A Hymn by Paulus

Synopsis

On today's date in 1997, at House of Hope Presbyterian Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, a new chamber opera entitled "The Three Hermits" had its premiere performance.

The libretto was by the poet Michael Dennis Browne, based on a short story by Leo Tolstoy. The music was by American composer Stephen Paulus.

The opera tells the story of a rather pompous Russian bishop, who spends a whole day on an isolated island trying to teach three very devout, but rather simple-minded, hermits the Lord's Prayer. He has a hard time of it, and, leaving at night in his boat, is startled to see the three hermits running across the surface of the water after him, apologizing profusely that they've already forgotten the words! Can the learned Bishop please repeat them one more time, so they can learn to pray properly? The miracle humbles the bishop, who tells them their simple faith, and even simpler prayer, has been blessed by God himself.

Paulus's opera closes with a haunting hymn tune. Kathy Romey, a Twin Cities choral director, asked Paulus to arrange the hymn as a stand-alone work for one of her choral clinics. It was a good idea.

"To date it has sold over 35,000 copies," said the somewhat surprised but delighted Paulus. "Someone told me to go on the web and look up 'Pilgrims' Hymn' and voila! It comes up with all kinds of entries—including translations into several languages. How do you like "Das Pilgerlied?"

Music Played in Today's Program

Stephen Paulus (b. 1949) Pilgrims' Hymn, from The Three Hermits Dale Warland Singers American Choral Catalog 123

On This Day

Deaths

• 1921 - Dutch composer Alfons Diepenbrock, age 58, in Amsterdam;

• 1948 - Mexican composer Manuel Ponce, age 65, in Mexico City;

• 1998 - American composer Mel Powell, age 75, in Sherman Oaks, Calif.; He won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1990;

Premieres

• 1742 - Handel: oratorio, "Messiah" (Julian date: April 13);

• 1801 - Haydn: oratorio "The Seasons," in Vienna;

• 1950 - Bernstein: incidental music "Peter Pan" (play by J.M. Barrie) at the Imperial Theater in New York City, conducted by Ben Steinberg;

• 1957 - Ives: String Quartet No. 1, in New York City (This music was completed in 1896);

• 1988 - Anthony Davis: "Notes from the Underground" (dedicated to Ralph Ellison), at Carnegie Hall in New York by the American Composers Orchestra, Paul Lustig Dunkel conducting;

• 1990 - Bright Sheng: "Four Movemenets" for piano trio, at Alice Tully Hall in New York City , by The Peabody Trio;

• 1992 - Joan Tower: Violin Concerto, with soloist Elmar Oliveira and the Utah Symphony, Joseph Silverstein conducting;

• 1997 - Stephen Paulus: opera "The Three Hermits," at House of Hope Presbyterian Church in St. Paul, Minn., with Thomas Lancaster conducting;