Small Raine by Nico Muhly (2019)
The Tudor Choir, directed by Doug Fullington
SRS01
Released January 2019
THE TUDOR CHOIR
Doug Fullington, director
The Tudor Choir’s commission of Nico Muhly’s Small Raine was sponsored in part by Glenn Kawasaki and an anonymous donor. Thanks also to Helene Kaplan.
I had the pleasure of meeting Nico Muhly a number of years ago in Seattle at Triple Door, where he was performing with a small group whose repertory included early American music. The parents of one of the musicians had been part of the Word of Mouth Chorus, whose recording of shapenote tunes made a significant impact on me in the 1990s. Nico is also immersed in Anglican church music, both early and modern, and he’s written ballet scores for the choreographer Benjamin Millepied. We share so many common interests that a commission for the Tudor Choir seemed inevitable to me. I was grateful for the opportunity the choir was given to perform by Mark Powell and the Portland-based Cappella Romana and jumped at the chance to request a piece from Nico incorporating the Westron wynde tune. He enthusiastically accepted the commission, and I couldn’t have been happier to offer the premiere of Small Raine on our March 2018 concerts.
– Doug Fullington
Westron wynde, when wilt thou blow?
The small raine down can raine.
Chryst, if my love were in my armes
And I in my bedde again!
O splendor gloriae et imago substanciae
Dei patris omnipotentis, Iesu Christe,
unice eiusdem fili dilecte tocius boni fons vive,
redemptor mundi, servator, et Deus noster, salve.O Jesus Christ, radiant light and image
of the nature of God the almighty Father,
his beloved and only Son, living fountain of all good,
redeemer of the world, our Savior and our God, hail.
Words: Anonymous, early 16th c.; votive antiphon, early 16th c.Music: Nico Muhly (born 1981)
Copyright © 2018, St. Rose Music Publishing Co. and Chester Music Limited (ASCAP/PRS)
World premiere performance by the Tudor Choir, directed by Doug Fullington, on March 2, 2018, at St. Mark’s Cathedral, Seattle, USA
The Tudor Choir’s commission of Nico Muhly’s Small Raine was sponsored in part by Glenn Kawasaki and an anonymous donor. Thanks also to Helene Kaplan.
Produced by Markdavin Obenza for Scribe Records.