Take Him, Earth, For Cherishing - (Herbert Howells)

Herbert Howells Take Him, Earth, For Cherishing

On Sunday February 15, 2009 the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire Concert Choir performed Herbert Howells Sing Joyfully at the Washington National Cathedral. The audio from the concert is published online with permission from the Washington National Cathedral.
Text: Prudentius (348-413), from Humnus circa Exsequias Defuncti (translated by Helen Waddel)

Take him, earth, for cherishing
To thy tender breast receive him.
Body of a man I bring thee,
Noble even in its ruin.

Once was this a spirit's dwelling,
By the breath of God created.
High the heart that here was beating,
Christ the prince of all its living.

Guard him well, the dead I give thee,
Not unmindful of his creature
Shall He ask it: He who made it
Symbol of His mystery.

Comes the hour God hath appointed
To fulfill the hope of men,
Then must thou, in very fashion,
What I give, return again.

Body of a man I bring thee.
Not though ancient time decaying
Wear away these bones to sand,
Ashes that a man might treasure
In the hollow of his hand:

Not though wandering winds and idle winds,
Drifting through the empty sky,
Scatter dust was nerve and sinew,
Is it given to man to die.

Once again the shining road
Leads to ample Paradise;
Open are the woods again,
That the Serpent lost for men.

Take, O take him, mighty Leader,
Take again thy servant's soul.
Grave his name, and pour the fragrant
Balm upon the icy stone.

Take him, Earth, for cherishing,
To they tender breast receive him.
Body of a man I bring thee,
Noble in its ruin.

By the breath of God created.
Christ the prince of all its living.

Take him earth, for cherishing.

England's Herbert Howells (1892-1983) composed this motet in the spring of 1964, and dedicated it "to the honoured memory of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, President of the United States of America." The work was premiered later that year in Washington, D.C. Having lost his own young son to a debilitating neurological disease a few years earlier, Howells was aware of the pained state of the audience who would first hear this music, so his setting begins with a sense of quiet reverence. Quickly the harmonies become thicker, the mood more agitated, leading to an expansive climax at the words, "Take, O take him, mighty Leader, Take again thy servant's soul." From here the music broadens and dies back until the final repetition of the opening text: "Take him, Earth, for cherishing."
-Program notes from Saint Paul Sunday featuring The Dale Warland Singers

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[robris72]

Great music!

Congratulations for your performance!

This is one of the finest choral works in the modern choral repertoire!