Domine Fili Unigenite Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) Composer Violinist and Catholic Priest Although composed in the baroque period , The Gloria RV 589 by Antonio Vivaldi The Red Priest was like many of his great works brought to public attention in the 1939 under the direction of Alfredo Casella in Siena, Italy. It is worth noting that there is two other Gloria settings by Vivaldi numbered RV 588 and RV590 works which are seldom programmed even by baroque repertoire practitioners Our concern here is with the RV 589 , a twelve movement masswhose individual numbers are characterized by sharply contrasting texture, tempo , rhythm, voicing and scoring & ndeed mood and temperament The Seventh movement Domine Fili Unigenite Jesu Christe liesbetween a graceful Domine Deus in a Sicilian style whose scoring puts emphasis on the conversation between the sopranovoice and oboe damore and indeed passioned . And on theother end is the eighth movement a Domine Deus in humblesupplication for Alto solo , Basso Continuo, here the conversation between soloist and chorus is characterized by affirmation of faith and belief in God It is in my view necessary to know and understand the pieces around the main song under discussion because such a piece of knowledge can and does guide your sense of interpretation ,tempo, and temperament Text in Latin Domine Fili Unigenite, Jesu Christe Loose English Translation Gods only begotten Son, Jesus Christ Home Key: F Major The piece takes off in a forward looking spirit and cheerful attitude . The Cellos and members of the Basso Continuo play an introduction patterned in the descending scale of F Major ,while the first violins present a sequential idea which soon gets swallowed into the rhythm and feel of the basses at bar 8 Bar 9 Altos introduce a powerful proud and glorious statement which is a combination of a sequence and a descending scale all interwoven which quickly wraps up at bar 17 , beneath all this beauty is the bass part singing what appears to be an ordinary F Major scale in descending mode yet what makes this line attractive is the function of the second beat as an unintended focal point which if misunderstood can easily turn into a distasteful accent given the laws that govern the second beat inthree/quarter time (3pulse measure)Key shift to the Dominant at bar 18 allows the restatement of the main material until bar 25 , this time by soprano and tenors Bar 26 introduces a call and response pattern between the altos , as though siblings chasing after each until they unexpectedly catch up as a result of time manipulation at bar 35 - 36 . This musical function or play-out is known as the hemiola , lwhich is a rhythmic superimposition And in this case the patternof 3/4 time . CONDUCTING considerations for hemiola from the beginning of measure 34 , using a Three beats to a bar conducting patterngoes as bar 34 {1:2:3} and bar 35 { 1 :and:2} bar 36{and:3:and} bar 37 {1:2:3:} In the bars where theres 1&2&3& etc . principle Of 3/2 conducting applies. The same period of music from bar 26 -34 basses present musical material that is continuos and developmental in structure through sequential action. And Tenors in a unique anddifferentiated fashion pouring emotions in a downwardequence , needless to say the mens voices come to a point ofrhythmic unity with the upper voices at bars 35-36( as result of the hemiola) Reaching bar 40 introduces a haunting musical intensity througha dense harmonic language (whether this is to depict the suffering of the Christ on behalf of humanity or something else) this passage through to bar 52 changes significantly the drama of the music From bar 53 the opening vocal statements return but now in the male voice section, it is amazing how Vivaldi introduces adevelopment element at bar 62 -69 by creating a conversation between tenor and bass. This lovely rhythmic and harmonic energy pours over to bar 70 in a question and answer form and it is to me a moment to look orward to while performing Bar 79 dialogue and the musics way of fighting for the listeners attention simply requires great musicality to balance forces while showcasing all the beauty. Here again hemiola is put to good use. Tempo consideration must be bright and alert yet never rushed
Posted on: Thu, 06 Mar 2014 15:44:43 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015