Search the archives
Download the House Programme
Christopher Columbus | Sharon-Hope United Church, Sharon ON
Christopher Columbus | Sharon-Hope United Church, Sharon ON
A celebration of the 500th anniversary of Columbus's famous voyage
date: July 18, 1992
It happened quite frequently that we found a suitable Gershwin song to open and close a themed programme. In this concert for Music at Sharon, a well-known number introduced a sequence of songs dealing in general terms with discovery and the sea and gradually focussing more directly on the discoverer himself. Rarely heard excerpts were performed from Christophe Colomb by the 19th century French composer Félicien David, from the operetta Christopher Columbus, compiled from music by the better-known Offenbach, and finally from Stan Freberg’s hilarious Columbus Discovers America. Some extracts from The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus by Washington Irving provided the story of the great voyage.
| Song | Artist | Composer | Poet |
|---|---|---|---|
| They all laughed at Christopher Columbus (Shall We Dance?) | Polegato, Brett, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Gershwin, George | Gershwin, Ira |
| L’Ile inconnue, Op.7/6 (Nuits d’été) | Whicher, Monica, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Berlioz, Hector | Gautier, Théophile |
| Tarantella Sevillana (Façade) | Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Walton, Sir William, arr. Lambert, Constant | n/a |
| La mer est infinie, Op.118/1 (L’Horizon chimérique) | Polegato, Brett, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Fauré, Gabriel | La Ville de Mirmont, Jean de |
| Je me suis embarqué, Op.118/2 (L’Horizon chimérique) | Polegato, Brett, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Fauré, Gabriel | La Ville de Mirmont, Jean de |
| Beatriz’s Song (Christopher Columbus Suite) | Burgess, Norine, mezzo; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Walton, Sir William | MacNeice, Louis |
| Die Meere, Op.20/3 | Whicher, Monica, soprano; Burgess, Norine, mezzo; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Brahms, Johannes | Müller, Wilhelm |
| Les Adieux (Christophe Colomb) | Whicher, Monica, soprano; Giesbrecht, Dennis, tenor; Ralls, Stephen, piano | David, Félicien | Méry, Joseph / Chaubet, Charles / Saint-Etienne, Sylvain |
| La Révolte (Christophe Colomb) | Whicher, Monica, soprano; Burgess, Norine, mezzo; Giesbrecht, Dennis, tenor; Polegato, Brett, baritone; Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano | David, Félicien | Méry, Joseph / Chaubet, Charles / Saint-Etienne, Sylvain |
| The Indians | Whicher, Monica, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Ives, Charles | Sprague, Charles |
| Jan | Giesbrecht, Dennis, tenor; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Creole folksong, arr. Benjamin, Arthur | anon. |
| Jamaican Rumba | Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Benjamin, Arthur | n/a |
| Mon histoire (Trois Chansons de négresse) | Burgess, Norine, mezzo; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Milhaud, Darius | Supervielle, Jules |
| Abandonnée (Trois Chansons de négresse) | Burgess, Norine, mezzo; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Milhaud, Darius | Supervielle, Jules |
| Sans feu ni lieu (Trois Chansons de négresse) | Burgess, Norine, mezzo; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Milhaud, Darius | Supervielle, Jules |
| Take pity on a married man (Christopher Columbus) | Giesbrecht, Dennis, tenor; Polegato, Brett, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Offenbach, Jacques, arr. Schmid, Patric | White, Don |
| Grand duo dramatique (Christopher Columbus) | Burgess, Norine, mezzo; Giesbrecht, Dennis, tenor; Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Offenbach, Jacques, arr. Schmid, Patric | White, Don |
| Finale, Act II (Christopher Columbus) | Whicher, Monica, soprano; Burgess, Norine, mezzo; Giesbrecht, Dennis, tenor; Polegato, Brett, baritone; Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Offenbach, Jacques, arr. Schmid, Patric | White, Don |
| It’s a round, round world (Columbus Discovers America) | Whicher, Monica, soprano; Burgess, Norine, mezzo; Giesbrecht, Dennis, tenor; Polegato, Brett, baritone; Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Freberg, Stan | Freberg, Stan |
| They all laughed at Christopher Columbus (Shall We Dance?) – ENCORE | Whicher, Monica, soprano; Burgess, Norine, mezzo; Giesbrecht, Dennis, tenor; Polegato, Brett, baritone; Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Gershwin, George | Gershwin, Ira |