Ruggles, Carl (1958): Exaltation for congregation and organ – Smith Singers/Smith/Tilson Thomas

Описание: Composer: Charles 'Carl' Sprague Ruggles (11 March 1876 – 24 October 1971)
Chorus: Gregg Smith Singers (founded 1955)
Brass: Brass Ensemble of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (founded 1934)
Organist: Leonard Raver (8 January 1927 – 29 January 1992)
Chorusmaster: Gregg Smith (21 August 1931 – 12 July 2016)
Conductor: Michael Tilson Thomas (born 21 December 1944)

Apologies for the low quality.

The last completed work of autodiadictic American composer Carl Ruggles, who pioneered a system of 'dissonant counterpoint', was a hymn for chorus and organ dedicated to the memory of his wife Charlotte Snell. His lifelong partner, Snell was a contralto he first met in 1909; she had died the previous year. It was a promise of the artist that one day he would write a hymn for her, being a request he had been oft-beseeched with.
'Exaltation' is written towards the vein of standard four-voice choral harmonisation (but with certain liberties idiosyncratic of the composer) and almost archaic for his style. It is scored in F major (despite this the performance is transposed a whole tone upwards into G major). The congregation are directed to simply hum the melody, which is wordless. However, this recording assigns the full six stanze of 'O God, Our Help in Ages Past' by Isaac Watts to the chorus (not original), and creates instrumental variation to present more colours of this simple yet poignant piece.

O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home;

Under the shadow of Thy Throne
Thy Saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is thine arm alone,
And our defence is sure.

Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.

A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone,
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.

Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the opening day.

O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while troubles last,
And our eternal home.

'Exaltation' was published in 1977 by the Theodore Presser Company, edited by Ray Green.

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