Posts Tagged ‘ Psalm 2 ’

Poznański Chór Chłopięcy (Poznań Boys’ Choir) Rachmaninov "Blazhen Muzh"

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April 17, 2012

My last posting on the superb  Poznań Boys’ Choir (Poznański Chór Chłopięcy) dealt with their performance of Sykulski's "Peace Meditation" (if you haven't heard it take a few minutes to listen to it here : Poznański Chór Chłopięcy: Peace Meditation | Saturday Chorale I promise you you'll be glad you did). For this posting I've picked their performance of the third movement of Rachmaninov's All-Night Vigil Op. 37, "Blazhen Muzh" ('Blessed is the man') given at their concert held in l'église Saint-Louis de Vincennes, on December 3rd 2011.

Rachmaninov always seems to me to be one of the most unlikely candidates to set to music one of the Russian Orthodox Church’s most sacred rites. The contrast with his Second Symphony, his Second and Third Piano Concertos, to say nothing of his Paganini Rhapsody, could hardly be greater. Instead of being highly gregarious the  the All-Night Vigil gazes inward and back. Rachmaninov drew upon the techniques he employed in the Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, op.31 and on centuries of Russian chant. It's a brilliant achievement sung here by what to my mind is one of the best choirs in Europe. I've included the text, a transliteration, and a translation below the fold. Enjoy :-).

markfromireland

Source: Rachmaninov- Choeur de garçons de Poznań (Pologne) - "Blazhen Muzh" – YouTube Uploaded by parisBbg on Dec 9, 2011

Text: Rachmaninov "Blazhen Muzh"

Click here to listen to the music and read the rest of the posting ...

Saturday Chorale: Nine Psalm Tunes For Archbishop Parker’s Psalter : Vocaal Kwartet Ruurlo

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October 29, 2011

Tallis' Nine Psalm Tunes For Archbishop Parker's Psalter are his settings of Psalms 1, 68, 2, 95, 42, 5, 52 and 67, and a setting of Come, Holy Ghost (‘Tallis’s Ordinal’). Archbishop Matthew Parker was the first Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury and had translated the entire Psalter into metrical English verse intended to be sung by the congregations of English churches. The book was published in 1567 by the Elizabethan music printer John Day. Tallis' settings follow the style and conventions of music intended for domestic devotional singing rather than for liturgical use based on this and other evidence it seems reasonable to suppose that at some point Parker decided to include settings suitable for domestic worship. In Parker's Psalter Tallis' settings are preceded by Parker’s description of the characteristics of Tallis’s eight tunes:

  • The first is meek, devout to see,
  • The second, sad, in majesty,
  • The third doth rage, and roughly brayeth,
  • The fourth doth fawn, and flattery playeth,
  • The fifth delighteth, and laugheth the more,
  • The sixth bewaileth, it weepeth full sore,
  • The seventh treadeth stout, in forward race,
  • The eight goeth mild, in modest pace.

Video below the fold. Enjoy :-)

markfromireland

Click here to listen to the music and read the rest of the posting ...

Forthcoming Posts

  • Henry Purcell (1659-1695): Rejoice in the Lord alway ‘The bell anthem’
  • Petits Chan­teurs À La Croix De Bois – Greensleeves – Soloist Baudoin Aube
  • Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548-1611): Veni Creator Spiritus

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