Weihnachtsmotetten
1. Noel: A Minuit Fut Fait Un Reveil H.9)
2. Noel: A La Venue De Noel, H.531
3. Noel: Ou S'en Vont Ces Gais Berger ?, H.534
4. Noel: Joseph Est Bien Marie (I Orc . Ii Org.), H.534
5. In Nativitatem Domini Canticum, H. 14
6. Noel: Or Nous Dites Marie, H.534
7. Noel: Vous Qui Desirez Sans Fin, H 534
8. Noel: O Createur, H.531
9. Canticum In Nativitatem Domini, H. 93
10. Noel: Laissez Paistre Vos Betes. H 534
11. Noel: Une Jeune Pucelle (I Soloist Ii Orch Iii Org), H.534
12. Noel: Les Bourgeois De Chatres, H. 34
13. Chanson From In Nativitatem Domini Canticum, H.416
14. In Nativitatem D(omini) N(ostri) J Esu) C(hristi), H.414
*** Vol 1 - 1 CD - naxos - 8.554514 - 1998 ***
1. Noel: un flambeau, Janette, Isabelle! (H. 460c) (Soloists and organ)
2. Dialogus inter angelos et pastores Judeae in nativitatem Domini (H. 420)
3. Noel: un flambeau, Janette, Isabelle! (H. 460c) (Choir)
4. In nativitatem Domini canticum (H. 416)
5. Noel: un flambeau, Janette, Isabelle! (H. 460c) (Instrumental)
*** Vol 2 - 1 CD - naxos - 8.557036 - 2002 ***
Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643-1704) kam ein wenig zur falschen Zeit, nämlich zu
einer, in der die französische gewinnträchtige Musikszene fest in den Händen des
Sonnenkönigs Lieblings, Lully, war. Sämtliche Opern, die in Frankreich
aufgeführt werden sollten, mussten von ihm genehmigt werden, weil er sich das
Monopol einräumen ließ.
Klar, dass da maximal was auf die Bühne kam, was ein Abklatsch dessen war, was er selbst fabrizierte. Und so mussten sich die Rivalen ein anderes Betätigungsfeld suchen. Charpentier tat es im kirchlichen Musikschaffen. Darunter finden sich auch eine ganze Anzahl von Vertonungen zu weihnachtlichen Themen, die Naxos hier in 2 "Bänden" eingespielt vorlegt.
Ist Volume 1 eine Sammlung der verschiedensten Motetten, dreht sich Album 2 um ein beliebtes Thema UN FLAMBEAU JANETTE; ISABELLE, das in drei verschiedenen Intonierungen - nur instrumental, als Chorversion und als Version von Chor und Solosängern - vorgelegt wird. Da kann sich jeder das Beste raussuchen!
Dirk Carius
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Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643-1704) After nearly two hundred years of almost total neglect, the music of Marc-Antoine Charpentier is now well established both on the concert stage and in recordings. Relatively little, however, is known about his early life and even his date of birth has been open to conjecture. His father was a copyist and the gifted son obviously inherited his father's calligraphic skills, as can be attested by the script of the 28 autograph volumes of his works. Shortly after his eighteenth birthday Charpentier went to study in Rome, spending three years as a pupil of the famous Italian composer Giacomo Carissimi. Carissimi was distinguished for his Latin and Italian oratorios which played an important part in Roman religious life, as the oratorios of Charpentier were subsequently to do in Paris. Carissimi's reputation was secured with his 1649 oratorio Jephte, and the style of this and other works left its Italianate mark on Charpentier. In both composers we hear flowing melodies, dramatic use of silence, and chromatic and descriptive harmonies with harsh dissonances and expressive modulations. Charpentier was a close contemporary of King Louis XIV (1638-1715). It was in part because of illness on the day of official auditions for the post of sous-maître for the Chapelle Royale in Versailles and in part because of the overwhelming influence of Jean-Baptiste Lully at the court that Charpentier received few royal commissions, although he was granted a generous pension by the king as a consolation for his failure to gain an official court position. It may, indeed, have been because of Lully's monopoly over the performance of stage works that Charpentier turned to religious oratorios and the church for employment. From the early 1680s until his death, he was, like his teacher before him, employed by the Jesuits, establishing himself as one of the most important composers of French sacred music. Of the 34 Latin oratorios by Charpentier, the six celebrating Christmas are the most modest. They have an equal balance of French and Italian influence, with instrumental ritornelli, choruses (some called chansons and resembling popular noëls) and recitative narrative by shepherds, angels or evangelists. The texts are adaptations of the nativity account from the Gospel of St Luke2:8-16. Many French composers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries had a particular fondness for setting traditional and popular Christmas carols, known in French as Noëls. There are arrangements for organ by Gigault (1683), Lebèque (1685) and Geoffroy (1690). In addition there is a famous orchestral setting by Michel-Richard Delalande for the Chapelle Royale. The liturgy of the Christmas Midnight Mass had long allowed the singing of these popular carols, but whereas they had often been incorporated into vocal compositions in the sixteenth century, by the time of Charpentier instrumental arrangements were the norm. Charpentier's noëls are to be found in two groups which seem to have been written in conjunction with the oratorio-like In nativitatem Domini canticum. They are very dance-like in format: Joseph est bien marié and Une jeune pucelle are bourrées, Où s'en vont ces gais bergers? and A la venue de Noël are gavottes, while Vous qui désirez sans fin resembles a minuet. Altogether there are nine noëls in Charpentier's collection. The first of the motets here included, In nativitatem Domini canticum (H.314), has been dated to the early 1670s and was perhaps written for performance at the house of Mlle de Guise. A motet of this kind could be used during a Mass for the season or after the office of Vespers or Compline. The text Quem vidistis pastores is derived from a trope, an addition to the liturgy that formed the basis of early liturgical Christmas plays. Canticum in nativitatem Domini, H.393, has been dated to the same period. The instrumental introduction is followed by an alto solo based on the opening text, Frigidae noctis umbra, accompanied by basso continuo. A soprano takes up the message of the angel, telling the shepherds not to be afraid, after which a three-part chorus of shepherds urges immediate presence in Bethlehem. A pause marks the period of their going, followed by three verses for the three-part ensemble, addressed to the Holy Child and to the Virgin. In nativitatem Domini canticum, H.416, conjecturally dated to the later 1680s, includes a chanson, Pastore, undique. The final motet In nativitatem DNJC, H.414, uses a text that is largely similar to that of H.314, and has been dated to the period between 1683 and 1685. It was written for the singers employed by Mlle de Guise and is a more elaborate work, a miniature oratorio. It starts with a Preludium, after which the narrator, a solo soprano, identified in Charpentier's manuscript as Mlle Isabelle, Elisabeth Thorin, a maid of the chamber to Mlle de Guise, starts the Christmas story, joined by a second soprano, Marie Guillebault de Grandmaison. A solo soprano, in the manuscript Jacqueline-Geneviève de Brion, a maid of the chamber, is entrusted with the words of the angel, followed by a six-part chorus of shepherds, urging each other to hurry, the top soprano line now shared between Mlle Isabelle and Antoinette. Talon. A March represents the journey across the fields to Bethlehem. A solo baritone, identified simply as Joly, a musician who left the service of Mlle de Guise in 1685, takes up the biblical narrative, before a solo soprano, Antoinette Talon, sings the simple Air, a song in the tradition of the French noël. A three-verse final chorus, for five parts, includes a recurrent ritornello. Here the upper part is allocated in the manuscript to Brion, Talon and Isabelle and the second line to Grandmaison. Aradia has added to this collection by adapting music from the Agnus Dei of the Messe de Minuit, a work that makes use of popular noëls. This is based on the noël A minuit fut fait un réveil. The ensemble has also, in some instances, added the original words to the noëls, notably Laissez paistre vos bêtes and Une jeune pucelle. In the spirit of their dance qualities Aradia have also added percussion. In the Messe de Minuit Charpentier twice directs the organist to play arrangements of noels. With this in mind the ensemble have added arrangements of our own, based on those by Jean François Dandrieu (1682-1738). Kevin Mallon, adapted by Keith Anderson
Marc-Antoine Charpentier
(1643-1704) I am he who was born a long time ago and was widely known in this century, but now am naked and nothing, dust in a tomb, at an end, and food for worms. I lived enough, though too briefly in comparison to eternity I am a musician, considered good by the good musicians, and ignorant by the ignorant ones. And since those who scorned me were more numerous than those that praised me, music brought me small honour and great burdens. And just as I at birth brought nothing into the world, thus when I died I took nothing away. Thus, the composer Marc-Antoine Charpentier wrote his own epitaph (from the text of Epitaphium Carpentarii, H. 474). He was a composer whose talents were recognised in his lifetime by only a handful of connoisseurs. Of French birth, he was most influenced by the Italian style, in comparison to his rival, the Italian born Jean-Baptiste Lully, who championed and cultivated the French style. Relatively little is known about Charpentier's early life. His father was a copyist and the gifted son obviously inherited his father's calligraphic skill, as can be attested to by the script of his 28 autograph volumes bearing the title Melanges. Shortly after his eighteenth birthday, Charpentier went to study in Rome, spending three years as a pupil of Giacomo Carissirni, an Italian composer famous for his Latin and Italian oratorios - works that were important in Roman religious life, as the oratorios of Charpentier were subsequently to be in Paris. Carissirni's oratorio Jephte (1649) established his reputation throughout Europe, and the style of this and his other works left its Italianate mark on Charpentier. In both composers we hear flowing melodies, dramatic use of silence, chromatic and descriptive harmonies with harsh dissonances and expressive modulations. Charpentier was a close contemporary of Louis XIV (1638-1715). It was in part because of illness on the day of the official auditions for the post of sous-maitre for the Chapelle Royale in Versailles, and in part because of the overwhelming influence of Jean-Baptiste Lully at the court that Charpentier received few royal commissions, although he was granted a generous pension by the king as a consolation for his failure to gain an official court position It may, indeed, have been because of Lully's monopoly over the performance of stage works that Charpentier turned to religious oratorios and the church for employment. From the early 1680s until his death, he was, like his teacher before him, employed by the Jesuits. He thence became one of the most important composers of French sacred music. Of the 34 Latin oratorios by Charpentier, the six motets, In nativitate Domini canticum, are the most modest. They have an equal balance of French and Italian influence with instrumental ritornellos, choruses (some labelled 'chansons' and resembling popular noels) and recitative narratives by shepherds, angels or evangelists. The texts are adaptations of the nativity account from the Gospel of Saint Luke 2:8-16. The two motets here included, In nativitatem Domini canticum (H. 416) and Dialogus inter angelos et pastores Judeae, in nativitatem Domini (H. 420) also use texts from Psalm XII and Isaiah 45:8. Unlike the other motets entitled In nativitatem Domini (Naxos 8.554514) that were probably composed for performance at the house of MIle de Guise, the present motets are somewhat grander in scale and were probably performed at one of the Jesuit churches or schools where Charpentier worked between 1688 and 1698. They are almost identical in musical structure, with Charpentier making great use of the symbolism of the text. The Nativity story starts with the shepherds in the fields watching over their flocks by night. The mood is set by a dark orchestral prelude, particularly in H. 416, in the minor key. A taille (high tenor), recites the sombre words of Psalm XII, expressing the notion of spiritual darkness or night. The chorus of the just (three men in H.420, the full chorus in H. 416) urges God to come from on high and set us free. A rondeau-like aria for bass solo and two violins offers comfort with the reminder that when the king comes "in that day the mountains will drip sweetness, and the hills will flow with milk and honey". The chorus, in expressive lines depicting the text, urges the Redeemer to descend and burst through the clouds. Motet H. 416 has a further bass solo (Prope est ut veniet Dominus) with frequent interjections by the orchestra. This is followed by a very powerful chorus Rorate coeli de super, which paraphrases Isaiah 45:8 (You heavens, drop dew from above). The motets continue with a separate instrumental interlude Nuit, also in the minor key. This movement acts as a centre-piece to the musical structure. The mood, however, is no longer one of darkness, but one of calm and stillness. Motet H. 420 makes use of frequent but subtle fugal textures with the flutes adoucies (soft flutes) gaining prominence. The Suite de la Nuit of motet H. 416 is one of the most beautiful of Charpentier's compositions. Scored for muted strings, Charpentier formulates a three-movement structure, the first in C minor, the second to the dominant G minor and the third back to C minor. The last movement ends with a moving counterpoint in the top parts over a fourteen-bar pedal in the bass. With the appearance of the angel of the Lord, the mood is suddenly interrupted by an instrumental Reveil des bergers (Shepherd's awakening), played in the major key, The angel then appears in a terrible, blinding light and addresses the shepherds in the Nolite timere (Fear not), This is one of the most famous and beloved Christmas texts: "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people, For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour , which is Christ the Lord." The chorus of angels sing Glory to God in the highest and a shepherd, in a recitative, urges the shepherds to go to Bethlehem to "see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us." An instrumental march depicts the shepherds' march to Bethlehem. The shepherds sing a prayer of worship, O infans, O deus, O salvator noster (O infant, O God, O Our Saviour). An angel sings a chanson, Pastores undique, which, with two verses, is sung solo then restated, harmonized by the vocal ensemble. It has a gentle minuet feeling with simple two- and four-bar phrases. In nativitatem Domini canticum (H. 416) concludes with a chorus exalting, rejoicing and celebrating the justice and peace that will never end. Un flambeau, Janette, Isabelle! (Noel H. 460c) is known in English-speaking countries as the carol Bring a torch Jeanette, Isabella! It seems likely that the melody was written by Charpentier, derived from the air a boire Qu'ils sont doux, bouteille jolie from the now lost Le medecin malgre lui. It is here arranged by Kevin Mallon for voices and organ (with organ improvisations by Christopher Dawes), choir and strings and for instruments (with divisions by Alison Melville, recorder). Kevin Mallon
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naxos - 8.554514 - 1998 ***
*** Vol 2 - 1 CD
naxos - 8.557036 - 2002 ***
Interpretation: |
sehr gut |