Category: Music

Dark Night of the Soul | Ola Gjeilo

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Simply click on the link above to view the performance on YouTube.

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From Central Washington University YouTube channel comes this stellar performance of Dark Night of the Soul by the noted Norwegian-American composer Ola Gjeilo. Their video “liner notes” offer the following information:

“Dark Night of the Soul” (Ola Gjeilo) is sung by The Central Washington University Chamber Choir (Gary Weidenaar, director) joined by Ola Gjeilo on the piano and the Kairos String Quartet (comprised of CWU string faculty).

ABOUT THE WORK: “Dark Night of the Soul was written in 2010, and premiered that year by the Phoenix Chorale. The text, three stanzas from St. John of the Cross’ magical poem Dark Night of the Soul, was suggested to me by Joel Rinsema, Executive Director of the Phoenix Chorale, and I fell in love with its passionate spirituality right away. One of the things I wanted to do in this piece was to make the choir and piano fairly equal, as if in a dialogue; often the piano is accompanying the choir, but sometimes the choir is accompanying the piano (or violin) as well, with the choir kind of taking the role of a soft, but rich “string orchestra” texture. I just love the sound of voices humming chords, it creates a sound that can be so evocative and warm, especially when doubled by a string quartet. To me, that sound combination has a similar effect to a great synth pad, only it perhaps feels more organic and alive.” – Ola Gjeilo


ABOUT THE TEXT:

THE DARK NIGHT

Songs of the soul that rejoices in having reached the high state of perfection, which is union with God, by the path of spiritual negation.

1. One dark night,
fired with love’s urgent longings
– ah, the sheer grace! –
I went out unseen,
my house being now all stilled.

2. In darkness, and secure,
by the secret ladder, disguised,
– ah, the sheer grace! –
in darkness and concealment,
my house being now all stilled.

3. On that glad night
in secret, for no one saw me,
nor did I look at anything
with no other light or guide
than the one that burned in my heart.

– St. John of the Cross (1542-1592)

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SABETH - Always sing in Thanksgiving
O come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
(Psalm 95:1-3)
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Restoration completed

During the summer months of 2018, the Discalced Carmelite nuns of the Carmel of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel, undertook a significant restoration project in their monastery chapel that included a redesign of the sanctuary to permit more space for concelebrating priests and for altar servers.

Built during the years 1935-1937, the monastery was designed by the French architect Marcel Favier and is one of the few jewels of French art deco architecture still standing in Israel. Please enjoy this brief video produced by the Discalced Carmelite friars of the Holy Land Delegation that highlights the completed restoration project. You can visit the website of the Discalced Carmelite nuns Holy Land federation of monasteries here.

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Like As the Hart Desireth the Waterbrooks

The Psalm appointed by the Lectionary for Mass on the Monday in the 3rd Week of Lent is Psalm 42. This sound file is the setting of some of the psalm’s verses by Herbert Howells (1892-1983). It was recorded by the Schola Cantorum of St. Peter the Aposte on the cd “The Spirituality of the Psalms.” The organist is Br. Nathanael Deward Rahm, BSG.
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Like as the hart desireth the waterbrooks,
so longeth my soul after thee, O God.
My soul is athirst for God,
yea, even for the living God.
When shall I come to appear before the presence of God?
My tears have been my meat day and night,
while they daily say unto me,
“Where is now thy God?”

Psalm 42 vv. 1–3

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