Ex Musica · Baroque

Dies Irae

September 4, 2009 in Baroque, Classicism, Middle Ages, Renaissance, Romantic Era by Peter

The sequence Dies Irae (mp3 – source) is part of the Requiem Mass, which is celebrated for the departed. In threatening words, the Dies Irae announces the final judgment: “Day of wrath! O day of mourning! See fulfilled the prophets’ warning, Heaven and earth in ashes burning!”. On that day, when history will end, creation will have to give an account of itself to God. Who could exist in such a judgment? It, therefore, is no surprise that the last part of the text is a prayer for the soul’s eternal rest.

This text has been set to music very often; in most cases as part of a Requiem. The earliest Requiem that includes the Dies Irae, is the one by Antoine Brumel (c.1460-1512/3) (mp3 – source). In the course of music history, the binding with the original gregorian melody declines. The Italian composer Antonio Lotti (1660-1740) provided completely new music for the Dies Irae: (mp3 – source). A few decades later, Mozart composed his a Dies Irae as part of his Requiem, which is a personal document rather than liturgical music. He used more expressive means than his predecessors to display the overwhelming character of the Dies Irae (mp3 – source). This development was carried on further in the nineteenth century, in which the approach became more and more megalomaniac. An impressive climax is the Dies Irae (1874) by Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) in which the final judgement is announced with thundering violence (here in a performance conducted by Claudio Abbado):

Thus, the text of the Dies Irae was widely used without its original melody. The opposite also happened often: the gregorian melody has been included in many instrumental works, especially the opening motif: (mp3 – source). Within the nineteenth-century Romantic movement, in which artists were fascinated by such notions as transiency, lunacy, morbidity, ruins, night and death, this melody became a symbol for threath, darkness and decease. One of the earliest examples can be found in the fifth movement of the Symphonie Fantastique (1830) by Hector Berlioz, which depicts a witches’ sabath (mp3 – source). Another famous example is the Dance Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns, a symphonic poem that has a poem by Henri Cazalis about death as its program (mp3 – source). Also the composer Sergej Rachmaninoff was obsessed by the theme. In numerous of his instrumental works the characteristic motif is cited. For instance in the symphonic poem The Isle of the Dead (1909), which is related to the painting Die Toteninsel by Arnold Böcklin. After a climax, a passage follows in which one by one various instruments play the Dies Irae theme (mp3 – source).

Böcklin - Toteninsel (third version, 1883)
Böcklin – Toteninsel (third version, 1883)

Recommended cd’s

Antoine Brumel – Missa ‘Et ecce terrae motus’, Sequentia ‘Dies Irae’. By: Huelgas Ensemble; Paul van Nevel (Sony SK 46348)

Details: Amazon.com

Antonio Lotti – Requiem. By: Balthasar-Neumann-Chor und -Ensemble; Thomas Hengelbrock (Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 05472 77507 2)

Details: Amazon.com

W.A. Mozart – Requiem. By: Philippe Herreweghe (Harmonia Mundi France HMX 2901620)

Details: Amazon.com or Emusic.com

Saint-Saëns – Dance Macabre. By: Philharmonia Orchestra, Charles Dutoit – Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Kyung Wha Chung (Decca 425 021-2)

Details: Amazon.com

Verdi – Messa da Requiem. By: Claudio Abbado (EMI CDC 5 57168 2)

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DVD Verdi Requiem. By: Claudio Abbado (EMI 926949)

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More Dies Irae on Amazon.com

The Influence of Gregorian Chant

August 25, 2009 in 20/21th Century, Baroque, Middle Ages by Peter

If we go back in history in search of the beginning of classical music, Gregorian chant appears to be one of the most important sources. According to traditional knowledge, it was Pope Gregory the Great who composed the melodies for the liturgical texts of the catholic church. Gregorian chant is named after this Pope, who lived around the year 600. He is often depicted with a dove on his shoulder. This dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, who whispered the melodies into Gregory’s ear.

Gregory the Great

As usual, the story is nicer than the history. There was not just one tradition of monophonic liturgical singing in the Middle Ages. Instead, there were many local traditions. In the eight century, the Frankish king Pippin III wished to harmonize all liturgical chant in his vast empire with that of the church of Rome. His son, Charlemange, continued this policy. Thus, the tradition of Rome became very influential. The Roman chant books that were copied by the Frankish scribes named Gregory as the composer of the melodies. It is very well possible that these Roman books referred to Pope Gregory II instead of Gregory the Great, but the Franks assumed the latter was meant. This made the chant tradition of Rome the standard for the entire Western church.
The chants we know from Roman sources are, however, not the same as the chants in the Frankish copies. Probably some alterations were made during the dissemination of the melodies across the vast Frankish empire. The exact history of Gregorian chant is therefore still obscure.

Starting form the ninth century, we find indications of polyphonic singing in the historical sources. To the Gregorian melody one or more other parts were added. Initially quite simple and straightforward, but as early as 1200 in the Notre Dame at Paris, very complex compositions were made. One example is the Alleluia Nativitas by Perotinus. (mp3 – source). The genesis of these early polyphonic compositions can be considered an important starting point of western classical music.

After the Middle Ages, Gregorian chant kept its influence. Except for being the ‘breeding ground’ for later styles, the melodies themselves were used often in all kinds of compositions. Let’s have three examples.

When Johann Sebastian Bach wrote the Credo of the Hohe Messe, he included the Gregorian melody for “Credo in unum Deum”. Listen to the Gregorian melody: (mp3 – source), and to the beginning of Bach’s Credo: (mp3 – source).

Another example from the Baroque we can find in French organ music. François Couperin (1668-1733) composed a mass for organ, incorporating Gregorian melodies. Listen to the sung Kyrie: (mp3 – source), and to Couperin’s organ verse, where the melody is played in long notes on the pedal: (mp3 – source).

Maurice Duruflé is a twentieth-century composer who was profoundly influenced by Gregorian chant. One can hear it in almost all of his compositions. In his Requiem (1947) these ancient melodies are interwoven with the sound of the modern orchestra. At the beginning of the Introit, the choir sings the unaltered Gregorian melody. Listen to the chant: (mp3 – source), and to the beginning of Duruflé’s Requiem: (mp3 – source)

Recommended cd’s

Chant – Music For Paradise. By: Cisterciënzer Monniken Van Stift Heiligenkreuz (Universal 4766774)

Details: Amazon.com

J.S. Bach – Messe in H-Moll. By: Collegium Vocale, Ghent; Philippe Herreweghe (Virgin Veritas VCD 5 45163 2)

Details: Amazon.com

François Couperin – Messe pour les Paroisses. By: Michel Bouvard – Schola Meridionalis (BMG 74321470042)

Fauré – Duruflé – Requiem. By: Richard Hickox (Eloquence 466 844-2)

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More Gregorian chant on Amazon.com

Orpheus, Monteverdi and the Opera

August 21, 2009 in Baroque by Peter

In the previous article (The First Opera and the Beginning of the Baroque) we saw that the opera Euridice by Jacopo Peri was one of the first operas to be written. This opera tells us the story of Opheus and Eurydice. Orpheus descended into the kingdom of the dead to get back his beloved Eurydice. With his singing he mollified the gods of the underworld to such an extent that they could not do anything else than to give Eurydice back to Orpheus. There was, however, one condition. During the journey back, Orpheus was not allowed to look back to Eurydice, who would follow him. If he would do so, he would lose her forever. Once they were on their way, Orpheus got worried. Hearing an alarming sound from behind, he got engulfed by doubt. Was there a problem? Did he have to go back to solve it? He turned around and lost Eurydice forever.

The enormous impact Orpheus had on the deities by means of his music made this myth a recurring theme during the history of classical music. Although Peri’s Eurydice is of earlier date, the opera L’Orpheo by Claudio Monteverdi, is generally considered the first real milestone in the history of opera. L’Orpheo also tells the story of Oprheus and Eurydice. There are several versions of this work. The first, performed in 1607, has a rather inglorious ending. Opheus came across a group of furious Meneads who hated his music. Even the rocks they threw at Orpheus refused to hit him because of his beautiful music. Therefore, the Meneads tore him to pieces. In the version that appeared in print in 1609, Orpheus was luckier. The god Apollo descended from heavens and took Orpheus in a cloud with him into the realm of the gods, from where he was able to see Eurydice. We do not know the reason for this adaptation. Perhaps the version with the happy end was better suited for a larger audience.

Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo shows a considerable variety of musical forms. The opera starts with an instrumental toccata (mp3 – source) played by the orchestra. During the entire opera the orchestra continues to play an important role. There are many ritornellos, short instrumental passages: (mp3 – source).
Of course, Orpheus himself has a prominent part. He sings about his love for Eurydice: (mp3 – source). The choir of nymphs and shepherds shares in Orpheus’ joy: (mp3 – source). But then a messenger appears with the bad news of Eurydice’s death: “Your beloved Eurydice, your bride… is dead” (mp3 – source). The air in which Orpheus attempts to gain access to Charon’s kingdom of the dead is one of the most famous passages in the opera: “Possente spirito e formidabil nume…” (mp3 – source).

It is not possible to review the entire opera in this article, but these examples might give you an impression of Monteverdi’s way of composing music to this story. It is highly recommended to take some time to listen or watch this first masterpiece in the history of opera.