Friday Soirée IX: Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve at our house is traditionally a very quiet time, because Isaac works all night directing and playing four different musical programs for 3 Christmas-Eve services (plus one interlude). I typically stay at home and cook and read until it's time to go to friend's house for a little midnight supper.
Tonight then, to celebrate the quiet and to follow some musical tradition, our musical focus is on French Baroque composer Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643 – 1704). The centerpiece of the program is some excerpts from his Messe de Minuit pour Noël (Midnight Mass for Christmas). You may, as you prefer, wait until midnight to listen, but I think we're close enough that you can just go ahead.
Charpentier : Magnificat à quatre voix
In fact, since the "Magnificat" (the "Canticle of Mary", beginning "My soul doth magnify thee…"; Catholic Encyclopedia entry) is part of the evening service of Vespers, you shouldn't wait until midnight to hear it. This is a beautiful setting by Charpentier, beautifully performed by Maria Christina Kiehr (Soprano), Gérard Lesne (Countertenor), John Elwes (Tenor), and Josep Cabré (Baritone), singers and instruments directed by Jordi Savall. (There are extensive notes on the YouTube page about Charpentier that you might find interesting.)
[YouTube link for those who don't see the embedded player.]
Advertisement for "Liberace's Christmas Eve Special"
And now, a few minutes of Christmas Eve silliness, an old sketch (from 1981) by the Second City TV folks (Dave Thomas, Rick Moranis, Andrea Martin and John Candy), featuring not only the pseudo Liberace, but also a faux Elton John, false Ethel Merman, and ersatz Orson Wells. Fun music and faaabulous costumes!
[YouTube link for those who don't see the embedded player.]
Charpentier : Messe de Minuit pour Noël
This has become the one piece I delight in hearing every year on Christmas, one of my own little traditions (like watching Hitchcock's "Spellbound" in the evening). I find it charming, beautiful, and clever. "Clever" and "light-hearted" are due to the act that Charpentier based this setting of the mass on a number of popular French Christmas carols, or Noëls. These noëls were commonly used in services as the basis for organ improvisation and variation that were very popular, but Charpentier was original in using the material for his mass setting. Listening to recordings of such organ works by Balbastre, Dandrieu, Daquin, Lebegue, etc. is another Christmas Day tradition for me.
Here is an excerpt from the notes on the work by John Bawden (source):
The use of popular carols in church music had long been an accepted practice. In England carols were more often sung than played, but in France noëls figured prominently in the substantial French organ repertoire. The liturgy of Midnight Mass permitted the singing and playing of these Christmas folksongs, and by Charpentier’s time quite complex instrumental arrangements were commonplace. However, Charpentier’s idea of basing a whole mass on these songs was completely original. Altogether there are eleven noëls, most of which are dance-like in character, reflecting the carol’s secular origins. In addition to the carol melodies that he adapted to fit various parts of the mass text, Charpentier also composed new material, such as the slow sections ‘Et in terra pax’ at the beginning of the Gloria and ‘Et incarnatus est’ in the Credo. It says much for the composer’s craftsmanship that these quite different idioms are so seamlessly and convincingly blended together.
Let's listen to two excerpts, the opening "Kyrie" and the short closing sections, "Sanctus / Benedictus" and "Agnus Dei". I think you'll remark on the dance-like quality of these movements, which I find very appealing.
In case you want to follow along, the vocal score with keyboard reduction is available for free at the Choral Public-Domain Library: Messe de Minuit pour Noël. I should download it and leave it surreptitiously for Isaac; I've wanted to sing it for several years but haven't convinced him to put it together yet.
This performance is by the Chamber Musicians of the Loeuvre, Mark Minkowski conducting.
1. Kyrie Eleison
The opening section is based on the traditional tune "A la Venue de Noël".*
[YouTube link for those who don't see the embedded player.]
Next sections on YouTube from this performance:
2. Christe Eleison
3. Gloria
4. Credo
5. Offertory
6. Sanctus / Benedictus
[YouTube link for those who don't see the embedded player.]
7. Agnus Dei
[YouTube link for those who don't see the embedded player.]
———-
*This charming performance — complete with unhappy child — of the Balbastre variations is one famous organ noël on the tune.
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on Monday, 28 December 2009 at 22.57
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What a lovely Christmas concert to share! Hope your Christmas was wonderful and you finally got to spend time with Isaac :)