Preview: Chantez!
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SKU: AN.AMP-0284
Composed by Jules Massenet. Edited by Richard Bloesch and William Hatcher. Octavo. Alliance Music Publications #AMP 0284. Published by Alliance Music Publications (AN.AMP-0284).Massenet/Bloesch.
(Songs from the Amaranth Woods)
Jules Massenet (1842-1912) is remembered today for several operas that remain in the activerepertoire (especially Herodiade, Manon, Le Cid, Werther, and Thais). His other vocalworks areless well known. In addition to four large sacred oratorios, Massenet composed a number ofreligious and secular choral works, including a Requiem Mass. More than 200 songs flowed fromhis pen. To a subset of works written for vocal duos, trios, and quartets belongs Chansons desBoisd'Amaranthe, his first cycle for vocal quartet. It was composed in 1900 and published in1901. Inthe last decade of his life, Massenet often performed this work, sometimes as conductor, at othertimes as pianist.
The first movement, 0 bon printemps, a trio for soprano, contralto, and tenor, welcomes allthegifts of springtime. The rippling piano accompaniment seems to portray the rustling of newleaves.The happy mood is tinged with regret at the close, where the poet asks of spring, But what doyougive to me?
In the second movement, Oiseau des Bois, a duet for soprano and contralto, the poet speaksto alittle bird, which is delighting him with its song. Again, the bantering innocence of the scene isclouded by a reference to the bird's companion, which, like the poet's, perhaps should not betrusted.
The third movement, Cheres fleurs, the first movement for all four voices, finds thepoetspeaking to the spring flowers. He warns them about the wind, which speaks too much offaithful love and reminds them that faithful love speaks less..The musical style of thismovement is in stark contrast to the preceding movements. After a piano introduction, thevoices, unaccompanied, sing music that evokes the spirit of the Renaissance madrigal.
The fourth movement, 0 ruisseau, conjures up a scene in which the little stream and therose bushexchange tender words of love. The poet hopes they will teach these words of love to him. HereMassenet writes for a trio of soprano, contralto, and tenor. The tenor voice is given the primarymaterial. The other two voices echo his statements (as the composer indicates: comme un echolointain).
The fifth movement, Chantez, for all four voices is a fitting climax to the cycle. Here thepoet revels in the delights of springtime without any reservations or distractions. The spring birds areexhorted to sing of love and pleasure and of the divine work and its beauty . Massenet suppliesan effervescent piano part, which undergirds the exuberant and high-spirited vocal lines.
Although it is clear that Massenet wrote this cycle for solo voices and piano, it can besuccessfullyperformed by a small chamber choir (much as the vocal quartets of Schubert and Brahms lendthemselves to more than one performing medium).
This edition is based on the first 1901 publication of the work by Heugel in Paris. TheEnglishtranslations suitable for singing have been made by Richard Bloesch and Marie Yon Behren.Following are more literal translations of the five poems:
I. O beautiful spring, faithful spring,
You come back to us with your arms laden,
For the tree, new leaves,
For the flower, leafy clothes.
You give to the sky its pure clarity,
To the bird, its song full of emotion,
The gay sun to nature. ..
But what do you give to me?
II. Bird of the forest, little timid one,
Tell me why your song touches me
More than usual today?
While listening to you, my joy is such
That I would like to have wings,
And up to God my heart follows you.
Have you seen, tonight, in a dream,
Your companion for this April?
Watch out for this soft lie!
Like me, you're risking great danger.
III. Dear flowers, do not trust anymore
The wind that brushes past you with its wing!
It speaks too much of faithful love:
Faithful love speaks less.
IV. O stream, your voice is coaxing,
And I have surprised you more than once
Exchanging with the wild dog-rose
Secretly words of love.
As soon as you spoke, she herself
Bent her bough towards you,
Did she not? If ever I am loved,
Your words of love, teach them to me.
V. Sing everything as you like,
Little birds with light voices,
Sing of springtime splendors,
Sing of love and of pleasure!
When you will have sung again
For thousands of evenings and dawns,
You still would never have sung enough
Of the divine work and its beauty.
Jules Massenet (1842-1912) is remembered today for several operas that remain in the activerepertoire (especially Herodiade, Manon, Le Cid, Werther, and Thais). His other vocalworks areless well known. In addition to four large sacred oratorios, Massenet composed a number ofreligious and secular choral works, including a Requiem Mass. More than 200 songs flowed fromhis pen. To a subset of works written for vocal duos, trios, and quartets belongs Chansons desBoisd'Amaranthe, his first cycle for vocal quartet. It was composed in 1900 and published in1901. Inthe last decade of his life, Massenet often performed this work, sometimes as conductor, at othertimes as pianist.
The first movement, 0 bon printemps, a trio for soprano, contralto, and tenor, welcomes allthegifts of springtime. The rippling piano accompaniment seems to portray the rustling of newleaves.The happy mood is tinged with regret at the close, where the poet asks of spring, But what doyougive to me?