Clerestory Concert Archive

Listen to curated free recordings from previous concerts and view all of our printed programs. Just click one of the concert links below. You can also find Clerestory on iTunes, Amazon, and other digital outlets.

Suffragist

An Interview with Ann Callaway, composer

Clerestory: What does it mean to you to be a composer of music who also happens to be a woman? In other words, what, if anything, does this concert theme mean to you?

Ann: My first thought was, This is a really admirable project. I mean, that is cool! But I don't really think of myself, in the 'ground of my being,' as a female composer per se. I think it’s a hard thing to address—there are so many angles to it. I know that, i as a woman, I have benefitted from the progress of women’s rights and the feminist movement. This has helped me get my work out there.At the same time, when I compose, I just come to it as an unself-conscious person who’s trying to get an idea down, work with it, have it performed, and look forward to hearing it live. That’s what drives me. I’m putting my music out there, but don’t think about myself particularly. Although I still like other composers who are out there 'breaking things,' saying something, being eloquent. 

Clerestory: What other composers have inspired you or felt like trailblazers to you?

Ann: The person who most made me a musician was Grace Newson Cushman, who founded the Junior Conservatory Camp in Vermont. This program became the Walden School in New Hampshire. She was instrumental in how I think of music. She preached total musical freedom, but only after getting a full grounding and understanding of music’s history. Another person who gave me courage to "be on my own” as an artist was Louise Nevelson. We never met, but were in Manhattan around the same time. She is so weird, but her works are so unique and really speak to me. She was one of a kind and very into women’s rights. She was a strong personality and there’s a piece of her in me.I saw a Walt Disney biography documentary about Beethoven on TV when I was 13. I was playing piano at the time, just kind of making up things, and I thought: Oh! A real person with real feelings wrote this from their heart! I think that means I’m a composer, too. 

War & Peace

This year is the 150th anniversary of Leo Tolstoy’s epic War & Peace, and also marks 80 years since the start of WWII. We’ve lifted Tolstoy’s title for our opening set of the season.  From explosive, fiery works born in the fraught era of the two World Wars, to hallowed settings of sacred texts asking for God’s peace, to pieces that find themselves unwittingly caught in between, we will examine this very human spectrum through a musical lens.

Our program includes works that were specifically written about war and/or peace–Eleanor Daley’s setting of the famous poem In Flanders Fields, for instance. However, for this program, we also drew inspiration from the imagery and emotions evoked by the music itself: how, even without words, the very sounds can move our spirits toward tempest or calm, to war or peace.

St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, San Francisco| Saturday, September 21, 8pm

Chapel of the Chimes, Oakland | Sunday, September 22, 5:30pm

Songbook II - Spring 2019

This spring, we’re delighted to return to present a new chapter in our long-running and popular series of Americana concerts with Songbook II. This concert explores more of the rich body of popular American musical styles that Clerestory first visited in 2015. The singers will delve into African American spirituals, barbershop, folk songs, and jazz styles to showcase the energy, textual richness, and deep emotional expressivity of these genres.  

Movement of Colors – Winter 2019

Immerse yourself in the world of art, sculpture, and invention during our winter concert, Movement of Colors. This kaleidoscopic program connects to visual art through meditations on the works of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Gerhard Richter, Paul Rubens and even Dr. Seuss—all of whom who have inspired (and perhaps been inspired by) the resonant sound of echoing choirs. The program includes masterworks by Victoria, Palestrina, Tallis, Gesualdo, Arvo Pärt, and Herbert Howells, and includes the inventive, epic tribute Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine by Eric Whitacre.

Night Draws Near - Fall 2019

This fall, Clerestory invites you to Night Draws Near, an exploration of life, death, and mysticism featuring music inspired by celebrations that are close in time and in spirit: Halloween, All Souls’ Day, and El Día de los Muertos. The passage of the soul from this life to the next has inspired all manner of musical treatments, from the profundity of John Tavener’s “Funeral Ikos,” to the eeriness of Peter Warlock’s “The Shrouding of the Duchess of Malfi,”  to the wackiness of Jaakko Mantyjarvi’s “Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble.” 

In the Christian tradition, the Feast of All Souls, celebrated November 2nd, tempers sorrow for the deceased with great hope in the promise of eternal life. Halloween’s mixture of fright, humor, monsters, and sweets playfully makes light of the night’s darkness, while conjuring up images of owls, mice, witches, and the full moon. Meanwhile, the rich Mexican traditions of El Día de los Muertos include brilliantly colored skull masks, musical street marches, and sumptuous feasts. Certainly this day is less about sadness than about celebrating the lives of those who have passed and the love of those who remain. 

Dream States – March 2018

In March, Dream States explores music tuned to different states of consciousness, in ways both whimsical and philosophical. We visit dreams both peaceful and haunting, dreams of reaching beyond the possible, and, of course, dreams of love. Join us in the company of some of our favorite composers, from Brahms and Elgar to David Conte, and Eric Whitacre. Clerestory also shines a timely spotlight on female composers, including Pulitzer Prize finalist Augusta Read Thomas and the Bay Area’s Minna Choi. Listen and dream amongst the shifting artwork at the David Brower Center and the dancing saints looking down from the vaulted ceilings of St. Gregory of Nyssa

BERKELEY
David Brower Center
2150 Allston Way
Saturday, March 17, 8:00pm

SAN FRANCISCO
St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church
500 De Haro St
Sunday, March 18, 4:00pm

Night of Snow – December 2017

In an exciting return to ringing in the cheer of the holiday season, Clerestory presents an all-new Christmas program, Night of Snow, showcasing vibrant choral traditions from Spain, France, Portugal, and the Basque country. The festive program features diverse carols from the region, including such favorites as “Patapan” and “Gabriel’s Message,” and will highlight Poulenc’s masterpiece “Un soir de neige.”

o sweet spontaneous earth – Sept/Oct 2017

We’re proud to kick off our twelfth season with a reprise of one of our favorite programs: o sweet spontaneous earth, a celebration of our earth and all its creatures that we find particularly pertinent in this day and age. The concert explores myriad poetic and musical depictions of nature, from lush Renaissance polyphony, to pastoral British ballads and deeply-rooted American folk tunes.

SAN FRANCISCO
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
50 Oak St
Saturday, September 23, 8:00pm

BERKELEY
David Brower Center
2150 Allston Way
Sunday, October 1, 4:00pm

GEMINI – Spring 2017

GEMINI: Music for Double Choirs explores the kaleidoscopic sounds of twin choruses through the centuries. Composers have used pairs of four-voice choirs to fill the most vast of spaces: the great Spanish catedrales for which Victoria, Vivanco and Guerrero composed Song of Songs motets, and St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, where Giovanni da Palestrina’s profound setting of Stabat Mater was heard during his life. You’ll hear all these, as well as double-choir pieces by the modern composers Benjamin Britten, Steven Sametz, James MacMillan, and Paul Crabtree. Clerestory’s voices combine in every permutation to illuminate this music that’s both intricate and otherworldly.

Listen to specially selected tracks from the concert below. We hope you enjoy keeping up with our music online and welcome feedback about our music or projects. Write to us and tell us what you think!

Ye Sacred Muses - September 2016

Clerestory begins its eleventh season with Ye Sacred Muses: Choral Music from the Chapel Royal. The Chapel Royal was for centuries the seat of British sacred music-making, and the ensemble will perform lesser-known a cappella works by Henry Purcell, William Byrd, Thomas Tallis, and others. We will also highlight the madrigal compilation, The Triumphs of Oriana — a tribute to Queen Elizabeth I — and its 20th-century companion, A Garland for the Queen, which commemorates the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II with contributions by Vaughan Williams, Finzi, Tippett and others. Clerestory is eager to return to the cathedral roots and illuminated harmonies that inspired its name!

New Lights – March 2016

Clerestory closes its tenth anniversary season with a program of luminous and exciting contemporary music. Works by Eric Whitacre, Jake Heggie, Morten Lauridsen, and James MacMillan will be sung alongside brand new songs written for Clerestory’s anniversary by composers who have become our close friends over our first decade singing their music.

Listen to specially selected tracks from the concert below. We hope you enjoy keeping up with our music online and welcome feedback about our music or projects. Write to us and tell us what you think!

Holiday Lights – November 2015

Clerestory returns to the British Isles for a holiday program of favorite Medieval, Renaissance, and contemporary carols. The ensemble will shine a spotlight on the grandeur and depth of traditional British Christmas songs by Vaughan Williams, Howells, and Rutter as well as new works by Jonathan Dove, and Bob Chilcott. Begin your festive season with Clerestory, some gorgeous melodies, and good cheer.

Brightest Lights – September 2015

Clerestory begins its tenth anniversary season with a varied collection of highlights from its first decade of concerts. The ensemble will bring new light to songs from the Renaissance, contemporary composers, folk styles, and Americana. To celebrate the ensemble’s 10th year, the program was selected with input from Clerestory’s audience: a survey emailed to past audience members asked which pieces they would most like to hear again in various categories. Brightest Lights includes works by Palestrina, Monteverdi, Poulenc, Samuel Barber and Eric Whitacre, among others.

Listen to specially selected tracks from the concert below. We hope you enjoy keeping up with our music online and welcome feedback about our new SoundCloud interface. Write to us and tell us what you think!

Songbook - May 2015

Enjoy some of the most popular songs of 20th century film, radio, and musical theater at Clerestory’s spring season closer, Songbook. The gentlemen of Clerestory will sing standards from the jazz and American Songbook catalogues of Harold Arlen, Jerome Kern, Gene Puerling, and more, rounding out the program beloved spirituals, barbershop, and folk tunes.  Allow Clerestory to usher you smoothly and tunefully through the history of America's own greatest music.

Love and the Knight - Spring 2015

The clear voices of the a cappella men’s ensemble Clerestory offer a chivalrous homage to Valentine’s Day with Love and the Knight. The concert includes music from the earliest days of European cathedrals to the High Renaissance masters who followed: Gregorian and Ambrosian chant, the mysticism of Hildegard von Bingen, love songs of the French troubadours, and delicately woven Flemish polyphony. Contemporary songs complete this Continental journey. Let courtly love and gallant songs transport you through time.

Luminous Night - November 2014

Clerestory joins with the dynamic and innovative Magik*Magik Orchestra to illuminate  20th and 21st century music on the theme of light and dark, death and love.  Highlights include a world premiere of three new songs by Eric Banks setting romantic verse of Herman Melville, along with works by Shawn Crouch, Ola Gjeilo, and Eric Whitacre. Luminous Night  also features  John Corigliano’s choral masterpiece, Fern Hill, to the poetry of Dylan Thomas. This concert will be live streamed to Clerestory's growing global audience at clerestory.org.

Prayer for a Child - May 2014

Please join Clerestory and special guest – The Young Women's Chorus of San Francisco – for concerts of music about, by, and for children. Clerestory will present several new arrangments of popular nursery songs and rhymes. The men and young ladies will sing folk songs from around the world, as well as pieces composed on themes of play, animals, trees, trains, and much more. This family-friendly concert will delight and inspire the child in each listener; we hope to see you for this special Mother's Day weekend event.

Clerestory Christmas - December 2013

This year's Clerestory Christmas ushers in the holiday season with all-American works both old and new. The concert will evoke American holidays past and present, from wintery Native American sounds to familiar carols and classic American jazz.The fourth installation in Americana—the ensemble’s ongoing exploration of great choral music from the U.S.—Clerestory Christmas includes works by Morten Lauridsen, William Billings, and John Jacob Niles as well as Ray Charles, Joseph Jennings and Clerestory founder Jesse Antin. Classic Christmas tunes will be enlivened with new arrangements from Abbie Betinis, Joel Martinson and Eric Banks.We kick off the season with these early concerts that are guaranteed to put you and your loved ones in the holiday spirit.

The Bard - Fall 2013

Clerestory kicks off its eighth season with tunes to please every listener. William Shakespeare, a giant of drama and literature, also looms large in the world of music: his clever, innately lyrical words have enticed centuries of composers. With The Bard, Clerestory pays homage to this greatest of English wordsmiths in songs from the Renaissance through the modern day. Many of the pieces in our program bring to life songs Shakespeare wrote into his own plays—moments in which the drama pauses to elevate a few tender lines or to relish a moment of cheerful coarseness. Familiar favorites from Ralph Vaughan Williams, John Rutter, and Jaako Mantyjarvi are joined by new treasures from Cory Johnson, Karen Siegel, and others. Are you ‘to be, or not to be' in the audience? Verily, we hope so!

Bacchanalia - March 2013

Gird your loins! Join Clerestory for a spring celebration of libations, love, and all things libertine in Bacchanalia. Inspired by the ancient Greek rites for Dionysus (Bacchus), these concerts will mingle songs of food, love (sex!), and of course, drink in a casual and festive fashion. This weekend, marking both St. Patrick’s Day and the traditional bacchanals, come eat, drink, sing, and be merry with the men of Clerestory.

Northern Lights - December 2012

Light up your holiday with Northern Lights, Clerestory's Scandinavian Christmas celebration. From a rollicking, traditional Lapland "yoik" to moving, sonorous harmonies that evoke the serene chill of the Winter Solstice, Clerestory presents gorgeous tunes from Sweden, Norway, and Finland to greet the season.

Seasongs - October 2012

Inspired by the Bay Area's maritime traditions and the arrival of San Francisco Opera's Moby Dick and the America's Cup races, this fall Clerestory presents SeaSongs. Traditional chanteys, serenely flowing Renaissance polyphony, and modern melodies will transport listeners over bays, islands, waves, and currents. The concert features Clerestory’s first ever commissioned work, These Oceans Vast, a song cycle on poems of Herman Melville by the esteemed Seattle composer Eric Banks. Set sail with us this October!

Harmony and Ivory - April 2012

Clerestory is joined by Kymry Esainko, principal pianist for the Santa Rosa Symphony, for Harmony & Ivory, a lively musical conversation between a piano and nine men's voices. This seamless, 75 minute performance includes 19th century German songs by Brahms and Wolf, as well as the nostalgic tunes of the World War II era vocal group, Comedian Harmonists.Lush harmonies of newly resurgent Dutch composer Henk Badings, as well as a song of hope by David Goodman dedicated to the people of Nicaragua represent the sounds and ideals of the latter 20th century. Concluding with American spirituals and jazz standards–an infrequent but refreshing foray for Clerestory–this program is sure to please long-time fans and new friends alike.

Pianist Kymry Esainko is known for his wide-ranging musical versatility. Principal pianist for the Santa Rosa Symphony since 2002, he has worked with esteemed conductors such as John Adams, Joana Carneiro, Jeffrey Kahane, and Bruno Ferrandis, performing on piano, celesta, harpsichord and synthesizer. His work as a vocal and choral accompanist has taken him to concert halls around the world including the KKL in Lucerne, the Basilique Sainte-Clothilde in Paris, and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. Kymry is the accompanist for the Pacific Mozart Ensemble, a chorus known for its work in jazz and contemporary music which has collaborated with Bobby McFerrin, Meredith Monk, Sweet Honey in the Rock, and Sufjan Stevens. Kymry has performed with acclaimed singers such as Ute Lemper, Jacalyn Kreitzer, and Karen Clift, and he has performed in recital with violinist Tedi Papravami, cellist Johannes Moser, and with the Russian National Orchestra. Locally, Kymry has performed with the Piedmont Children’s Choirs, Oakland Opera Theater, Oakland East Bay Symphony, the Peninsula Women’s Chorus, and WomenSing. He is active in jazz and improvised music in the Bay Area, including appearances with Iron & the Albatross, the Matt Small Chamber Ensemble and the Bedlam Royals. Kymry graduated from Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music with degrees in piano performance and American history. He studied classical piano with Frank Wasko, Peter Takacs, and Sanford Margolis, and jazz piano with Neal Creque and Ed Kelly.

Resolutions - January 2012

Clerestory sings audience favorites from our first five seasons. Resolutions features early Renaissance music, English choral gems, and an array of modern American composers, including Eric Banks, Paul Crabtree, and Steven Sametz. This kaleidoscopic program explores varied vistas of song: motets, sonnets, elegies, shape-note hymns, and contemporary harmonies.

The Cathedral and the Lady - October 2011

Our 2011/12 season begins in medieval Paris. The cathedral of Notre Dame is not only one of the most beautiful and famous churches in the world, but has been the heart and soul of sacred music in Europe since it was built. Pérotin – considered the patriarch of polyphonic choral music – was in the cathedral’s employ in the 12th century, and he laid the musical groundwork for the Franco-Flemish composers Machaut, Binchois, and Dufay who followed him. This school spawned the early Renaissance masters Ockeghem and Josquin, and, later still and further afield, the graceful High Renaissance perfection of Victoria and Palestrina. To this day, composers (including Arvo Pärt in the present day) continue to attribute inspiration to the early days of Notre Dame, and to the beatified Virgin of its name. Ethereal polyphony and harmonies spanning nearly a thousand years evoke the splendor of the Gothic age.

Into the West - March 2011

Composers of all kinds have been drawn to the big sky, crashing surf, and boundless opportunity of our Pacific coast. Clerestory performs works by artists who have been drawn to the energy and majesty of America's furthest frontier. Into the West features works by Eric Whitacre, Pablo Ortiz, and Darius Milhaud (who taught for many years at Mills College in Oakland), among others. The concert includes a setting of sonnets of Michelangelo by Seattle-based composer Eric Banks, who will be present to discuss his piece with the audience.

Welcome Yule! - December 2010

Join the Bay Area’s acclaimed male vocalists as they Welcome Yule! This sparkling concert of festive British carols includes many of your favorite holiday melodies, as well as a few rare treasures. Perfect for choral music lovers and first-timers, the program includes a reprise of Clerestory’s popular men’s version of Britten’s Ceremony of Carols with harp. We invite you to warm your heart with us in song. Happy Holidays!

Night Draws Near - October 2010

The men of Clerestory perform music from their debut studio-recorded CD, Night Draws Near. This exploration of Life, Death, and Mysticism will feature music that, like our live concerts, you already love, coupled with music you didn’t know you love...yet. Composers include Victoria, Tavener, Vaughan Williams, Finzi, Rautavaara, and Crabtree, and celebrations of Halloween, All Soul’s Day, and El Día de los Muertos.We have created a special YouTube video playlist of this concert.  Please click below to visit our YouTube channel and view all eight parts.  Our Night Draws Near CD comprises the program in its entirety if you would prefer to own a physical or digital copy.

Soul’s Light - Spring 2010

The men of Clerestory perform music of the spirit, from America to the Middle East, in a program of luminous and ethereal song rooted in the most essential values — love, faith, and hope — shared by all people. Features composers both old and new, from Rossi to Barber to Whitacre, who derive inspiration from the scales, texts, and religious traditions of Arabic, Persian, American, and Jewish cultures.Clerestory is joined by special guest, ney player and master Persian musician Mohammad Nejad.

Cançion de Navidad - December 2009

The men of Clerestory invite you to join us for a celebration of carols from Spain and the Americas. This diverse program will feature mystical sacred music from Renaissance Iberia, rhythmic seasonal songs from Latin America, and old (and new) favorites from the United States. The serenity and joy of the season is brought to life in song!Christmas is a special time for choral music, like no other. We invite you to take time for yourself, during a busy month, to be reminded of the peace and wonder that inspires the season. Please join us during the heart of the holidays for Canción de Navidad!

BERKELEY
Saturday, December 12, 8:00pm
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church

SAN FRANCISCO
Sunday, December 13, 7:00pm
St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church

Our Favorite Things - September 2009

The men of Clerestory invite you to hear Our Favorite Things. Rarely do the members of a classical music group get to choose and lead their own programs from among their very own favorite pieces, and we hope you'll enjoy hearing this music as much as we'll enjoy performing it. The singers' "favorite things" span a wide range of music: Gregorian chant, medieval polyphony, the Renaissance masters, prominent modern composers like Debussy, Britten, and Poulenc, and folk songs ranging from poignant to playful. They include pieces like John Tavener's "The Lamb" and Parry's "Never Weather-Beaten Sail," as well as little-heard gems from Josquin Desprez and Camille Saint-Saens — and a seven-part, wordless arrangement of "O Danny Boy" that we love! Along with our usual venues in San Francisco and Berkeley, this concert set marks our debut in Palo Alto and in the Central Valley arts haven of Lodi, on the Arts at Saint John's series. We are eager to expand our community of fans and friends here in our northern California home. September marks the start of Clerestory's fourth season; we look forward to sharing these favorites with you and to discovering more favorites together.

Ye Sacred Muses - March 2009

The Chapel Royal was for centuries the seat of British sacred music-making, and the ensemble will perform lesser-known a cappella works by Henry Purcell, William Byrd, Thomas Tallis, and others. Also, we will mine the madrigal compilation The Triumphs of Oriana — a tribute to Queen Elizabeth I — and its 20th-century companion, A Garland for the Queen, which commemorates the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II with contributions by Vaughan Williams, Finzi, Tippett and others. After a season that has so far included many modern and adventurous works, Clerestory is eager to return to the cathedral roots and illuminated harmonies that inspired its name!

Ceremony of Carols - December 2008

Ceremony of Carols is a journey among the Christmas traditions of France, Germany, and England.  The men of Clerestory premiere their own version of Britten's A Ceremony of Carols for men's voices, and embark on their first instrumental collaboration therein–with the excellent San Francisco Symphony harpist Doug Rioth. We invite you to join us in the heart of the Christmas season for the hopeful stillness and quiet joy that only voices can bring.

Explorations - September 2008

Clerestory begins its third season with Explorations - New Discoveries in Early Music, and Early Discoveries of New Music.  Music as an art form is driven by discovery, both by the curiosity and inventiveness of the composers who create it, and by the questioning, experimentation, and vision of the performers who bring it to life.  This program features largely undiscovered music, both old and new.  A nod to the 50th anniversary of Vaughan Williams' death, and a series of works by Bay Area composers, including students at the SF Conservatory round out an adventurous evening of song.

o sweet spontaneous earth - March 2008

Clerestory invites you to help us close our second season with a celebration of the natural world and the wild and beautiful things that inhabit it.  In the music of Palestrina, Byrd, Janequin, Howells, Hindemith, Vaughan Williams, and many more, you will be reminded of what nature meant to poets and composers of the past, as well as hear Clerestory's commitment to putting down roots in the musical soil of its own era. This fresh, local, and ultimately sustainable offering of Bay Area song-fare is sure to delight your senses.

Beside the Cradle - Winter 2007

Clerestory's first ever Christmas concerts celebrate everything special about choral music that is magnified during the holiday season.  Beautiful Renaissance polyphony extolls the Virgin Mary with austere reverence.  Modern songs evoke the pastoral scene of the baby in the cradle, surrounded by family, wise men and animals. Familiar carols remind us of family Christmases past, firelogs burning and the kitchen busy. Whatever you believe, this is music that will remind you of what is good and true in your life.

Americana - October 2007

Clerestory opens its second season with a program inspired by the San Francisco Opera's world premiere of the new Philip Glass opera Appomattox. The greater San Francisco arts community has drawn together around this important new American work, and Clerestory is honored to be a publicity partner of the Opera with our presentation of Americana. We explore styles of early American music not often heard, as well as take on the challenges of 20th century choral literature. Choral music has been a part of American life since our nation's earliest days, and unlike many of Europes's most famous composers, the best-known American composers like Ives, Copland, Barber and Bernstein wrote for voices as often as for instruments. Join us in honoring our nation's tradition of song.

In the midst of life… June 2007

The closing concerts of Clerestory's inaugural season confront the reality that to be human is to be mortal.  In the hands of music, the sadness, peace, or fear of the unknown surrounding the end of life become easier to confront.  Sacred music like the rarely performed Sermisy Requiem are paired along secular meditations on mortality by Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Taverner, and Crabtree.  In this early summer - a time of the fullness of life - please enjoy sharing this music with us which has the power to inspire peace when it is needed most.

New Year’s Concerts - January 2007

Clerestory launches a new year, celebrating the close of the twelve days of Christmas, the feast of Epiphany and the visit of the Magi. With a look ahead to the dedication day of St. Valentine, this mix of wintry and sacred song with the joys and sorrows of lovers old and new is the perfect way to move from the holidays to the spring.

Inaugural Concerts - October 2006

Clerestory's debut concerts feature a diverse collection of our favorite music from the medieval and Renaissance periods. The rise and fall of measured harmonies and intricate vocal lines evoke a simplicity and serenity which is increasingly difficult to find in modern life. Through Gregorian chant, and the music of Byrd, Josquin, Purcell, and more, Clerestory embodies its name's architectural roots, bringing illumination and clarity to song.