Three Sacred Songs: 2. The Shepherd Lad

These songs are dedicated to William Osborne. The title Three Sacred Songs: was given to these pieces rather than the more usual terms anthem or motet because of the strongly secular presence in the texts. The songs were written over a period of some eighteen months. The Shepherd Lad was finished on February 29, 2008. The Round Day and Magdalene’s Song were completed in Brooklyn on June 11, 2009, the music having been originally sketched-out on Christmas Day and Boxing Day 2008, at Putnam Valley, New York. In the first song, The Round Day, the singer hears the voice of the Blessed Virgin Mary as she sings to the glory of God throughout the day. The text was written on June 7, 2008. In The Shepherd Lad, the Spanish mystic Saint John of the Cross describes a shepherd lad’s (Jesus’s) love for a shepherdess (the Church) and how another (the Devil) tempted his love away. Heartbroken, the shepherd climbed a tree, “And threw wide his arms in sweetest charity, Since by His Shepherdess He was forsaken.” The original Spanish text was translated and adapted into Villanelle form by the composer in early December 2004. The text of Magdalene’s Song describes the feelings of a mystic, or a devotee of Jesus, inspired by the fresh beauty, grace and power of the Lord of creation. The main body of the text is given to a soprano solo. The text was written on April 27, 2008. These sacred songs were conceived as being performed either as a set or individually. The composer had secular ensembles in mind, such as college or concert choruses, but these songs may, of course, also be performed in a liturgical setting. The accompanying flute provides introductions, interludes and codas throughout the set and, on a few occasions, plays with the voices. The piano part is ad lib. (optional).