Day 6 - Jean Bouvard (1905-1996) was born in Lyon, France and studied in Paris with Louis Vierne, Vincent d'Indy and Paul Dukas. He was organist of Sainte Thérèse de Villeurbanne and Saint Nom de Jesus in Lyon. Throughout his career he has composed for organ, as well as pieces for chorus, and chamber music for winds, especially saxophones. For the Portland Community Orchestra's 2017 Holiday concert we performed an arrangement of one of Bouvard's most popular pieces, Noël vosgien, an organ work based on a Christmas carol from the Vosges region of eastern France, near its border with Germany.
Noël vosgien - composed by Jean Bouvard; performed by Paul Couëffé
It has been quite a while since I've posted something here - the turn for the worse of the pandemic took the wind out of my sails, so to speak. With the approach of the Christmas holidays, I've been inspired - as I always have been in the past preparing for our PCO Holiday concert - to dig through my files and present some music you may not normally hear in the tidal wave of holiday tunes coming your way these days. I hope some of the pieces I'll be sharing will find a place in your heart. Even though the Twelve Days of Christmas officially come AFTER Christmas day, I thought it would be nice to enjoy some beautiful and unique music of the season during the Twelve Days Before Christmas!
For Day 12 I've chosen a piece we performed on the 2017 PCO Holiday concert, with tenor Thew Elliott - Angelus Ad Virginem. A popular medieval carol, whose English title is Gabriel, From Heven King Was To The Maide Sende, it is a poetic version of the Hail Mary and the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary. The earliest version of the piece found dates from 1361, and is said to have originally consisted of 27 stanzas, with each following stanza beginning with the consecutive letter of the alphabet. Angelus Ad Virginem is also mentioned in Chaucer's The Miller's Tale.
I've found three outstanding versions . . . by The Sixteen, Voces8, and Ian Pittaway (medieval harp). Enjoy!
Angelus Ad Virginem
The angel came to the Virgin, entering secretly into her room; calming the Virgin's fear, he said, "Hail! Hail, queen of virgins: you will conceive the Lord of heaven and earth and bear him, still a virgin, to be the salvation of mankind; you will be made the gate of heaven, the cure of sins."
"How can I conceive, When I have never known a man? How can I transgress resolutions that I have vowed with a firm mind?" "The grace of the Holy Spirit shall do all this. Do not be afraid, but rejoice without a care, since your chastity will remain in you unspoilt through the power of God."
To this, the noble Virgin, replying, said to him, "I am the humble maidservant of almighty God. To you, heavenly messenger, and bearer of such a great secret, I give my consent, and wishing to see done what I hear, I am ready to obey the will of God."
The angel vanished, and at once the girl's womb swelled with the force of the pregnancy of salvation. He, protected by the womb for nine months in number, left it and began the struggle, fixing to his shoulder a cross, with which he dealt the blow to the deadly Enemy.
Angelus Ad Virginem - The Sixteen
Angelus ad virginem / Gabriel fram evene king - Ian Pittaway
As the days tick by, not only do I miss working each week with the wonderful members of the Portland Community Orchestra, but also the lovely soloists who have joined us over the years . . . violinists, flutists, oboists and singers. And even as we attempt to play "together" (virtually), that special connection and inspiration that we experience when we get to play with a talented guest soloist is hard to replicate.
In an attempt to remind us of that experience, here's an aria that we performed with the amazing Caroline Homer - Mozart's Ach ich Fuhls from The Magic Flute, sung by the incomparable Dorothea Roschmann.
Ach, ich fühl's, es ist verschwunden,
Ah! my joy, forever vanished,
ewig hin der Liebe Glück!
nought my hope can now restore!
Nimmer kommt ihr, Wonnestunden
Love's delights, why art thou banish'd
neinem Herzen mehr zurück.
from heart for evermore.
Sieh, Tamino, diese Tränen
See Tamino, see my anguish,
fließen, Trauter, dir allein,
'tis for thee alone I sigh, but for thee,
fühlst du nicht der Liebe Sehnen,
let me not in sorrow languish,
so wird Ruhe, so wird Ruh im Tode sein.
oh return or let me die, or let me die.
Mozart: Ach ich Fuhls sung by soprano Dorothea Roschmann
Happy Sunday Everyone! I hope you are all still well and feeling a little better about our current situation now that Spring has been making inroads into Maine.
I'm very excited about this premiere performance of the PCVO (Portland Community Virtual Orchestra). It's a small first step, but a wonderful step in the direction to bring the PCO community together, making music again. Enjoy, and hope to see (or hear) you soon!
Vinny
