Scholarly Abstractions: F. Melius Christiansen

Pinsonneault, Albert.  A Conductor’s Guide to Selected Choral Works of F. Melius Christiansen (1871-1955).  Doctor of Musical Arts dissertation. University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, 2009.

 

F. Melius Christiansen (1871-1955) created a pioneering American a cappella choral ensemble, the St. Olaf Choir, which influenced an entire philosophical school of choral performance within the United States.  His body of choral literature has been utilized as a significant part of secondary and post-secondary choral education, and his music is amongst the most performed American composers of his generation.  This document is a conductors’ guide to selected Christiansen repertoire.  The literature selected displays his diversity of genres and compositional styles, and represents his most integrous work.  This document will explore eleven compositions in detail, Beautiful Savior, Built on a Rock, Celestial Spring, How Fair the Church, Lamb of God, Lost in the Night, Lullaby on Christmas Eve, O Day Full of Grace, Praise to the Lord, Psalm 50, and Wake, Awake.  For each piece the document will include origins of source materials, structural graphs with phrase analyses, guides to obsolete words and pronunciations, employment of choral forces within divisi, issues of tempi and rubato, and other preparatory suggestions for the prospective conductor.

 

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