Alleluia

Program Notes

My Alleluia was written for the debut of my chorus, Howl!, an ensemble based in the Morningside Heights area of Manhattan and which I led for several years. [The concert was also my choral conducting debut!] The evening didn’t exactly need more Jonathan David material: I programmed my Christmas Cantata and had composed Stupendous Stranger for the occasion. But I realized a few weeks before the concert that I didn’t have a strong opener. So, rather than mine the existing repertoire, I wrote something myself. The bulk of the piece was done in an afternoon. The premiere was December 9, 2003, at Christ Chapel, Riverside Church. The piece subsequently was a finalist in the Shoreline Community Chorale’s (CT) 2010 Composition Competition.

Upon reviewing the score prior to publication I decided to make a few changes: The climactic middle section is greatly expanded, while the ostinato-dominant bookends are slightly clipped. It is probably the most spare and reserved piece I’ve written, texturally dominated by a mantra-like chanting of the title word. In this context, the simple motifs and, eventually, chords stand out in strong relief. The drama and syncopations of the central section provide a strong contrast before the piece returns to the original mood. Things end as simply as can be, in a single solo alto voice.