University Chorus and Chamber Singers Winter Concert: Dona Nobis Pacem

Sunday, March 19, 2023

3:00 PM-5:00 PM

University Chorus and Chamber Singers Winter Concert: Dona Nobis Pacem

March 19, 2023 | 3PM | The Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill

No tickets, registration, or masks required. A free will donation will be accepted at the door.

The featured work on the program is British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem, written in the years preceding WW2. Poetry from Walt Whitman's collections Leaves of Grass and Drumtaps are set along with biblical texts for chorus, orchestra, and baritone and soprano soloists. Both Vaughan Williams and Whitman tended to the wounded in WW1 and the Civil War, respectively, and had great compassion for the individual suffering caused by war. This piece is written as a plea for peace and as a reflection on war and the evil that it brings.

A few quotes from the piece:
"Nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore, and none shall be afraid."

"That the hands of the sisters, Death and Night, incessantly, softly, wash again and ever again this soiled world."

Contact Information

Dr. Daniel Spratlan
dms542@drexel.edu