Choose Life, Uvacharta Bachayim
Encyclopedia
Choose Life, Uvacharta Bachayim, is a dramatic oratorio
by composer Mona Lyn Reese
and librettist Delores Dufner
OSB
, that draws on Jewish and Christian
music
and scripture, as well as the writings of Holocaust survivors, to create an interfaith
commemoration of the Holocaust. It was composed during Mona Lyn Reese
's 1993-94 Faith Partners Residency sponsored by the American Composers' Forum and the Otto Bremer Foundation. Choose Life, Uvacharta Bachayim, has received national acclaim and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize
in 1995.
Many musical styles and sounds combine in the score. There are frequent musical references to Jewish tradition: The processional hymn
and overture
“O Holy One All-Wise”, uses the melody Leoni from the hymn “Yigdal
”. The score includes the Jewish melody “Ani Ma'amin
” in several places. The music of Adonai (God of Israel) and Lazar includes traditional Jewish modes
and hymnody, recitative
, and Klezmer
music. Music in the Christian tradition such as Gregorian chant
, polyphonic motets, Anglican Verse
and Choral anthems also appear in the work.
Music and text express bitterness, anguish, and anger with God who permits tragedy, sorrow and need for comfort, the will to overcome evil, and determination to choose life over death. The six readings, found in Siddur Sim Shalom
and Gates of Prayer
, are taken from memoirs, diaries, and reflections on the experience of the holocaust.
Several pieces in Choose Life, Uvacharta Bachayim are based on the Jewish text and melody “Ani Ma'amin
”, a prayer for the dying. The Angel Choir sings both text and melody during the first reading (#4). The Angel Choir sings the text in “How Could I Forget You” (#14). Lazar sings the “Ani Ma'amin
” melody in “In Your Likeness” (#16).
The text for “Stay With Me, God”, (#13) is from Poems from the Desert, 1944; it was written by an anonymous member of the Eighth Army (United Kingdom)
.
The text of “How Could I Forget You”, and “Adonai” (#14 and #15) illustrates two Yom Kippur
texts:
“To look away from evil: Is this not the sin of all ‘good’ people?” and “Let there be no forgetfulness before the Throne of Glory; let there be remembrance within the human heart.”
The following sung texts are direct quotations or paraphrases from the Hebrew Bible
:
Woodwinds:
Brass
:
Percussion:
Voice
s
Strings
:
in 1995. The symphonic version was performed by the Billings Symphony Orchestra
& Chorale (Uri Barnea, Music Director) in 1996, and was also performed by the Basilica of Saint Mary, Minneapolis (Teri Larson, Music Director), as part of the “Basilica 2000” series.
In 2011, the San José Chamber Orchestra and Chorus released Choose Life, Uvacharta Bachayim (album)
, recorded at Skywalker Sound
in Marin County, California
.
Oratorio
An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
by composer Mona Lyn Reese
Mona Lyn Reese
Mona Lyn Reese is an American composer, best known for her operas and choral music. Her work is melodic and accessible with an emphasis on driving or complex rhythms, movement, and contrasting textures...
and librettist Delores Dufner
Delores Dufner
Delores Dufner is an American sacred music composer and librettist whose works have been included in Catholic hymnals in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. Dufner is a nun of the Order of Saint Benedict....
OSB
Order of Saint Benedict
The Order of Saint Benedict is a Roman Catholic religious order of independent monastic communities that observe the Rule of St. Benedict. Within the order, each individual community maintains its own autonomy, while the organization as a whole exists to represent their mutual interests...
, that draws on Jewish and Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
and scripture, as well as the writings of Holocaust survivors, to create an interfaith
Interfaith
The term interfaith dialogue refers to cooperative, constructive and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions and/or spiritual or humanistic beliefs, at both the individual and institutional levels...
commemoration of the Holocaust. It was composed during Mona Lyn Reese
Mona Lyn Reese
Mona Lyn Reese is an American composer, best known for her operas and choral music. Her work is melodic and accessible with an emphasis on driving or complex rhythms, movement, and contrasting textures...
's 1993-94 Faith Partners Residency sponsored by the American Composers' Forum and the Otto Bremer Foundation. Choose Life, Uvacharta Bachayim, has received national acclaim and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
in 1995.
Overview
Choose Life, Uvacharta Bachayim, is staged with costumes, scenery, and lighting; several numbers have also been choreographed for dance.Many musical styles and sounds combine in the score. There are frequent musical references to Jewish tradition: The processional hymn
Processional hymn
A processional hymn is a chant, hymn or other music sung during the Procession, usually at the start of a Christian service although occasionally during the service itself. The procession usually contains members of the clergy and the choir walking behind the processional cross...
and overture
Overture
Overture in music is the term originally applied to the instrumental introduction to an opera...
“O Holy One All-Wise”, uses the melody Leoni from the hymn “Yigdal
Yigdal
Yigdal is a Jewish hymn which in various rituals shares with Adon 'Olam the place of honor at the opening of the morning and the close of the evening service. It is based on the 13 Articles of Faith formulated by Moses ben Maimon, and was written by Daniel ben Judah Dayan , who spent eight years...
”. The score includes the Jewish melody “Ani Ma'amin
Ani Ma'amin
Ani Ma'amin "I believe" is a prosaic rendition of Maimonides' thirteen-point version of the Jewish principles of faith. It is based on his Mishnah commentary to tractate Sanhedrin. The popular version of Ani Ma'amin is of a later date and has some significant differences with Maimonides' original...
” in several places. The music of Adonai (God of Israel) and Lazar includes traditional Jewish modes
Musical mode
In the theory of Western music since the ninth century, mode generally refers to a type of scale. This usage, still the most common in recent years, reflects a tradition dating to the middle ages, itself inspired by the theory of ancient Greek music.The word encompasses several additional...
and hymnody, recitative
Recitative
Recitative , also known by its Italian name "recitativo" , is a style of delivery in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms of ordinary speech...
, and Klezmer
Klezmer
Klezmer is a musical tradition of the Ashkenazic Jews of Eastern Europe. Played by professional musicians called klezmorim, the genre originally consisted largely of dance tunes and instrumental display pieces for weddings and other celebrations...
music. Music in the Christian tradition such as Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic liturgical music within Western Christianity that accompanied the celebration of Mass and other ritual services...
, polyphonic motets, Anglican Verse
Verse anthem
In religious music, the verse anthem is a species of choral music, or song, distinct from the motet or 'full' anthem . In the 'verse' anthem the music alternates between sections for a solo voice or voices and the full choir. The organ provided accompaniment in liturgical settings, but viols took...
and Choral anthems also appear in the work.
Music and text express bitterness, anguish, and anger with God who permits tragedy, sorrow and need for comfort, the will to overcome evil, and determination to choose life over death. The six readings, found in Siddur Sim Shalom
Siddur Sim Shalom
Siddur Sim Shalom may refer to any siddur in a family of siddurim, Jewish prayerbooks, and related commentaries on these siddurim, published by the Rabbinical Assembly and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism....
and Gates of Prayer
Gates of Prayer
Gates of Prayer, the New Union Prayer Book is a Reform Jewish siddur that was announced in October 1975 as a replacement for the 80-year-old Union Prayer Book , incorporating more Hebrew content and was updated to be more accessible to modern worshipers...
, are taken from memoirs, diaries, and reflections on the experience of the holocaust.
Several pieces in Choose Life, Uvacharta Bachayim are based on the Jewish text and melody “Ani Ma'amin
Ani Ma'amin
Ani Ma'amin "I believe" is a prosaic rendition of Maimonides' thirteen-point version of the Jewish principles of faith. It is based on his Mishnah commentary to tractate Sanhedrin. The popular version of Ani Ma'amin is of a later date and has some significant differences with Maimonides' original...
”, a prayer for the dying. The Angel Choir sings both text and melody during the first reading (#4). The Angel Choir sings the text in “How Could I Forget You” (#14). Lazar sings the “Ani Ma'amin
Ani Ma'amin
Ani Ma'amin "I believe" is a prosaic rendition of Maimonides' thirteen-point version of the Jewish principles of faith. It is based on his Mishnah commentary to tractate Sanhedrin. The popular version of Ani Ma'amin is of a later date and has some significant differences with Maimonides' original...
” melody in “In Your Likeness” (#16).
The text for “Stay With Me, God”, (#13) is from Poems from the Desert, 1944; it was written by an anonymous member of the Eighth Army (United Kingdom)
Eighth Army (United Kingdom)
The Eighth Army was one of the best-known formations of the British Army during World War II, fighting in the North African and Italian campaigns....
.
The text of “How Could I Forget You”, and “Adonai” (#14 and #15) illustrates two Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur , also known as Day of Atonement, is the holiest and most solemn day of the year for the Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue...
texts:
“To look away from evil: Is this not the sin of all ‘good’ people?” and “Let there be no forgetfulness before the Throne of Glory; let there be remembrance within the human heart.”
The following sung texts are direct quotations or paraphrases from the Hebrew Bible
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
:
- Hear Me, My People (#1)
- Isaiah 55:8-9 and Deuteronomy 30:11-14, 15-20
- O God of Israel (#3)
- Psalm 22:2-2, 4-5
- A Voice Is Heard in Ramah (#5)
- Jeremiah 31:15
- Tender God, Have Mercy (#9)
- Psalm 51:1-2, 7, 10
- All Ye Who Pass By (#11)
- Lamentations 1:12-13
- How Could I Forget You? (#14)
- Isaiah 49:15 and Psalm 116:15
- I Shall Not Die (#20)
- Psalm 118:14, 17, 116
Dramatis Personae
- Adonai, mezzo-soprano – The transcendent God of Jews and Christians.
- Lazar, tenor – A Jewish survivor of the holocaust who lost most of his family and friends to the Nazis.
- Franziska, soprano – The widow of Franz JägerstätterFranz JägerstätterBlessed Franz Jägerstätter, O.F.S., was an Austrian conscientious objector during World War II. Jägerstätter was sentenced to death and executed...
, an AustrianAustriansAustrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....
Christian peasant farmer and conscientious objector beheaded by the Nazis. - Dives, bass – An indifferent citizen of the world, preoccupied with his own well-being, who was blind and deaf to the slaughter of the Jews.
- Adam, tenor – A repentant Everyman, who acknowledges his share of responsibility for the holocaust and begs Adonai for mercy.
- Jacob, soprano – A frightened Jewish child.
- Hebrew Chorus, SATB choir – People of faith who draw on the Hebrew scriptures to comment on world events.
- Angel Choir, Gregorian chant choir– Messengers of Adonai who pray for the dead and console the mourners.
- Repentant Nations, TTBB choir – Peoples of the world who acknowledge their share of responsibility for the holocaust and beg Adonai for mercy.
- Rivka, reader – A dramatic teller of stories from written accounts of holocaust survivors.
Structure
- Overture: O Holy One All Wise, Hear Me, My People
- Holy One Beyond the Stars
- O God of Israel
- Reading 1 and Chant Ani Maamin
- A Voice Is Heard in Ramah
- The Death of Franz
- Reading 2 and Chant In Paradisum
- I Was Absent
- Tender God, Have Mercy
- Reading 3 and Chant Libera Me
- All Ye Who Pass By
- Reading 4
- Stay With Me, God
- How Could I Forget You?
Holy One, You Remained With Me Through Death
You are Precious In My Eyes - Reading 5
- In Your Likeness
- I Will Not Forget
Adonai - Reading 6
- Choose Life
- I Shall Not Die
Instrumentation
The oratorio is scored for the following orchestra and voices.Woodwinds:
- PiccoloPiccoloThe piccolo is a half-size flute, and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. The piccolo has the same fingerings as its larger sibling, the standard transverse flute, but the sound it produces is an octave higher than written...
(double flute 2) - FluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
- OboeOboeThe oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
- ClarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
in A and B flat - BassoonBassoonThe bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
Brass
Brass instrument
A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
:
- 2 HornsHorn (instrument)The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
- 2 TrumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
s in C - TromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
(tenor) - TromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
(bass) - TubaTubaThe tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
Percussion:
- TimpaniTimpaniTimpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
- 2 Percussion
- HarpHarpThe harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
- Keyboard (synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
or pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
)
Voice
Vocal music
Vocal music is a genre of music performed by one or more singers, with or without instrumental accompaniment, in which singing provides the main focus of the piece. Music which employs singing but does not feature it prominently is generally considered instrumental music Vocal music is a genre of...
s
- 2 SopranoSopranoA soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
soloists (one adult, one child) - Mezzo-sopranoMezzo-sopranoA mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
solo - 2 TenorTenorThe tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
soloists - BassBass (voice type)A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
solo - SATBSATBIn music, SATB is an initialism for soprano, alto, tenor, bass, defining the voices required by a chorus or choir to perform a particular musical work...
ChoirChoirA choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus... - Gregorian chantGregorian chantGregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic liturgical music within Western Christianity that accompanied the celebration of Mass and other ritual services...
ChoirChoirA choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
(men or women)
Strings
String section
The string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...
:
- ViolinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
s I, II - ViolaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
s - CelloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
s - Contra basses
Notable performances and recordings
Choose Life, Uvacharta Bachayim premiered at the Basilica of Saint Mary, Minneapolis (Teri Larson, Music Director) in 1994. The following year, the Otto Bremer Foundation gave Reese an additional grant to write a symphonic version which was nominated for a Pulitzer PrizePulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
in 1995. The symphonic version was performed by the Billings Symphony Orchestra
Billings Symphony Orchestra
The Billings Symphony Orchestra ia an American orchestra based in Billings, Montana.The Symphony was founded in 1950, while the chorale was founded in 1955 . The Billings Symphony serves South Central Montana, Eastern Montana and Northern Wyoming as the only symphonic and chorale music in the region...
& Chorale (Uri Barnea, Music Director) in 1996, and was also performed by the Basilica of Saint Mary, Minneapolis (Teri Larson, Music Director), as part of the “Basilica 2000” series.
In 2011, the San José Chamber Orchestra and Chorus released Choose Life, Uvacharta Bachayim (album)
Choose Life, Uvacharta Bachayim (album)
Choose Life, Uvacharta Bachayim , is a studio album of the Choose Life, Uvacharta Bachayim dramatic oratorio by composer Mona Lyn Reese and librettist Delores Dufner OSB, released by the San José Chamber Orchestra and Chorus in 2011....
, recorded at Skywalker Sound
Skywalker Sound
Skywalker Sound is the sound effects, sound editing, sound design, sound mixing and music recording division of George Lucas' Lucas Digital motion picture group. Its main facilities are located in Lucas Valley, near Nicasio, California...
in Marin County, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.