VOICES IN THE HEARTLAND

Music has a way of haunting each of us.  Sometimes a single piece can take hold of a person and become almost an obsession.  I keep a mental list of several pieces that always impact me profoundly.  Over the years, my choices have evolved to include a wide variety of genres and performers.

One such piece that I find haunting is "The Call"  from the Five Mystical Songs by Ralph Vaughan Williams.  This short work, written for baritone soloist and instrumental accompaniment, is redolent of Gregorian chant as well as the Romanticism of the 19th and 20th centuries, set to words by the 17th century British poet George Herbert:

The Call
Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life:
Such a Way, as gives us breath:
Such a Truth, as ends all strife:
Such a Life, as killeth death.
Come, my Light, my Feast, my Strength:
Such a Light, as shows a feast:
Such a Feast, as mends in length:
Such a Strength, as makes his guest.
Come, my Joy, my Love, my Heart:
Such a Joy, as none can move:
Such a Love, as none can part:
Such a Heart, as joyes in love.


The Gateway Men's Chorus of St. Louis performed this entire work, and many others, as part of their holiday concert on December 8 and 9, with baritone Robert McNichols, Jr., conducted by Robert Stumpf.  Both men are consummate musicians.  McNichols sings with boundless energy and precision honed by years of careful practice.  His voice boomed throughout the auditorium at Union Avenue Christian Church, backed by organist John Cargile. 

Robert Stumpf is one of those conductors who breathes with the music and makes himself a complete part of it.  He clearly understood the drama and pathos intended by Vaughan Williams.  Stumpf has built on the legacy of previous conductors of the GMC to craft a skilled and unified ensemble that continues to grow and mature, now in its 31st season. 

Interestingly, Vaughan Williams was an atheist turned agnostic, yet is renowned for his Christian music.  Perhaps he understood that mysticism sooner or later tugs at each of us.  Here is a performance from YouTube of the song by baritone Carl Frank and organist Colin Knapp:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAxc7zuqFyU