Dona Nobis Pacem
by John Hoffacker
"Dona Nobis Pacem" was performed on April 17 & 18, 2004

Virtuosity is stunning. A seemingly superhuman power is unleashed in human performance. You will feel this power in our April concert.

Dixit Dominus is Handel’s description of the majesty of God. The year was 1707. Newly arrived in Rome, Handel was dazzled by the fantastic Baroque architecture and sculptures of St. Peter’s Basilica. He also found the Roman orchestras and choruses amazingly skillful. In response, he wrote a breathtaking eight-movement setting of Psalm 110 for soloists, chorus, and string orchestra. Yes, the music takes a lot of preparation to perform well, but Handel’s choral music is never empty.

The sweep, the power, and the rich personal meaning of the text is conveyed in his cantata. When it refers to the enemy as a footstool, the music leaps in confident thrusts. “Leaving him in ruins” calls for a cascade of notes ending in silence. A perfect wedding of text and music, Dixit Dominus is virtuoso choral music at its most glorious.

Ralph Vaughan Williams took on the same challenge – setting powerful poetry with intensely expressive music – with a virtuosic compositional skill perhaps unmatched in the 20th century.

His sources were the Civil War poetry of Walt Whitman, a speech by British parliamentarian John Bright, and the Bible. Overarching all the poetry is the ancient prayer “Dona nobis pacem” – “Give us peace,” sung at the beginning and at the end by a lone soprano voice.

Honoring the sacrifice of all who fight for a cause and yet holding up their common humanity, Vaughan Williams depicts war’s tumult and its effects on families. The music is at times martial, at times serene, and always expressive not only of the text of the moment but of the overall dramatic sense of the poetry.

Come to our concerts on April 17 and 18. The music will change you.