CHARLES
SCHWARTZ FOUNDATION PRESENTS
CHORAL MUSIC OF
NICHOLAS WHITE
IN SURE
AND CERTAIN HOPE
THE TIFFANY
CONSORT
and STRING ENSEMBLE
NICHOLAS WHITE
director
WORLD
PREMIERE RECORDINGS
The
music on this CD was performed in concert at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, NYC,
on Monday September 11th, 2006, the fifth anniversary of the attacks
on the United States.
$14.95 ~ MS1164
"Unashamedly beautiful, Nicholas White’s
choral music makes you think about the function of music and how a composer decides on the rightness of its design. Unlike
Rutter’s, White’s music never cloys ... It’s beautifully crafted, the manner of word-setting stemming very much from the English
choral tradition... I think this disc will have enormous attractions for an audience looking
for music that soothes more often than it challenges, while still stimulating the
imagination as it nourishes the spirit. That the performances are so wonderful is a bonus...Throughout most of this new disc, the
Consort is accompanied by an ensemble
comprising a string quartet with double bass. The corporate sound from the small one-to-apart
choir and accompanying strings is
surprisingly lush and refulgent..."
International Record Review ~
June 2007
"White's
Anglican roots are readily apparent here, in gentle music of surpassing beauty
and sacred sincerity...this composer certainly understands the appeal of soaring
melody, lush harmony, and tender sentiment...White singers are consistently
superb...they can perform anything with skill, assurance, gorgeous tone...The
string ensemble also impresses. They're all very nicely recorded, and the
booklet is useful and complete."
American Record Guide ~ July/August 2007
"...a
rich and varied program...[In Sure and Certain Hope is] throughout rewarding to
hear...[Nicholas White's] writing is consistently fresh and imaginative...The
tone, blend, intonation and diction" of the Consort are exemplary...The
strings play with style and, when used, always integrate sympathetically with
the voices. The production by Richard Price is truly admirable."
Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians ~ May / June 2007
"...White
is a talented and tuneful composer...There are many moments of great beauty and
spinal chills on this recording."
Audiophile Audition ~ April 2007
*
* *
In
Sure and Certain Hope was written in 2006, and dedicated to several family
members who died during the last two years. Although the bulk of the musical
material is newly composed, the work also draws on existing compositions written
during the last decade, reworking, and hopefully improving on those pieces to
incorporate them into this larger scale offering. The text is from the prayers,
psalms and scripture passages in the Burial Office, and is framed by the Requiem
aeternam text from the Missa pro defunctis. Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis was
written for the boy choristers of Washington National Cathedral (Douglas Major,
Organist and Choirmaster), where I was Assistant Organist and Choirmaster from
1994-1998. For this recording it is performed as a soprano duet, with the
original organ part arranged for strings. The two spiritual arrangements are the
earliest works on this program. Steal Away was written for the choir of First
United Methodist Church, Lubbock, Texas (Gordon McMillan, Minister of Music),
where I was Guest Artist-in-Residence from 1989-1990; and There is a Balm in
Gilead was written for the Chanters of McMurry University, Abilene, Texas, where
I was Director of Choral Studies from 1992-1994. My setting of the 14th
century hymn Ave verum corpus is dedicated to H. Deane Pierce of Lubbock, Texas,
a longtime member of the Chancel Choir of First United Methodist Church, who
graciously provided accommodation for me during my stay in that fair city. The
Altar was commissioned by Joyce Michelini, in honor of her father Marc, who was
celebrating fifty years as Verger of The Church of the Advent, Boston,
Massachusetts. The piece was premiered by the superb choir of Church of the
Advent, under the direction of Dr. Edith Ho. The second setting of the two
George Herbert poems was commissioned earlier this year by the choir of Christ
Church Cathedral, Cincinnati, Ohio, in honor of their Organist and Choirmaster,
Ernie Hoffmann. Although the pieces were written almost seven years apart from
each other, there are subconscious similarities in the middle sections of each.
Drop Down Ye Heavens, a setting of the Advent Prose, was written for the choir
of St. Michael’s Church, New York City, where I was Organist and Choirmaster
from 1998-2005. So too was Anthems at the Mandatum (The Maundy Thursday Anthem),
and both these pieces were incorporated into appropriate liturgies at St.
Michael’s during those years. A Prayer for Guidance, sometimes known as A
Chorister’s Prayer, was written in honor of Barbara Bruns, Associate Organist
and Choirmaster of St. Michael’s Church, NYC from 2000-2005. The beautiful
hymn of St. Ambrose, Iam sol recedit, was written for the tenth anniversary
reunion concert of the Guest Artists-in-Residence of First United Methodist
Church, Lubbock, Texas. The first performance, given by ten enthusiastic
Englishmen – myself included – whose gifts clearly lay more in the areas of
organ playing and conducting than singing, will go down in the history books.
Nicholas
White
*
* *
Nicholas
White is the founding director of The
Tiffany Consort. Versatile in all styles of music, he currently resides in
Philadelphia, PA, where he is Composer in Residence at Philadelphia Cathedral
and Organist and Choirmaster of All Saints’ Church (Torresdale). White is
increasingly in demand as a composer, receiving regular commissions from choral
groups and churches, with performances taking place worldwide. His music is
published by Hinshaw, Trinitas, Augsburg and Oxford University Press. His
critically acclaimed work, Magnificat, was premiered at the National
Cathedral in 1997, and other commissions include Full Freedom, written
for the annual choral tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in January 2002 at
The Kennedy Center in Washington DC. White was born in London, England, and
received his early musical training as a treble chorister. He held his first
organist and choirmaster position at the age of fifteen, going on to become
organ scholar of Clare College, Cambridge. Since coming to the U.S. in 1989,
Nicholas has held various positions in churches, colleges and schools, including
Washington National Cathedral and St. Michael’s Church, NYC.
The
Tiffany Consort
was founded in 2003
by Nicholas White, bringing together several of New York's finest singers with
the intention of presenting virtuosic choral music from all periods, one voice
to a part. While the core of the ensemble is eight singers - all soloists in
their own right - the number of performers can vary according to the specific
repertoire to be performed. During 2006-2007, Tiffany Consort will perform
concerts in New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. In addition to the
trademark performing style of one voice to a part, the group's main interest
lies in juxtaposing works of Medieval and Renaissance composers with those of
more recent composers. Programs have included compositions by Byrd & Britten,
Palestrina & Scarlatti, Schütz & Brahms, Machaut & Poulenc and
Tallis & Tippett. The first CD by The Tiffany Consort, entitled "O
Magnum Mysterium" (MSR Classics MS1108) was released in the Fall of
2004, and received a 2006 Grammy nomination.
