Preview: Noche Serena
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SKU: AN.AMP-0881
Composed by Z. Randall Stroope. Octavo. Alliance Music Publications #AMP 0881. Published by Alliance Music Publications (AN.AMP-0881).Stroope.
(Night Serene)
About the poet...
The current setting of Noche Serena (ZRS) uses only a fragment of the entire sixteen-stanza (five lines per stanza) poem by Fray Luis de Leon, and seeks to capture only a small part of the total essence of the poem. The theologian-poet describes the (traditional) view of earth to heaven in the first part of the poem, with a sense of expansiveness and beauty. Then, Fray Luis de Leon looks to earth from heaven and sees a world in desolation, the absence of a pilot on rough seas, and a planet without religious conviction or belief. In other words, when the poet looked at the serene star-lit night from earth's standpoint, he saw grandiosity and beauty. But when he looked from the sky to earth, he saw a confined (like a jail) people and a world in chaos.
There is a brief reference to Loarte (Diego de) in measures 46-47, who was a dear friend of Fray Luis de Leon's. Some printings of the poem have other text here (la lengua dice), but the composer chose to include the version with Loarte's name the eyes, like founts beyond control, Loarte, and I finally say with painful voice.... Fray Luis de Leon also dedicated the poem to Loarte.
ZRS