Music Notes for All Souls’, November 6, 2025

Music for All Souls’

 

The Requiem of Gabriel Fauré was written in the late 1880s, while Fauré was still assistant organist and choirmaster at L’Église de la Madeleine in Paris. It followed the deaths of both of Fauré’s parents in 1885 and 1887, though it does not appear to have been specifically written for them; he himself spoke of having written “for the pleasure of it.”

Fauré was by nature an agnostic, rather than a faithful Catholic – but it is telling that he returned to the Requiem again and again through his life – editing, improving, changing instrumentations. He chose the texts that appealed to him, the ones that reflected rest and peace, and unlike other Requiem settings that emphasized the Day of Judgement, his one reference to “Dies irae” is a passing section within a “Libera me” that conveys calm certainty.

In the music for this evening’s service we are joined by some members of Richmond Chorus, with Isaac Howie (organ), Miya Otake (harp) and Sarah Westwick (violin). The soloists are our own Tiffany Vrioni-Das (soprano) and Alex Gowans (baritone)

The chorale-prelude, O Mensch, bewein’, sets a Lutheran hymn tune that Bach later returned to in both his St. Matthew Passion and St. John Passion. The quiet postlude In Paradisum is based on the traditional Gregorian chant, and was composed by Daniel-Lesur (1908-2002), who was a contemporary of Messaien, with whom he co-founded the group La Jeune France, attempting to re-establish a more human and less abstract form of composition.

Brigid Coult

Commemoration of All Souls takes place at St. James’ Anglican Church, Vancouver at 6:30 pm.

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Music Notes for Sunday, November 2, 2025

Music for All Saints’ Sunday

 

Since we are going to indulge in the rich romanticism of Gabriel Faure’s Requiem for the All Souls Day service next Thursday, I chose a dramatic style alternative for our Mass setting this morning. Tomas Luis da Victoria (1548-1611) is acclaimed as one of the giants of Renaissance church music (the other two being Lassus and Palestrina).

Victoria was influenced by the work of his older contemporaries. He was a choirboy in Avila cathedral, and after graduating, travelled to Italy where he held various positions in Rome and was ordained priest. He returned to Spain in 1587, spending the rest of his life as organist and composer under the sponsorship of the Spanish royal family.

His motet O Quam Gloriosum was published in 1572. It is a brief expression of the composer’s talent for drama – albeit pure and appropriately restrained – in the setting of a text for use on All Saints Sunday. The material for this motet was recast as a parody mass of the same title.

The opening chord progression depicts the joyful mystery of transfiguration into the afterlife.  A rather literal and vivid use of text painting is employed on the word sequuntur (“they follow”), as the vocal entries imitate each other in succession, like lambs. The comforting imitation continues as the Saints are led to their eternal home.

Paul wrote the Toccata on SINE NOMINE for Susan in 1983 when she was director of music at St. Philip’s Anglican Church in Dunbar. Paul is retired now and was an architect, artist and amateur composer, singer, pianist and organist.

Brigid Coult

 

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