Hello Everyone, my name is Jordan Hugh Sam and we are the Madrigal Singers.

Our
group specializes in singing music of the renaissance and early baroque periods.

Although I am the director, our ensemble performs without the use of a conductor. This
encourages a more egalitarian mode of music making, in which both musical decisions
and ensemble unity depend on each member rather than the director. I encourage you
to appreciate both the music but also the visual connection and communication between
members of the ensemble.

Our first piece Christus Factus Est, uses a series of dissonances and resolutions to
depict the suffering of Christ on the cross and the salvation of mankind. Include a few
sentences about the composer.

Our second piece The Lamb, takes poetry from William Blake's song of innocence.
Within his poem the innocence of the lamb is compared to the baby Jesus. John
Tavener wrote this setting for his nephew Simon's third birthday. This piece is based
around mirroring of an initial melodic line. (Have sopranos sing line). If we flip the Formatted: Strikethrough
intervals and have the altos sing it, we get (have altos sing line). And if we put them
together we get a mirrored musical gesture. Besides being an interesting musical Formatted: Strikethrough
gesture, Wwe as a group, think it conveys a very profound insight. We think of this piece Formatted: Strikethrough
as a lullaby. But not that typical lullabies that promise sunshines and daisies, but a
lullaby that conveys all the hurt and suffering of the world, while also conveying that
someone will be there to comfort you and support you against the harshness of reality.

Our third piece, Sicut Cervus, was composed by Palestrina. It translates to "as a deer
longs for springs of water, so my soul longs for thee Lord." Beyond a literal yearning for
God, it expresses an underlying spiritual yearning. Even if we do not believe in God,
most of us adults have felt that great emptiness of life. Within this work, lines imitate one
another as they enter, reflecting our desire for community, connection, and something
larger than any individual.

Our final piece Si Chio Vorreir Morire translates to "Yes, I would like to die" But this
death is not a literal death, but a metaphorical one. The french have a term la petit mort,
which translates to a little death, and it refers to the state of stupor post coitus or love-
making. If you turn to the 3rd page of the program you can read a translation.

Monteverdi makes use of many madrigalisms in this song- musical depictions of real
world events. I'd like to call your attention to one of them. The basses exclaim the word
ahi, and then each of the sections reiterate the word at higher and higher pitches and
louder and faster to depict.... well you get the idea. We have a lot of fun singing this
piece, and we hope you have just as much fun listening.