date: April 24, 1992
Two good friends of the Aldeburgh Connection, Vern and Frieda Heinrichs, commissioned this programme in honour of the 150th anniversary of Little Trinity Church, Toronto – the oldest surviving church building in the city. As the title indicates, we programmed music both sacred and secular, evoking the early days of the church through the 19th century and indicating the contrast between the lives of the founding fathers and those poorer members of the congregation for whom they built a church. Narration between the musical items was taken from a number of original sources, including the vivid reminiscences of an early 20th century church member, Madge Humphries. Another memorable feature of the concert was the number of times when the whole audience joined with the soloists and choir, under the baton of John Tuttle and accompanied on piano and organ by the Artistic Directors.
Song | Artist | Composer | Poet |
---|---|---|---|
Trisagion | Exultate Chamber Singers; Ubukata, Bruce, organ; Tuttle, John, conductor | Clarke, James Paton | anon. |
Alleluia! Christ is risen | Exultate Chamber Singers; Ubukata, Bruce, organ; Tuttle, John, conductor | Ham, Albert | anon. |
Guide me, O thou great Jehovah | Exultate Chamber Singers; Ubukata, Bruce, organ; Tuttle, John, conductor – with audience | Hughes, John | Williams, William, trans. Williams, Peter |
The Irish Emigrant | Evans, Glyn, tenor; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Barker, George | Dufferin, Helen, Lady |
I dreamt that I dwelt in marble halls (The Bohemian Girl) | Gosse, Sonya, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Balfe, Michael | Bunn, Alfred |
Come into the garden, Maud | Evans, Glyn, tenor; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Balfe, Michael | Tennyson, Alfred, Lord |
Come to the vale of the beautiful Don: An Invocation | Gosse, Sonya, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Gilbert, Mrs G.A. | Gilbert, G.A. |
When you and I were young, Maggie | Evans, Glyn, tenor; Exultate Chamber Singers; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Butterfield, James Austen | Johnson, George Washington |
Brilliant Contredanse and Polka | Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Strathy, George | n/a |
The Volunteer Organist | Gosse, Sonya, soprano; Exultate Chamber Singers; Ralls, Stephen, piano; Ubukata, Bruce, organ | Spaulding, George | Gray, William B. |
Lead, kindly light | Gosse, Sonya, soprano; Evans, Glyn, tenor; Exultate Chamber Singers; Ubukata, Bruce, organ | Harriss, Charles A.E. | Newman, John Henry |
The Lost Chord | Evans, Glyn, tenor; Exultate Chamber Singers; Ralls, Stephen, piano; Ubukata, Bruce, organ; Tuttle, John, conductor | Sullivan, Sir Arthur | Proctor, Adelaide A. |
Just a song at twilight | Gosse, Sonya, soprano; Evans, Glyn, tenor; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Molloy, James | Bingham, Graham Clifton |
I’ll sing thee songs of Araby (Lalla Rookh) | Evans, Glyn, tenor; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Clay, Frederick | Wills, William Gorman |
Spanish Dance, Op.12/3 | Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Moszkowski, Moritz | n/a |
Sweet Rosie O’Grady | Evans, Glyn, tenor; Exultate Chamber Singers; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Nugent, Maude | Nugent, Maude |
Father’s a Drunkard and Mother is Dead | Gosse, Sonya, soprano; Exultate Chamber Singers; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Parkhurst, Susan McFarland | “Stella” |
Tell me the old, old story | Exultate Chamber Singers; Ubukata, Bruce, organ; Tuttle, John, conductor – with audience | Doane, William Howard | Hankey, Katherine |
Saviour, breathe an evening blessing | Exultate Chamber Singers; Tuttle, John, conductor | Adamson, John | Edmeston, James |
The Holy City | Gosse, Sonya, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano; Tuttle, John, conductor – with audience | Adams, Stephen | Weatherly, Fred |
The Holy City – ENCORE | Gosse, Sonya, soprano; Evans, Glyn, tenor; Exultate Chamber Singers; Ralls, Stephen, piano; Ubukata, Bruce, organ; Tuttle, John, conductor – with audience | Adams, Stephen | Weatherly, Fred |