The next ‘Messiah’? Harmonium goes for it with ‘Cantata’ in Morristown

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Picture yourself as director of a top-notch choir. The holidays are coming. You’re tired of the traditional Yule repertoire.

You want to commission something new. A Christmas piece that’s not overtly Christian.

What do you do?

If you’re Anne Matlack, artistic director of the 100-voice Harmonium Choral Society, you might ask your husband to bang out something.

In 1996 she did just that. Jabez L. Van Cleef, her spouse, responded with lyrics. Elliot Z. Levine composed music for flute, oboe and English horn, with some hand bells, tambourines and “body percussion” thrown in.

They called their creation Cantata for the Animals. Harmonium will reprise it on Dec. 11 and 12 at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Morristown; tickets are $25.

jabez van cleef anne matlack elliot levine
Jabez Van Cleef, Anne Matlack and Elliot Levine are the artists behind 'Cantata for the Animals,' which Harmonium will perform on Dec. 11 and 12 at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Morristown. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

Cantata has been performed by Harmonium at the American Choral Directors Association convention, and by the Yale Camerata and the Westminster Choir College. It’s even been sung in Japanese, by the Tokyo Voices.

How does Anne think Cantata turned out?

“We dream of it as the next Messiah,” she said during an interview in her Madison living room.

LISTEN TO EXCERPTS OF ‘CANTATA’

Jabez’ lyrics tell the Nativity story from the viewpoint of dogs and cats, sheep and cattle, even worms and a spider. The goal was to be inclusive, to reveal universal truths shared by Christians and non-Christians. So the Mary character can be interpreted as Mother Earth, Jabez said.

“There’s nothing about Jesus here,” said Jabez, a poet and author of 35 books on religion and human rights. “It’s called The Song of the Baby. That people can contrive to produce a baby is miracle enough. It’s enough manifestation of God. It has kind of a Zen quality.”

“What made it happen was the words,” said Elliot, who sings with the Western Wind Vocal Ensemble when he is not composing or conducting. “It had interesting intellectual and moral issues. The characters had some depth.”

The sometimes-playful lyrics inspired him; listen for a minor-key variation of Three Blind Mice.

He also composed solos that are difficult to execute; Elliot praised Harmonium for nailing them consistently over the years.

For Anne, a Yale graduate who also is choir director at Madison’s Grace Church, Harmonium concerts are an exercise in variety. You might be hard pressed to find a nation that the choir has not represented in song since Anne took the reins in 1987.

By 1996, she was ready to shake up Harmonium’s holiday routine.

“It’s boring to do a whole program of carols,” Anne said. Some of the same joy can be conveyed with other selections, she contends. “Choral singing is very spiritual, and all about community-building.”

Harmonium will return to Morristown on New Year’s Eve to perform at First Night Morris County. The choir takes its music seriously–and has a seriously good time doing it, as this 2008 video attests.

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