CentralCity

Chorus

Sunday – 8 pmApril 9, 2000

central presbyterian church

593 park avenue

new york city · 10021

�

Classic Cole Porter Cole Porter1. From This Moment On 1891–1964

2. Now You Has Jazz3. True Love4. Let’s Do It5. Anything Goes6. Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye

Arranged by Mac Huff

inte rmiss ion

Three Sacred Concerts Duke Ellington1. In the Beginning God 1899–1974

2. Is God a Three-letter Word for Love?—My Love

3. Ain’t Nobody Nothin’4. Father Forgive5. Almighty God6. Somethin’ ‘Bout Believing7. Come Sunday8. Heaven

Arranged by Phil Mattson

Catherine Thorpe, soprano

this program is made possible by a grant from the cornell fund

3

�Central City Chorus

David Friddle, music director

Born Albert Porter on June 9, 1891in the heartland of America, ColePorter created his professional

identity by combining the surnames ofhis mother (Kate Cole) and his father(Sam Porter). Cole studied violin andpiano starting at age six; he continued hismusical education through college. Colejoined the Yale Glee Club and sang withit from 1909–1913, eventually becomingits director.

Cole’s Yale years were adventurous: heproduced a number of student musicalsand he also forged several importantrelationships that remained with himthroughout his life. Most Yale classmatescame to know him for the fight songs hecomposed, many of them are Yale clas-sics still.

The years following Cole’s graduationsaw him attempt to study law atHarvard. The man who paid all of Cole’sbills, his grandfather J.O. Cole, disap-proved of men choosing careers in thearts; Grandfather Cole tried hard to con-vince Cole to become a lawyer. Evenwhen Cole was young, J.O. tried toinstill a sense of rough individualismand business savvy that was lost on thepampered young Porter.

Although Cole started Harvard Law,his primary attention was always onmusic (including writing musicals for hisYale friends). Although his motherknew, Cole’s grandfather didn’t learnthat Cole switched from the law schoolto the school of arts and sciences atHarvard in order to pursue music.

Notes on the Program

Pleased to HelpThe Central City Chorus

Make a Joyful Noise!

54

PianoJonathan Oblander

GuitarRoni Ben-Hur

BassDavid Finck

DrumsGrisha Alexiev

SynthesizerTomoko Ohno Farnham

TrumpetsJon-Erik KellsoRandy Sandke

WoodwindsPatience Higgins

TromboneLarry Farrell

Central City ChorusSopranosCharlotte Sheane DenisTrish EckertClara FaganElizabeth HayNancy PoorSharon ProctorMarjorie Scott RamirezDeborah ReynoldsNancy RogersLaura Smid

TenorsLou RedaJeffrey SilvermanKai ToenTodd WeeksA. Jordan Wright

AltosJamelyn BoxwillKeri ChrystKatherine CohnRobin FryeJill HamiltonSally Porter JenksLois MorganNicole Possin Susan LeVant RoskinWendy Zuckerman

BassesJohn BischoffMichael BoonstraJim DittmerDoug HoltMatt HoptmanTristan MarcianoJoseph PalladinoAlex QuinnNoel WerrettAndrei Yermakov

Orchestra

7

Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.Musically, Porter was one of the most

thoroughly trained popular songwritersof the 20th century. He was perhapseven better known as a lyricist; his textswere in the height of fashion—seldomsentimental, filled with double-entendresand witty rhymes, often referring to sexand drugs.

Although his songs were considered atfirst rather too shocking for the theater,today they retain much of their fresh-ness and are classics, comprising a size-able portion of the repertoire of everypopular singer.

Porter broke ground in his composi-tion with his use of innovative rhythmicelements and by extending his melodies,and hence the length of the individualsongs. He made clever use of word paint-ing (think of the haunting turn in “EveryTime We Say Goodbye” when the lyricsspeak of “…major to minor…”).

Porter also possessed an especially fineear for the pronunciation, naturalspeech patterns and rhythms of theEnglish language. One example is thehop -scotching syncopations in“Anything Goes”—the words skippingby our ears like pebbles across a pond.Comfortable in almost any form or style,Cole’s musical legacy is vast, diverse andimpressive.

Porter died in 1964. In accordancewith his wishes, he is buried between hiswife Linda and his father. The populari-ty of his songs has long outlasted knowl-edge of the man himself. Many of hismost famous songs were presented tothe public only in the context of musi-cals or movies—works that also con-tained non-Porter songs. Still, until the1950s Porter created the most theatrical-ly elegant, sophisticated and musicallycomplex songs of American 20th-centu-ry popular music.

COMPANY, INC.

237 WEST 54TH S TREET NEW YORK, NY 10019 T E L ( 212 ) 3 3 3 - 3 0 3 3 FA X ( 212 ) 3 3 3 - 3 0 3 6

�

A TRAD I T ION OF F INE PR INT ING

S INCE 1909�

DELI & RESTAURANT807 Lexington Avenue

between 62nd + 63rd

New York City

212.755.0122212.755.0123

Come joinus after

the concert!

6

CraftCleaners

212·838·5097 1065 Third Avenue New York City

BestWishes!

Eventually, Cole abandoned Harvardaltogether and moved to the Yale club inNew York to seriously began his musiccareer.

Porter’s initial efforts on Broadway—including his first big show in 1916, SeeAmerica First—were failures. The follow-ing year he moved to Paris where hejoined the French Foreign Legion. Heserved three years, remaining in Parisafter his 1919 discharge; he then mar-ried a society lady. The newlywed couplehosted glamorous parties in Paris,Venice and the Rivera.

Cole frequently performed his ownmusic at these parties; indeed, the songsmatched the chic esoteric mood of hissocial circle. Nevertheless, his music wasslow to find acceptance on the stage.During the 1920s, his luck began toturn. In 1923 he composed a balletscore—performed both in Paris and New

York by the Swedish Ballet—that wasone of the century’s first expressions ofsymphonic jazz.

1929 saw the production of Wake Upand Dream in London, along with FiftyMillion Frenchmen in New York. GayDivorce with Fred Astaire followed in1932, with Anything Goes in 1934. Stagelegend Ethel Merman starred in PanamaHattie during the 1940 season.

Despite the riding accident in 1937that crippled one leg—eventually neces-sitating its amputation—Porter contin-ued to write songs for Broadway withhis trademark witty and often cynicalwords. Some of his most famous songsdate from this period: Let’s Do It, Nightand Day, I Get a Kick Out of You, Begin theBeguine, Just One of Those Things, You’rethe Top, It’s Delovely and others. His songwriting success culminated in 1948 withhis masterpiece Kiss Me, Kate, based on

9

formed at Grace Cathedral in SanFrancisco, Westminster Abbey andnumerous German churches.

Phil Mattson, jazz performer and peda-gogue, arranged selections fromEllington’s Three Sacred Concerts into acompilation that effectively demonstratesthe breadth and the depth of Ellington’smusical language. The first movement,“In the Beginning God” incorporates avariety of rhythmic elements. Smoothlegato choral singing gives way to Samba,which then becomes swing. This move-ment sets the stage for the remainder ofthe work, which is equally diverse in com-positional techniques. (The spoken narra-tion—as with all verbal parts in thiswork—is by Ellington.)

The second and third movementsconsider God’s love for humans and ourlove of God in quasi romantic terms,outlined by the title alone, “Is God a

Three-letter Word for Love?”—thematrix of Ellington’s personal theology.Romantic love as doxology continuesinto “My Love,” where Duke’s lyricscontain phrases such as “…Oh say mylove, I pray, my love, we stay as weare…” and “…Of all the lovely love Ilove, Love is the loveliest.”

Performed tonight by a small ensem-ble, “Ain’t Nobody Nothin’ ” is a classicclose-harmony swing tune, that, save forits underlying religious connotationscould well be sung in the Cotton Club.Built over the vocal equivalent of a pizzi-cato string bass, the soprano solo and thebass frame the accompanimental “doo-ops” of the choir. The text proclaims,albeit without judgment, the futility oflife without the presence of God.

“Father Forgive” is composed in acompletely different style yet. Slow andsustained, it repeats again and again the

Liz Munro & Russ Jones’

Flights of Fancy

New York’s Creative Gift & Candle Connection

Offering a wide selection of giftsfor everyone, in all price ranges.

P.S. – We gift wrap, too!

1502 First Avenue (Between 78th & 79th Street) N.Y.C. 10021(212) 772-1302 www.flightsoffancy.com

8

Edward Kennedy Ellington—one ofthe most significant figures in jazzhistory—was born in 1899. His

father, a White House butler, intendedyoung Edward to become an artist fromthe beginning of his life. He began study-ing piano at age seven—influenced bythe prevailing ragtime style—and madehis professional debut in 1916, aged sev-enteen.

Ellington was already known as Dukefor his sartorial elegance and immaculateappearance when he first came to NewYork in 1922. He found no success thenbut on the advice of jazz legend FatsWaller, he moved to Manhattan in 1923with his Washington band. Between1923–27, he transformed this smallensemble into a full orchestra whose firstrecordings proved startlingly original.

From 1927–1932, Ellington and hisorchestra, performing regularly at theCotton Club in Harlem, shared leader-ship with Louis Armstrong of the jazzworld. Mood Indigo, released in 1930,received worldwide acclaim, furtherestablishing Ellington’s fame. The years1932–1942 were Ellington’s most cre-ative; his enlarged band toured theUnited States and Europe.

In 1939 Billy Strayhorn began his life-long collaboration with Duke, com-mencing a professional and personalrelationship that produced some of the

finest music imaginable. Strayhorn,openly homosexual, was taken into theEllington apartment in Harlem andlived there as family. (Indeed, the gene-sis for “Take the A Train” were camefrom Ellington’s travel directions toStrayhorn.) The unparalleled intimacybetween Duke—a notorious womaniz-er—and Billy fueled speculation thatthere was a sexual component to theirmany-faceted, prodigious partnership.

The band grew continually during the1940s, even as it suffered from disconti-nuity of personnel. Starting in 1950,Ellington began to expand the scope ofhis compositions; the advent of LPrecording allowed him to compose andrecord longer, multi-movement works.His foreign tours were even more fre-quent and successful; he also composedhis first movie score, Anatomy of aMurder, to critical acclaim.

He received multitudinous honors,including degrees from HowardUniversity and Yale as well as thePresidential Medal of Honor; he wasinducted into the National Institute ofArts and Letters in 1970 and subsequent-ly, in 1971, became the first jazz musi-cian member of the Royal MusicAcademy in Stockholm.

In his last decade Ellington devotedhimself to liturgical music. Three SacredConcerts (1965, 1968, 1973) were per-

Isn’t it comforting to know that style,sophistication and classic design.are a simple telephone call away.

voice–212.838.0022

fax–212.421.0961

Christatos& Koster, Inc.—Florists since 1900

11

Deliver a great performance, andthe audience will ask you back formore. Xerox knows. It’s how wemade the top 10 list in managingand delivering customer service inthe U.S. And how we won twoMalcolm Baldridge Awards and a

host of other honors. It’s also whyXerox is a worldwide leader indocument solutions, with innova-tive copiers and printers for busi-nesses of every size. Contact yourlocal Xerox Sales Representativefor an audition.

XeroxAuthorizedSales Agent

KEEP THE CONVERSATION GOING. SHARE THE KNOWLEDGE.www.xerox.com

XEROX®, the digital X®, and Keep the Conversation Going, Share the Knowledge, aretrademarks of XEROX CORPORATION.

FLYNN’S OFFICE SUPPLIES55 East 59th Street

New York, New York 10022212.339.8700

212.355.3738 (fax)

10

simple phrase “Father forgive” withincreasingly dramatic and tense har-monies. Narrators, using Ellington’s ownwords, enunciate his vision of the ills ofsociety (at least in the late 1960s andearly 1970s). The most tonal of all themovements, “Father Forgive” builds to astrong, passionate conclusion.

“Almighty God” is a lovely balladthat details Ellington’s view of heaven,replete with angels “…up there weav-in’ sparkling fabrics just for you andme to love.” “Something ‘BoutBelieving” is a medium swing tunewith the catchiest rhythms of the set,filled with bee-bop motives and synco-pations designed to throw off themost obdurate toe-tapper. The text is aquasi Credo from the Roman mass,describing Duke’s faith-principle inuncomplicated terms such as“…believing that’s better than pleas-ure, Something ‘bout believing that isgreater than any treasure.” All thewhile Ellington builds the work to aninevitable, and theologically unam-

biguous conclusion—reinforced by asequence of upward, repeatedmotives—that “I’ll see God!”

“Come Sunday,” another smooth,harmonically lush prayer for God’s sus-taining power, incorporates extremechromaticism with traditional jazz har-monies. The concert closes with“Heaven,” comprised of arpeggiatedchords that accompany the soloist as sheextols the beauty and comfort of heav-en— “…the ultimate degree to be.”

Even though these sacred works arerarely performed, Ellington consideredthem the most important of his com-positions. Inasmuch as the ThreeSacred Concerts synthesize Ellington’sworld-view of spirituality—one filledwith compassion, tolerance and for-giveness—with his ground-breakingachievements in jazz composition andpromotion, these compositions makea satisfying capstone to a career andlife whose reverberations are still felttoday—three decades after his death.

S H O W S T O P P E R S

I N C O R P O R A T E DCatering Parties Events and Such . 212 355 0334

13

From this moment on, you and Ibabe, we’ll be riding high, babe, everycare is gone from this moment on.The overture is about to start, youcross your fingers and hold your heart,It’s curtain time and away we go, fromthis moment on!

II. Now You Has JazzI’ve got you under my skin. I’ve gotyou deep in the heart of me. So deepin my heart, you’re really a part of me.

I’d sacrifice anything, come whatmight, for the sake of having you near,in spite of a warning voice that comesin the night and repeats and repeats inmy ear, “Don’t you know little fool,you can never win.

Use your mentality, wake up to real-ity.” But each time I do, just thethought of you makes me stop, beforeI begin, ‘cause I got you under myskin.

I like the looks of you, the lure of

you, the sweet of you, the pure of you,the eyes, the arms, the mouth of you,the east, west, north and the south ofyou.

I’d love to gain complete control ofyou, and handle even the heart andsoul of you. So love, at least, a smallpercent of me, do. For I love all of you.

Take some skins, jazz begins. Take abass, steady pace. Take a box, one thatrocks. Take a blue horn, New Orleansborn. Take a stick, with a lick. Take abone, Dixie grown. Take a spot, cooland hot! Now you has jazz!

I love Paris in the springtime. I loveParis in the fall. I love Paris in the win-ter, when it drizzles. I love Paris in thesummer, when it sizzles. I love Parisev’ry moment, ev’ry moment of theyear. I love Paris. Why, oh why do Ilove Paris? Because my love is near.

You’d be so easy to love, so easy toidolize all others above. So worth theyearning for, so swell to keep ev’ry

To The Central City Chorus—From one non-profit

to another…Best wishes &

Break a leg!

New York Youth Theater, Inc.

CPC’s Resident Family Theatre Company

1999–2000 Season—Our Ninth!

The Wiz · The Diary of Anne Frank

Once on this Island · Really Rosie

RAYFIELD & LICATACertified Public Accountants

Joseph A. Licata, Sr., cpa Robert R. Ross, cpa

Joseph A. Speranza, cpa Joseph A. Licata, cpa

Christopher D. Licata, cpa

354 eisenhower parkway

livingston, new jersey · 07039 · 973.740.0200

new york office · 212.682.2552

jersey city office · 201.938.1610

�

12

TextsCLASSIC COLE PORTER

I. From This Moment OnFrom this moment on, you for me dear, only two for tea dear from thismoment on. From this happy day, no more blue songs, only whoopdee-doo songs. For you’ve got the love Ineed so much, got the skin, I love to touch,got the arms to hold me tight, got thesweet lips to kiss me good night. Fromthis moment on you and I babe, we’llbe riding high, babe. Every care isgone from this moment on.

It was just one of those things, justone of those crazy flings, one of thosebells that now and then rings, just oneof those things. If we’d thought a bit of the end of it, when we started

painting the town, we’d have beenaware that our love affair was too hot not tocool down. So goodbye, dear, andAmen, here’s hoping we’ll meet nowand then. It was great fun, but it wasjust one of those things.

Another op’nin’, another show, in Philly, Boston or Baltimoe, a chance for stagefolks to say, “Hello,” another op’nin’ of another show. Another job that you hope will last, will makeyour future, forget your past, anotherpain where the ulcers grow, anotherop’nin’ of another show.

Four weeks you rehearse andrehearse, three weeks and it couldn’tbe worse, one week will it ever beright? Then out of the hat it’s that bigfirst night.

15

LICENSED KEY MAKER (212) 838-5386G.E. AND IMPORTED LAMPS

LEXINGTON HARDWARE & ELECTRIC CORP.797 LEXINGTON AVE. AT 62 STREET

N.Y.C. 10021

HOUSEWARES · TOOLS · APPLIANCES · HARDWARE · PAINTS

number, Darling, when I say to you,“Do you love me as I love you? Areyou my life to be, my dream cometrue?” Or will this dream of mine fadeout of sight like the moon growingdim, on the rim of the hill in the chill,still of the night.

IV. Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall in Love)When the little bluebird, who hasnever said a word, starts to sing,“spring, spring.” When the little blue-bell, in the bottom of the dell, starts toring, “ding, ding.” When the littleblue clerk, in the middle of his work,starts a tune to the moon up above. Itis nature, that’s all, simply telling us tofall in love.

And that’s why birds do it, bees doit, even educated fleas do it. Let’s do it,let’s fall in love. In Spain, the bestupper sets do it, Lithuanians and Lettsdo it. The Dutch in old Amsterdam doit, not to mention the Finns, Folks inSiam do it, think of Siamese twins.Some Argentines without means do it,people say in Boston, even beans do it,let’s do it, let’s fall in love.

Electric eels, I might add, do it,though it shocks them I know. Whyask if shad do it? Waiter, bring meshad roe. In shallow shoals, Englishsoles, do it, goldfish in the privacy ofbowls, do it, let’s do it, let’s fall in love.

V. Anything GoesIn olden days a glimpse of stocking

was looked on as something shocking,now heaven knows, anything goes.Good authors too who once knew bet-ter words now only use four letterwords, writing prose, anything goes.

The world has gone mad today andgood’s bad today and black’s whitetoday and day’s night today, whenmost guys today that women prizetoday, are just silly gigolos. So thoughI’m not a great romancer I know thatI’m bound to answer when I propose,anything goes!

You’re the top! You’re the coliseum,you’re the top! You’re the Louvremuseum, I’m a worthless check, a totalwreck, a flop, but if baby, I’m the bot-tom, you’re the top!

The night is young, the skies areclear and if you want to go walkingdear, it’s delightful, it’s delicious, it’sdelovely. I understand the reason whyyou’re sentimental, ‘cause so am I, it’sdelightful, it’s delicious, it’s delovely.It’s delightful, it’s delicious, it’s delec-table, it’s delirious, it’s dilemma, it’sdelimit, it’s deluxe, it’s delovely.

We’re all alone no chaperone canget our number, the world’s in slum-ber, let’s misbehave. They say thespring means just one thing to littlelove birds, we’re not above birds, let’smisbehave.

While tearing off a game of golf, Imay make a play for the caddy, butwhen I do, I don’t follow through,‘cause my heart belongs to Daddy. Yes,

14

Wishing a Happy& Healthy Year

to all the members ofCentral City Chorus

Varsity Plumbing & Heating

718.358.5400

homefire burning for. We’d be so grand at the game, so

carefree together, that it does seem ashame, that you can’t see your futurewith me, ‘cause you’d be so easy tolove.

You can’t know how happy I amthat we met. I’m strangely attracted toyou. There’s someone I’m trying sohard to forget. Don’t you want to for-get someone too?

It’s the wrong time and the wrongplace, though your face is charming,it’s the wrong face. It’s the wrong songin the wrong style tho’ your smile islovely it’s the wrong smile.

You’d be so nice to come home to.You’d be so nice by the fire. While thebreeze on high sang a lullaby, you’d beall that I could desire. Under starschilled by the winter, under the Augustmoon, burning above. You’d be so nice,you’d be paradise to come home to andlove.

It’s too darn hot! I’d like to sup withmy baby tonight, and play the pupwith my baby tonight, but I ain’t upto my baby tonight ‘cause it’s too darnhot.

III. True LoveI give to you and you give to me truelove. So on and on it will always betrue love. For you and I have aguardian angel on high with nothingto do But to give to you and you giveto me, love forever true.

Strange, dear, but true, dear, whenI’m close to you, dear, the stars fill thesky, so in love with you am I. Evenwithout you, my arms fold about you,I’m yours till I die, so in love withyou, my love, am I.

In the still of the night, as I gazefrom my window, at the moon in itsflight, my thoughts all stray to you. Inthe still of the night, while the worldis in slumber, oh, the times without

17

get to heaven sinning twenty four andseven. Ain’t nobody nowhere, nothin’without God.

4. Father ForgiveFather, forgive.

5. Almighty GodAlmighty God has those angels awayup there above, up there a weavin’sparkling fabrics just for you and me tolove.

Almighty God has those angels up inthe proper place, waiting to receiveand to welcome us and remake us ingrace.

Wash your face and hands andhearts and soul, ‘cause you wash sowell. God will keep you safely wherethere’s no sulphur smell.

Almighty God has those angels asready as can be, waiting to dress,caress, and bless us all in perpetuity.

6. Something ‘Bout BelievingSomethin’ ‘bout believing that keepsunfolding, somethin’ ‘bout believingmakes my soul sing. Somethin’ ‘boutbelieving keeps me holding unto GodAlmighty, Mighty God.

There’s somethin’ ‘bout believingthat helps my mending, Somethin’‘bout believing there’s no ending.Believing all the way ‘cause I’mdepending on the God Almighty.

I don’t light a lamp, no lamp! To seethe sun, see it, wow! Don’t need proofof God because I know there ain’tgonna be but one, just one.

Somethin’ ‘bout believing in the cre-ation, Somethin’ ‘bout believing theinformation. Somethin’ ‘bout believingthere’s just one nation under AlmightyGod!

Somethin’ ‘bout believing that’smuch better than pleasure, Somethin’‘bout believing that is greater than anytreasure. Somethin’ ‘bout believing

I’ve got you under my skinLaura Smid

You’d be so easy to loveNancy Rogers & Kai Toen

So in loveA. Jordan Wright

In the still of the nightCharlotte Sheane Denis

Let’s do it, let’s fall in loveMatthew Hoptman & Nancy

RogersAnything goes

Tristan MarcianoLet’s misbehave

Nicole Possin & MatthewHoptmanFriendship

Katherine Cohn & JeffreySilvermanBegin the beguine

A. Jordan Wright

In the beginningTodd Weeks & Sharon Proctor

Father ForgiveTrish EckertNoel WerrettJamelyn BoxwillJim DittmerSusan LeVant RoskinAndrei YermakovKatherine Cohn

Somethin’ ‘bout believingSharon ProctorKai Toen

Soloists

16

my heart belongs to Daddy, so I sim-ply couldn’t be bad. Yes, my heartbelongs to Daddy. So I want to warnyou, laddie, though I know you’re per-fectly swell, that my heart belongs toDaddy, ‘cause my Daddy he treats meso well.

There’s something wild about youchild that’s so contagious, let’s be out-rageous, let’s misbehave.

Be a clown, all the world loves aclown. Act the fool, play the calf, andyou’ll always have the last laugh. Ifyou become a doctor, folks’ll face youwith dread, if you become a dentist,they’ll be glad when you’re dead,you’ll get a bigger hand if you canstand on your head. Be a clown.

If you’re ever in a jam, here I am. Ifyou’re ever in a mess, S.O.S. If youever feel so happy you land in jail, I’myour bail. It’s friendship, just a perfectblendship. When other friendshipshave been forgot, ours will still be hot.

When they begin the beguine, itbrings back the sound of music so ten-der. It brings back a night of tropicalsplendor, when they begin thebeguine.

Night and day you are the one, onlyyou beneath the moon and under thesun. Whether near to me or far, it’s nomatter, darling, where you are I thinkof you, night and day. Night and dayunder the hide of me, there’s an oh,such a hungry yearning, burninginside of me. And its torment won’t bethrough ‘til you let me spend my lifemaking love to you, day and night,night and day.

VI. Every Time We Say GoodbyeEvery time we say goodbye, I die a lit-tle. Every time we say goodbye, I won-der why a little, why the gods aboveme, who must be in the know, thinkso little of me, they allow you to go.When you’re near there’s such an airof spring about it, I can hear a larksomewhere begin to sing about itThere’s no love song finer, but how

strange the change from major tominor, every time we say goodbye.

THREE SACRED CONCERTS

1. In the Beginning GodIn the beginning God, no heaven, noearth, no nothing. In the beginningGod, no one else but God. No heaven,no earth, no nothing.

2. Is God a Three-Letter Word forLove/My Love

Is God a three-letter word for love? Islove a four-letter word for God Almighty?When love is in the air do you know thatGod is there? When roses bloom in Maydidn’t God plan it that way?

Whether former or latter really does-n’t matter. ‘Cause love is of God andGod is above, is the King of Love.

My love, the love of my life. It’s loveof love that brings me love, the love ofHeaven above. Oh say my love, I pray,my love, we stay as we are. Of all thelovely love I love, Love is the loveliest.

3. Ain’t Nobody Nothin’If you haven’t felt the need yet to fixupon a creed yet, listen to the messageof Sir Duke! There ain’t nobodynowhere nothin’ without God. Ain’tnothin’ sunshine, ain't nothin’ rain,nobody crazy, ain’t nobody sane.Nobody short or long, Nobody praysor sings a song. No rich, no poor,nobody next door. No apple, no core,no cooked no raw. No gold, no whore,no game, no score. Nothin’ for livingand nothin’ to live for.

If you’re livin’ without God’s bless-ing nothin’ will be with you. Livin’ alife with no blessing, messing aroundwhere you shouldn’t be messing. Thelife you live and life you love is givenyou on a lease. You have no right toforsake it. It belongs to the God ofpeace! Ain’t nobody nowhere, nothin’without God.

There ain’t no believer nowheredressed in denim or in mohair gonna’

19

Hailing fromNew Paltz, NewYork, CatherineThorpe made adebut with theBaltimore Operaat age 24 withconductor LeonFleischer. She hassince gone on toperform opera atthe KennedyCenter, Lincoln

Center’s Alice Tully Hall and JuilliardOpera Theatre, and Boston’s JordanHall.

Her operatic work includes threeworld premieres, including RobertCeely’s The Automobile Graveyard. Ms.Thorpe has appeared as a guest per-former and soloist with the BaltimoreConsort for Early Music, Boston’sChorus Pro Musica, Coro Allegro, TheWomen’s Composers Orchestra, andThe Mark Morris Dance Company. Shehas been a featured soloist withPortland Symphony Orchestra, andwith the Boston Pops under the batonof Keith Lockhart. She is currently amember of Auros Group for NewMusic.

She debuted with New York CityOpera’s National Company in the titlerole of Donizetti’s The Daughter of theRegiment and at Caramoor as Lisette inPuccini’s La Rondine last fall. She madeher international performing debut inJapan singing Handel’s Messiah andCarmina Burana in Tokyo with theTokyo Philharmonic and Bach’sChristmas Oratorio with the TelemannChamber Orchestra in Osaka, Japan.Last fall marked the release of a neworatorio on the ZCRecords label byCharles Osborne, featuring Ms.Thorpe, and next fall she will travel to

Denmark to record another new workwritten for her.

The jazz idiom, especially that ofDuke Ellington and his contemporariesin Big Band music, is particularly wellknown to Thorpe. Her father RogerThorpe was a three time winner on theTed Mack Amateur Hour. He alsoplayed trumpet with the Glenn Miller,Woody Herman, and Les & Larry Elgartorchestras and now directs the SammyKaye Orchestra.

Catherine sang the standard BigBand rep with her father’s different jazzand club bands beginning at age 11and performed as the Girl Singer forthe Kaye band for many years, touringthroughout the country. Tonight’s con-cert will be a very warm homecomingfor her, to a style that she has known allher life.

By the age of four, David Friddle knewthat music was his destiny. Armed with aportable elec-tric chordorgan, Davidprowled theSans Soucicommunity inGreenville, SC,giving concertsfor passersby.

This sameself-startingdeterminationenabled Davidto pursue his career goal, following ameandering path that began in hishometown of Greenville and led ulti-mately to New York City and TheJuilliard School.

Along the way, David studied inCharleston, South Carolina, earned aB. Mus. cum laude from Baylor

The Artists

18

that’s beyond measure. Just one GodAlmighty.

I wanna be hip, so hip! I wanna becool, cooly, cool boy! I gotta be with itall the way ‘cause I ain’t ‘bout to be nofool!

Somethin’ ‘bout believing keeps megoin’, Somethin’ about believing thatmy faith is growin’. Somethin’ ‘boutbelieving keeps me knowin’ I’ll seeGod!

7. Come SundaySunday, oh come Sunday.

Lord, dear Lord above, GodAlmighty, God of Love. Please lookdown and see my people through.

I believe that God put sun andmoon up in the sky; I don’t mind thegrey skies ‘cause they’re just cloudspassing by.

I believe God is now, was then, andalways will be. With God’s blessing wecan make it to eternity.

8. HeavenHeaven, my dream, Heaven, divine;Heaven supreme, Heaven combinesevery sweet and pretty thing lifewould love to bring.

Heavenly Heaven to be is just theultimate degree to be.

The Central City Chorus

David Friddlemusic director

Jonathan Oblanderaccompanist

Board of

Directors

Michael BoonstraCharlotte Sheane

DenisJim DittmerTrish Eckert

Katherine LarsonNancy Poor

Sharon ProctorSusan LeVant Roskin

Alex QuinnWendy Zuckerman

21

Requiem of Brahms in the composer’sarrangement for piano duet; andHindemith’s Frau Musica; Fauré’sRequiem; Handel’s psalm Laudate pueri;Haydn’s Seven Last Words of Our Savioron the Cross; Alessandro Scarlatti’s St.Cecilia Mass; Messiaen’s Trois petitesliturgies; Britten’s St. Nicolas, Hymn toSaint Cecilia and the New York pre-miere of The Company of Heaven; ChrisDeBlasio’s The Best Beloved, andCopland’s In the Beginning. The choruspresented a series of Purcell operas inconcert versions, beginning with Didoand Aeneas in 1987 and continuingwith The Færy Queen, King Arthur andDioclesian; and also performed thecomposer’s Te Deum and Jubilate Deoin D and Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day 1692,“Hail! bright Cecilia.”

Central Presbyterian Church isan active and committed con-gregation of the Presbyterian

Church (USA). It is a Christian commu-nity of people busy with theirministries, both here at 64th and Parkand throughout the city. In addition toits historically recognized ministry ofmusic, Central Presbyterian Church isactive in ministry to underprivileged

children, older adults and people withhiv/aids.

Our diverse congregation alsoengages in mission outreach to manysocial and church agencies in the city,and it sponsors numerous communityactivities within its walls. Founded in1821, Central Church celebrated its175th anniversary in 1996. The beauti-ful Gothic sanctuary, along with theadjoining church house, was complet-ed in 1922; the 84-rank Möllerorgan—currently undergoing majorrenovation— was installed in 1950.The congregation of CentralPresbyterian Church extends to you acordial invitation to worship with uson Sundays at 11:00 am.

The Central City Chorusdepends on your financial

contributions

Please make a tax-deductible donation

Thank you!

20

University and worked for two years asa church musician, boy choir director,pool manager and graduate teachingassistant in Fort Worth, Texas.

He earned his Master of Music fromThe Juilliard School in 1985, support-ed by the generosity of severalbusinessmen in North and SouthCarolina. He went on to win the pres-tigious Valentine MemorialScholarship—the Wrst organist to doso—in order to complete his Doctor ofMusical Arts from Juilliard in 1988.

During the past seven years, Dr. Dave(as he is known by some) founded twogay men’s choirs, one of them inGreenville, South Carolina, to help cel-ebrate the city’s Wrst gay pride march in1997. Most recently, David foundedCantaría in Asheville, North Carolina—once again to take part in the state’s gaypride festivities.

He also lived in Florence for severalmonths, concentrating on learningItalian, absorbing the vast collectionsof Renaissance art and masteringTuscan cuisine. (By the way, he has theworld’s Wnest recipe for tiramisù.)

David’s choral and organ composi-tions are published by MorningStarMusic of St. Louis and Yelton RhodesMusic of Los Angeles.

The Central City Chorus is anonsectarian amateur choralsociety distinguished by its

small size and its dedication to per-forming a wide range of choralrepertoire. Founded in 1981 with thesupport of Central Pres byterianChurch, the chorus has a history ofvaried and adventurous program-ming, often performing works that arerarely sung by New York’s larger cho-ruses.

Our nineteenth season began onDecember 5, 1999 with a concert fea-turing the Christmas Cantata of DanielPinkham; Cantilena pro Adventu byFranz Joseph Haydn, showcasing

soprano Gale Limansky; and theMagnificat of John Rutter. All threeworks were accompanied by orches-tra. We then began our tradition ofadjourning to the sidewalk for festiveholiday carols with brass and the ever-popular lighting of the Park AvenueChristmas Trees.

The 1998–99 season beganDecember 6 with a concert featuringthree sacred pieces of Heinrich Schütz:Jubilate Deo, Das Vaterunser and AveMaria; Lauda per la Natività del Signoreby Ottorino Respighi; and A Consort ofChoral Christmas Carols by P.D.Q.Bach. The season continued with anall-Liszt concert on March 30, 1999.CCC performed both the obscure Viacrucis (Way of the Cross), with contem-porary meditations by poet/theologian Henri Nouwen, and the“Stabat Mater” from Liszt’s magnumopus Christus.

The final concert of our eighteenthseason featured an all-unaccompa-nied concert of modern composers.Included were Patricia Van Ness,whose Cor mei cordis was given its NewYork premiere; Kennth Fuchs joinedin the New York premiere of his cycleof Robert Frost poems, In the clearing.Soprano Gale Limansky made herdebut performance with Central CityChorus in David Friddle’s Requiem ind: Faces of aids, in its world premiere.

The 1997–98 season began with asold-out performance in December ofVaughan Williams’ Fantasia onChristmas Carols and Hodie andPoulenc’s Quatre motets pour le temps deNoël. The season continued withHaydn’s Missa brevis Sancti Joannis deDeo (“Kleine Orgelmesse”) and StabatMater in March; it concluded in Junewith Stravinsky’s Mass, Arvo Pärt’sMiserere and the world premiere ofDavid Clark Isele’s Come, Holy Spirit.

Highlights of other seasons includeperformances of Bach’s completeChristmas Oratorio; Ein deutsches

22

AngelsCentral Presbyterian

ChurchSally Porter JenksChloe & PaulLangston

Benefactors Nancy PoorRayfield & LicataShowstoppers, Inc.

PatronsIn memory of

Robert S. CookAlex QuinnJamie & PriceSnedakerMim WardenWendy Zuckerman

Sponsors In memory of Elizabeth AllenSally AndersonJoe C. Benson, Jr.Anna E. CrouseJim DittmerJohn C. KosterRobin PinkhamGinger PotterSusan LeVant RoskinBarbara & Ira SahlmanJimmie Lynn Saylor

FriendsHelene BlueWilliam G. ConnellyAnita FletcherLois K. GiblinBenita & Bob GillespieGordon & ConstanceHamiltonMaria HollenbeckIn loving memory of MaeHoltDiane HowellJoanne HowellCarol JacobsIn honor of Sally Porter JenksElaine JurumboTom & Ruth KlipsteinKatherine M. LarsonJan MaierDr. & Mrs. John MaierNathanael MullenerAlan & Jane PillingJ. Sheppard PoorAustra RootTeresa Mahazi RoundtreeWilliam J. StokesDorothy A. StraubSusan Ulseth

ContributorsThe members and friends of the Central City Chorus thank the following for their generous support. (March 1, 1999 through March 30, 2000)

FRANK E. CAMPBELL

The Funeral Chapel has achieved its reputation

as one of the world’s leading funeral

establishments through fine service and painstaking

attention to detail. “Call Campbell’s and

have them take charge,” is sound advice

when death occurs in any family.

FRANK E. CAMPBELL

“The Funeral Chapel,” Inc.1076 Madison Avenue (cr. 81st St.)

New York, New York288-3500