Oratorio de Noël

Among the shortest and most popular of major Christmas works, Oratorio de No ël by Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) is regarded as an outstanding sacreed composition of the Romantic period. The First Central Presbyterian Church Sanctuary Choir looks forward to performing the work with orchestral accompaniment at both services on December 3, 2006. Composed in just eleven days in Saint-Saëns' first month as organist at the Madeleine in metro-Paris, France (1858), the oratorio text is in Latin taken from the Roman Catholic Christmas liturgy. The work is written for five voices or parts and scored for a small stringed chamber group, including harp and organ. The composition's unique feature is varying combinations for lead vocalists ranging from a mezzo-soprano solo to a quintet with chorus and includes the much-acclaimed Trio ("Tecum Principium...") for soprano, tenor and baritone. The Sanctuary Choir last performed the oratorio in December, 2001. Treble soloists are Kathy McNeil, Jaynne Middleton, Claudia Walker and Becky Laird, sopranos; Diana Ellis, mezzo; and Elise Bruton, alto. Male voices will be Carl Trusler, Lee Hamilton and Shawn Rasch, tenors, Travis McGuire, bass, and Blair Church, baritone.

Camille Saint-Saëns

Born in Paris to Jewish parents, Saint-Saens soon lost his father and began a life of musical study and performance. From his initial instruction in the rudiments of music as a young child, he progressed through the Paris Conservatory where he was considered a keyboard prodigy. His first public piano recital was at the age of ten when he performed selections from the Baroque and Classical Austrian greats. Already a young composer and pianist in 1852, he was appointed to a chair at the Niedermayer School of Religious Music. While there he also became a church organist and choirmaster, his most prestigious appointment being at the Madeleine which he held for twenty years while continuing to write music. After resigning his church positions, he devoted the balance of his life to keyboard performance and composition. As a composer his distinguishing career feature is his initial work in sacred music rather than eventually coming to it out of a sense of obligation or guilt. At his death in 1921 he was the acknowledged dean of the French School of Musicians and that nation's foremost composer. His most recognizable works performed today are the opera Samson & Delilah, a tribute to his Jewish heritage, and his Organ Symphony No. 3.

(Prepared by J. Edward Sartain with reference material obtained from the L. Wolz Collection, Abilene, Texas)