Gitanjali Chants | text by Rabindranath Tagore, Craig Hella Johnson (b. 1962)

Ever in my life
Have I sought thee with my songs.
It was they who led me from door to door,
And with them have I felt about me,
Searching and touching my world.
It was my songs that taught me all
The lessons I ever learnt;
They showed me secret paths,
They brought before my sight
Many a star on the horizon of my heart.
They guided me all the day long to
The mysteries of the country of pleasure and pain,
And at last to what palace gate have they
Brought me at the end of my journey?
You came down from your throne
And stood at my cottage door.
I was sitting all alone in a corner,
And the melody caught your ear.
You came down and stood at my cottage door
Masters are many in our hall,
And songs are sung there at all hours.
But the simple carol of this novice
Struck at your love.
One plaintive little strain,
One plaintive little strain,
Mingled with the great music of the world,
And with a flower for a prize,
You came down and stopped at my cottage door.
You came down.

Beati Quorum Via | text from Psalm 119, Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924)                                          

Latin:
Beati quorum via integra est,
qui ambulant in lege Domini.

English Translation
Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the Lord.

Exultate justi | text from Psalm 33, Ludovico da Viadana (c. 1560-1627)

Latin:
Exultate, justi, in Domino;
rectos decet collaudatio.
Confitemini Domino in cithara;
in psalterio decem chordarum psallite illi.‍
Cantate ei canticum novum;
bene psallite ei in vociferatione.

English Translation:
Rejoice in the Lord, O ye just;
Praise befits the upright.

Give praise to the Lord on the harp;
Sing to him with the psaltery, the instrument of ten strings.

Sing to him a new canticle,
Sing well unto him with a loud noise.

Quanta Qualia | text by Andrew Hawes, Patrick Hawes (b. 1958)

Latin:
O anima mea
Mane!
O quanta qualia
Conventus gaudia
Erunt. 

English Translation:
O my soul
Wait!
O how great and how wonderful
the joys of meeting
will be.

Rytmus | text and music by Ivan Hrušovský (1927)

Latin:
Ave Eva                       
fons amoris,                 
tu regina venustatis.    

English Translation:
Be greeted Eve,
you source of love,
you are the queen of nobleness.

Breathe On Me, Breath of God | text by Edwin Hatch, J.T. Rees (1857-1949), arr. Haydn Morgan (1945-2014)

Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Fill me with life anew,
That I may love what Thou dost love,
And do what Thou wouldst do.

Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Till I am wholly Thine,
Until this earthly part of me
Glows with Thy fire divine.

Breathe on me, Breath of God,
So shall I never die,
But live with Thee the perfect life
Of Thine eternity.

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God | text and music (attrib.) by Martin Luther (1483-1546), arr. Carl Mueller (1892-1982)

A mighty Fortress is our God,
A Bulwark never failing;
Our Helper He amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great,
And, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal

Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side,
The Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth His Name,
From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

“Suite” de Lorca | text by Federico Garcia Lorca, Einojuhani Rautavaara (1928-2016)

I. Canción de jinete

Spanish:
Córdoba. Lejana y sola.
Jaca negra, luna grande,
y aceitunas en mi alforja.
Aunque sepa los caminos
yo nunca llegaré a Córdoba.
Por el llano, por el viento,
jaca negra, luna roja.
La muerte me está mirando
desde las torres de Córdoba.
¡Ay qué camino tan largo!
¡Ay mi jaca valerosa!
¡Ay, que la muerte me espera,
antes de llegar a Córdoba!
Córdoba. Lejana y sola.

English Translation:
Córdoba
Distant and lonely.
Black steed, big moon,
and olives in my saddlebag.
Although I know the roads
I will never reach Córdoba.
Across the plain, through the wind
Black steed, red moon.
Death is staring at me
from the towers of Córdoba.
Oh, how long the road is!
Oh, my valiant steed!
Oh, death awaits me,
before I reach Córdoba.
Córdoba.
Distant and lonely.

IV. Malagueña

Spanish:
La Muerte
entra y sale
de la taberna.

Pasan caballos negros
y gente siniestra
por los hondos caminos
de la guitarra.

Y hay un olor a sal
y a sangre [de hembra],
en los nardos febriles
de la marina.

La muerte
entra y sale
y sale y entra
la muerte
de la taberna.

English Translation:
Death
enters, and leaves,
the tavern.

Black horses
and sinister people
travel the deep roads
of the guitar.

And there’s a smell of salt
and of female blood
in the fevered tuberoses
of the shore.

Death
enters, and leaves,
and leaves, and enters,
death
of the tavern.

All Seems Beautiful to Me | text by Walt Whitman, Eric Whitacre

From this hour I ordain myself loos’d of imaginary lines
Going where I list, my own master total and absolute.
Listening to others, considering well what they say,
Pausing, searching, receiving, contemplating,
gently, but with undeniable will, divesting myself from the holds that would hold me.
I inhale great draughts of space.
The East and the West are mine, and the North and the South are mine.

I am larger, better than I thought,
I did not know I held so much goodness.

All seems beautiful to me,
I can repeat over and over to men and women
You have done such good to me, I would do the same to you,
I will recruit for myself and you as I go,
I will scatter myself among men and women as I go,
I will toss a new gladness and roughness among them,
Whoever denies me it shall not trouble me,
Whoever accepts me he or she shall be blessed and shall bless me.

Blessed Be | text and music by Melanie DeMore (b. 1954)

Blessed Be!
Blest, Be, Blessed Be the Living Tree.
Blessed Be the Tree of Life
that grows within you and me.

Hela Rotan | Indonesian Folk Song, arr. Ken Steven (b. 1993)

Indonesian:
Hela, hela rotan-e rotan-e
Tifa Jawa
Jawa-e ba bunyi

Rotan, rotan sudah putus
Sudah putus ujung dua
Dua bakudapa-e

Mangga mangga muda e manis e
mangga mangga
Datang dari Nila

Nona nona muka manis muka manis
bikin Sinyo
Sinyo jadi gila-e

English Translation:
Pulling, pulling. Rattan vine tug-of-war.
Drum of Java--
Java goes kaboomie!

Rope of "Rotan", it was broken.
It was broken, leaving two ends.
So let's meet, and both shake hands!

Mangos, mangos!  Mangos fresh, mangos sweet!
Come and buy them!
Mangos from Mount Nila!

Young Miss, Young Miss, Lady Sweet-face, Lady Sweet-face.
Men go crazy!
Fine men lose their minds for her!

Ay’bobo Pou Yo | text by Gabriel Guillaume, Sydney Guillaume (b. 1982)

Poètes et musiciens, acteurs, chanteurs et farandoles,
Artistes de partout, venez sous la Coupole.
Venez! En avant! Ay’bobo pou yo, n’ap honore yo!
Les rideaux sont ouverts et la scène est en liesse;
Coryphée, entonnez un beau chant d’allégresse!
“Mèsi, ayibobo pou tout konpozitè yo!
Mèsi, ayibobo pou direktè yo tou!”
Depi solèy leve jouk nan labrin di swa,
Y’ap simen kè kontan, y’ap simaye lapè.
Ils sèment dans nos cœur la joie de l’harmonie,
Le sens de la mesure et le goût de la vie.
Pou bèl misyon sa yo, n’ap di ayibobo pou yo!
La musique et l’amour à jamais nous éclaire,
Et le monde partout resplendit de lumière.
Limyè la jistis, limyè lamitye,
Limyè la dignite, limyè limanite.
Ala yon bèl bagay lè kè tout moun kontan!
Mizik avèk lanmou se pi bèl eritaj!
Mèsi, ay’bobo pou yo! Bravo pou yo!     

Poets and musicians, actors, singers and farandoles,
Artists from everywhere, gather under the Dome.
Join in! Let’s go! We are honoring them!
The curtains are open and the scene is full of jubilation;
Corypheus, intone a marvelous chant!
“Praise and honor to all composers!
Praise and honor to the conductors too!”
From the crack of dawn till the darkness of night,
They are spreading joy and they are sowing peace.
They plant in our hearts the joy of harmony,
The meaning of the bar and the taste of life.
For their beautiful mission, we honor them!
Music and love forever enlighten us,
And the light shines brightly throughout the world.
The light of justice, the light of friendship,
The light of dignity and the light of humanity.
Oh how wonderful it is when everyone’s heart is filled with joy!
Music and love are the best legacy!
We thank and honor them! Bravo for them!                                                                                                 

Shenandoah | American Folksong, arr. James Erb (1926-2014)

Oh, Shenandoah, I long to see you,
Away, you rolling river
Oh, Shenandoah, I long to see you,
Away, I’m bound away, across the wide Missouri.

Oh Shenandoah, I love your daughter
Away, you rolling river
Oh Shenandoah, I love your daughter
Away, I’m bound away, across the wide Missouri.

Oh, Shenandoah, I’m bound to leave you,
Away, you rolling river
Oh, Shenandoah, I’m bound to leave you,
Away, I’m bound away, across the wide Missouri.

The Gift to Be Simple | Traditional Shaker Tune, arr. Bob Chilcott (b. 1955)

The gift to be simple, the gift to be free...

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,
'tis the gift to come down where you ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in a place just right,
't will be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gained,
To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed.
To turn, turn will be our delight,
'Til by turning, turning we come round right.

The gift to be simple, the gift to be free...

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,
'tis the gift to come down where you ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in a place just right,
't will be in the valley of love and delight.

The gift to be simple, the gift to be free...

Wade in the Water | Traditional Spiritual, arr. Moses Hogan (1957-2003)

God’s a gonna trouble the water.
Wade in the water,
Wade in the water, children,
Wade in the water.
God’s gonna trouble the water.

See that host all dressed in white,
God’s gonna trouble the water.
The leader looks like the Israelite.
God’s gonna trouble the water.

See that band all dressed in red,
God’s gonna trouble the water.
Looks like the band that Moses led.
God’s gonna trouble the water.

The Battle of Jericho | Traditional Spiritual, arr. Moses Hogan (1957-2003)

Joshua fit the battle, the battle of Jericho
Joshua fit the battle, the battle of Jericho

Joshua fit the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho
Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
And the walls come tumbling down

Talk about your kings of Gideon
Talk about your men of Saul
But none like good old Joshua
And the battle of Jericho
That morning

Right up to the walls of Jericho
He marched with spear in hand
Go blow that ram horn, Joshua cried
Cause the battle am in my hand

God almighty then the lamb ram sheep horn begins to blow
And the trumpets began to sound
And Joshua commanded the children to shout!
And the walls come a tumbling down

Oh Lord, you know that Joshua fit the battle, the battle of Jericho
Joshua fit the battle, the battle of Jericho
Joshua fit the battle, the battle of Jericho
The walls come tumbling down

Peace I Leave with You | text by M. Ryan Taylor, Amy Beach (1867-1944)

Peace I leave with you,
my peace I give unto you:
not as the world giveth, give I unto you.
Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid.
Peace I leave with you.

Homeland | text and music by Grace Coberly (b. 1999)

Dear lover, dear friend, see how gentle the night
that warms us from the cold.
When we met, I could swear I had known you before
in a lifetime gentler still.

This is our homeland, our haven in the woods —
familiar shadows, a sky we call our own.
And surely someday, we all will meet again.
In music, we’ll never be alone.

If the night falls too fast, I will seek out the sun
and paint it in the sky.
If the monsters return, I will drive them away
to keep you safe with me.

I will love you until the time I leave you.
But even though the distance grows,
we will never be apart.

This is our homeland, our haven in the woods —
familiar shadows, a sky we call our own.
And surely someday, we all will meet again.

When we’re centuries old and our voices are gone,
we will all come home.