Program
Corde Natus ex Parentis – Sanctus trope (11th c.); adapt. Piae Cantiones (1582)
Divinum mysterium – arr. Wilbur Held (1914–2015)
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Ecce annuntio vobis (1642) – Chiara Margarita Cozzolani (1602–1678)
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Natus est Jesus (1651) – Philipp Friedrich Böddecker (1607–1683)
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Hear the Song Begin – Dominick DiOrio (b. 1984)
world-premiere performance
Commissioned by the Emmanuel Commissioning Project
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O Magnum Mysterium – Nicholas White (b. 1967)
Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day – Nicholas White (b. 1967)
these two carols presented for the first time in new arrangement, with thanks to Nicholas White
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Gesù Bambino – Pietro Yon (1886–1943)
Texts & Translations
Corde Natus ex Parentis
a hymn by Prudentius (4th-5th c.)
Corde natus ex Parentis
Ante mundi exordium
Alpha et Omega vocatus,
ipse fons et clausula
omnium quae sunt, fuerunt,
quaeque post futura sunt.
Saeculorum saeculis.
Corporis formam caduci,
membra morti obnoxia
induit, ne gens periret
primoplasti ex germine,
merserat quem lex profundo
noxialis tartaro.
Saeculorum saeculis.
O beatus ortus ille,
Virgo cum puerpera
edidit nostrum salutem,
feta Sancto Spiritu,
et puer redemptor orbis
os sacrum protulit.
Saeculorum saeculis.
Of the Father’s Love Begotten
translated by John Mason Neale (1818–1866)
Of the Father’s love begotten,
ere the worlds began to be,
he is Alpha and Omega,
he, the source, the ending he,
of the things that are, that have been,
and that future years shall see,
evermore and evermore!
He is found in human fashion,
death and sorrow here to know,
that the race of Adam’s children
doomed by law to endless woe,
may not henceforth die and perish
in the dreadful gulf below,
From generation to generation.
O that birth forever blessed,
when the Virgin, full of grace,
by the Holy Ghost conceiving,
bore the Savior of our race;
and the Babe, the world’s Redeemer,
first revealed his sacred face,
evermore and evermore!
Ecce annuntio vobis
Ecce annuntio vobis gaudium magnum; quia natus est nobis hodie Salvator mundi, qui est Christus.
Ecce natus est nobis hodie angelus consilii, ecce natus est nobis hodie pater futuri sæculi, ecce natus est nobis hodie princeps pacis, qui est Christus. Alleluia.
Audite, quia facta est multitudo cælestis exercitus laudantium et dicentium gloriam parvulo, qui est Christus.
Videte, quia pastores currunt venerari natum de virgine, qui est Christus.
Venite ergo, venite gentes, adoremus infantem pannis involutum et positum in præsepio, adoremus infantem, qui est Christus.
Venite gentes mecum, properate, et vestris suspiriis calefacite membra tenella pueri, qui est Christus. Alleluia.
Behold, I announce to you
translation by Jennifer Ellis Kampani
Behold, I announce to you a great joy; for to us is born today the Savior of the world, Who is Christ.
Behold, born to us today is the angel of counsel, behold, born to us today is the father of the world to come, behold, born to us today is the Prince of Peace, Who is Christ. Alleluia.
Listen, for there was a multitude of the heavenly host, praising and saying, “Glory to the infant, Who is Christ.”
See how the shepherds run to adore the virgin’s child, Who is Christ.
So come, you peoples, let us adore the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in the manger, let us adore the infant, Who is Christ.
So come, you peoples, with me, hurry, and with your breath warm the delicate limbs of the baby boy, Who is Christ. Alleluia.
Natus est Jesus
Natus est Jesus,
natus est Deus.
Natus est salvator noster. Venite laeti.
Joseph lieber Joseph mein,
bring mir her die Windelein,
dass ich’s Kindlein lege drein,
und fein sanft es schlafe ein.
Venite omnes,
Portate munera
Offerte laudes,
Venite dico
Venite omnes,
Et cum laetitia cantate.
Joseph, trag das Kindelein
bis ich mach das Bettelein,
Küss und herz das Jesulein,
eia.
O altitudo
O dulcis virgo,
O pulchra Mater
Tu peperisti splendorem nostrum.
Joseph, gib das Kindelein,
dass ich’s leg in das Krippelein.
Nun schlaf mein liebes Kindelein,
Gott der will dein Vater sein, eia.
O Jesu parvule,
Jesu dulcissime,
Laude dignissime,
Rex gloriosissime,
Da nos laudemus te
et cantemus in aeternum. Alleluja.
Jesus is Born
Jesus is born,
God is born.
Our saviour is born. Come and rejoice.
Joseph my dearest
Bring me swaddling
Where I can lay the child
And put it gently to sleep.
Let everyone come,
Bring gifts
Offer praises,
Come, I say unto you
Come
And sing with joy.
Joseph, hold the child
Until I have made his little bed
Kiss and cradle little Jesus,
behold.
O most high,
Gentle virgin
O beauteous mother
You have given birth to him who shines on us.
Joseph, give me the little child,
That I may lay him in the cradle.
Sleep now dear little child,
For you are the son of God, behold.
Little Jesus,
Most gentle Jesus,
Most worthy to be praised,
Most glorious king.
Let us praise thee
And sing for ever. Alleluja.
Hear the Song Begin
“A Christmas Carol” by Sara Teasdale (1884–1933)
The kings they came from out the south,
All dressed in ermine fine;
They bore Him gold and chrysoprase,
And gifts of precious wine.
The shepherds came from out the north,
Their coats were brown and old;
They brought Him little new-born lambs—
They had not any gold.
The wise men came from out the east,
And they were wrapped in white;
The star that led them all the way
Did glorify the night.
The angels came from heaven high,
And they were clad with wings;
And lo, they brought a joyful song
The host of heaven sings.
The kings they knocked upon the door,
The wise men entered in,
The shepherds followed after them
To hear the song begin.
The angels sang through all the night
Until the rising sun,
But little Jesus fell asleep
Before the song was done.
O Great Mystery
O great mystery,
and wonderful sacrament,
that animals should see the newborn Lord,
lying in a manger!
Blessed is the virgin whose womb
was worthy to bear
the Lord, Jesus Christ.
Alleluia!
O Magnum Mysterium
O magnum mysterium,
et admirabile sacramentum,
ut animalia viderent Dominum natum,
iacentem in praesepio!
Beata Virgo, cujus viscera
meruerunt portare
Dominum Iesum Christum.
Alleluia!
Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day
Tomorrow shall be my dancing day;
I would my true love did so chance
To see the legend of my play,
To call my true love to my dance;
Sing, oh! my love, oh! my love, my love, my love,
This have I done for my true love.
Then was I born of a virgin pure,
Of her I took fleshly substance
Thus was I knit to man's nature
To call my true love to my dance.
In a manger laid, and wrapped I was
So very poor, this was my chance
Betwixt an ox and a silly poor ass
To call my true love to my dance.
The Infant Jesus
When blossoms flowered 'mid the snows
Upon a winter night,
Was born the Child, the Christmas Rose,
The King of Love and Light.
The angels sang, the shepherds sang,
The grateful earth rejoiced;
And at His blessed birth the stars
Their exultation voiced.
O come let us adore Him,
O come let us adore Him,
O come let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
Again the heart with rapture glows
To greet the holy night,
That gave the world its Christmas Rose,
Its King of Love and Light.
Let ev'ry voice acclaim His name,
The grateful chorus swell.
From paradise to earth He came
That we with Him might dwell.
O come let us adore Him,
O come let us adore Him,
O come let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
Gesù Bambino
Nell'umile capanna
nel freddo e povertà
è nato il Santo pargolo
che il mondo adorerà.
Osanna, osanna cantano
con giubilante cor
i tuoi pastori ed angeli
o re di luce e amor.
Venite adoremus
venite adoremus
venite adoremus
Dominum.
O bel bambin non piangere
non piangere, Redentor!
la mamma tua cullandoti
ti bacia, O Salvator.
Osanna, osanna cantano
con giubilante cor
i tuoi pastori ed angeli
o re di luce e amor.
Venite adoremus
venite adoremus
venite adoremus
Dominum.
About the Artists
Jolle Greenleaf
Soprano Jolle Greenleaf is one of today’s foremost figures in the field of early music. Balancing a career as a leading soloist and an innovative impressaria, she is in great demand as a guest artist and instructor, and she serves as artistic director of the New York City-based early music ensemble TENET Vocal Artists.
Originally from California, Ms. Greenleaf attended the University of California at Santa Barbara before moving to New York City and completing a Masters in Music at Mannes College of Music. She lived abroad in Amsterdam and studied at the Royal Conservatory in the Hague, the Netherlands before returning to New York City to launch a career devoted to solo and small ensemble singing.
Ms. Greenleaf has been hailed by The New York Times as a “golden soprano” and “a major force in the New York early music-scene.” She is a celebrated interpreter of the music of Bach, Buxtehude, Handel, Purcell and, most notably, Claudio Monteverdi. Her “crisp, sensuous voice” (The New Yorker) has been praised for its “purity and beguiling naturalness” (The Oregonian) and “intriguing beauty” (The Boston Globe) .
“A treasured staple in New York,” Ms. Greenleaf was named the artistic director of TENET Vocal Artists in 2009, where she sings and directs the ensemble in repertoire spanning the Middle Ages to the present day. Her flair for imaginative programming has been lauded by The New York Times as “adventurous and expressive,” as well as “smart, varied and not entirely early.” She spearheaded TENET’s Green Mountain Project, whose annual performances of Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 from 2010-2020 were universally acclaimed. She appears with TENET Vocal Artists at distinguished New York City venues including Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York’s Society for Ethical Culture, Columbia University’s Italian Academy, and St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue.
Ms. Greenleaf has performed as a soloist in venues throughout the U.S., Scandinavia, Europe, and Central America for important presenters including Vancouver Early Music Festival, Denmark’s Vendsyssel Festival, Costa Rica International Music Festival, Puerto Rico’s Festival Casals, Utrecht Festival, at Panama’s National Theater, and San Cristobal, the Cathedral in Havana, Cuba.
Christian Lane
Winner of the 2011 Canadian International Organ Competition and director of Boston Organ Studio, Christian Lane is one of North America’s most accomplished, respected and dynamic concert organists and teachers. Noted for his "gratifying musical maturity, demonstrated through playing that is suave, elegant, and exciting (The American Organist),” he is a frequent recitalist in North America, Europe, and Asia. As founding director of Boston Organ Studio, Christian Lane cultivates the largest private organ studio in the United States. In doing so, he teaches students from all of Boston’s major universities — including Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology — and leads them in group learning experiences, including annual international study tours. A proponent of new music, he has commissioned and premiered many new works for organ, including significant contributions to the repertoire by Nico Muhly, Carson Cooman, and Graham Gordon Ramsay. Committed to supporting his profession, Mr. Lane has served in several leadership roles within the American Guild of Organists, most notably as national vice-president from 2014–16. Christian Lane holds degrees from Yale University and the Eastman School of Music, and has served in many notable positions, including at Harvard University and Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue (New York). In 2018–19, he served as Visiting Professor of Organ at McGill University in Montréal, Canada. Mr. Lane currently serves as Interim Director of Music at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Baltimore and is represented by Karen McFarlane Artists, Inc. For more information, please visit: www.ChristianLane.com and www.BostonOrganStudio.com