Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713)
Concerto grosso, Op. 6, No. 8 in g minor, "Christmas Concerto"
Early in his career, Arcangelo Corelli moved to Rome and soon became one of the leading violinists of that city. His reputation also grew as a conductor committed to high performance standards, his fine teaching, and composition. Although not an innovator, Corelli's influence as a composer both in Italy and abroad, was unparalleled, even though his output was small (primarily six collections of instrumental works). His contemporaries had much praise for him. The Venetian composer, Giovanni Reali, stated in the preface to a volume of his own works, "that the concerti of Corelli would serve as models for the musicians of the future." One Agnelo Berardi wrote that "Concertos for violins and other instruments ... of Signor Arcangelo Corelli, the celebrated violinist ... the new Orpheus of our time, are especially esteemed today." In 1711 Admi da Bolsena announced that "The greatest glory of the century ... is at present occupied in bringing to perfection his sixth work of concertos, which will shortly be published and render his name for ever more immortal." With each set, the composer had become more deliberate, publishing only after years of polishing and refinement taking twelve years between the publication of Opus 5 and Opus 6. By December, 1712 near the close of his life, the Concerti Grossi, Opus 6 were finally ready for publication, but he died, January 8, 1713 before they came into print. Corelli was buried in the Santa Maria della Rotonda (the Pantheon) and on the anniversary of his death for many years concerts of his music were given in the Pantheon.
Christmas Eve festivities of the great Roman houses of the time (including the palaces of the Cardinals and the Pope) often included after dinner concerts of vocal and instrumental music prior to Midnight Mass. It is possible that Corelli's Concerto grosso, Op. 6, No. 8 in G minor (Fatto per la Notte di Natale) was heard at these entertainments, or perhaps even during the mass itself at the Vatican or other churches. The piece is a concerto grosso, a work for a small group of soloists (concertino of two violins and bass) and the full orchestra (ripieno or tutti). Eternally the most famous of Corelli's works, the piece is the least "churchly" of his Concerti Grossi, sporting alternating fast/slow tempos and including several joyous dance movements. The concluding Pastorale in 12/8 time evokes images of the shepherds in the fields and angels hovering over Bethlehem.
George Frideric Handel (1686-1759)
Arias from Messiah: Rejoice, The Trumpet Shall Sound
It would hardly be the Christmas season in our day without encountering Handel’s great oratorio Messiah. We hear instrumental arrangements while hurrying about our shopping, church choirs include excerpts on their Christmas programs, record stores mount displays of the most recent recordings, and we hear complete or “Christmas portion” performances on the radio or in our communities. Since the 1960's sing-along or “do it yourself” Messiah's have provided even amateur singers a chance to participate. From the time of its first performances in Dublin in the spring of 1742, the work has received wide acclaim and numerous performances throughout the composer’s lifetime. Rather than being considered a Christmas piece, it was more likely to be performed at Easter time due to its subject matter. The work not only describes Christ’s birth, it also portrays His ministry, death, resurrection and ascension and the effect of these events on humankind. The suggestion to write such a piece came from poet and patron of the arts Charles Jennens, who had previously collaborated with Handel on other projects. Jennens provided the libretto that tells the story of Messiah, not through narrative, but through a skillfully wrought combination of Old Testament prophecies and New Testament texts voicing the fulfillment of them. The librettist later declared his vision for the piece: “And without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness; God was manifested in the glesh, justified by the Spirit, seen of angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory. In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
The two arias that we hear tonight articulate the joy inherent in the Messiah’s ministry. The soprano aria Rejoice greatly o Daugher of Zion brings to life a text from Old Testament prophet Zechariah declaring the Messiah’s role as the coming King, a righteous Savior and bringer of peace to the world. Joy is conveyed through effervescent vocal melismas which are echoed and accompanied by the string orchestra. The bass solo The Trumpet Shall Sound comes from the third section of the piece, the portion devoted to the Messiah’s resurrection and ascension. The text from 1 Corinthians describes the resurrection of the dead. In this aria the sense of joy is heightened by the addition of a solo trumpet.
Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Nutcracker Suite, op. 71
Overture
March
Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy
Russian Dance
Arabian Dance
Chinese Dance
Dance of the Reed Pipes
Waltz of the Flowers
In addition to Handel’s Messiah, another work that has become a staple of holiday fare is Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker. If people have not seen or heard of another ballet, they certainly would recognize tunes that portray the sugar plum fairy or the waltzing flowers. The first performance of the suite of tunes performed in St. Petersburg March 7, 1892, as a sneak preview for the complete ballet, was a great success with the public. It was the ballet itself, an adaptation from E.T.A. Hoffman’s fairy tale, The Nutcracker and the Mouseking, that had trouble gaining a foothold in the ballet repertory–in fact a 75-year journey. Without the composer’s marvelous music, the ballet surely would not have survived. Today the story of the young Clara, her love for her “ugly” nutcracker, the growing Christmas tree, the battle between the toys and mice, Clara’s role in the release of the enchanted prince from his spell, and the journey through the snow to the kingdom of sweets where the sugar plum fairy reigns as queen, has become famous through live ballet performances, TV, film, cartoons, books, websites, and toys.
While the Suite does not include much of the music that carries the drama of the plot, it does present a sampling of the wonderful melodies and distinctive tone colors that characterize all the music of the ballet. Perhaps the most dramatic example of the care that Tchaikovsky took with color was his desire to use a new instrument, the celesta, to depict the lightness and grace of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Patented in Paris in 1886, the celesta (an instrument made of metal bars played from a keyboard) was not well known at the time. Tchaikovsky ordered an instrument for this piece, but asked that its purchase be kept a secret as he didn’t want another composer–particularly Rimsky-Korsakov–to “steal” his idea. The maneuver worked, the instrument has since become a regular member of orchestral keyboard instruments, but continues to be best known in its original role as the voice of the Sugar Plum Fairy. The Suite begins as does the ballet, with an Overture, orchestrated with light strings and winds, which invites us to enter the magical world of the fairy tale. Immediately following is the March which introduces the Christmas party scene. The remaining pieces are all second act characteristic dances, which take place in the Kingdom of Sweets, illustrated by appropriate orchestral colors. 1) Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy; 2) Russian Dance (Trepak); 3) Arabian Dance (Coffee); 4) Chinese Dance (Tea); 5) Dance of the Mirlitons (reedpipes, kazoo-like instruments, but actually played by flute trio); 6) Waltz of the Flowers brings the suite to a grand conclusion with woodwind and harp introduction, then the horns leading the way to the dance.
Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)
Messa di Gloria
The great composer of Italian opera, Giacomo Puccini came from a long line of church musicians. In fact, he was the fourth generation of Puccini's to hold the position of town organist and maestri di capella at the cathedral in his native Lucca. The six-year-old Giacomo's father died leaving the family in poverty and his musical future uncertain. However, local teachers gave him good training, and at the age of 20 he produced a Motetto and Credo, which he incorporated two years later into a full Mass for four voices and orchestra. The piece was favorably reviewed in the local press, thus convincing Puccini's granduncle to sponsor him to Conservatory in Milan. The Mass was laid aside and forgotten, except for two movements that he later used in his operas. Early in 1951, Fr. Dante del Fiorentino, an American priest, traveled to Lucca to research the life and works of the composer. He encountered Puccini's musical secretary who showed him the manuscript of the Mass. Excited by his discovery, Father Dante edited the work for publication in the United States under the title Messa di Gloria. The work was first performed in the United States July 12, 1952, at a Grant Park Concert in Chicago. The work for full chorus and orchestra also includes tenor and bass soloists. The Gloria section that we hear tonight is the most extensive of the movements, and exhibits the drama and power befitting the glory of the song of the angels, Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Robert Russell Bennett (1894-1981)
Many Moods of Christmas, Suite No. 1
Originally associated with music of movement, dance or processionals, carols have been an important part of Christmas celebrations since medieval times. Whether narrative, contemplative, or celebratory in style, it has been those carols that exhibit a simple spirit that have endured as favorites. During the past one hundred fifty years, new research and published carol collections have emerged giving attention to a broader knowledge of carol traditions across the centuries and from many lands. Following World War II the young American choral conductor, Robert Shaw and his colleague Alice Parker arranged a number of carols from various cultures and with the newly formed Robert Shaw Chorale recorded them on 78 rpm discs under the title Christmas Hymns and Carols. This instantly popular collection traveled to the new technology of long playing records in 1948, and, encouraged by the success of the venture, Shaw and Parker arranged another group that was then recorded in stereo when that technology became available in 1958. The recording industry has, of course made available an abundance of holiday listening over time. In 1962 the distinguished American composer/conductor/arranger Robert Russell Bennett arranged traditional and contemporary carols for a recording to be done by contralto Marian Anderson. This led to a commission by RCA records for Bennett to arrange carols for large chorus and orchestra. The resulting set, The Many Moods of Christmas, was released in 1962 making use of yet another new technology, the “Dynagroove process.” Using digital technology, the four suites which make up this carol collection have since been re-recorded with Shaw conducting the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus using digital technology.
Suite No. 1 of The Many Moods of Christmas truly presents many moods, and represents several cultures and epochs. Following an orchestral introduction displaying a hint of the American carol Jingle Bells, the choir joins the orchestra for Good Christian Men Rejoice, a carol with roots in the German medieval dance carol In Dulci Jubilo. Perhaps the most beloved of contemplative carols Silent Night follows. Many fanciful stories about mice and organ bellows have grown up around the circumstances of its composition, but what has been established is that the carol was composed by an Austrian village organist and priest for a Christmas eve musical emergency. The popular carol has truly traveled the world and has been translated into innumerable languages. Patapan comes from 18th century Burgundy and follows the French folk carol (or Noël) tradition of calling all the villagers together with their instruments to worship the new born Christ child. Probably the most universally popular Christmas hymn Adeste Fidelis, originated in the exiled English Catholic community in 18th century France. This Christmas eve, the carol will be sung in procession in countless churches around the globe calling on the faithful, angels, shepherds, and magi to greet and adore the new born King.
Program notes by Linda Mack. Copyright 2004.
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