Vancouver Master Chorale’s upcoming concert – Jubilate!  – March 7 & 8, is a celebration of the joy and power of music in our lives and communities.  Please enjoy reading lyrics and program notes of a few selections from our concert.

Music Down In My Soul

Moses George Hogan

“Music Down in My Soul” is rooted in the African American Spiritual “Over My Head.” It reminds us how music can carry faith, courage, and hope across generations. The arrangement you’ll hear is by Moses George Hogan, a major figure in late twentieth-century choral music. Hogan began as a concert pianist and published over 80 Spiritual arrangements. He is widely credited with establishing Spiritual music in the standard choral repertoire. Hogan also led the New Orleans–based Moses Hogan Chorale and the acclaimed Moses Hogan Singers, ensembles devoted to performing Spirituals with
artistry and depth.
The Spiritual “Over My Head” gained recognition in the 1940s through several recordings. Its role in American history grew during the Civil Rights Movement. For example, at an early meeting of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in Albany, Georgia, activist Bernice Johnson Reagon led attendees in singing. As she sang, “Over my head, I see trouble in the air,” she realized the words should convey hope rather than fear. She then changed the lyric to “Over my head, I see freedom in the air.” Later, she recalled, “By the second line, everyone was singing.”
That moment became a turning point for Bernice. As a result of her activism, she was later suspended from Albany State College. Afterward, she joined the newly formed SNCC Freedom Singers and devoted her life to music as a force for justice and unity.
Reflecting on that time, she said, “Basically, the singing was the ‘bed’ and the ‘air’ of everything.”
In “Music Down in My Soul,” you will hear how a song born in faith, transformed through struggle, and shaped by a master arranger continues to speak — not only of history, but of joy, resilience, and shared humanity.

Jubilate Deo

Dan Forrest

In a time when the world often feels divided, Jubilate Deo offers a rare and hopeful vision of many voices, many cultures, and one shared song of gratitude. Jubilate Deo brings to life the global significance of Psalm 100, a text treasured across faith traditions. While it holds an important place in Christian worship, Psalm 100 is also the Psalm of Thanksgiving recited daily in weekday morning prayers in the Jewish faith. In Islam, it is honored as part of the Zaboor — the divine revelation of psalms given to David. In this work, Forrest sets Psalm 100 in seven languages, drawing from a wide spectrum of musical influences.

Jubilate Deo Musical Highlights
Movement II – Ve Ador vador (“from age to age”)
Sung in both Hebrew and Arabic, this movement highlights verses 4 and 5 of Psalm 100. The two languages are intentionally intertwined, culminating in a moving duet in which the soprano sings in Hebrew while the alto simultaneously sings in Arabic — a reminder that, despite differences of language, geography, and politics, we can still find common ground through shared ideals, music, and even faith.
Movement III – Ta cao chang de yang (“the sheep of his pasture”)
This movement is sung in Mandarin and features an erhu solo, an expressive and beautiful instrument often called the “Chinese violin,” held vertically on the thigh and known for its singing, lyrical tone.
Movement IV – Ngokujabula (“with great rejoicing”)
Set in Zulu, this movement bursts with rhythmic vitality, celebrating the psalm’s message through joyful African-inspired rhythms.

Dr. Forrest is widely recognized as one of the leading American choral composers of our time. Over the past fifteen years, his works have been published and performed widely at choral festivals and in major concert halls around the world and are admired for their lyric beauty, emotional depth, and thoughtful engagement with text.

Throughout the work, Forrest’s deep connection to the human voice is dramatically evident. Reflecting on vocal music, he has said: “…there’s a spirituality inherent in the (voice) instrument because it’s not that you hold the instrument in your hands, you are the instrument and the very breath. The vibrating air column that creates your musical tone is also what keeps you alive at the same time. It’s the breath of life and the breath stream that’s creating music. Those two are just inextricably woven in this mysterious and beautiful way.”

Psalm 100
A psalm. For giving grateful praise.
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
The Holy Bible, New International Version® (NIV)

Celebrate the Place and Day

Lloyd Pfautsch

Pfautsch drew the text for this piece from the chorus of Joseph Addison’s poem A Song for St. Cecilia’s Day at Oxford (1694), a joyful invitation to focus on music as a way to transcend earthly troubles and channel the divine.

A Song for St. Cecilia’s Day at Oxford (excerpt)
Joseph Addison

Consecrate the place and day,
To music and Cecilia
Let no rough winds approach, nor dare
Invade the hallow’d bounds,

Nor rudely shake the tuneful air,
Nor spoil the fleeting sounds
Nor mournful sigh nor groan be heard,
But gladness dwell on every tongue;

Whilst all, with voice and strings prepar’d,
Keep up the loud harmonious song.
And imitate the blest above,
In joy, and harmony, and love.

Who Was St. Cecilia?
St. Cecilia was a young Roman woman of noble birth who lived during a time of intense persecution of Christians. According to early accounts, she remained steadfast in her faith despite extraordinary hardship and ultimately became a martyr. Early literary sources, including The Canterbury Tales, associate St. Cecilia closely with spiritual vision. Her connection to music emerged later, particularly in Renaissance art, where she is often depicted hearing or experiencing heavenly sound. Over time, she became known as the patron saint of music.

The Composer Behind the Music
Lloyd Pfautsch was a prolific composer and highly respected choral conductor who published nearly 300 works. He was also a pioneer in the use of video for teaching choral conducting, influencing generations of musicians and educators.

I Am The Rose of Sharon

William Billings

Imagine walking into a church or meeting hall in Boston during the Revolutionary War. You might well have heard people earnestly singing a song by William Billings, in four- part harmony.

William Billings (1746-1800) is widely regarded as the first American choral composer, though he had little formal education and made his living as a tanner. Billing wrote simple music for Bostonians who gathered to sing a cappella — no need for a fancy orchestral accompaniment. Church music had become slow and doleful, but Billings’ songs were lively.

Billings was friends with Paul Revere and John Adams and during the American Revolution, and wrote several popular songs for the patriots’ cause. His tune “Chester” became a popular rallying cry during the Revolution. “I Am the Rose of Sharon” is a poetic description of beauty and love. In the Song of Solomon, the bride refers to herself as the “rose of Sharon,” which is a fertile plain in what is now central Israel.

Billings’ work was very popular in its heyday, though his career diminished and he died in poverty at the age of 53. But recently, his works have been rediscovered and are often sung today.