Blessed Sacrament choir to present Christmas portions of Messiah

In the 12th chapter of 2 Corinthians, St. Paul mentions a mystical experience of “the Third Heaven,” and acknowledges that – despite his own uncertainty on the matter – God alone knew whether that visit had been paid in the flesh. When George Frideric Handel looked back on the frenzied process of creating the score to his most famous work, Messiah, over the course of a mere 24 days in 1741, the composer alluded to St. Paul’s experience: “Whether I was in my body or out of my body as I wrote it, I know not. God knows.”

The full original oratorio, which is sung in English, spans more than three hours, but a performance by the adult choir of Wichita’s Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church will trim that by more than two-thirds when it performs the selections from Messiah’s first part for Christmas in the church at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 10 and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 11. The concert will be free and open to the public. 

According to Blessed Sacrament Music Director Rachel Dugan, the inspiration for tackling Handel’s most famous work had its seed in Blessed Sacrament Pastor Fr. Jason Borkenhagen’s reaction to hearing the choir perform the composition’s famous “Hallelujah Chorus.”

“He was floored,” she said. 

Having heard the choir pull off such a difficult part of the larger whole, she recalls, Fr. Borkenhagen suggested the choir could take on more. Dugan admits she almost dismissed the possibility out of hand. 

“I was like, ‘Yeah. Uh huh,” she said. “But then I sat down with our organist and we figured we probably could pull it off. This is our first year to try, and if it’s successful, we may do it again.”

The Christmas portion of Messiah covers a lot of musical ground, Dugan reflects. “It’s a little outside of our wheelhouse, but the music is so fantastic, fun, and beautiful, and it changes colors so many times in those 55 minutes that it has been really satisfying to dive into.”

One factor that boosted her confidence in the choir members’ ability to make it work was how well-versed they are in polyphony singing, in which choir section voices move independently from each other. “Our singers are prepared for this kind of difficulty,” she said. “It’s another level for me to conduct soloists and an orchestra.”

And while Dugan has received some conducting coaching for those moments in the score, she notes that organist Patrick Harms will also be operating outside of his normal frame of reference. 

“Our organist essentially will be the brass and woodwind section,” Dugan said. “Usually, he plays this really nice, thick texture for us. Now he’s counting rests and pulling stops to make different sounds.”

Very rewarding

Speaking in early November, Dugan said the choir had, to that point, immersed itself in breaking down the score and learning the various part lines. That nitty-gritty, piecemeal portion of the process tends to obscure a composition’s full effect for musicians while they are in the midst of it, she said. However, Dugan says she is repeatedly struck by the music’s beauty as she practices conducting while listening to recordings.

“Even with no live orchestra performing in front of me, I am already internally moved,” she said. 

“Our singers have been so willing to do this despite our lack of budget,” Dugan continued. “It is not just about the beauty of the text regarding the birth of Christ, but how Handel marries the text to his gorgeous melodies and harmonies. It just really digs into your spirit.”

The performance will include Blessed Sacrament’s adult choir of more than two dozen, with solos by Dugan, Christine Umbehr, Keri Bye, Megan Swaim, and Dan Fortino; as well as a local string ensemble of 12 to accompany Harms’ organ. Lisa Aniserowicz will serve as concertmaster. 

In early November, Dugan noted it was also possible that the performance might include a couple more voices belonging to its pastor and associate pastor. “I think Fr. Borkenhagen and Fr. Joseph Mick are actually going to sing with the choir,” she said. 

Dugan, who earned her master’s degree in vocal pedagogy from Wichita State University, added that many musicians throughout the Diocese of Wichita compliment the high quality of Blessed Sacrament’s music and the musicians behind it. “The parish is very aware of the importance of liturgical music, and our musicians are good stewards of their gifts,” she said. “They deserve a lot of credit for our ability to do this.”

Good as they are, Dugan continued, those talented and skilled musicians also demonstrate an eagerness for improvement. “All of our musicians, cantors, and choir members are very receptive to instruction,” she said. “These are big factors in improving our musical ability as an ensemble and individual soloists. The solos in “Messiah” are super difficult, with fast runs and extremely wide ranges. Two of the soloists received college training, two have not, and so they have worked with me in that choral setting, taking the vocal instruction seriously so they can tell themselves, ‘I am not afraid of doing this.’ It is really rewarding to see.”