Light of a Clear Blue Morning
Dolly Parton wrote Light of a Clear Blue Morning after she parted ways with her long-time business partner, Porter Wagoner. On her website Parton says of the song, “It was my song of deliverance. It was my song of freedom.” Dolly has recorded the song three times, the first in 1977, but its message of hope is as relevant today as it was nearly 50 years ago. Overflowing with references to light, it is a fitting opener for today’s concert.
Text (Dolly Parton)
It’s been a long hard night, and I’ve been waiting for the morning.
It’s been a long hard fight, but I see a brand new day a dawning.
I’ve been looking for the sunshine ‘cause I ain’t seen it in so long.
Ev’rything’s gonna work out fine. Ev’rything’s gonna be alright, it’s gonna be okay.
I can see the light of a clear blue morning.
I can see the light of a brand new day.
I can see the light of a clear blue morning.
Ev’rything’s gonna be alright, it’s gonna be okay.
Clear blue morning, clear blue morning,
Morning, morning,
Light of a clear blue, light of a clear blue,
Morning light, morning light,
See the light, see the light,
I can see the light of a clear blue morning.
Will there really be a “Morning?”
Will there really be a “Morning?”, like many of Emily Dickinson’s poems, reveals deep beauty and meaning through simply written text. The speaker yearns for a “morning” and wonders aloud how it might look and from where it might come. Dickinson spent much of her adulthood in seclusion in her New England home; I imagine her looking out her window asking these same questions about her life and the future.
This gentle and poignant musical setting focuses on the hope inherent in the text. The melody for the first two stanzas, first in the sopranos and then shared with the tenors, is lyrical while the other parts provide accompaniment. As the music builds into the third stanza, the voice parts become equal and the music intensifies, but note that the dynamic is still only mf. The final section is a coda - a reflection on the previous text.
-Dan Campolieta, composer
Text (Emily Dickinson)
Will there really be a “Morning?”
Is there such a thing as “Day?”
Could I see it from the mountains
If I were tall as they?
Has it feet like water lilies?
Has it feathers like a bird?
Is it brought from famous countries
Of which I have never heard?
Oh, some scholar! Oh, some sailor!
Oh, some wise man from the skies!
Please to tell a little pilgrim
Where the place called “Morning” lies!
Dark & Luminous Night
Ola Gjeilo was born in Norway in 1978 and moved to the United States in 2001. His choral music is well known for mixing components of very early music with compositional techniques of twentieth century music. His pieces often take on cinematic qualities, which you will hear today. The original version of Dark Night of the Soul was written in 2010 for the Phoenix Chorale, while Luminous Night was written as a sequel for Cantare Houston in 2011. Since the two works are fairly long, Gjeilo created shorter versions of both, which can be combined into one work, Dark & Luminous Night, the piece you will hear today. The movements are mainly linked through the theme at the end of Dark Night that comes back as the main theme of Luminous Night.
The text of both movements is from 16th-century Spanish mystic and priest St. John of the Cross’s poem, Dark Night of the Soul. In the poem, he appreciates the darkness and night for its ability to finetune the senses, illuminate truth, and allow the soul to unite with the divine, without distractions. In the dark, he finds rest, fulfillment, and clarity.
Text (St. John of the Cross)
Dark Night
In darkness, and secure,
by the secret ladder, disguised,
– ah, the sheer grace! –
in darkness and concealment,
my house being now all stilled.
Luminous Night
O guiding night!
O night more lovely than the dawn!
O night that has united
the Lover with his beloved,
transforming the beloved in her Lover.
Let There Be Light
Dazzling light, by its very nature, awakens, excites, and brightens everything on which it falls. With that in mind, Let There Be Light was written to embody those very qualities. From the opening jazz harmony to the harmonic clusters, the quickly climbing scales and Renaissance-like simplicity, everything is intended to dislodge and awaken the listener with the unexpected. As always, Susan Boersma’s lyrics provide wonderful opportunities for text-painting. They are a spirited celebration of light from creation as recorded in Genesis through the light of the Old Testament prophecy to the fulfillment of prophecy in the gospels with the birth of Emmanuel, the Light of the World.
-Craig Courtney, composer
Text (Susan Bentall Boersma)
And God said:
“Let there be light out of the darkness shining, let there be light,” and the light was good.
Sun, moon, and stars out of the darkness shining. And the light was good.
Shine, shine, shine, out of the darkness.
Shine, shine, shine, forever and ever.
Shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, oh, shine forevermore.
There came a star out of Jacob rising.
There rose a scepter out of Israel.
And the star was Jesus, Emmanuel!
And the morning stars sang, they sang together.
And the angels shouted, they shouted for joy!
And the morning stars sang, oh yes, they sang together, and the song was good.
Adagio for Strings, Op. 11, Mvt. 2
Barber’s Adagio for Strings is probably his most famous work, however audiences generally hear the 1936 arrangement for string orchestra, which was written after the original string quartet version. Today, you will hear the original version. I intentionally chose this piece to give the audience time for contemplation after Dr. Losambe’s speech. For more information on the piece, please read William Runyan’s notes below. While the notes are written for the full orchestra version, they are still widely applicable for the string quartet version you will hear today.
“It is a relatively simple work, like much great art, but concomitantly is also the stunning application of genius and inspiration in its creation. A straightforward melody enters after a unison low Bb in the violins and a rich response from the low strings. Composed of a searching three-note figure and a descending scale and return, this idea is passed around the orchestra in a dialogue of string voices. Beneath it all, a rich bed of ever-shifting harmonies sustains. Barber makes much of the homogeneous timbre of the string section—like great, unaccompanied vocal choruses—to “sneak” remarkable dissonance and its resolution into the texture. And of course, it is this very commonplace of music that produces much of what has always been perceived as beauty, in this case, wrenching beauty. Expressive upward leaps in the melodic line, resolving to ever-shifting harmonies, mostly complete the picture, as the instruments—and the tension—climb higher and higher. An ever-changing pulse contributes to the unease, as the soaring climax is reached. A few dramatic chords, a pause, and Barber returns to a brief restatement of the beginning. As it ends impossibly softly, there is no traditional harmonic resolution, but concludes with a “hanging” chord, with no real sense of finality. It could not better mirror the irresolution of existence, grief, and human lives.”
-William E. Runyan, Adagio for Strings, Op. 11 © 2025
Lux Aurumque (Light & Gold)
Written in 2001, Lux Aurumque, which translates to “light and gold”, is one of Eric Whitacre’s most popular choral works. His hallmark tight harmonies and cluster chords, which build tension and eventually resolve into rich, consonant harmonies, can be heard throughout this piece. It is first and foremost a Christmas song that beautifully paints the picture of angels singing over the new-born baby, who emanates “light, warm and heavy as pure gold.”
Text (Edward Esch & Charles Silvestri)
Lux,
calida gravisque pura velut aurum
et canunt angeli molliter
modo natum.
Translation
Light,
warm and heavy as pure gold
and the angels sing softly
To the new-born baby.
O Nata Lux
O Nata Lux is the third movement of Morten Lauriden’s five movement work, Lux Aeterna, premiered in 1997. For the larger work, the composer chose Latin texts that revolve around some aspect of light. The first stanza of O Nata Lux, “born light of light” is found in the Christian Nicene Creed and references Jesus’ divinity. The actual text of O Nata Lux is an anonymous 10th-century Latin text used for the Feast of the Transfiguration, but it is suitable for Advent as well. Lauriden’s setting of the text is an a cappella motet. The piece begins homophonic, but as it grows increasingly polyphonic, listen for different vocal parts offering melodic fragments that pop out of the texture.
Text (Latin Sacred Text)
O nata lux de lumine,
Jesu redemptor saeculi,
dignare clemens supplicum
laudes preces que sumere.
Qui carne quondam contegi
dignatus es pro perditis.
Nos membra confer effici,
tui beati corporis.
Translation
O born light of light,
Jesus, redeemer of the world,
mercifully deem worthy and accept
the praises and prayers of your supplicants.
Thou who once was clothed in flesh
for the lost ones,
grant us to be made members
Shine
Originally written and performed by alternative rock band Collective Soul, Shine won Billboard's Top Rock Track award in 1994. In 2001 Dolly Parton recorded an acoustic bluegrass cover of the song for which she won a Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. The song’s catchy tune and universal lyrics aid in its popularity as it is relatable for audiences of all ages and backgrounds. In the song, the singer is searching for “a word, a sign, love” and asks heaven to let its “light shine down” in hopes that that light will reveal what the singer is looking for.
Text (Ed Roland)
Give me a word, give me a sign,
show me where to look, and tell me what will I find?
Lay me on the ground, fly me in the sky,
show me where to look, and tell me what will I find?
Oh, heaven let your light shine down.
Oh, heaven let your light shine down.
Oh, heaven let your light shine down.
Oh, heaven let your light shine.
Love is in the water, love is in the air,
Show me where to look, and tell me, will love be there?
Teach me how to speak, teach me how to share,
Teach me where to go, and tell me, will love be there?
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
Heaven let your light shine down.
Fix You
Chris Martin wrote Fix You for his then-wife Gwyneth Paltrow after the death of her father. The lyrics acknowledge both the loss of a loved one, and the challenges we all face in our daily lives. From “when you try your best but you don’t succeed” to “when you love someone but it goes to waste,” I have found that every singer feels a strong connection to something in the text. Sharing the burden of grief is a theme repeated throughout, which every verse and every chorus beginning with an observation about “you” (Paltrow), and ending with what “I” (Martin) will try to do. This is a song of steadfast support and encouragement for a loved one in a time of struggle.
-George Chung, arranger
Text (Berryman/Buckland/Champion/Martin)
When you try your best, but you don’t succeed,
When you get what you want but not what you need,
When you feel so tired, but you can’t sleep,
Stuck in reverse.
And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can’t replace.
When you love someone but it goes to waste,
Could it be worse?
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones,
And I will try to fix you.
And high up above or down below,
When you’re too in love to let it go,
But if you never try you’ll never know
Just what you’re worth.
Tears stream down your face,
When you lose something you cannot replace.
Tears stream down your face, and I…
Tears stream down your face,
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes.
Tears stream down your face, and I…
--Program notes compiled and written by Natalie Young.
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SOURCES:
Scores of the following pieces: Will there really be a “Morning?”, Dark & Luminous Night, Let There Be Light, Fix You
“Celebrating the hope and promise found in Light of a Clear Blue Morning” https://dollyparton.com/tag/light-of-a-clear-blue-morning
“Morten Lauridsen’s Lux Aeterna” (Tim Sharp) https://tulsachorale.org/morten-lauridsens-lux-aeterna-notes-by-tim-sharp/