Unger M.P. Historical Dictionary of Choral Music

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Success came with the 1944 premiere of A Child of Our Time, an

oratorio for S, A, T, B, chorus, and orch. (1941), which makes ref-

erence to Johann Sebastian Bach’s Passions with spirituals used

in the manner of chorales. The work (whose libretto was written

by the composer) was prompted by the assassination of the German

diplomat Ernst vom Rath, which led to the Nazi pogrom of 9 Novem-

ber 1938 (“Krystalnacht”); it explores the Jungian theme of finding

wholeness through a self-awareness that recognizes and balances

the opposing qualities of light and darkness found in every human

personality.

In the 1960s Tippett adopted a more modernist musical style, char-

acterized by concision, forceful expression, and dialectical juxtaposi-

tion of material instead of developmental growth. While influenced

by Igor Stravinsky, his new orientation did not preclude subjectiv-

ism (or directionality), as is evident in The Vision of St. Augustine,

for Bar., chorus, and orch. (1965); and in The Mask of Time (1982),

for S, Mez., T, Bar., chorus, and orch. (1982)—both narratives of the

human condition.

Among some one-and-a-half dozen other choral works are Two

Madrigals, for unaccompanied mixed chorus (1942); Plebs angelica,

a motet for eight-part, unaccompanied choir (1944); The Weeping

Babe, a motet for S and mixed chorus (1944); Magnificat and Nunc

Dimittis, for mixed chorus and org. (1961); and The Shires Suite, for

chorus and orch. (1970).

TOMKINS, THOMAS (BORN 1572; BURIED 9 JUNE 1656). Eng-

lish composer. He studied with William Byrd and worked at Worces-

ter Cathedral (1596–1646) and the Chapel Royal (from c. 1620).

Much of his music survives in a posthumous collection entitled Musica

Deo Sacra, published in 1668 by his son, Nathaniel. Included are 5

services (morning and evening canticles), more than 90 anthems, and

other service music. Of the anthems, about half are of the verse type,

with prominent and occasionally complex organ accompaniments. Of

the services, the third, fourth, and fifth are extended verse services. The

third service is the most extended of them all, and it expands, at times,

to 10 independent parts.

All of Tomkins’s works are conceived polyphonically, their con-

servative style evidently influenced by the composer’s reverence for

Byrd. Noteworthy are the sure handling of texture and structure, and

442 • TOMKINS, THOMAS

the frequent emergence of cross relations. Conservatism is espe-

cially evident in the madrigals (which number more than two dozen,

almost all of them surviving in a 1622 collection entitled Songs of 3.

4. 5. and 6. Parts), for they make no use of the newer Italian idioms.

Examples include the popular See, See the Shepherd’s Queen and his

contribution to Thomas Morley’s The Triumphes of Oriana (1601),

The Fauns and Satyrs Tripping.

TONE-PAINTING. See WORD-PAINTING.

TORMIS, VELJO (7 AUGUST 1930– ). Estonian composer, known

for his choral works. He trained at the Tallinn and Moscow conser-

vatories, then taught at the Tallinn Music School (1955–60) and the

Tallinn Music High School (1962–66). From 1969 he devoted him-

self exclusively to composition.

During the Soviet years in Estonia (1944–91), amateur choral sing-

ing (reinforced by gigantic national song festivals held every five

years) helped the country maintain a national identity in the face of

Russian cultural imperialism. Tormis’s music played an important

role in this struggle. Characterized by dissonant harmonies and vigor-

ous rhythms, it is firmly rooted in Estonian folk idioms.

Tormis devoted himself especially to choral music, producing hun-

dreds of works, most of them for unaccompanied choir. Among his

choral compositions are partsong cycles, such as Eesti kalendrilau-

lud [Estonian Calendar Songs] (1967); and more than 20 cantatas,

including Kalevipoeg [The Son of Kalev], for T, Bar., SSAATTBB,

and orch. (1959); and Päike, maa ja meri [Sun, Earth, and Sea], for

S, SATB, double chorus, and orch. (1970). The most frequently per-

formed pieces are perhaps Maarjamaa ballaad [The Ballad of Mary’s

Land], for TTTTTTBBBB (1969); and Raua needmine [Curse upon

Iron], for T, B, SSSSAAAATTTTBBBB, and shaman drum (1972,

rev. 1991). His works have been promoted especially by the Estonian

Philharmonic Chamber Choir under Tõnu Kaljuste.

TRECENTO. 14th century in Italy. See ITALIAN TRECENTO.

TRIUMPHES OF ORIANA. A collection of madrigals by 23 com-

posers, apparently intended to honor Queen Elizabeth I, published

in 1601 by Thomas Morley. Each piece ends with the words “Long

live fair Oriana,” following a pattern established in the Italian collec-

tion Il trionfo di Dori (1592).

TRIUMPHES OF ORIANA • 443

TROMBONCINO, BARTOLOMEO (1470–AFTER 1534). Italian

composer and court musician, active in Mantua (until 1489), Flor-

ence, Ferrara, and Venice. With Marchetto Cara he is remembered

mainly for his frottole, of which some 170 survive. His extant

sacred works include an alternatim motet setting of the canticle

of Zechariah, a set of Lamentations, and 17 laude (9 Italian and 8

Latin ones).

TSCHESNOKOFF, PAVEL. See CHESNOKOV, PAVEL.

TUDWAY, THOMAS (C. 1650–23 NOVEMBER 1726). English

composer and organist. He was conscripted as a child into the Cha-

pel Royal, where he served with John Blow, Pelham Humfrey,

William Turner, and Michael Wise, under Henry Cooke. In 1670,

after leaving the court, he became organist at King’s College, Cam-

bridge, where he was also the Master of the Choristers until 1680,

and later appointed a professor of music. He is known chiefly for

his six-volume anthology of cathedral music, representing a range

of composers from Christopher Tye to George Frideric Handel.

Tudway’s own compositions include over 20 verse anthems (4

with orchestral accompaniment), some services, a few secular songs

(among them, catches), and a birthday ode for Queen Anne, whom

he had offended with punning words, resulting in a suspension from

his university duties for some months in 1706 and 1707.

TUNDER, FRANZ (1614–5 NOVEMBER 1667). German organist

and composer. He served as court organist in Gottorf (1632), and

at the Marienkirche in Lübeck (1641 until his death, when he was

succeeded by his son-in-law, Dietrich Buxtehude). His surviving

vocal compositions include 7 Latin works for one or more voices

with string accompaniment (at least one of them an arrangement of a

motet by an Italian composer), and 10 German works for one to six

voices with string accompaniment, which could be called cantatas,

although they are not yet of the new type that included recitatives

and operatic arias. Six of them are chorale-based. Tunder was in-

strumental in instituting the Abendmusik concerts so famous during

Buxtehude’s time.

TURNER, WILLIAM (1651–13 JANUARY 1740). English com-

poser and singer. He served in the Chapel Royal for most of his life,

first as boy chorister, then from 1669 as a countertenor. He concur-

444 • TROMBONCINO, BARTOLOMEO

rently served at St. Paul’s Cathedral (from 1687) and Westminster

Abbey (from 1699). From 1672 he served as a member of the King’s

Private Musick. His surviving compositions include more than 40

anthems (three-quarters of which are unaccompanied), 3 odes, a

motet, 3 services, and a few hymns and chants.

TURTLE CREEK CHORALE. An American male chorus of over

200 singers in Dallas, Texas. It has attracted a wide audience with

polished performances and recordings of accessible repertoire. A

member of GALA, it promotes the support of the gay community.

TUSKEGEE CHOIR. See DAWSON, WILLIAM.

TYE, CHRISTOPHER (C. 1505–BEFORE 15 MARCH 1573).

English church musician and composer. In 1537 he was appointed a

lay clerk at King’s College, Cambridge, having completed a bach-

elor of music degree there a year earlier. From 1543 to 1561 he was

choirmaster at Ely Cathedral. In 1545 he received the Mus.D. from

the University of Cambridge. He was apparently associated with the

Chapel Royal and evidently a friend of Edward VI.

Tye’s music (like that of Thomas Tallis and John Sheppard)

spans the turbulent religious transitions of his time. Among some

one dozen Latin works that survive complete are the four-voice Mass

Western Wind, the six-voice Mass Euge bone, and motets, which

include the psalm settings Omnes gentes, plaudite (Psalm 46) and

Miserere mei, Deus (Psalm 56), both for five voices. His English

works include some 15 complete anthems for four or five voices,

ranging widely in style and scale. Another publication, The Actes of

the Apostles (1553), sets his own metrical paraphrase of the biblical

book of the same name. Dedicated to Prince Edward (later Edward

VI), it may have been intended for private use. His Evening Service

is derived from (or composed by) Osbert Parsley.

– U –

UNITED STATES AIR FORCE SINGING SERGEANTS. See

SINGING SERGEANTS.

UNITED STATES ARMY CHORUS. An all male, professional

chorus. Established in 1956 as the vocal counterpart to the United

UNITED STATES ARMY CHORUS • 445

States Army Band, “Pershing’s Own,” the choir of some 28 members

performs a diverse repertoire at events hosted by the State Depart-

ment and Department of Defense, as well as at other ceremonial state

occasions.

UNITED STATES NAVY CHORUS (THE UNITED STATES

NAVY BAND “SEA CHANTERS” CHORUS). Official chorus of

the United States Navy. Formed in 1956 to complement the United

States Navy Band, the chorus was originally an all-male ensemble,

charged with perpetuating songs of the sea. In 1980 women were

added to their number, and the choir’s repertoire was expanded. In

addition to appearing at ceremonial state occasions, they promote the

heritage and tradition of the United States Navy in a wide variety of

concert venues.

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN GLEE CLUB. American colle-

giate male chorus. Founded in 1859, it draws members from a wide

range of academic disciplines at the university. The choir performs

a diverse repertoire, collaborating with other university choirs and

touring annually; the Friars, an eight-member vocal ensemble from

within the group, maintains an even more ambitious performing

schedule. Conductors who have had a particularly significant impact

on the choir’s development include Philip Duey (1947–69) and Jerry

Blackstone (1988–2002). Since 2005 the choir has been directed by

Paul Rardin.

– V –

VANCOUVER CHAMBER CHOIR. Canadian choir, based in Van-

couver. The 20-member professional choir was established in 1971

by Jon Washburn, who serves as artistic and executive director. It

is known for its eclectic repertoire (which includes many new com-

missioned works), partnerships with critically acclaimed artists, and

innovative educational programs (among which is the National Con-

ductors’ Symposium for advanced choral conductors).

VARÈSE, EDGAR (22 DECEMBER 1883–6 NOVEMBER 1965).

American composer of French birth. He spent his boyhood in Paris,

Burgundy, and Turin, then lived in Paris and Berlin. In 1915 he

446 • UNITED STATES NAVY CHORUS

emigrated to the United States, settling in New York. To promote

new music he successively founded the International Composers’

Guild (1921–27) and the Pan American Association of Composers

(1928–34), associations that organized performances of music by

Béla Bartók, Alban Berg, Carlos Chávez, Charles Ives, Francis

Poulenc, Maurice Ravel, Arnold Schoenberg, Anton Webern, and

others. A futurist enamored with the promise of science, he pioneered

innovative techniques of sound production, exploring timbres that

blur the distinction between music and noise. His works are disso-

nant, rhythmically asymmetrical, and nonthematic. Simultaneously

holding a lifelong interest in the distant past, he cultivated early mu-

sic in his intermittent involvements as a choral conductor.

Although highly influential, Varèse left only a dozen complete

compositions—unfortunately, works written before his emigration

were lost in a fire. Among extant works are three choral pieces: Ecu-

atorial (on a Mayan tribal incantation), for B (solo or unison chorus),

8 brass, pf., org., 2 ondes martenots, and 6 perc. (1934); Etude pour

Espace, for chorus, 2 pf., and perc. (1947); and the unfinished Noc-

turnal (with a text comprising phrases from Anaïs Nin’s The House

of Incest and meaningless syllables by the composer), for S, B cho-

rus, and small orch. (1961, completed from notes and sketches by

Choun Wen-Chung, 1973).

VASKS, PE

–

TERIS (16 APRIL 1946– ). Latvian composer. Known es-

pecially for his programmatic instrumental music, he has also written

some two dozen choral works, almost all unaccompanied. Many are

on themes of nature. Since the end of Communist rule, he has turned

increasingly to sacred texts, using a minimalist style akin to that of

Henryk Górecki. Works include the Pater noster, for chorus and

opt. str. (1991, 1995); Dona nobis pacem, for SATB and str. (1996;

arr. SATB and org., 1997; SATB, 7 insts., 1997); and a mass for

eight-part mixed chorus (2000).

VAUGHAN WILLIAMS, RALPH (12 OCTOBER 1872–26 AU-

GUST 1958). English composer, conductor, writer, and teacher, who

played a key role in the 20th-century revival of English music. He

studied at the Royal College of Music (RCM) with Hubert Parry

(from 1890), then at Trinity College, Cambridge, with Charles

Wood (from 1892), and again at the Royal College of Music with

Charles Villiers Stanford (from 1895), during which time he began

VAUGHAN WILLIAMS, RALPH • 447

a lifelong friendship with Gustav Holst. In 1897 he visited Berlin,

where he took lessons with Max Bruch, and in 1908 he studied for

three months with Maurice Ravel in Paris.

Throughout, Vaughan Williams wrote choral music. During the

early 1900s he collected and arranged English folksongs for publica-

tion and edited The English Hymnal (1906). He gained professional

recognition with Toward the Unknown Region, for chorus and orch.

(1906), and established his reputation in England with A Sea Sym-

phony (like the former work, on a Walt Whitman text), for S, Bar.,

SATB, and orch. (1909, last rev. 1923). Other well-known choral

works from this time are Five Mystical Songs, for Bar., SATB, and

orch. (1911); Fantasia on Christmas Carols, for Bar., SATB, and

orch. (1912); and Five English Folksongs, elaborately set for unac-

companied chorus (1913).

In 1919 he became a teacher at the RCM, and soon thereafter be-

gan conducting the Bach Choir (1920–28). More works for chorus

followed, including the unaccompanied Mass in G minor (1921)

and Flos campi, a wordless suite for solo viola, small SATB cho-

rus, and small orch. (1925). Subsequent choral works include Five

Tudor Portraits, a choral suite for A/Mez., Bar., SATB, and orch.

(1935); the cantata Dona nobis pacem, for S, Bar., SATB, and orch.

(1936)—a work in which he reused his earlier setting of Whitman’s

“Dirge for Two Veterans” and combined Latin and biblical texts

with English ones to create an antiwar statement that foreshadowed

Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem; Serenade to Music (on a passage

from William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice), originally

for 16 soloists and orch. (1938); Fantasia on the Old 104th, for

pf., SATB, and orch. (1949); Three Shakespeare Songs (1951); and

Hodie, a Christmas cantata for S, T, Bar., SATB, boys’ chorus, and

orch. (1954).

In all, Vaughan Williams wrote more than 40 works for chorus

and orchestra, over a dozen works with piano or organ accompani-

ment, approximately two dozen unaccompanied works, and some

30 arrangements of folksongs; not to mention many hymn tunes

and carols for common use. Described as a “cheerful agnostic,” he

nevertheless wrote significant sacred works. In addition to the Mass

in G, he wrote service music, psalm settings (among them, O Clap

Your Hands, for mixed chorus, brass, and org. [1920]), and other

motets and anthems. His influence on English music can hardly be

448 • VAUGHAN WILLIAMS, RALPH

overstated. Drawing inspiration from folksong and vocal music of

the English Renaissance, he forged a style that was quintessentially

English, while highly personal. Characterized by pastoral lyricism,

modally inflected harmonies, and contrapuntal textures, it was

criticized as old-fashioned by some modernists, while continuing to

appeal widely to performers and audiences.

VECCHI, ORAZIO (BAPTIZED 6 DECEMBER 1550; DIED 19

FEBRUARY 1605). Italian composer. He served as maestro di cap-

pella at Modena Cathedral (1584–86 and 1593–1605), and from 1598

also as director of music at the Este court. In his own day he was best

known for six published volumes of canzonettas (for three, four, and

six voices)—almost all of them strophic works, their homophonic tex-

tures occasionally enlivened with simple imitative passages. Other ma-

jor secular publications, encompassing diverse styles and forms, include

Selva di varia ricreatione, for three to 10 voices, some with lute (1590);

his best-known work, the madrigal comedy L’Amfiparnaso, comedia

harmonica, for five voices (1597), which features nine characters, each

speaking a different dialect; Il convito musicale, for three to eight voices

(1597); and Le veglie di Siena (1604). He also published two books of

madrigals (1583 and 1589, for six and five voices, respectively). His

Dialoghi da cantarsi et concertarsi con ogni sorte di stromenti, for

seven and eight voices, was published posthumously in 1608.

Vecchi’s church music comprises masses (for six and eight

voices), a Magnificat (for five voices), three volumes of motets

(for four to 10 voices), as well as one volume of Lamentations and

one of hymns (both for four voices). These works demonstrate his

mastery of a wide array of styles and techniques, including imitative

polyphony (with homophonic passages providing contrast), cantus

firmus structures, polychoral writing, and fauxbourdon, often pro-

ducing vivid portrayals of their texts.

VENITE. In the Anglican rite, a canticle (Psalm 95 [94 in Vulgate])

sung or chanted in English) at Matins; in the Roman rite, the opening

chant of Matins. It derives its name from the first word of the Latin

text. See also DIVINE OFFICE.

VERDELOT, PHILIPPE (BORN C. 1480–85; DIED ?1530–32,

BEFORE 1552). French-born composer. Though little is known of

his life, his works were evidently widely appreciated, many of them

VERDELOT, PHILIPPE • 449

appearing in parodies by other composers. He probably spent much

of his career in Italy. From 1521 he was in Florence, where he served

as maestro di cappella at the cathedral from 1523.

He was a key figure in the development of the madrigal. Of more

than 130 madrigals securely attributed to him, most are for four

voices, though some 35 call for five voices, and 19 are for six voices.

They employ chordal writing or imitative (even florid) counterpoint,

in equal measure, sometimes mixing the two styles. Of four surviv-

ing chansons, one is fragmentary, another simply adds a fifth voice

part to Janequin’s La guerre. Also surviving are two extant masses

(both based on Jean Richafort’s motet Philomena praevia) and a

Magnificat, all for four voices. Of some 50 motets, about half are for

four voices, the rest for five to eight voices).

VERDI, GIUSEPPE (9/10 OCTOBER 1813–27 JANUARY 1901).

Foremost Italian composer of opera in the 19th century; his most fa-

mous works include Rigoletto (1851), Il trovatore (1853), La traviata

(1853), Un ballo in maschera (1859), La forza del destino (1862)

Don Carlos (1867), Aida (1871), Otello (1887), and Falstaff (1893).

In these and other operas, he demonstrated an ability to enhance the

dramatic value of the genre (especially with respect to the charac-

terization of individuals), while retaining the primacy of beautiful

vocal lines.

Verdi’s most famous choral work is a Requiem, for S, A, T, B,

mixed voices, and orch. (1874), written during a fallow period in his

operatic career, and originating as an expression of his ardent nation-

alism. A few years earlier, he had invited 12 of his country’s most

distinguished composers to join him in writing a composite Requiem

in honor of Gioacchino Rossini, who had just died. In a broader

sense, the work was meant to honor Italy’s great musical heritage

and resist a growing fascination in Italy with Germanic “symphonic”

trends. Though the Messa per Rossini was completed, plans for its

premiere (to be held on the first anniversary of Rossini’s death, 13

November 1869) fell through.

Accordingly, when the Italian patriot and poet Alessandro Manzoni

died in 1873, Verdi renewed his plans to create a nationalist work by

composing a requiem in his honor. Incorporating his contribution to

the Rossini project (the “Libera me”), he completed the work in time

for its premier on 22 May 1874—one year to the day after Manzoni’s

450 • VERDI, GIUSEPPE

death. It was an immediate success, and during 1874 and 1875 the

composer himself conducted performances of it in Paris, Vienna,

and London. Although theatrical, the work is not entirely operatic

in style, for its many choral movements rely more on contrapuntal

writing than their operatic counterparts do.

This emphasis on counterpoint and wordpainting—evidently a

celebration of Italy’s glorious musical heritage—is evident also in

Verdi’s subsequent choral works: Pater noster, for SSATB (1880),

and four works that Verdi grouped together for publication in 1898

under the title Quattro pezzi sacri: Ave Maria (SATB), Laudi alla

Vergine Maria (for S, S, A, A), Te Deum (SATB, SATB, and orch.),

and Stabat mater (SATB and orch.). Choral works written earlier in

his career include Messa di Gloria, for S, A, T, B, mixed vv., and

orch. (1834); Inno popolare, for TTB and pf. (1848); and Inno delle

nazioni, for solo v., mixed vv., and orch. (1862).

Since Verdi included many choruses and ensemble movements in

his operas, it is not surprising that some of them have gained a firm

place in the choral repertory. Of these the most famous are undoubt-

edly “Va, pensiero” (“Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves”) from Nabucco,

which became a nationalist rallying cry during his lifetime, and “Vedi!

Le fosche notturne,” the so-called “Anvil Chorus” from Il trovatore.

VERSE ANTHEM. See ANTHEM; ENGLISH CATHEDRAL MU-

SIC OF THE REFORMATION AND RESTORATION.

VERSICLE. A short sentence said or sung in the Christian liturgy,

which is followed by a response from the congregation or choir

(e.g., “The Lord be with you” / “And with thy Spirit”). See also

PRECES.

VESPERS. The evening prayer service of many Christian liturgies.

The texts specified in the Roman rite (particular psalms, which may

vary from day to day, and the Magnificat) have been set by various

composers. See also DIVINE OFFICE.

VIADANA, LODOVICO GROSSI DA (C. 1560–2 MAY 1627).

Italian composer. He served as maestro di cappella at several lesser

Italian churches, including Mantua Cathedral. A pioneer of the sa-

cred vocal concerto, he was one of the first composers to regularly

include a continuo part (often functioning as a basso seguente),

VIADANA, LODOVICO GROSSI DA • 451