With the Summer break many choirs will be 'in recess' until next week. If you have advance lists for the month of September that you would like posted on Jubal's Review please send them as a comment.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
On the lighter side
This is an anecdote from Valle Adurni that I couldn't resist.
Some twenty years ago, I heard a story in Rome, from an official then high up in the Secretariat of State, which is presumably true. General Noriega, the dictator of Panama, having recently fallen from power, famously holed up in the Apostolic Nunciature, claiming sanctuary, or something of the sort. The Nunciature was promptly surrounded by hordes of gum-chewing GIs with guns trained on every window. Their war of attrition was prosecuted by loud American rock music (BAWN in the USA and the like) being directed at the Nunciature round the clock from powerful loudhailer systems.
In insomniacal desperation, the Nuncio contacted the Vatican Secretariat of State, and some high-up there telephoned the US embassy to the Vatican, threatening to send the Sistine Choir to sing under his windows unless the rock music was silenced. There was tranquillity in Panama within the hour. The Pope may not have many divisions; but he has got the Sistine Choir!
To put this into context there seems to be a vigil planned for outside the nunciature in Wimbledon during the Holy Father's upcoming visit. Mercifully it's scheduled to conclude at 8.30 p.m.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Weekend Roundup
Sunday 22nd August, 2010
With the Summer break many choirs will be 'in recess' until early September. It is the season, however, for visiting choirs often bringing interesting repertoire with them. If you have any details please send them in this direction.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Weekend Roundup
Sunday 15th August, 2010
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
With the Summer break many choirs will be 'in recess' until early September. It is the season, however, for visiting choirs often bringing interesting repertoire with them. If you have any details please send them in this direction.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Weekend Roundup
Sunday 8th August, 2010
With the Summer break many choirs will be 'in recess' until early September. It is the season, however, for visiting choirs often bringing interesting repertoire with them. If you have any details please send them in this direction.
With the Summer break many choirs will be 'in recess' until early September. It is the season, however, for visiting choirs often bringing interesting repertoire with them. If you have any details please send them in this direction.
Nino Rota
Rota, Nino. Custodi nos, Domine. (s.a./ organ) Mainz: Schott, 2010.
Schott would seem to be digging deep into their Rota archives with some delightful surprises. Part of the aim of Jubal's Review is to make some of the less difficult modern Latin choral works better known. In this case we have an example of perfect simplicity, catering for small resources, but still carrying the composer's trademark good balance and appealing sense of melody. Nino Rota (1911-1979) had a long career as a film music composer and academic. Whilst it is the film music that is most remembered (he produced up to thirteen scores a year) there is a considerable body of stage and concert hall music. The liturgical music was a surprise to me, certainly in the amount he seems to have produced.
Whilst the publication date of Custodi nos, Domine is 2010 I suspect that this small piece, two pages only, has been 'sourced' from either a quite early work of Rota or is something recently rediscovered. It is possible that it was prepared for one of his film scores. A recording was made in 2005 on the Italian Nota label. There is quite a bit of this composer's work suitable for liturgical use, including a Missa Brevis. Often these are settings for single voice employing a range which would not be easy for choral use however among the material being issued however this piece would seem to be immediately useable. The score specifies women's voices however I could imagine it being used with trebles for a 'boys only' Vespers motet. The text itself is a composite taken from Psalm 16 (as found in the Compline responsory) and Psalm 133.
Custodi nos, Domine is set in a simple 'rondo' form and follows Rota's pattern of passing quickly through some enharmonic changes in the 'B' and 'C' sections before returning to the tonic. Part of the attraction of the setting is the constant flowing movement achieved through the imitative phrases, and suspensions, between the voices. The 'B' and 'C' sections are set for a single line. It really is a very elegant little piece. The vocal writing is quite easy and well within standard ranges. The accompaniment is presented as manuals only however it's quite obvious that in the 'full' sections some judicial pedalling could be very effective.
Whilst Schott normally requires multiple copies to be ordered (10 in this case) individual copies seem to be available on the shelf of their outlets. The London shop is at 48 Great Marlborough St.
Dom Alban Nunn
Whilst the publication date of Custodi nos, Domine is 2010 I suspect that this small piece, two pages only, has been 'sourced' from either a quite early work of Rota or is something recently rediscovered. It is possible that it was prepared for one of his film scores. A recording was made in 2005 on the Italian Nota label. There is quite a bit of this composer's work suitable for liturgical use, including a Missa Brevis. Often these are settings for single voice employing a range which would not be easy for choral use however among the material being issued however this piece would seem to be immediately useable. The score specifies women's voices however I could imagine it being used with trebles for a 'boys only' Vespers motet. The text itself is a composite taken from Psalm 16 (as found in the Compline responsory) and Psalm 133.
Custodi nos, Domine is set in a simple 'rondo' form and follows Rota's pattern of passing quickly through some enharmonic changes in the 'B' and 'C' sections before returning to the tonic. Part of the attraction of the setting is the constant flowing movement achieved through the imitative phrases, and suspensions, between the voices. The 'B' and 'C' sections are set for a single line. It really is a very elegant little piece. The vocal writing is quite easy and well within standard ranges. The accompaniment is presented as manuals only however it's quite obvious that in the 'full' sections some judicial pedalling could be very effective.
Whilst Schott normally requires multiple copies to be ordered (10 in this case) individual copies seem to be available on the shelf of their outlets. The London shop is at 48 Great Marlborough St.
Dom Alban Nunn
Scores and Recordings received
The following scores and recordings have been obtained in the last month and should receive a notice or review in due course.
[CD] [Various Composers] El nou orgue de Montserrat. Works by Bach, Viola, Casanoves, Handel, Civil. Liszt. Segarra and Widor. Miguel Gonzalez, organ of Montserrat Abbey, Catalonia. Discos Abadia de Montserrat 2010. DAM 5017. Playing time 1' 14":36.
[CD] Macmillan, James. Tenebrae: New Choral Music by James MacMillan. Capella Nova directed by Alan Tavener. Linn Records 2007 CKD 301. Playing time: 70' 19"
[Scores] MacMillan, James. Missa Brevis. London: Boosey & Hawkes, 2007. Tenebrae Responsories. London: Boosey & Hawkes, 2008. From the series 'The Strathclyde Motets'; Christus Vincit (1995), In Splendoribus Sanctorum (2008), Pascha nostrum immolatus est (2008), O Radiant Dawn (2008), Sedebit Dominus Rex (2008), Dominus Dabit Benignitatem (2008), The Canticle of Zachariah (2008), Factus est repente (2008), Data est mihi omnis potestas (2008), Os mutorum (2008), Videns Dominus (2008), Mitte manum tuam (2008), Lux Aeterna (2009) & Qui meditabitur (2010). [all Boosey & Hawkes].
[Score] Rota, Nino. Custodi nos, Domine. (s.a./ organ) Mainz: Schott, 2010.
[Scores] Wilton, Nicholas. In manus tuas, Domine (1990), Cor Meum and Beata Viscera Mariae (1995), O Salutaris, Ave Verum, Tantum Ergo, (1996); Requiem Aeternam (1999), Optimam Partem (1999), Ave in aeternum (2000), Ave Maria [saattbb] (2000), Panis Angelicus (2000), Felix namque est (2000), O Sacrum Convivium [ssaa] (2003), Missa Brevis, O Sacrum Convivium [satb] (2004); Sancta et Immaculata (2006), Locus Iste (2008), Ave Maria [ssaa] (2009). All available from Catholic Music or Banks Music. St Paul's Bookshop at Westminster stocks all titles.
[Scores] MacMillan, James. Missa Brevis. London: Boosey & Hawkes, 2007. Tenebrae Responsories. London: Boosey & Hawkes, 2008. From the series 'The Strathclyde Motets'; Christus Vincit (1995), In Splendoribus Sanctorum (2008), Pascha nostrum immolatus est (2008), O Radiant Dawn (2008), Sedebit Dominus Rex (2008), Dominus Dabit Benignitatem (2008), The Canticle of Zachariah (2008), Factus est repente (2008), Data est mihi omnis potestas (2008), Os mutorum (2008), Videns Dominus (2008), Mitte manum tuam (2008), Lux Aeterna (2009) & Qui meditabitur (2010). [all Boosey & Hawkes].
[Score] Rota, Nino. Custodi nos, Domine. (s.a./ organ) Mainz: Schott, 2010.
[Scores] Wilton, Nicholas. In manus tuas, Domine (1990), Cor Meum and Beata Viscera Mariae (1995), O Salutaris, Ave Verum, Tantum Ergo, (1996); Requiem Aeternam (1999), Optimam Partem (1999), Ave in aeternum (2000), Ave Maria [saattbb] (2000), Panis Angelicus (2000), Felix namque est (2000), O Sacrum Convivium [ssaa] (2003), Missa Brevis, O Sacrum Convivium [satb] (2004); Sancta et Immaculata (2006), Locus Iste (2008), Ave Maria [ssaa] (2009). All available from Catholic Music or Banks Music. St Paul's Bookshop at Westminster stocks all titles.
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