Commissioned by Paul Fonfara for Penelope Fonfara and Andrew Senior in memory of Joseph Fonfara 1945-2017, and Kim Senior 1957-2023.
Premiere: October 7, 2024 | Chapel of Ss. Peter and Paul, Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary | Denton, NE
Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary
My sincere thanks to the singers that made this possible:
Tenor 1: Conan McGonagle, Harrison Godfrey, Thomas Eggers
Tenor 2: Andrew Daniels, Benjamin Jennings-Sio, Rainier Juanta
Bass: Matthew Davis , Dominic Rumore, Ryan Ng, Anthony Achonye, Christopher Hattrup
PROGRAM NOTES
At the nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, one may consider the angels proclaiming such sentiments as are sung in this piece. Mary, being a pure vessel, born into a world much like our modern one with its natural joys and malefactions, proceeds like a radiant dawn bringing forth a new light for our hearts. She did this with her “fiat” when she agreed to bring forth the Savior into the world, and she will do it again when it is time to enter the “New Jerusalem.”
Quae est ista ~Nicholas Lemme | TTB a cap. | 4'
Song of Songs 6: 3, 9, 8 from the Office of the BVM
Text †
Quæ est ista quæ procéssit sicut sol,
et formósa tamquam Jerúsalem?
Vidérunt eam fíliæ Sion,
et beátam dixérunt,
et regínæ laudavérunt eam.
Quae est ista quae procéssit sicut sol?
Translation
Who is this that cometh up like the sun?
and comely as Jerusalem?
* The daughters of Zion saw her,
and called her blessed:
and the queens also praised her.
Who is this that cometh up like the sun?