1945 RARE RECORDS Carnegie Hall NAVY CHOIR Military WAR

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3 Vintage Records from 1945

CARNEGIE HALL RECORDING CO.

Schola Cantorum of New York

U.S.N.R. MIDSHIPMEN'S CHOIR

The Testament of Freedom

and

The Canticle of the Sun

DESCRIPTION...We are pleased to offer these Three Vintage mid-20th Century Records, performed by the U.S. Naval Reserve Midshipmen's Choir at Carnegie Hall in April 1945.  They are two-sided recordings, the diameter of each is approximately 12 inches.  The center labels are stamped with the "Carnegie Hall Recording Co." text, and the title of the music and who performed it is typewritten on the label.  Each record has the following text:  Schola Cantorum of New York, U.S.N.R. Midshipmen's Choir, Conducted by Hugh Ross, Carnegie Hall 4-16-45.

RECORD 1

• Side 1 (1):  The Testament of Freedom (Randall Thompson), Part I
• Side 2 (2):  The Testament of Freedom (Randall Thompson), Part I of IV

RECORD 2

• Side 1 (3):  The Testament of Freedom (Randall Thompson), Part 2 of Part IV
• Side 2 (4):  The Canticle of the Sun (Leo Sowerby), Part 1

RECORD 3

• Side 1 (5):  The Canticle of the Sun (Leo Sowerby), Part 2
• Side 2 (6):  The Canticle of the Sun (Leo Sowerby), Part 3

We have not played these records, but they all appear to be in Good+ to Very Good Condition, with minor wear and scuffing.

ABOUT RANDALL THOMPSON (1899-1984)...Ira Randall Thompson was an American composer. He attended Harvard University, became assistant professor of music and choir director at Wellesley College, and received a doctorate in music from the University of Rochester School of Music. He went on to teach at the Curtis Institute of Music, at the University of Virginia, and at Harvard. He is particularly noted for his choral works.

Thompson composed three symphonies and numerous vocal works including The Testament of Freedom and The Peaceable Kingdom, inspired by Edward Hicks' painting.  His most popular and recognizable choral work is his anthem, Alleluia, commissioned by Serge Koussevitzky for the opening of the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood.  He also wrote the operas Solomon and Balkis and The Nativity According to St. Luke.

Leonard Bernstein was one of Thompson's students at Harvard. His other notable students include Leo Kraft, Juan Orrego-Salas, John Davison, Thomas Beveridge, Charles Edward Hamm, William Perry, Christopher King, and Frederic Rzewski.

The Testament of Freedom is a four-movement work for men's chorus and piano composed in 1943 by Thompson was teaching at the University of Virginia, and was meant to celebrate the bicentennial of the birth of Thomas Jefferson; consequently, the text for the work was taken from Jefferson's writings.  It was premiered on April 13, 1943 by the Virginia Glee Club under the direction of Stephen Tuttle; the composer served as pianist. Thompson later orchestrated the piece, and also produced an arrangement for mixed chorus. The music was published in 1944.  Although it was meant as an occasional work, the piece was soon seen as an opportunity to project an uplifting message about the United States in wartime; its premiere was recorded by CBS and quickly broadcast nationwide. It was also transmitted by shortwave radio over the OWI network to Allied servicemen stationed in Europe.

ABOUT LEO SOWERBY (1895-1968)...Leo Sowerby, American composer and church musician, was the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for music in 1946, and was often called the “Dean of American church music” in the early to mid 20th century.

Sowerby was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he began to compose at the age of ten. His violin concerto was premiered in 1913 by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.  In 1921 he was awarded the Prix de Rome (from the American Academy in Rome), the first composer to receive this. In addition he received the 1946 Pulitzer Prize for Music for his cantata, the Canticle of the Sun, written in 1944.

In 1927 he became organist-choirmaster at St James’s Episcopal Church, Chicago, which was consecrated as a cathedral while he was there (1955). It was during his time there that he did most of his work and gained his international reputation.  In 1962, after his retirement from St James’s, he was called to Washington National Cathedral to become the founding director of the College of Church Musicians, a position he held until his death in 1968. 

His substantial output includes over 500 works in every genre but opera. Early in his career, he was widely known for his orchestral and chamber works, but his later works, done at St James's, Chicago, and Washington Cathedral, are primarily church music for choir and organ.  As a teacher Sowerby's pupils included Robert Stewart, Gail Kubik, William Ferris, Florence Price, Ned Rorem, Norman Luboff, Milan Kaderavek, Gerald Near, and Maylon Merrill (Jack Benny's longtime music director).

A fantastic addition to your collection - SEE SCANS BELOW!