Re: June: Purcell - Hail, Bright Cecilia
Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 12:57 pm
Lyrically, the next 3 movements form a coherent unit, each dealing with an instrument's "failings", explaining how they try "in vain" to stir a variety of passions. The joke, of course, is that Purcell's writing proves the exact opposite, and the music clearly succeeds in exactly the areas the lyrics claim failure.
First onto the chopping block is The Airy Violin, and after the chugging bass line and bass voice solo of Wondrous Machine, the combination of 2 violins, alto voice and dotted rhythm makes for a very light and airy effect indeed. I like the ambiguity in the Libretto here: "in vain they tune their speaking strings" suggests that the violins and viols can't even stay in tune, but shortly we discover that the violins try in vain to "court the cruel fair, or praise victorious kings". Purcell, master of the Welcome Song for nobility, who at this point had written a large number of odes in praise of a variety of people and places, must have had a chuckle here! Musically, the key centre changes dramatically for "cruel fair", before returning to a triumphant G minor flourish for "victorious kings", but apart from that it's pretty straight-down-the-middle. The violins answer each phrase, the dotted rhythms are kept up throughout the piece, and the whole things lasts under 2 minutes.
In stark contrast, In Vain the Am'rous Flute unfolds at an altogether more stately pace. It's in the form of a Passacaglia in A minor (although the bass doesn't repeat as an ostinato) and the immediate effect is one of langour and heat. Two flutes (recorders) interweave in an extended introduction that features a prominent "sighing" effect in its phrasing. The tenor voice is the first to enter with a line that demonstrates the sighing effect again in the word "am'rous". When the countertenor joins he sings the exact same line at the exact same pitch, but the falsetto of the countertenor contrasts beautifully with the chest voice of the tenor. I love the extended interweaving lines on "jointly labour", and spare a thought for the labours of our singers here: there's serious breath control required to sustain such long lines at this tempo. While it's not quite a porno soundtrack, I think Purcell does a great job of conjuring up the sense of "wanton heat and loose desire", despite what our librettist would have us believe. I can't *quite* put my finger on it, but the music seems sufficiently slow and sweaty to me. Perhaps it's the vaguely filthy repitition of "wanton", or the up-and-down nature of the musical line! Bizarrely, it's all too much for the score I downloaded from the internet, as the words "wanton heat and loose desire" are replaced in the printed score with "ardent love and fond desire". Those 1692 lyrics are obviously just too hot for modern audiences...
Moving swiftly on! The countertenor alone with the continuo tells of Cecilia's "chaste airs" ("choice airs" in the internet version!) in another beautiful line before being joined by the tenor for the gorgeous repetition of "gently". A strong upward phrase highlights the "Seraphic flames" before another piece of intricate interweaving leads us into the comfortable final strains of "heav'nly love", and the recorders take up the theme for a perfectly-judged coda. I love this movement, I love the atmosphere, I love the use of the voices, I love the pacing. Outside of the opening symphony, this is the longest movement, and I generally find myself in a reverie by the end of it. That's probably the point, because we're about to be rudely awoken by...
The Fife and all the Harmony of War. Trumpets, timpani and a tenor (or is it alto?) up the tempo and volume significantly and transport us to the battle-field. Despite the lyrics referring to the fife (a piccolo-like military instrument), it's the trumpets that lead the charge here with introductory fanfares. The tenor sings a punchy and arresting opening in notes that a natural trumpet could also play, creating an effect somewhat like a bugle-call. The music actually grows in intensity from the opening, reaching a high point (and a key change to the dominant) on the word "alarm", before the phrase is repeated, and the intensity ratcheted up one more notch with a *very* high D in the tenor voice towards the end of the line. If I were a tenor singing that, I'd be alarmed alright! The mood changes for "compose and charm" as we modulate unexpectedly into F# major and the tempo slows. This is briefly mimicked by the trumpets before the tempo increases again, we return to D major and the tenor shows off more vocal dexterity on "sounds" and "compose". One more unexpected modulation on the final "compose" interrupts the relentless pace, and we slow right down once again for the final "charm". A stately cadence from the trumpets and timpani ends the movement.
Well, that was quite a lot to take on board. How are we doing out there? Don't worry, we're on the home straight now...
First onto the chopping block is The Airy Violin, and after the chugging bass line and bass voice solo of Wondrous Machine, the combination of 2 violins, alto voice and dotted rhythm makes for a very light and airy effect indeed. I like the ambiguity in the Libretto here: "in vain they tune their speaking strings" suggests that the violins and viols can't even stay in tune, but shortly we discover that the violins try in vain to "court the cruel fair, or praise victorious kings". Purcell, master of the Welcome Song for nobility, who at this point had written a large number of odes in praise of a variety of people and places, must have had a chuckle here! Musically, the key centre changes dramatically for "cruel fair", before returning to a triumphant G minor flourish for "victorious kings", but apart from that it's pretty straight-down-the-middle. The violins answer each phrase, the dotted rhythms are kept up throughout the piece, and the whole things lasts under 2 minutes.
In stark contrast, In Vain the Am'rous Flute unfolds at an altogether more stately pace. It's in the form of a Passacaglia in A minor (although the bass doesn't repeat as an ostinato) and the immediate effect is one of langour and heat. Two flutes (recorders) interweave in an extended introduction that features a prominent "sighing" effect in its phrasing. The tenor voice is the first to enter with a line that demonstrates the sighing effect again in the word "am'rous". When the countertenor joins he sings the exact same line at the exact same pitch, but the falsetto of the countertenor contrasts beautifully with the chest voice of the tenor. I love the extended interweaving lines on "jointly labour", and spare a thought for the labours of our singers here: there's serious breath control required to sustain such long lines at this tempo. While it's not quite a porno soundtrack, I think Purcell does a great job of conjuring up the sense of "wanton heat and loose desire", despite what our librettist would have us believe. I can't *quite* put my finger on it, but the music seems sufficiently slow and sweaty to me. Perhaps it's the vaguely filthy repitition of "wanton", or the up-and-down nature of the musical line! Bizarrely, it's all too much for the score I downloaded from the internet, as the words "wanton heat and loose desire" are replaced in the printed score with "ardent love and fond desire". Those 1692 lyrics are obviously just too hot for modern audiences...
Moving swiftly on! The countertenor alone with the continuo tells of Cecilia's "chaste airs" ("choice airs" in the internet version!) in another beautiful line before being joined by the tenor for the gorgeous repetition of "gently". A strong upward phrase highlights the "Seraphic flames" before another piece of intricate interweaving leads us into the comfortable final strains of "heav'nly love", and the recorders take up the theme for a perfectly-judged coda. I love this movement, I love the atmosphere, I love the use of the voices, I love the pacing. Outside of the opening symphony, this is the longest movement, and I generally find myself in a reverie by the end of it. That's probably the point, because we're about to be rudely awoken by...
The Fife and all the Harmony of War. Trumpets, timpani and a tenor (or is it alto?) up the tempo and volume significantly and transport us to the battle-field. Despite the lyrics referring to the fife (a piccolo-like military instrument), it's the trumpets that lead the charge here with introductory fanfares. The tenor sings a punchy and arresting opening in notes that a natural trumpet could also play, creating an effect somewhat like a bugle-call. The music actually grows in intensity from the opening, reaching a high point (and a key change to the dominant) on the word "alarm", before the phrase is repeated, and the intensity ratcheted up one more notch with a *very* high D in the tenor voice towards the end of the line. If I were a tenor singing that, I'd be alarmed alright! The mood changes for "compose and charm" as we modulate unexpectedly into F# major and the tempo slows. This is briefly mimicked by the trumpets before the tempo increases again, we return to D major and the tenor shows off more vocal dexterity on "sounds" and "compose". One more unexpected modulation on the final "compose" interrupts the relentless pace, and we slow right down once again for the final "charm". A stately cadence from the trumpets and timpani ends the movement.
Well, that was quite a lot to take on board. How are we doing out there? Don't worry, we're on the home straight now...