
Wicker Park Choral Singers Angels & Demons July 12, 2010 Chicago Cultural Center Adam Schleinzer, tenor In his setting of this centuries-old Catholic prayer, Chicago composer Eric Malmquist in-corporates musical elements both old and new. Throughout the piece, the choir thrice repeats the Hail Mary text in minimalistic harmony that hinges around the altos' repetition of a single pitch. Over this, the soloist chants the story of Archangel Gabriel's visit to the virgin Mary. Angelus is the first ever piece to be commissioned for WPCS. -EJ A Note From the Composer The Angelus prayer has been said by religious communities and lay people for at least700 years. It is traditionally recited three times a day, in the morning, at noon, and inthe early evening, and contains three repetitions on the Ave Maria. The prayer cele- brates the Annunciation and Incarnation of Christ, when the Archangel Gabriel visited Mary in Nazareth and when she conceives of the Christ-child, becoming the Theotókos, the God-bearer.
classical
angels
ave maria
marion prayer
choir
choral
chicago
wicker park
chicago cultural center
preston bradley hall