Death May Dissolve (Fantasia on a Hymn by William Billings) 04:01
• Traditional:
• 14 Deep River (Arr. G. Hancock for Choir) 02:50
• John Sheppard (1515-1558):
• 15 In manus tuas No. 1 04:12
• Traditional:
• 16 Just As I Am 02:21
• Total Runtime 48:52

Info for Seven Words from the Cross

SEVEN: words from the cross, is a diverse and innovative program of music for Good Friday, pairing music from the United States with choral music from other parts of the world. This highly original album progresses through the scriptural seven last words of Christ on the Cross, pairing the music of William Billings and the Sacred Harp with the music of contemporary composers Anna Thorvaldsdottir and Jaakko Mäntyjärvi. In conjunction with this March 2018 release on the Sono Luminus label, Skylark will make its international debut at Tenebrae’s Holy Week Festival at St. John’s Smith Square in London. Skylark will be the only international group featured alongside the greatest choirs of the UK, including Tenebrae, Polyphony, the Tallis Scholars, and the Gabrieli Consort. Program Introduction by Matthew Guard, Artistic Director Thematic programming is my passion. I truly believe in the power of the unaccompanied human voice to communicate at a visceral level. Yet, I do think it is a peculiar challenge to weave together a program that can keep someone riveted (or, let’s be honest, even actively listening!) for 60-odd minutes. The context for this particular program is quite specific - the vision for Tenebrae’s Holy Week Festival is a week-long series of concerts and semi-liturgical events that offer music appropriate for the final week of Lent leading up to Easter. The setting, St. John’s Smith Square, is both a concert hall and a church, affording a unique opportunity to create a program that is appropriate for both settings, without the specific expectations of one or the other. When it became clear that we might be able to perform on the evening of Good Friday, I set about to design a program around the scriptural seven last words of Christ from the cross. A diverse set of scriptures expressing a range of quite human (not necessarily God-ly) emotions, I felt that a musical progression based on these ideas could speak to audiences of all faiths. When we learned that we were likely to be the only international group performing at a festival featuring some of the UK’s top choirs, I felt strongly that we should present a program with a uniquely American character. Being a Bostonbased ensemble representing America in the UK, prominently featuring the work of Bostonian William Billings seemed to be highly appropriate. Billings is broadly considered the first unique compositional voice in American choral music. His music, which some might characterize as simple and somewhat angular (especially relative to the music being composed in Europe at the time), has an honest rawness about it that I find quite compelling. We intersperse four of his settings throughout the album, providing somewhat of a stylistic thread, culminating in the debut recording of Finnish composer Jaakko Mäntyjärvi’s Death May Dissolve, a fantasy on a hymn by Billings that includes the original harmonization. The heart of the album progresses through the seven scriptural passages (or ‘words’), with pieces chosen to illustrate the universal human emotions expressed by the biblical texts. Some of the seven ‘words’ have a single piece of music, others have several pieces of contrasting styles. Our program begins and ends with simple hymns - I think of them as congregational bookends to the scriptural story that unfolds.

Carrie Cheron, alto
Sarah Moyer, soprano
Margot Rood, soprano
Clare McNamara, mezzo-soprano
Cory Klose, tenor
Douglas Dodson, counter-tenor
Alexander Nishibun, tenor
Fiona Gillespie Jackson, soprano
Dana Whiteside, baritone
Skylark Vocal Ensemble

The Skylark Vocal Ensemble
is a chamber choir of professional soloists and music educators from across the United States. Formed in 2011 under the direction of Matthew Guard, Skylark has been described as “a gem… soloists who come together to create a dynamic and inspiring whole.” Skylark performs innovative programs that help reinforce the intent of the composers to communicate truths about the human condition. A not-for-profit entity Skylark also performs educational outreach programs with students across the United States during its concert tours.

Matthew Guard
Skylark Artistic Director Matthew Guard is quickly earning a reputation as one of the most innovative and thoughtful programmers in American choral music. Passionate about communicating something unique in each concert and recording, Matthew scours the world of available repertoire for each program, exhaustively researches each piece, and crafts concerts and printed programs that captivate audiences with their hidden connections and seamless artistry. In addition to his day-to-day leadership of Skylark and role as a conductor in concerts, Matthew is also an active arranger and editor of scores, as he rarely finds programming ideas that will truly sing without at least one piece specifically arranged or composed for the program.

Booklet for Seven Words from the Cross