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Southern Sun
Alonso Lobo started his musical training at Osuna, near Seville, and remained in Spain for his whole life, with later positions at Seville and Toledo. Lobo may be regarded as stylistically more “home-grown” than his contemporaries, revelling in the calm order of strictly imitative counterpoint. Ave regina caelorum is a Marian antiphon for the season from Candlemas through to Easter. In the motet, the highest part is split, the second part following the first in canon.
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Cristóbal de Morales was born in Seville, and is connected with posts in Ávila, Plasencia and Toledo, along with spending a decade in Rome as a singer in the papal choir. Morales’ reputation is one of a difficult employee, changing posts often, and making tough demands of his singers, evidenced at times in his relentless contrapuntal writing. Tu es Petrus is based on the plainsong antiphon, the opening words sung as a clarion call repeatedly in the 2nd soprano part.
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Francisco Guerrero was a prominent Spanish Renaissance composer known for his deeply expressive music, much of it written during his long service at Seville Cathedral. O sacrum convivium is a Vespers antiphon for the feast of Corpus Christi, the text often attributed to St Thomas Aquinas.
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Ave, Regina caelorum,
Ave, Domina Angelorum:
Salve, radix, salve, porta
Ex qua mundo lux est orta:
Gaude, Virgo gloriosa,
Super omnes speciosa,
Vale, o valde decora,
Et pro nobis Christum exora
Hail, Queen of Heaven.
Hail, Lady of Angels
Hail! thou root, hail! thou gate
From whom unto the world a light has arisen:
Rejoice, O glorious Virgin,
Lovely beyond all others,
Farewell, most beautiful maiden,
And pray for us to Christ.
Regina cæli, lætare, alleluia;
Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia;
Resurrexit sicut dixit, alleluia;
Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia.
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Queen of heaven, rejoice, alleluia;
For he whom you were worthy to bear, alleluia;
He has risen as he said, alleluia;
Pray for us to God, alleluia.
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O sacrum convivium, in quo Christus sumitur;
Recolitur memoria passionis ejus;
Mens impletur gratia;
Et futuræ gloriæ nobis pignus datur. Alleluia
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O sacred banquet, in which Christ is received;
The memorial of his passion is renewed;
The soul is filled with grace;
And a pledge of future glory is given to us. Alleluia.
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Tomás Luis de Victoria was one of the most renowned composers of the Spanish Renaissance, celebrated for his masterful sacred music. Victoria spent a significant part of his career in Rome, and was deeply influenced by the Italian polyphonic tradition, yet he infused his works with an unmistakable Spanish fervour. Victoria was an ordained priest, and his music is only on sacred texts. The Gloria is a movement taken from a mass setting for use at Ascentiontide, Ascendens Christus in altum, and is based on a motet of the same name. Vidi speciosam is text from the Song of Songs, used as an antiphon for the Feast of the Assumption.
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Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis.
Laudamus te. Benedicimus te.
Adoramus te. Glorificamus te.
Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam.
Domine Deus, Rex caelestis, Deus Pater omnipotens.
Domine Fili unigenite, Iesu Christe.
Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris.
Qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
Qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram.
Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis.
Quoniam tu solus Sanctus. Tu solus Dominus.
Tu solus Altissimus, Iesu Christe.
Cum Sancto Spiritu, in gloria Dei Patris.
Amen.
Glory be to God on high,
and on earth peace, good will towards men.
We praise thee, we bless thee,
we worship thee, we glorify thee,
we give thanks to thee for thy great glory,
O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty.
O Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ;
O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,
that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.
Thou that takest away the sins of the world, receive our prayer.
Thou that sittest at the right hand of God the Father, have mercy upon us.
For thou only art holy; thou only art the Lord;
thou only, O Christ, with the Holy Ghost,
art most high in the glory of God the Father.
Amen.
Vidi speciosam sicut columbam ascendéntem desuper rivos aquarum: Cujus inæstimabilis odor erat nimis in vestimentis ejus.
Ꞧ Et sicut dies verni, circumdabant eam, flores rosarum et lilia convallium.
Quæ est ista, quæ ascendit per desertum sicut virgula fumi, ex aromatibus myrrhæ et thuris?
Ꞧ Et sicut dies verni ...
I saw the fair one like a dove rising above the streams of waters; Whose priceless fragrance hung to her garments.
Ꞧ And like the days of spring, rose blossoms and lilies of the valley surrounded her.
Who is she, who rises from the desert like a pillar of smoke from the spices of myrrh and incense?
Ꞧ And like the days of spring...
Hanacpachap cussicuinin is one of the oldest surviving polyphonic works from the New World. The hymn, in the Quechua language, pulses with a blend of Spanish Marian liturgy and indigenous Andean spirit. It was published by Lima-based Franciscan friar Juan Pérez, in c1631.
Juan Gutiérrez de Padilla worked mainly in Puebla, Mexico. Over 700 of his works survive, including mass settings, motets and sacred Villancicos, often scored for lavish forces in double choir. His Tristis est anima mea is an intense 4-part setting, full of pathos, having echoes of Responsories settings of Victoria and Palestrina.
Gaspar Fernandes was born in Evora, Portugal. In 1599 he became organist, and then maestro at the Cathedral of Guatemala. Seven years later he left Guatemala for Puebla, and remained active there until his death in 1629. In his later years he was assisted by Padilla, who became his successor. Fernandes' legacy includes a large number of villancicos for religious use, written in local dialects.
Hanacpachap cussicuinin, Huaran cacta muchas caiqui. Yupairuru pucocmallqui, Runa cunap suyacuinin. Callpannacpa quemicuinin, Huaciascaita.
Uyarihuai muchascaita, Diospa rampan Diospamaman. Yurac tocto hamancaiman, Yupascalla, collpascaita Huahuaiquiman suyuscaita, Ricuchillai
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Heaven's joy! a thousand times shall we praise you. O tree bearing thrice-blessed fruit, O hope of humankind, helper of the weak, hear our prayer!
Attend to our pleas, O column of ivory, Mother of God! Beautiful iris, yellow and white, receive this song we offer you ;come to our assistance, show us the fruit of your womb
Tristis est anima mea usque ad mortem:
Sustinete hic et vigilate mecum
Et cum processisset pusillim in faciem suam,
orans, et dicens:
Pater mi, si possible est transeat a me calix iste. Verum tamen no sicut ergo volo.
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My soul is sorrowful even unto death:
Stay here and watch with me.
And when he had gone a little farther, he fell on his face,
prayed, and said,
My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will.
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Pois con tanta graça, a naçido O belo niño, tocai voso panderiño, Batista sua churumbela, Tocai Afonso a guitarrela. A fora, fora ratiño, foljai portuguesiño, Fu furrufu ay Jesu,
Seja bemvindo noso Deus a se folgar, que estes fidal guiños folgas de o festejar.
Ay que me morro, Ay que me fino, de amores da may dondela, e seu belo fidalguiño.
A minino tas fermoso quese semeja a sua may e todo porque seu may e portugues muy honrroso; a inda que no portal naçe o minino chorando Pode ser que tempo andando seja rey de Portugal
Thus with much grace the beautiful child is born, Play your little tambourine, christen your pipe, play Afonso your tiny guitar; Go on, little one, Rejoice, rejoice little Portuguese, Fu furru fu, Be welcome, our God, to join the joy, oh how these noble children rejoice in the celebration. O how I die from the love of my mother and her noble child.
The boy is so beautiful that he seems like his mother, as his mother is most honourable Portuguese; even if the boy is born crying at the door, it may be that in future he will be king of Portugal.
​Heitor Villa-Lobos is one of Brazil’s most celebrated composers, blending European classical traditions with Brazilian folk and popular music. He composed prolifically across all genres, with works like the Bachianas Brasileiras, and his works form the cornerstone of classical guitar repertoire. As costuerias describes the chattering of a gathering of seamstresses, speaking of life and love.
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​Roberto Di Marino is a contemporary Italian composer and double bassist known for his accessible, lyrical style that often blends classical and popular idioms. Based in Trento, he often draws inspiration from the folk traditions and dance rhythms of Southern Europe. Marino writes "...the music of "Tango Trentino" was written for a comedy that was supposed to have emigration as its topic (There was a time when Trentino, my birthplace, was very poor and many people emigrated to Argentina in search of a better life). The author of the text, Leonardo Franchini, was also the author of the comedy which was never finished and never went on stage. The lyrics of the song (originally for voice and accordion) are written in a funny mix of Spanish and Trentino dialect and tell of various places in Trentino that an emigrant to Argentina remembers with nostalgia".
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Antonio Estévez was a Venezuelan composer, conductor, and oboist, best known for his evocative cantata Cantata Criolla and the choral miniature Mata del ánima sola. He was deeply influenced by Venezuelan landscapes and llanero (plains) culture, which he wove into his music with care. Estévez also founded the Central University of Venezuela choir, leaving a legacy that bridged art music and folk expression.
As costueriras:
Com alma a chorar! Alegre a sorrir!
Cantando os seus males!
As costureiras, somos nesta vida!
Até amores unimos à linha,
Nós trabalhamos sempre alegres na lida!
Como alguém que adivinha,
O belo futuro que nos vai a sorrir!
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Cose, cose, cose a costureira,
Cose a manga, a blusa, a saia,
Cose com interesse e mostra-te faceira,
Bem faceira a quem provares o ponteado,
O alinhavado, o costurado, o chuliado, o preguiado.
Sadness in their hearts, laughter in their eyes,
singing away their troubles,
The girls are sewing, our hope will not fail us, the threads of life and love are intertwining,
gaily we’re sewing though new cares may assail us, Even as those good at divining we can see a future soon to smile on us, (sewing, do not cease your sewing),
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Hem the skirts and stich the blouses, charm all those who come for fittings, though sometimes your hearts are sighing, keep your bright needles flying, with each other vying, sewing, stitching, pleating, cutting, tacking, tucking, Ah …
(English tr after Lorraine Noel Finley)
Tango, tango trentino
que me quieres juntar lagrimas y vino.
Tango, tango de nostalgia
deja sobre a Valsugana l'alma mia.
Mi Roncegno yo te quiero de lontan,
como todos los pais de Valsugan
y narraban los abuelos su l'antana
cuando estaban en su la bela Valsugana.
Ellos partìan col veliero
sobre el mar profundo y nero
y si los facian bailar
vomitaban el disnar.
Finalmente una matina
apariba l'Argentina
toda plana y sconfinada
sin canederli y panada.
Ay tristeza que me llena la cabeza
si yo pienso a quell'encanto de Toblin
donde siempre se encontraban las luganegas y el vin,
(mas por los otros)
Es triste historia que deventa toda dulce en la memoria
de las tierras tan lontanas
donde el sidro no es hijo de manzanas
donde el plano ofrece homenaje a las montanãs.
Tango, tango Trentino
that makes me unite my tears with wine
Tango of nostalgia
leave my soul above the Sugana Valley.
My Roncegno, I love you from afar
like all the villages of the Sugana Valley
and grandparents told in the attic
when they were in beautiful Sugana
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They left with the sailing ship
over the deep and black sea
and if the sea was rough,
they threw up their lunch
Finally one morning
Argentina appeared,
all flat and boundless
without candeleri or bread.
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Oh sadness that fills my head
if I think of that enchantment of Toblino
where the lucaniche and the wine always met
(but for others).
It's a sad story that becomes all sweet in the memory
of the lands so far away,
where the cider is not made from apples,
where the plain pays homage to the mountains.
Mata del ánima sola, boquerón de banco largo
ya podrás decir ahora aqui durmió canta claro.
Con el silbo y la picada de la brisa coleadora
la tarde catira y mora entró al corralón callada.
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La noche, yegua cansada, sobre los bancos tremola la crin y la negra cola y en su silencio se pasma tu corazón de fantasma
Tree of the lonely soul, wide opening of the river now you can say: Here slept Canta claro.
With the whistle and the sting of the twisting wind, the dappled and violet dusk quietly entered the corral.
The night, tired mare, shakes her mane and black tail above the riverside; and, in its silence, your ghostly heart is filled with awe.
INDEX CANTORUM for today is
Abi King, Ruth Shannon, Jenny Tribe, Caroline Wainwright, Polly Smith,
Emily Woodcock, Erin Brookes, Nathalia Fetherston-Dilke, Isobel King,
Christine Lewry, Sue Ramsey, Fiona Ritchie, Julie Mutton, Karen Williams, Anna Westrop,
Chris Palmer, Paco Alacon, Paul Shepherd, John Lunt, Jon Sketchley, Angus Robinson,
Julian Poppleton, Stephen Delaney, Graham King, Jonathan Tribe, Richard Steedman.
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Director: Mark Williams