Einojuhani Rautavaara's Vigilia: From cathedral to concert hall

Friesen, Elroy D.

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/16845 Copy

Description

Title

Einojuhani Rautavaara's Vigilia: From cathedral to concert hall

Author(s)

Friesen, Elroy D.

Issue Date

2010-08-20T17:59:38Z

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Alwes, Chester L.

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Alwes, Chester L.

Committee Member(s)

• Blume, Philipp
• Siena, Jerold
• Ward, Thomas R.

Department of Study

Music

Discipline

Music

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

A.Mus.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• Finnish Choral Music
• All-Night Vigil

Abstract

Einojuhani Rauatavaara (b Helsinki, 9 Oct 1928) is Finland’s preeminent contemporary composer, known internationally for both his symphonic and choral music. His Vigilia was commissioned by the Helsinki Festival and the Orthodox Church of Finland for the Uspenki Cathedral in Helsinki. Rautavaara first composed the work in two parts, Vespers (1971) and Matins (1972), later combining these two services into an integrated whole designed for concert performance. This dissertation conveys the sum of the author’s experiences preparing the score, planning choral rehearsals and conducting a live performance of the work recorded and broadcast nationally by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). In that respect, the lessons learned from personal conversations with Rautavaara himself, with Tarja von Creutlein who is the leading authority on this piece, and from the insights into pronunciation of the Finnish text garnered through hours of coaching with Jaakko Mäntyjärvi, a highly–esteemed choral composer and linguist, will, hopefully, allow choral conductors to gain an enhanced understanding both of the liturgical and historical contexts of this amazing work. To that end, the author specifically discusses those aspects of Rautavaara’s process that proved most elusive to him and his choir—the unique harmonic language and the lyricism of the Finnish language that inspired it.

Graduation Semester

2010-08

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/16845

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2010 Elroy D. Friesen

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