Music: Sun Jun 6

 

Gathering Music:

            Unwritten, Natasha Bedingfield

            This Joy (Shirley Caesar), Resistance Revival Chorus

            Resilient, Rising Appalachia   

            This Little Light of Mine (Traditional Gospel), Ladysmith Black Mambazo

 

Centering Music: The Brothers (and Father) Force

"The Wellerman"

                        Traditional, arr. by Christian Force

Interlude: Lyra Harada, piano and violin

Nagasaki no Kane (Bells of Nagasaki)

            Hachiro Sato and Yuji Koseki, arr. by Lyra Harada    

 

Lyra has provided the following background information:

 

“Nagasaki no Kane (Bells of Nagasaki)” was originally an essay by a radiologist named Dr. Takashi Nagai; his book was published in 1949, four years after the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The essay and the life of Dr. Nagai became the inspiration for the movie of the same title with the theme being the titular song, with music and lyrics by Hachiro Sato and music by Yuji Koseki; the movie was released in 1950, just one year before Dr. Nagai died of leukemia. 

The premiere of Koseki’s “Olympic March” at the Opening Ceremony of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics made Koseki the first composer of color and the first Japanese composer to have his original music featured in an Olympic Game. Koseki also made history as the first Japanese composer to have won a composition competition hosted by a small publishing firm in the UK with his now lost symphonic poem, “Princess Kaguya.” Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to go study in the UK as part of his prize since the competition was held just as the Great Depression occurred. 

The music starts out in a minor key signifying the great tragedy and loss that was a result of the atomic bomb, even going as far as expressing a death of a wife as direct reference to Dr. Nagai, whose wife died in a fire at their home after the bomb dropped. However, the music changes to the original key’s parallel key signifying the optimism that there will be peace. The bells mentioned in the song refers to the bells that once stood in the Urakami Cathedral Church in Nagasaki City. Unfortunately, the original church was almost completely destroyed as a result of the atomic bomb, but the bells were miraculously found with no severe damages on the night of Christmas Eve in 1945. The bells became a symbol of hope for many regardless of their faith. Seventy-two years after the song’s release, it has proven to a song of hope during the Covid-19 pandemic and as well as constant signal to everyone that there will be not just peace within society but also inner peace for every individual. 

Lyrics with Romanized Japanese and English Translation:

こよなく晴れた 青空を
悲しと思う せつなさよ
うねりの波の 人の世に
はかなく生きる 野の花よ 

なぐさめ　はげまし　長崎の
ああ　長崎の鐘が鳴る 

召されて妻は　天国へ
別れてひとり　旅立ちぬ
かたみに残る　ロザリオの
鎖に白き　わが涙 

なぐさめ　はげまし　長崎の
ああ　長崎の鐘が鳴る 

こころの罪を　うちあけて
更けゆく夜の　月すみぬ
貧しき家の　柱にも
気高く白き　マリア様 

なぐさめ　はげまし　長崎の
ああ　長崎の鐘が鳴る 

Koyonaku hareta aozora wo
Kanashi to o-mou setsunasa yo
U-neri no Nami no Hito-no-yo-ni
Hakanaku ikiru no-no hana yo 

Nagusame Hagemashi Nagasaki no
Ah-Ah Nagasaki no
Kane ga Naru 

Mesarete tsuma wa Tengoku-e
Wakarete hitori tabi dachi-nu
Katami ni nokoru rozario no
Kusari ni shiroki waga namida 

Nagusame Hagemashi Nagasaki no
Ah-Ah Nagasaki no
Kane ga Naru 

Kokoro no tsumi wo uchi-akete
Fuke yuku yoru no tsuki sumi-nu
Mabushiki ie no hashira ni mo
Kedakaku shiroki Maria-sama 

Nagusame Hagemashi Nagasaki no
Ah-Ah Nagasaki no
Kane ga Naru 

On a clear sunny day,
Deep sorrow engulfs me.
For I am just a flower
Alone in this world. 

May you bring comfort to us,
The Bells of Nagasaki
Ah - The Bells of Nagasaki
Will forever ring! 

My wife has left me all alone
To be with the Lord.
I can only see remnants of my tears
On the chains of the rosary
She leaves behind. 

May you bring comfort to us,
The Bells of Nagasaki
Ah - The Bells of Nagasaki
Will forever ring! 

On a black, dark night
With only the Moon to be my Light
I confess my sins.
From the pillars of my humble home
The Virtuous Virgin Mary still stands. 

May you bring comfort to us,
The Bells of Nagasaki.
Ah - The Bells of Nagasaki
Will forever ring!

Bridging Music: Wesley Miller, piano

A Wild and Distant Shore

                       Michael Nyman

IV. "For Helen Coates" from Four Anniversaries

                       Leonard Bernstein

8 Principles Songs: R.E. Students and Alums, with Laura Sehdeva and Adam Kent

Based on melodies from:

"Do You Hear the People Sing?" from Les Misérables

                      Claude Michel Schonberg

"Seasons of Love" from Rent

                        Jonathan Larson

"My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music

                        Richard Rogers

                       

 

Parting Music: Adam Kent, piano

Scenas Infantis (Scenes of Childhood)

I. Run, run!

II. Ring around the Rosie

III. March, Little Soldier!
IV. Sleeping Time

V. The Hobby-Horse

                                    Octavio Pinto 

I.

The garden is full of life.

In the sunshine children run about 
Gaily and noisily. 

Outside, on the street,

The poor blind man with his hand-organ 
Sings his sorrows.

II.

"Let's play ring-around-the-rosie,"

Says little Anna Maria.

Quickly they form a ring

Singing and dancing.

III.

At the other corner, 
Little Luiz Octavio comes marching by,
With his men, in paper hats,
Carrying wooden guns.

IV.

The sun falls down the west,

Six times sings the Cuckoo in the clock.

The little girls sing lullabies,

Sing that their dollies must go to sleep

Before the bogey-man comes!

V.

And now play-time is over, 
And the children 
Come prancing happily home 
On their wooden hobby-horses.