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for singers, actors and instruments
for singers, actors and instruments
[1] At the Gates of Heaven
[3] Orchestral Interlude:
The World Awaits its Savior
[4] An Apparition of the Archangel Raphael
[5] A Heavenly Voice calls the Angelic Hosts
Archangels Michael, Uriel, and Gabriel: John Vorrasi
Lucifer and the Snake: Bruce Hall
Eve and Mary: Sunny Joy Langton
Archangel Raphael: Eddie Arruza
The Heavenly Voice: Susan Wolz
Percussion: Douglas Waddell,
Composer Festival Orchestra
William Ferris' beautiful music, with the charism of melody, has helped bring Heaven to Earth and Earth to Heaven.” Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
The custom of teaching Bible stories by means of sacred dramas is an old and venerable one. These dramas were known as Miracle Plays or Miracles and can be found as early as the 4th century. In England there are records of them from the 11th to the 16th century. The feast of Corpus Christi (celebrated in June) was a great occasion for such plays. Even to this day there are traces of continued performances of such dramas in rural England. From these Miracle Plays, which always included a good deal of singing, came the seeds of modern oratorio and opera.
The heroic opalescent stained glass windows of the four Archangels made in 1913 by the firm of John J. Kinsella for Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church (displayed on the cover of this recording) provided the inspiration for William Ferris' Angels. Working with librettist John Vorrasi, he has created a striking portrait of the Archangels Michael, Uriel, Gabriel and Raphael. The texts are comprised of a mixture of early Latin hymns and litanies, prayers from the Byzantine rite tradition and original prose.
Mt. Carmel's two magnificent pipe organs with their distinct sonic qualities and spacial placement, and the ten member instrumental ensemble, soloists and chorus all blend together for five tableaux, the last of which incorporates the audience in singing the angelic hymn of praise.
The work is dedicated to the Reverend Thomas I. Healy, in celebration of the 45th anniversary of his priestly ordination.
During the summer of 1988 William Ferris was commissioned by Keynote Arts Associates of New York to write a short work for a chorus and orchestra of young performers. The only condition stipulated was that the orchestra be “Classical” in its layout and size so that the text could be clearly articulated and readily understood and enjoyed by the listeners.
“I was irresistibly drawn to the delightful Modern Music text by the 18th century American William Billings” writes composer Ferris. “The words are a composer's dream. The energy, color and rhythmic vitality of the text as well as the endless opportunities it provided for word-painting with vocal, harmonic and orchestral effects made it a sheer joy to set to music. The form of my composition is easy to grasp and follows the text in all of its leaps, bounds and commands!”
“Ferris' voice is entirely his own. His way with a lyric phrase is as unpredictable as it is effective; his harmonies bear the marks of an original mind.”
William Ferris has had his music performed by major American orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony, premiered at Britain's Aldeburgh Festival and broadcast world-wide by the BBC.
Ferris is the first American composer to teach at the Vatican. His Holiness Pope John Paul II conferred a Papal knighthood upon him in 1989 and Radio Vaticana broadcast a concert of his music worldwide.
In 1971 he founded the William Ferris Chorale, an ensemble dedicated to celebrating music of the 20th century.
“Ferris is a conservative composer in the best sense of the word. His music makes its points easily and well, but he is innovative, imaginative and unafraid to write something that makes an immediate appeal through its pure beauty of sound.”
For seven years, Ferris was organist of Chicago's Holy Name Cathedral. During Fulton J. Sheen's episcopacy as Bishop of Rochester, New York, Ferris was organist and choirmaster at Sacred Heart Cathedral. He is Music Director and Composer-in-Residence at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church.
In 1992, Northwestern University established the William Ferris Archive, which will contain all his musical compositions, preliminary sketches, correspondence and memorabilia.
“What a splendid chorus the Chorale is. How lustily they sang. It is really first class!”
With a roster of forty of Chicago's finest singers, the William Ferris Chorale has been hailed both nationally and internationally for its dazzling performances and as eloquent champions of the contemporary composer.
The innovative programming of the Chorale's subscription series has resulted in 150 world, American, European and local premieres. In addition to its concerts in the Chicago area, the Chorale has been heard on the BBC, NPR, WFMT and WNIB.
The Chorale made its European debut in 1986 at the Aldeburgh Festival and was afeatured performer at the 1982 Spoleto Festival: USA. The Chorale has also appeared with the Chicago Symphony, at the National Cathedral in Washington, and the Art Institute of Chicago for the opening of the Vatican Collections.
The Chorale's accompanist and organist since 1983, Thomas Weisflog has appeared with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as featured soloist in the Mahler Symphony No. 8 and the Janácek Glagolitic Mass.
“The choral works were accompanied by organist Thomas Weisflog who showed why he has no rivals in the symphonic organ repertoire and who also showed what a poet he is too.”
Mr. Weisflog made his European debut at the 1986 Aldeburgh Festival and recently completed a compact disc recording of orchestral transcriptions for organ four-hands-four-feet with fellow organist Scott Kumer, titled The Symphonic Organ.
A native of Cuba who grew up in Cincinnati, Eddie Arruza doesn't encounter angels too frequently in his profession: he is a reporter and anchor with WGN- TV news. In the realm of music, he has been a member of the William Ferris Chorale, Lincoln Opera and the Cathedral Singers.
Dexter Bailey is the principal organist of St. Paul's United Church of Christ in Chicago and the artist in residence with the Chorale Ensemble of Chicago.
Among his teachers are Janice Beck, Stella Roberts, William Browning and Catherine Crozier. In 1988 and again in 1990, he was invited by Marie-Claire Alain to the Bach Institute in St. Donat, France, where he played two concerts that were broadcast live by the French National Radio Network.
William Griffel has performed with the Chicago Symphony Chorus, Grant Park Symphony Chorus, Chicago Opera Theater, and the Chautauqua Opera Company. He is the Director of Choral Music at the Latin School of Chicago.
Baritone Bruce Hall has appeared extensively in opera, concert and recital stages in Europe and America. Among his professional opera credits are appearances with the Cologne, Stuttgart and Netherlands opera companies, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Seattle Opera Association and the Michigan, Cleveland and Artpark operas. He sang in the world and American premieres of Philip Glass's opera Satyagraha and sings the role of Jesus on the Chorale's world premiere recording of Leo Sowerby's Forsaken of Man. He has been a member of the Northwestern University voice faculty since 1989.
Soprano Sunny Joy Langton made her professional debut in 1977 with the Houston Grand Opera and since then has appeared with opera companies all over the world. Her engagements have included major roles at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Santa Fe Opera, Washington Opera, Spoleto Festival: USA, Opera Theater of St. Louis, Vancouver Opera, Hamburg, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dresden, Glyndebourne and Wiesbaden. Ms. Langton has been a member of the Northwestern University voice faculty since 1990. In June of 1997 she sang the world premiere of The Small Hours - a portrait of Dorothy Parker, a work she devised with music by William Ferris.
Although he is best known to concert audiences as a singer, John Vorrasi has also written librettos for two operas by William Ferris, The Diva and Little Moon of Alban and compiled poetry and contributed original verse for Ferris' cantatas Out of Egypt, Snowcarols, Make We Joy, A Song of Light and Angels. He has prepared singing translations for composer William Mathias and has been heard in recital with composers Ned Rorem and Lee Hoiby as his accompanist. Mr. Vorrasi has appeared as guest artist with the Chicago String Ensemble, Chicago Opera Theater and with the Virginia Symphony and Rochester Chamber Orchestra.
Susan Wolz, a frequent soloist with the William Ferris Chorale, has been a member of the ensemble since 1982. She has also performed with the Grant Park Symphony Chorus, the Northwestern University Choir, the Washington DC Opera, and Opera San Benedetto.
The historic E. M. Skinner pipe organ in Mount Carmel Church was built in 1928 and was one of the last installations to be personally supervised by Skinner himself. Particularly noted for its large scale pipes and extensive tonal range, the 54 rank three manual organ has been restored to its original magnificence by the firm of Fabry Pipe Organs, Inc. The restoration was significant in that the instrument was not altered, but rather returned to its original tonal specifications, and as such is one of the very few unaltered Skinner instruments in existence. In November of 1987, as the result of a bequest from Helen Kellogg, the parish acquired a mechanical action pipe organ built by Visser-Rowland Associates of Houston, Texas. The individual stops, under low wind pressure, allow for a wide range of expression. The sweet flutes and singing principal are crowned by a brilliant copper trumpet.
[1] At the Gates of Heaven
The Archangels Michael and Lucifer argue
Lucifer, Prince Regent of the Sun,
Whose very face reflects the face of God,
Lucifer, Bearer of the Light,
At the command of God, the mighty King,
Eternal judge: depart, descend, desist,
Despair and dwell in the pit below
Where the eternal fire burns but does not ever glow!
Why should I be cast down?
I, whose very face reflects the face of God?
I, who am as radiant as the sun?
I, who proudly wear the angelic host as a garment,
I, who proudly dare to criticize the Angelic choirs? I, who should reign as prince of heaven? I, who should rule as Regent of the Sun? Cast me down and I shall become the prince of this world, I shall become the prince of the power of the air
Michael, Michael, why should I be cast down?
Lucifer, your pride dishonors you.
You want to be like God; you cannot, you will not.
You must repent or dwell in the pit below.
No other choices will be given to you.
No! I will take your creation for my own
And wander the world seeking the ruin of souls!
We acknowledge thee to be the Prince
of the citizens of heaven:
And at thy prayer God sends
That the enemy with cunning craft shall not prevail
Yea, thou has the dominion of perpetual Paradise,
And ever do the holy angels honor thee.
Thou wert seen in the Temple of God,
A censer of gold in thy hands,
And the smoke of it fragrant with spices
Rose up until it came before God.”
from Mediaeval Latin Lyrics by Helen Waddell, translator. Copyright All rights reserved, 1977. Reprinted by permission of W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Eve is sitting in the cool shade. We hear the slither of a snake, then Lucifer speaking with a woman's voice
Oh, it's you, silly snake. What do you want?
With God. Every day they walk through the garden, laughing and talking, laughing and talking...
And they don't ask you to walk with them?
Oh, I don't mind. All this walking and talking — it's a man thing, don't you know.
They are foolish not to have you at their side, Eve. You are so beautiful.
Beautiful? What do you mean?
Ah, but you don't know, do you, you haven't seen yourself as others do. Your face is lovely, your eyes, your smile. You glow like the sun.
You are the most beautiful of all creation — more beautiful than God.
I know I am happy. I know I am full of joy and peace. That must be my beauty.
No Eve, you can see your beauty, taste it, feel it, be filled with it.
Who is it calling my name?
No one, it's just a flight of birds....
Come with me to the tree. You can see your face in the glow of the apple..
Eve goes to the tree and sees her reflection in the shining apple.
Take it Eve. Eat. Your beauty shines like the face of God.
(takes a bite and cries out in joy) Ah!
Adam, Adam, you must see me!
Miserere, miserere, miserere
Uriel, Archangel of the King of Kings,
Guardian of the portals of Eden Garden,
With the might of your flaming sword,
guard us and protect us in all our troubles.
The Archangel Uriel appears with a sword of flame in his hands.
I, Uriel, at the command of God, Creator of all things, seen and unseen, I send you forth from the Garden of Paradise.
My children, you have sinned against love.
I, Uriel, at the command of God, Creator of all things, seen and unseen, with the fire of my sword, guard the portal of the Garden of Paradise, keeping watch until the end of time....
Be merciful, O God. Show us your kindness,
[3] Orchestral interlude:
The World Awaits its Savior
Mary is sitting in her room at Nazareth.
The Archangel Gabriel visits her.
Gabriel, messenger of the most merciful God!
I bring you a glorious honor Mary, Virgin full of grace, for the Lord God, the King of all the worlds, has chosen you to bear his son!
Gabriel, bringer of the joyous message!
For the love of his fallen creation He will send a new Adam. Through you He will come into the world to free it from sin and the power of the devil.
But how can this be? I am not worthy of such a gift. How can I bear a son without a husband?
Do not be afraid, Mary: All things are possible with God. A virgin you are and a virgin you shall remain. Through the power of the Holy Ghost, the Fire of Love, The Glorious Impossible shall be done: You shall become the mother and the daughter of your son.
The whole world resounds with your message of joy, O blessed Gabriel!
Fiat! Fiat! Fiat! My heart is full of the glory of the Lord, my soul rejoices in God my Savior.
Gentle Mary, noble maiden
Shrine of the Lord's body
Fiat! Fiat! Fiat! I am truly the humble servant of the Lord, I am ready to obey God's will.
Ave Maria, Mystical Rose,
House of Ivory, Tower of Gold,
Rare Noble Star, Orchard of Kings
Vessel of the Glorious Impossible,
[4] An apparition of the Archangel Raphael
What, no choral flourish for me?
Michael and Gabriel got one
even Uriel and almost nobody knows who he is!
Well, I guess I should be used to it by now.
No one thinks of me as an angel.
Everyone thinks I'm human
But make no mistake: we angels are not human,
we don't have bodies. We are pure spirit and only take a human form to do good works here on earth.
you do all know my story don't you?
(Sighs): I am Raphael, Archangel of the King of Kings. My name means “God has healed” and I am commanded to heal man from his troubles and ills.
On one of my visits here I got involved with Tobias and his family, and I suppose my relationship with them is my fifteen minutes of fame. I accompanied Tobias's son on a very dangerous trip to the city of Rages to collect a debt for his father from a man named Raguel. When we finally got there, Tobias Jr. fell hopelessly in love with Raguel's daughter, a lovely young woman named Sara.
Now poor Sara had some really bad luck; she was married seven times and each of her seven husbands died on their wedding night. You can imagine what that did for her self esteem.
“O Lord God, King of the Universe,
what have I done to deserve such a trial?
Could it be that I was unworthy of these seven husbands? Or were each and every one of them unworthy of me?
Or is it because you still have someone in mind for me?”
Poor girl. Well, I thought that Tobias Jr. would make her an excellent husband, so I set everything right and saw to it that Tobias wouldn't come to the same end as Sara's previous husbands. And so they got married. And everyone was happy.
When the three of us returned home to Tobias Sr., I showed the old man how to use fish oil as an ointment for his ailing eyes. And that's the story in a nutshell. Well, one of my stories anyway.
It all seems so ordinary when I tell it now, but it was pretty extraordinary in its day. I suppose that's why people don't really seem to know when an angel is helping them. That it is a guardian angel who, through the kindness and loving mercy of God, watches over them day and night. People don't seem to acknowledge this angelic help; worse yet, they don't really believe in the world of the spirit at all.
Oh, they talk about angels as New Age creatures and wear angel jewelry and burn candles and incense. But that's not what we glorious creatures are all about. How sad to trivialize God's generous and loving gift.
You can come close to your angel by singing. Did you know that? Oh yes, for it is the angel choirs who sing around the throne of God. And it doesn't matter how well you sing, as long as you sing with all your heart. Sing! Sing and you pray twice, for the love of God is like an endless song.
Come, my dear ones, and add your voices to the celestial hymn.......
[5] A Heavenly Voice introduces the angelic hosts
Let us, who mystically represent the cherubim
and sing the thrice holy hymn to the life-creating trinity, now set aside all earthly cares saying: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts,
Heaven and Earth are full of your glory.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. For behold, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords is coming, escorted by the angels.
Virtues, Thrones, Dominions,
All covering their faces and saying:
Now let us stand with the entire company of heaven and join in the angelic hymn of praise,
saying with one voice: Alleluia!
Now the music of heaven comes to Earth,
And choirs of angels, triumphant,
We are met for a concert of modern invention,
To tickle the ear is our present intention.
The audience is seated, expecting to be treated
With a piece of the best.
And since we all agree to set the tune on E,
The author's favorite key which he prefers to all the rest,
Let the bass take the lead and firmly proceed
Till the parts are agreed to fugue away;
Let the tenor succeed and follow the lead
Till the parts are agreed to fugue away;
Let the counter inspire the rest of the choir,
Inflamed with desire to fugue away;
Let the treble in the rear no longer forbear,
But expressly declare for a fugue away.
Then change to a brisker time
And up the ladder climb and down again.
Then mount the second time and end the strain.
Then change the key to pensive tones
And slow in treble time the notes.
Exceeding low keep down a while,
Then rise by slow degrees:
The process will surely not fail to please.
Thro' common and treble we jointly have run,
We'll give you their essence compounded in one:
Although we are strongly attached to the rest,
Six-four is the movement that pleases us best.
And now we address you as friends to the cause;
Performers are modest and write their own laws,
Although to keep the rhythm we like to clap at the bars,
`Tis the part of the hearers to clap their applause!
William BillingsMembers of the William Ferris Chorale performing in these concert recordings
Arnold RothProducer: Hudson Fair / Recording: Ealing Mobile Recording, Ltd. / Cover: Archangels - opalescent stained glass windows in Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, Chicago, IL. / Cover design: Hughes Design
Publishing information: 1-5 William Ferris Chorale , 6 Oxford University Press / texts reprinted by permission
Acknowledgments: Leo Sowerby Foundation, Ronald Stalford, Thomas Catania; AWR Music, Arnold Roth; J.F. Zych Associates, Ltd., Jeffrey Zych; Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Rev. Thomas I. Healy; past and present members of the William Ferris Chorale. / Organ maintenance: Fabry Pipe Organs, Inc.
for singers, actors and instruments
[1] At the Gates of Heaven [12:10]
[2] In the Eden Garden [12:46]
[3] Orchestral Interlude: [15:05]
The World Awaits its Savior
[4] An Apparition of the Archangel Raphael [4:32]
[5] A Heavenly Voice calls the Angelic Hosts [14:27]
Archangels Michael, Uriel, and Gabriel: John Vorrasi
Lucifer and the Snake: Bruce Hall
Eve and Mary: Sunny Joy Langton
Archangel Raphael: Eddie Arruza
The Heavenly Voice: Susan Wolz
Percussion: Douglas Waddell, Leo Murphy
Organ: Thomas Weisflog, Dexter Bailey
In concert recordings of performances given June 5, 1998 (world premiere of Angels) and May 15, 1992.
World premiere recordings
Composer Festival Orchestra
William Ferris, conductor
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