When the world seems far beyond me, And I have no place to go, When my life seems cold and empty, And I feel I’m all alone, Then a song that I remember Helps to ease my troubled mind...
Ave Maria is one prayer that has several arrangements by well-renowned musicians. During my early stints as a chorister, I had the opportunity to sing Jacques Arcadelt's arrangement.
Jacques Arcadelt (also Jacob Arcadelt) (c. 1507 – 14 October 1568) was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance, active in both Italy and France, and principally known as a composer of secular vocal music. Although he also wrote sacred vocal music, he was one of the most famous of the early composers of madrigals; his first book of madrigals, published within a decade of the appearance of the earliest examples of the form, was the most widely printed collection of madrigals of the entire era. via Wikipedia
In preparation for Holy Week 2012, I will feature some of my favorite sacred music choral pieces. Ave Maria by Jacques Arcadelt is one of the first sacred music choral pieces I've learned. Since it's a Saturday, the church dedicates this day to our dear Lady, which is why I saw it fit to feature this song.
I haven't written a blog in three days. Today, I'm trying to write it using the keyboard in typing this out on my tablet PC. A few minutes ago, I restarted this blog because my sister turned the Wi-Fi router off. Right now, I'm so freaking frustrated as I realize that it's hard to write my blog on my tablet PC. I am getting pissed off at the fact that the virtual keyboard keeps popping up and it blocks my post window that I can't see what I'm writing. There's nothing in the settings that could keep it from popping up and I have yet to figure out how to turn the thing off. Why the hell did I even bother to buy an external keyboard?
There were just so many things to take care of during the previous week. I wasn't able to fill up my blog for Madrigal week. But today is a Sunday and I dedicate this to the Lord Jesus Christ. I feature sacred music genre on this day. Amidst all the daily cares of life, what keeps me focused is prayer and deepening my relationship with God. Just now, I thought about the problem with my tablet PC and keyboard. How petty it is compared to other things in life that we struggle with.
In one of my consultations with my trainees, I explained to her how her writing activity turned out to be something I did not instruct the class to do. In fact, she was the only one who did not follow instructions. When she tried to explain why, I realized that she was struggling with a problem at work. It was another case of being blamed for something that she did not do or that she had no intention of hurting anyone. As she was telling me this, I felt pity for her and so I asked her how she copes with it. She clings on to support from her bosses and colleagues. But I asked her if she prays. To tell you honestly, I thought that I'd get the eyebrow raised up look or the surprised look. But when she said that she does pray all the time and she believed in the power of God to make things all right, I was humbled by what she said.
It is good to know that in this world where people think that they don't need God that there are still those who hold on to God to help them as they go through their struggles in life. That Jesus is truly the one to go to if we are faced with problems whether big or small. This song that I'll feature talks about Jesus as the source of strength as what he told the Samaritan woman in the gospel: "but those who drink the water that I will give them will never be thirsty." (John 4:14). The song is "Sicut Cervus" composed by one of the famous masters of music during the Renaissance period:Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. When you see the English translation of this song, you'll see that it's a familiar song that is being sung during the Holy Mass. This song soothes the soul through it's polyphonic lines. It's like streams of river gently flowing the sound of which makes one relax and calm down.
This video shows the musical score while the choir sings as though it is its background. What's nice about this is that you'd get to follow the beautiful lines of the text--how the different lines move on their own and finally converge at the end. Hope this would make us appreciate the wonderful art of choral music.
Sicut cervus desiderat ad fontes aquarum,ita desiderat anima mea ad te, Deus.
As the deer longs for running water, so longs my soul for you, O God.
It's true that we tend to listen to songs that we can relate to. We're not interested on whether the C note is the one that should be sung, not the G note or that one's pitch is somewhere near the middle C. During the Renaissance period, the Madrigal style of singing not just centered on the notes but also on the text that goes with the notes. They call it word painting.
The idea behind word painting is that composers choose the words or the text of a song that would express the emotion or the story that they want the song to convey. For example, if you'd like to portray the image of a sunrise, you'd probably have notes that tend to rise up and the text that is used (like "sun rises") would be set into song that portrays the rising of the sun.
Songs that express emotion are quite appealing--joy, despair, hope, peace, love, justice, gratitude, and so many others. But the strong emotions are the ones that draw much attention. Such compositions that express a wide range of emotions also tend to be creative, diverse, and filled with various lines of poetry and music that blend together towards a genius work of art. One such composer is known to have created a compilation of madrigals that expresses various types of emotions--Carlo Gesualdo.
Carlo Gesualdo's tragic love story is a real story that we often see dramatized in some Shakespearean play or modern day telenovelas. Upon catching his unfaithful wife having relations with another man, all hell breaks loose and Gesualdo murders both his wife and her lover there on the bed where they're making out. Imagine the range of emotions involved in this tragic tale--unrequited love, furious anger, green-eyed jealousy, hurt pride, emotional anguish--the list of extreme heart-felt emotions is endless. Gesualdo decides to tell all and his outlet is the madrigal.
I shall feature one of these madrigals entitled "Dolcissima Mia Vita." Here I present the Italian and English translated text. The text presents a lover's heart that's all fired up with burning love. This love consumes his heart to the point that death is better than to not have loved the one desired. The counterpoints that happen in the line "Credete forse on'ardo..." portrays that fiery passion happening inside the lover's heart.
Dolcissima mia vita, Sweetest life,
a che tardate la bramata aita? why do you withhold the relief which I long for?
Credete forse ond' ardo, Perhaps you think that my burning desire will end,
sia per finir perche torcete il guardo? because you turn away whenever I see you?
Ahi, non fia mai che brama il mio desire Alas, this cannot be,
o d'amarti o morire. I must either love you or die.
A friend of mine asked me, "What is your (musical) genre?" She knows that I used to sing with the choir and she knows about this blog. I figured I'd tackle this question because my blog is about choral music--this is my musical inclination.
I speak about this from the point of view of personal experience. I don't claim to be its expert. I am not here to do a critique of any performance of a choral group. My goal is simply to share to the world what choral music has done for me. I think it's good that aside from watching movies and TV shows or listening to mainstream pop music on the radio, it would be nice if people would also take interest in choral music. That is why I'd like to share my personal experience about it.
I love to sing and there are many ways to do this; there are many musical outlets available. The outlet I chose is choral singing. I appreciate how individual voices are able to unite themselves and sing harmoniously. Each singer in the choir is different--each has their own personalities, attitudes, and lifestyles. But it's amazing how they can come together, utilizing their different voice range and talents for the sake of singing one song.
Just as there are several types of music that we listen to on the radio, choral music has several genres as well. One of them is the Madrigal. A Madrigal is an a capella style of singing that was popular during the Renaissance period. This type of singing is also characterized as polyphonic--different voices singing in different ranges singing two or more musical lines depending on the arrangement. In other words, the singers are divided amongst groups according to their range--some will sing the high notes (soprano), some the low notes (bass), and some the middle range (alto and tenor). They each sing their lines accordingly but when they join together to sing the entire song, they blend smoothly and harmonize fantastically. To me, the unity of these voices is just breath taking, like you're flying and it feels free, relaxing and soothing to the soul.
Today, I wish to share a Madrigal with you. This is one of the Madrigals I've sung when I was with the choir. The song is entitled "Hard By A Crystal Fountain" composed by Thomas Morley. I chose this particular rendition that you are about to watch because you could see that choral singing does not always mean having many individuals singing. With Madrigal style, I often see smaller groups of singers sing this style. Here are the words and the video for your enjoyment.
HARD BY A CRYSTAL FOUNTAIN
Hard by a crystal fountain,
Oriana the Bright lay down asleeping.
The birds they finely chirped, the winds were stilled;
sweetly with these accenting the air was filled.
This is that Fair, whose head a crown deserveth,
which Heav'n for her reserveth.
Leave, shepherds, your lambs keeping,
upon the barren mountain,
and nymphs attend on her and leave your bowers,
for she the shepherd's life maintains and yours.
Then sang the shepherds and nymphs of Diana:
Long live fair Oriana!
To be honest, I can't read notes on my own. I'd need a keyboard or a piano or a MIDI or an NWC File in order for me to learn a song. While I was still in the choir, this has been quite a struggle especially if the choral piece that we're learning is a Madrigal. To know more about Madrigals, you may go to this webpage: Music from the Renaissance and Baroque.
I've heard that if a choir can sing a Madrigal with all the necessary emotions, counterpoints, and word painting, then the choir can sing any kind of choral music--from classics to modern down to contemporary and avant-garde choral pieces.
One of the first Madrigals I've learned--with so much difficulty that is--is Thomas Vautor's "Sweet Suffolk Owl." Glancing at the musical score, I was completely lost in its counterpoints and the right timing as to when the line begins and ends. Incidentally, almost everyone in the choir was having difficulty with the piece--not all of us read notes either. But being determined to learn how to sing it, I resorted to listening to how other choirs sing it. My choirmaster appreciated the effort, but warned me not to completely copy another choir's style and interpretation. The latter is what mainly differentiates one choir from another even if they sing the same choral piece.
As I searched in YouTube for renditions of the song, I realized that choirs sing this piece in various tempos from as fast as a minute and 44 seconds to as slow as two minutes and 32 seconds. Among these choirs, I chose the group that sang the song in just a little over two minutes. For me, it's not too fast and not too slow. Also, I like the way the choir's voices blended and each lines presenting a counterpoint without completely overpowering one voice over the other. Although the words aren't that clear, I can say that this is one of the renditions of "Sweet Suffolk Owl" that I really like. I shall post the words of the song here for your reference.
Sweet Suffolk owl, so trimly dight
With feathers, like a lady bright;
Thou sing'st alone, sitting by night,
'Te whit! Te whoo!'
Thy note that forth so freely rolls
With shrill command the mouse controls;
And sings a dirge for dying souls.
'Te whit! Te whoo!'
Whilst listening to this choral piece on tape (yes, that was a long time ago!), I merely wanted to make sense of the notes I see on paper. You may think it's cheating because I don't read notes. With the many resources at our disposal, I'd say it would be best to take advantage of the opportunities that we have. Besides, it's because of this experience with singing "Sweet Suffolk Owl" that I truly appreciated learning to sing a Madrigal.
