Foreword

What do sparrows think about? Do they, like us, worry about mortgages, exams, qualifications or politics? “Even the Sparrow…” is an intimate concert that reminds us to be like the sparrow - to take a deep breath, observe the beauty around us, and enjoy the simpler things in life.

A reimagining of our inaugural concert (A Romantic English Affair), our programme not only features crowd favourites by Stanford and Parry, but will also feature many new works, including a world premiere written specially for us by the world-renowned Slovenian composer Ambrož Čopi. We are privileged to be joined by Dr. Ryan Chow on the piano, collaborating with us on some of the choral works, as well as several songs for solo voice.

Join us also for a pre-concert talk at 7pm, given by Pamela Krakauer, to learn more about the repertoire we are presenting.

Latecomers will be admitted at appropriate intervals in the concert.

Programme notes

TRAD. SHAKER TUNE (ARR. TOH BAN SHENG) A Simple Gift*

TRAD. SHAKER TUNE (ARR. BOB CHILCOTT) The Gift To Be Simple

*World Premiere

Elder Joseph Brackett from Alfred Shaker Village is widely credited as the author of the 1848 Shaker hymn "Simple Gifts." Before Aaron Copland utilized the melody in the 1944 premiere of Martha Graham's ballet Appalachian Spring, the song was largely unknown outside of Shaker settlements. In his initial collection of Old American Songs for voice and piano, which was later orchestrated, Copland utilized "Simple Gifts" a second time in 1950.

Years later, English songwriter Sydney Carter adapted the original American Shaker tune and lyrics for his hymn "Lord of the Dance" published and copyrighted in 1963. You may also recognise this tune from Barrack Obama’s inauguration, arranged for the occasion by John Williams and played by a group of eminent musicians including Itzhak Perlman and Yo-Yo Ma.

We present two versions of this age-old tune, one arranged by our Artistic Director Toh Ban Sheng, and another by the British choral composer Bob Chilcott. The first utilises antiphony while the second is in a pop idiom, featuring an ostinato figure sung by the alto, tenor and bass parts.

'Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free

'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gained,

To bow and to bend we shan’t be ashamed,

To turn, turn will be our delight,

Till by turning, turning we come ’round right.

CHARLES VILLIERS STANFORD Beati Quorum Via from 3 Latin Motets 

Sir Charles Villiers Stanford was one of the cornerstone figures of the English Musical Renaissance. Stanford served as Professor of Composition at the Royal College of Music and contributed greatly to the English symphonic and ecclesiastical repertory. The 3 Latin Motets, Op. 38 are perhaps his best known pieces, written during his time at Trinity College, Cambridge, before his stint at the Royal College.

Beati quorum via is an elegant contemplation on the theme of righteousness presented in Psalm 119. The contrast between treble and lower voices lends an ethereal, meditative quality to the music. The graceful triple metre encases meandering melodic gestures, and rich harmonies. In the middle section Stanford alters the music to become sonically denser and more chromatic, perhaps signifying the difficulty of virtue. This then gives way to a lighter mood, as imitative entries create a peaceful ending.

Text: Psalm 119:1

Beati quorum via integra est: qui ambulant in lege Domini.

Blessed are they whose way of life is wholesome: who walk in the law of the Lord.

HERBERT HOWELLS King David

Soloist: John Lee

Dame Sarah Conolly once said of King David, "I’d say it’s the greatest British Art Song ever written."

Herbert Howells (17 October 1892 – 23 February 1983) was an English composer, organist, and teacher. The text for this song was written by Howells’ friend and poet Walter de la Mare.

In times of sadness, music frequently provides solace. This song is about that solace. The nightingale's song provides comfort for King David when neither the companionship of his friends nor the harps playing for him were able to lessen his grief. Unaware of the monarch, the nightingale sings its sorrow, and the louder it sings, the more it eases the king's suffering.

Howells' music is as beautiful and effective as De la Mare's text. The song is packed with subtle details, and the mood, sensitivity, and empathy for the king are deeply moving.

Text: Walter de la Mare

King David was a sorrowful man: No cause for his sorrow had he; And he called for the music of a hundred harps, To ease his melancholy.

They played till they all fell silent: Played-and play sweet did they; But the sorrow that haunted the heart of King David They could not charm away.

He rose; and in his garden Walked by the moon alone, A nightingale hidden in a cypress-tree Jargoned on and on.

King David lifted his sad eyes Into the dark-boughed tree- ''Tell me, thou little bird that singest, Who taught my grief to thee?” But the bird in no wise heeded.

And the king in the cool of the moon Hearkened to the nightingale's sorrowfulness, Till all his own was gone.

CHARLES VILLIERS STANFORD The Blue Bird

We now present a secular piece by Stanford, The Blue Bird. This is perhaps his most renowned part song and is a setting of a poem by the novelist Mary Elizabeth Coleridge which extols themes of natural beauty and transience. Stanford responds to the text with a sensitive yet chilling setting. The delicate soprano part (sung by Susanna Pua) has a narrative role. It is pit against the deep sonorities and rich harmonies provided by the remaining ensemble, which paints the backdrop. Interestingly, the composer chooses to deviate from the poetic structure by isolating and highlighting the word ‘blue’, always set to a solitary E-flat in the soprano part. This perhaps serves to strengthen the notion of fleeting beauty.

Text: Mary E. Coleridge (1861-1907)

The lake lay blue below the hill.

O'er it, as I looked, there flew

Across the waters, cold and still,

A bird whose wings were palest blue.

The sky above was blue at last,

The sky beneath me blue in blue.

A moment, ere the bird had passed,

It caught his image as he flew.

CHARLES VILLIERS STANFORD Justorum Animae from 3 Latin Motets

Justorum animae is a setting of a text from the Book of Wisdom. The opening is radiant and reflective, with a noticeable juxtaposition of Tudor-like imitative polyphony and warm homophony. A tumultuous, almost militant, middle section describes the ‘torment’ and ‘malice’ in the text, with twisting chromaticism creating an atmosphere of distress. The agony recedes in the final section, Stanford brings back the opening motif to great effect, conjuring a tranquil ending.

Text: Wisdom 3: 1-3

Justorum animae in manu Dei sunt, et non tanget illos tormentum mortis. Visi sunt oculis insapientium mori, illi autem sunt in pace.

The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God: and the trial of death will not touch them. They seem to the eyes of the ignorant to have died, but in fact they are at peace.

HUBERT PARRY My Soul, There Is a Country and I Know My Soul Hath Power from Songs of Farewell

A colleague of Stanford’s at the Royal College of Music, Parry succeeded George Grove and eventually became head of the College. His most famous vocal writing includes the coronation Anthem I Was Glad, and the hymn Jerusalem. His Songs of Farewell are a significant pillar in the English choral repertory, even though Parry was agnostic in his religious beliefs. These pieces centre around themes of human existence, loss, and healing, and are poignant reflections on death.

The first, My soul, there is a country, is a description of the beauty and peace of the afterlife. Static chords, reminiscent of clarion calls, open the piece, before alternating sections in simple and compound time describe the promise of heaven, and salvation. Towards the end, the melismatic writing displays Parry’s gift for melodic composition. These long lines are interjected by rising-fourth motifs, providing stirring counterpoint, before the stiller chordal texture of the opening is reprised, set to the crux of the poem: ‘Thy God, thy life, thy cure’.

Text: Henry Vaughan (1621-1695)

My soul, there is a country

Far beyond the stars,

Where stands a winged sentry,

All skilful in the wars:

There, above noise and danger,

Sweet Peace sits crowned with smiles

And One, born in a manger

Commands the beauteous files.

He is thy gracious friend,

And O my soul awake!

Did in pure love descend

To die here for thy sake.

If thou canst get but thither,

There grows the flow’r of Peace,

The Rose that cannot wither,

Thy fortress, and thy ease.

Leave then thy foolish ranges,

For none can thee secure

But One who never changes,

Thy God, thy life, thy cure.

Following this, Parry sets I know my soul hath power which reflects on the duality of mankind. As opposed to the rich counterpoint and florid melodic motifs in the previous anthem, Parry uses a completely homophonic style here, as syllabic text setting and short phrases achieve an almost spoken delivery of the text. He displays much sensitivity to the meaning of the text, observable in moments such as the stark unison of ‘vilest things’, and the contrast in registration of ‘proud’ and ‘wretched’ at the end.

Text: John Davies (1569-1626)

I know my soul hath power to know all things,

Yet she is blind and ignorant in all:

I know I’m one of Nature’s little kings,

Yet, to the least and vilest things am thrall.

I know my life’s a pain and but a span;

I know my sense is mock’d in ev’rything;

And, to conclude, I know myself a Man,

Which is a proud and yet a wretched thing.

SAMUEL LIDDLE How Lovely Are Thy Dwellings sung in Mandarin

Soloist: Raymond Lee

Samuel Liddle was born in Leeds in 1867 and he died in 1951 at the age of 84. He studied composition under Sir Charles Villiers Stanford at the RCM from 1885-1888, and he carved out a career as a collaborative pianist, performing often with contralto Clara Butt and Irish baritone Harry Plunket Greene in recitals all over the country and beyond.  

He was known as a composer of royalty ballads, published mostly by Boosey & Co and Chappell & Co, of which How Lovely Are Thy Dwellings is one of the most famous. It reminds us of the peace that comes from resting in God – a peace much like the peace a sparrow experiences when it has made a nest to dwell in.

Raymond Lee sings for us a version of this song in Mandarin.

Text: Psalm 84:1-3,10

How lovely are Thy dwellings, O Lord of Hosts!

My soul longeth, yea fainteth, for the courts of the Lord:

My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

Yea, the sparrow hath found her a house,

And the swallow a nest, where she may lay her young,

Even Thine altars, even Thine altars,

O Lord of Hosts, my King and my God.

O Lord God of Hosts, hear my prayer.

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God,

Than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand.

Text: 黄婉娴博士翻译

祢居所何等美好,万军之王!

我灵切慕又渴想进入主院宇中:

我心我肉体呼吁我永生上主。

麻雀为自己找到了家，

燕子也有了巢安置养育幼雏，

在你的祭坛边，在你的祭坛边，

哦耶和华，我王我的神。

噢万军之主，听我祷告。

我宁愿站在我神殿中的门槛上守卫，

也不愿在恶人帐幕里住。

在祢院住一日，胜过在别处住千日。

祢居所何等美好,万军之王!

我灵切慕又渴想进入主院宇中:

我心我肉体呼吁我永生上主。

麻雀为自己找到了家，

燕子也有了巢安置养育幼雏，

在你的祭坛边，在你的祭坛边，

哦耶和华，我王我的神。

HUBERT PARRY Never Weather-beaten Sail and There Is An Old Belief from Songs of Farewell

Never weather-beaten sail implores for the Lord to take one away to rest, after a life of trials and suffering. The opening is hymn like, describing the weariness of one’s soul. This then leads a more contrapuntal section with the ascending imitative entries expressing the text ‘my wearied sprite now longs to fly’, and cascading gestures depicting the notion of ‘rest’. The second strophe starts out in similar fashion, and describes the glories of Heaven. The ending is resolute yet peaceful, commending one’s spirit to the lord.

Text: Thomas Campion 

Never weather-beaten sail more willing bent to shore.

Never tired pilgrim's limbs affected slumber more,

Than my wearied sprite now longs to fly out of my troubled breast:

O come quickly, sweetest Lord, and take my soul to rest.

Ever blooming are the joys of Heaven's high Paradise.

Cold age deafs not there our ears nor vapour dims our eyes:

Glory there the sun outshines whose beams the blessed only see:

O come quickly, glorious Lord, and raise my sprite to thee!

Of the six songs in Songs of Farewell, There is an old belief is probably the most frequently performed in isolation. A setting of text by John Gibson Lockhart, this anthem conveys a hope for the repose of the afterlife. It begins with a comforting section, with warm harmonies conveying the hope of a future peacefulness. A more intense passage follows, with staggered entries and chromatic tonicisations which portray a place ‘Beyond the sphere of Time and Sin, and Fate’s control’. A powerful unison then ensues, a beacon of steadfast faith amidst a looming farewell. The ending is transcendental, and presents the notion of a glorious place of rest.

Text: John Gibson Lockhart

There is an old belief,

That on some solemn shore,

Beyond the sphere of grief

Dear friends shall meet once more.

Beyond the sphere of Time

And Sin and Fate's control,

Serene in changeless prime

Of body and of soul.

That creed I fain would keep

That hope I'll ne'er forgo,

Eternal be the sleep,

If not to waken so.

CHARLES GABRIEL (ARR. JACK SCHRADER) His Eye Is On The Sparrow

Soloist: Charmaine Tan

The gospel song "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" was composed in 1905 by Charles H. Gabriel and Civilla D. Martin. The song's recording by Mahalia Jackson was given a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 2010.

Civilla Martin, who wrote the lyrics, said of her inspiration to write the song based on the scriptures: “Early in the spring of 1905, my husband and I were sojourning in Elmira, New York. We contracted a deep friendship for a couple by the name of Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle—true saints of God. Mrs. Doolittle had been bedridden for nigh twenty years. Her husband was an incurable cripple who had to propel himself to and from his business in a wheel chair. Despite their afflictions, they lived happy Christian lives, bringing inspiration and comfort to all who knew them. One day while we were visiting with the Doolittles, my husband commented on their bright hopefulness and asked them for the secret of it. Mrs. Doolittle's reply was simple: "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me." The beauty of this simple expression of boundless faith gripped the hearts and fired the imagination of Dr. Martin and me. The hymn "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" was the outcome of that experience.”

Why should I feel discouraged,

Why should the shadows come,

Why should my heart be lonely,

And long for heav’n and home;

When Jesus is my portion?

My constant Friend is he;

His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know he watches me;

His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know he watches me.

I sing because I’m happy,

I sing because I’m free;

For his eye is on the sparrow,

And I know he watches me.

“Let not your heart be troubled,”

His tender word I hear,

And resting on his goodness,

I lose my doubts and fears;

Though on the path he leads me,

Just one step I may see; for

His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know he watches me;

His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know he watches me.

AMBROZ COPI Even the Sparrow Knows*

Soloist: Wong Yang Kai

*World premiere

Even The Sparrow Knows is a meditation and encouragement to cling on hope in our world - a hope which banishes fear.

The composition begins with speech, echoing the creation of the world in Genesis, in which God speaks the world into existence. This introduces us to the world of sound, from which music grows. The first ascending motif is harmonically rich, rhythmically calm and appears in the composition three times. When the text refers to the divine, the note values ​​are longer, referencing respect his justice and love.

The rhythmically playful motif, which we encounter as an ostinato (repetition) throughout the composition, is an invitation see and appreciate creation with fresh eyes. The melody begins with a perfect fifth, opening space and creating a universe. Constantly rising melodies and individual phrases represent the search for a way to God. In contrast, leaps are followed by gently descending melodies that depict our humility.

Crossroads and conversation, which are the essence of our personal growth, are expressed through imitation and dialogue between the upper and lower voices. The musical texture repeatedly offers us colours in multiple levels. The ostinati, on the other hand, give a sense of permanence, representing the constant presence of God.

The use of speech through the composition seeks to address audiences in a variety of ways, inviting them to listen.

As the song began, it ends. The music becomes the background sound. In awareness and communication, we listen to the word again.

Text: World English Bible / ASV

See the birds of the sky, that they don’t sow,

Neither do they reap, nor gather into barns.

Your heavenly Father feeds them.

See the lilies of the field, how they grow.

They don’t toil, neither do they spin.

God so clothes the grass of the field.

Therefore don’t be afraid.

Don’t be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.

Seek God’s Kingdom and his righteousness;

And all these things shall be added unto you

… even the sparrow knows that.

GEORGE SHEARING (ARR. ANDREW CARTER) Lullaby of Birdland

George Shearing (1919–2011) composed Lullaby of Birdland in 1952, with lyrics written by George David Weiss. The Birdland jazz club, which bears Charlie "Bird" Parker's name, is referenced in the title.

Shearing was born in London and educated at the Linden Lodge School for the Blind since the age of three. He produced more than 400 songs, received many awards, and was knighted in 2007. He passed away in 2011, but his wit, wordplay, friendliness, and generosity—along with his music—will live on for years to come.

Text: George David Weiss

Lullaby by birdland that's what I

Always hear, when you sigh,

Never in my wordland could there be words to reveal

In a phrase how I feel

Have you ever heard two turtle doves

Bill and coo, when they love?

That's the kind of magic music we made with our lips

When we kiss

And there's a weepy old willow

He really knows how to cry

That's how I'd cry in my pillow

If you should tell me farewell and goodbye 

Lullaby of birdland whisper low

Kiss me sweet, and we'll go

Flying high in birdland, high in the sky up above

All because we're in love