This is the oldest Christmas Carol that we know of.
St. Ambrose is often described as one of the four Latin Doctors of the
Church*, influential theologians who established the foundations of the
church in the fourth century. Unlike his compatriot Doctors, Ambrose
was a most unusual saint. He was the Roman governor of the province
around Milan when he (kind of accidentally) became bishop of Milan. He
was quite popular as Governor and when the crowd was beginning to get
rowdy debating who would become the next bishop, someone called out his
name as a suggestion. Suddenly it was a done deal.
Except
there was this little problem: not only was Ambrose not a priest, he
wasn't even baptized as a Christian. The crowd wasn't about to let
minor issues like that stand between them and their new bishop. So
Governor Aurelius Ambrosius became Bishop Ambrose.
He was a force
to be reckoned with, even excommunicating Emperor Theodosius the Great
(I think that this was the first time this had ever happened).
He also composed the first Christmas Carol, Veni Redemptor Genitum (Come, Redeemer of the Nations). It is still performed today, 1650 years later.
St. Catherine's Monastery at the foot of Mt. Sinai is said to be the oldest continually inhabited monastery, founded by Emperor Justinian the Great around 550AD. It has a library that has survived the ages, perhaps because they have a document said to be signed by Mohammad himself saying that the Monastery was under his protection. Even if it was a forgery, it seems to have been an effective forgery.
It has perhaps the most impressive collection of icons in the world. For example, the oldest known icon of Kristos Pantokrator, dating from the 6th century:
For the first time in its 1,500-year history, Saint Catherine’s Monastery is offering certified replicas of its most famous Byzantine icons. These replicas, available in actual size and true-to-life color, allow people worldwide to own a piece of this sacred art.
This groundbreaking project is the result of a three-year collaboration between the Monastery, the Friends of Mount Sinai Monastery, and Legacy Icons. Dr. Peter Chang, President of the Friends of Mount Sinai Monastery, called the partnership a “significant milestone in our ongoing mission to support Saint Catherine’s Monastery and its invaluable contributions to Christian spirituality and global civilization.”
The first set of replicas includes some of the Monastery’s most treasured works:
Christ Pantocrator (6th century)
Moses and the Burning Bush (c. 13th century)
Saint Catherine with Scenes of her Life (18th century)
You can view (and purchase, if you'd like) the reproductions here. They look to be very high quality (to me, at least). As the original linked article says:
These replicas are created using high-resolution scans, capturing even the tiniest details. “To be able to look into the depths of the cracks and original paint strokes with this clarity is breathtaking and we look forward to shipping these for all to appreciate,” said David DeJonge, founder of Legacy Icons. The replicas are printed on high-quality Hahnemühle Photo Rag paper and mounted on solid hardwoods, ensuring they are as authentic as possible.
A portion of the purchase goes to support the Monastery's preservation activities. Remember, this Monastery has been working and collecting manuscripts continually for 1500 years.
Here is a recording of traditional music from the Monastery.
Yesterday marked the Autumn Equinox, the first day of autumn. The Silicon Graybeard posts about what this means in Florida; he's on the Atlantic coast so it's a little cooler there than here. But the forecast here is calling for temperatures to drop into the mid 80s during the day and even below 70 (!!!) at night this coming week. Autumnal indeed.
As you'd
expect, there's terrific classical music for this occasion; as a matter
of fact, you've probably heard it.
Antonio Vivaldi was one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his Four Seasons
suite of four violin concertos is without doubt his most famous work.
Sadly for him, it didn't help him very much - the Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VI died before appointing him court composer, and Vivaldi (like
Mozart after him) died in poverty.
But there aren't many who leave behind a legacy such as this. Vivaldi's
life story in a way matches the mood of autumn, with a glorious youth
behind it and a cold, poor finish ahead of it.
But don't let me harsh your mellow! The music is sublime, and the temperature (in Florida at least) will barely drop below 70 ...
Tomorrow is the feast day of Saint Ludmila of Bohemia, grandmother of Good King Wenceslaus of Christmas Carol fame. As queen, she was instrumental in converting the kingdom to christianity but was murdered by her daughter-in-law (mother of Wenceslaus).
By the 19th century St. Ludmila took on aspects of national hero, and the preeminent composer of 19th century national music wrote this oratorio in her honor.
Seth Weeks is an interesting composer for a couple reasons: he composed for the mandolin, and he was black - back in the 19th and early 20th centuries when that was a definite limitation on how musical society would accept him. Despite that, he was the prime mover in bringing on what is called the mandolin's golden period. He became prominent enough that he toured in Europe and lived there before World War I and in the 1920s.
It was in Europe that he recorded his music, with Edison Records in London and Gerliner Gramophone in Berlin.
Born on this day in 1868, he lived to the ripe old age of 85. There are not a lot of performances of his music on Youtube, and this doesn't have a lot of views. That's a shame - he was an unusually interesting composer.
The Queen Of The World and I like watching the old TV shows ('50s, '60s, and '70s). One of these is The George Burns Show, the star of which really is Gracie Allen who would steal the show pretty much every time. Well, TQOTW discovered this gem from the last film appearance by Gracie, the 1944 film Two Girls And A Sailor. It had an all star cast but Gracie stole the show with this hilarious number.
So they tried to assassinate Donald Trump. The question is whether they will try again. The next question will be what will be the reaction if they succeed.
It's that second question that made me think of Strauss and his ferocious opera Elektra. That girl had family issues: Her father was Agamemnon, leader of the Greeks against Troy. He sacrificed her sister to the Gods to gain favorable winds for the invasion fleet. Her mother Klytemnestra murdered her father in revenge. Her brother Orest kills their mother in revenge. Mad with fury, Elektra dances in the blood of the guilty.
Quite a story. The Nazis quite admired it, the necessity of bloodletting to purify the family. Yesterday's events made me think on what might befall should they succeed in their manic desires to stop Trump by any means necessary.
In keeping with The Queen Of The World's birthday, here's a composer from a part of the world I had never heard of. I grew up on classical music, and for guitar that meant Andres Segovia (with a tip of the old chapeau to Julian Bream). I had never heard of Eduardo Falu, Argentina's great guitarist. He's been dead these ten years or more but many of his songs are on Youtube. This is an entire concert he gave in Seville in 1978. He would be 101 years old today.
We are all the way to the middle of the year, and hard up against Independence Day this week. I have long thought that you can better know your own country by visiting others (at least, this has been my experience). Sometimes a foreigner can tell you something you hadn't known about your own land.
Henri Vieuxtemps was a Belgian composer and violin player in the first part of the 19th century. A child prodigy, he toured all over playing for the Great and the Good. In the 1840s he came to tour America. He left us this, what is perhaps his most famous composition, at least on these shores. It's quite different from other versions of the song, which makes it interesting (at least to me).
Many of our readers are of an age to remember the actor Efron Zimbalist, Jr, who starred in "The F.B.I." among other TV shows (I particularly like 77 Sunset Strip), or his daughter Stephanie (star of "Remington Steele). Few have ever heard of his father Efron Zimbalist, Sr. - who like Louis XIII was famous only for Louis XIV. But he was a famous violinist in the early years of the 20th century and a prolific composer.
This recording is far from HiFi, but gives a flavor of his work. I found it quite enjoyable.
Yes, we usually hear this at Christmas. Remember, though, that Handel wrote this for an Easter performance. I can think of no greater - more emotionally stirring - music for the Lord's rising than this. The kettle drum at the end of the Amen never fails to thrill. As a matter of fact, the opening bars of Worthy Is The Lamb never fail to thrill, either. If you can read music, you have my permission to do a bit of a singalong to the score shown here.
Top o' the morning to you, and happy St. Patrick's Day. This is my traditional Paddy's Day post, mostly because I love the music here.
What is the "Classical Music" of Ireland? It's not (Italian) Opera, or (German) symphonies, or even an (English) homage to Ralph Vaughan Williams (who studied under an Irish music professor) "countryside music" in the concert hall. Instead, we find something ancient.
We find something that easily might not have been. Turlough O'Carolan (1670 – 25 March 1738) was the son of a blacksmith. His father took a job for the MacDermot Roe family; Mrs. MacDermot Roe gave the young lad some basic schooling and saw in him a talent for poetry; when a few years later the 18 year old Turlough went blind after a bout of smallpox, she had him apprenticed to a harpist. He soon was travelling the land, composing and singing.
This tradition was already ancient by the early 1700s. it was undeniably Celtic, dating back through the Middle Ages, through the Dark Ages, through Roman times to a barbarous Gaul. There bards travelled the lands playing for their supper on the harp.
This was O'Carolan's stock in trade. He rapidly became the most famous singer in the Emerald Isle. It is said that weddings and funerals were delayed until he was in the vicinity. One of his most famous compositions - if you have spent any time at all listening to Irish music, you know this tune - was considered too "new fangled" by the other harpists of his day. Fortunately, he didn't listen to their criticisms.
He married very late, at 50, and had many children. But his first love was Brigid, daughter of the Schoolmaster at a school for the blind. He always seemed to have carried a torch for her.
So why is this post in the normal slot reserved for Classical Music? Listen to this composition of his, and you see the bridge from the archaic Celts to Baroque harpsichord.
And keep in mind how this brilliance might never have blazed, had Mrs. MacDermot Roe not seen the talent in a blind Irish boy and set him upon a path trod by many equally unexpected geniuses, all the way back to St. Patrick. It is truly said that we never know what our own path will be until we set our foot down on it.
But his was an ancient path and he inherited much from those who trod it before him. His "Farewell to Music" is said to be more in the traditional mold, and might have been appreciated at a feast held by Vercingetorix before the battle of Alesia.
This music is a bridge between modern and the ancient that disappears into the mists of legend. Perhaps more importantly, it is a music that is still alive today, after a run of perhaps two and a halfmillennia.
And it is a music where you still hear the yearning of a young blind man for his muse, Brigid. That is a vitality that should not be exiled to a single day of celebration, even if it is for as illustrious a Saint as Patrick. On this Feast Day, remember just how deep the roots of our civilization run. (Originally posted March 16, 2014)
"Professor"* Peter Schickele has passed away at the fine old age of 88. Dwight has the obit. I ran across his music back at State U, and have enjoyed its very clever music inside baseball ever since.
I hadn't known that he orchestrated Joan Baez's Noel album. I also hadn't known that he won four Grammys.
Schickele, of course, created the P.D.Q. Bach character. One of my favorites is here, "The Art Of The Ground Round". I had this album, Back In The Day.
Rest in peace.
* It seems that he taught at Julliard, so the term isn't clearly wrong.
Ernest Tomlinson was an English composer active from around 1950. He
was an anachronism in that he wrote music with melody, in great contrast
to the a-tonal, arrhythmical dreck that is the wasteland of modern
classical music.
He may have single-handedly saved much of this sort of music in 1984.
The BBC decided to eliminate their archive of light classical music -
it was ever so unfashionable, old chap - and he got the entire archive.
50,000 works are now in the Library Of Light Orchestral Music.
Tomlinson was awarded the Member of the British Empire (MBE) in
recognition of his service to music.
This piece is simply a delight. Everyone will recognize the primary
theme - Auld Lang Syne, the traditional New Years' Eve song. But
Tomlinson weaves in brief snippets of 152 other pieces. It was a
completely unexpected pleasure to discover this, and a fitting high note
to say goodbye to 2023.
Ernest Tomlinson passed on in 2015. His obituary is worth a read:
After falling out of favour in the
middle of the last century, light music, once a major part of British
cultural life, has enjoyed a modest renaissance in recent years. Nobody
did more to encourage this revival of interest than Ernest Tomlinson,
who has died aged 90. He was a prolific composer, praised by the singer
and broadcaster Catherine Bott for
his “exceptional technical skills allied to a rare gift for melody”.
Equally, he fought to preserve the light music heritage by founding the Library of Light Orchestral Music and acting as consultant and performer for an important series of CD recordings.
He was an anachronism inn modern classical music, living an admirably
traditional life. Married 57 years, this part of his obituary stood
out:
He is survived by his children, Ann,
Geoffrey, Hilary and Linda, eight grandchildren and seven
great-grandchildren. Jean died in 2006.
Rest in peace, and thanks for the great music.
UPDATE 31 DECEMBER 2023 17:29: From the notes at Youtube, here are some of the different songs included in this piece. What a fun, very clever musical piece.
0:33- Auld Lang Syne 2:10 - Gounod’s Soldier Chorus from Faust 2:15 - The British Grenadiers 2:24 - Leroy Anderson’s The Rakes of Mallow 2:42 - Cesar Franck’s Symphonic Variations 2:52 - Chopin's Piano Sonata No.2, 2nd movement 3:09 - Elgar's Enigma Variations, main theme 3:37 - Beethoven's Symphony No.9, 4th movement, "Ode To Joy" 3:53 - Haydn’s St.Anthony Chorale 4:06 - Purcell's Abdelazer, "Rondeau" or Britten's The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra 4:23 - Schubert’s Trout Quintet, 4th movement 4:32 - Haydn's Symphony No.94, 2nd movement 4:50 - Bach's Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring 5:33 -Dvorak’s Humoresque no 7 5:41 -Foster’s Beautiful Dreamer 5:44 - Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique symphony 3rd movement 5:51 -A Life on The Ocean Wave 5:51 - Auld Lang Syne 5:54 - Khachaturian’s Adagio from Spartacus 6:14 - Mendelssohn’s Overture to The Hebrides 6:51 - Mozart's Piano Sonata No.16, first movement 7:09 - Handel's Entry of the Queen of Sheba 7:23 - Tchaikovsky’s Dance of the Little Swan from Swan Lake 7:27 - Bach’s Fugue in C minor from Well-Tempered Clavier 7:31 -Arthur Sullivan ... "Major General" (Pirates of Penzance) 7:32 -The Keel Row 7:44 - Bizet's Overture to Carmen 7:53 - This Old Man 8:00 - Thomas-Arne’s Rule-Britannia 8:08 - Strauss Jr’s Voice of Spring Waltz 8:53 - Tchaikovsky’s Valse no. 2 from Swan Lake 9:25 - Weber’s Invitation to the Dance 9:31 - Je veux vivre (Juliet's Waltz) from Romeo et Juliette by Charles Gounod 9:46 - Strauss. Jr’s Waltz from Die Flaudermaus 10:05 - Chopin's Grand Valse Brilliante 10:55 - Tchaikovsky - Serenade for Strings, 2nd movement 11:26 -Smetana’s Dance of the Comedian from The Bartered Bride 12:26 - Strauss. Jr’s Perpetuum Mobile Polka 12:35 - Mozart’s French Horn no. 4, 3rd movement 12:42 - Shenandoah 12:48 -Dvorak’s Slavonic Dance no 2 op.46 12:53 -Wi’a Hundred Pipers 12:59 - Offenbach's Can-Can Dance 13:02 - Schubert's Military March No.1, or Stravinsky's Circus Polka 13:13 - Offenbach's Can-Can Dance 13:22 - Rossini’s La Danza from Les Soirée Musicales 13:38 - Mysterious Pizzicato 13:44 - Bach’s A Riercar a 6 from The Musical Offering 14:24 - Rossini’s Overture to Semiramide 13:56 - Dark Eyes 14:07 -Koenig’s Post Horn Gallop 14:42 -Benjamin’s Jamaican Rumba 14:50 - Khachaturian's Sabre Dance 15:02 - Rossini's Overture to "The Barber of Seville" 15:04 - Bizet's L' Arlesienne Suite No.2, "Farandole" 15:07 - Glinka's Overture to "Ruslan and Ludmilla" 15:20 Goodnight, Ladies 15:57 - Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture 17:56 - Verdi's Le donna e mobile, from "Rigoletto" 16:41 - O, Come All ye Faithful 17:47 - La Curachacha 17:58 The Girl I left behind 18:04 - Yankee Doodle 18:06 - Good King Winceslas 18:10 Sailor's Hornpipe 18:19 - Grieg’s Morning Mood from Peer Gynt 18:26 - Dvorak’s New World Symphony, 2nd movement
The mid-20th Century was the high point of the much appreciated and much lamented in its passing "Mid-Brow"* culture: a set of societal expectations that a properly educated man or woman should know certain (respectable) things and behave in certain (respectable) ways. One of these things that people were expected to know was classical music. There were two great popularizers of mid-brow music: Leonard Bernstein, and Arthur Fiedler.
Bernstein was a musical genius, who wrote fabulous music. "West Side Story" is perhaps most famous, but "Candide" is perhaps his greatest composition. Of course he was a dirty commie bastard, but there's no denying his influence on the Mid-Brow public.
Arthur Fiedler was the long time conductor of the Boston Symphony and (more famously) the Boston Pops which became perhaps the most famous Mid-Brow orchestra ever. Fiedler joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1915 (!) and graduated to cunductor in 1930. He remained conductor of the Symphony and the Pops for the next half century.
His career was the apogee of Mid-Brow culture in America. All 3 networks plus PBS covered the July 4, 1976 Pops concert from Boston live. All of them. After all, people were expected to behave in particular (respectable) ways.
Alas for the America of my youth. Here's a delightful musical album of the 1959 Boston Pops Christmas. Sadly, Youtube tells me that this has only 173 views. Alas for the America of my youth, indeed.
* Not the hoity-toity High Brow set, and certainly not the Low Brow set. Mid-Brow, the sweet spot.
Perhaps the greatest organist of the Romantic Era was César Franck. Organist for over 30 years at the Parisian church Sainte-Clotilde, he was renowned for his improvisational ability.
He loved the organ in the church, and as his reputation grew the organ manufacturer increasingly asked him to debut new organs purchased by other churches. He also started impromptu recitals at the church, which later became regular scheduled events attracting notables such as composer Franz Liszt.
As with many great composers, he was a child prodigy, giving his first concert at age 12. The Paris Conservatory recognized his ability and made him a professor.
He is known today for his symphonies, but I like this organ music which was his passion. Happy birthday, César Franck!
This scene was ad lib, with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye reprising the song from Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen. It started as Bing goofing around and everyone thought it was funny so they filmed it. They filmed it several times because people were laughing so much that it was hard to get a clean take. The laughter you see here is genuine.
