In Flanders Fields
DAvid hamilton
The poem “In Flanders Fields” was written in 1915 by Canadian physician
and soldier John McCrae. It was inspired by the death of a friend in the
second Battle of Ypres in early 1915, and after publication became one of
the most popular and widely quoted poems of the Great War. He had seen
how poppies quickly grew around the graves of the soldiers in the Flanders
area. McCrae continued to serve in Europe during the remainder of the war,
eventually succumbing to pneumonia and cerebral meningitis early in 1918.
This setting of “In Flanders Fields” was written for a commemoration of
the Passchendaele battle in October 2013 at which members of Auckland
Choral were to sing. A request had been made for music which referenced
the ware and, if possible, Flanders. Not finding a suitable piece, I offered
to write a new setting of this well-known poem. Originally for solo voice, it
was re-scored for mixed-voice choir.
Panis Angelicus Pièce Héroïque, for organ
CÉSAR Franck
Panis angelicus is the penultimate strophe of the hymn Sacris solemniis
written by Saint Thomas Aquinas for the Feast of Corpus Christi as part
of a complete liturgy of the Feast including prayers for the Mass and
the Liturgy of the Hours.
The strophe of “Sacris solemniis” that begins with the words Panis
angelicus (bread of angels) has often been set to music separately
from the rest of the hymn. Most famously, in 1872 César Franck set this
strophe for tenor, organ, harp, cello and double bass; later - arranging
it for tenor, chorus and orchestra - he incorporated it into his Mass for
Three Voices Messe solennelle Op. 12.
Pannis angelicus
Fit panis hominum
Dat panis coelicus
Figuris terminum
O res mirabilis
Manducat dominum
Pauper, pauper
Servus et humilis
Pauper, pauper
Servus et humilis
4