Hello, my ever-ready solfeggists!
Well, it's Holy Week. And it's the day after my DMA recital...and I even have photographic evidence!
Needless to say, between 28 verses of "All Glory, Laud and Honor" and the concert yesterday, it's been a whirlwind of a weekend, and there's no slowdown in sight.
In times like these, we make plans and hope that things fall into place. And, sometimes we're lucky and that's what happens -- we're lucky enough (or experienced enough) that Plan A winds up being the plan we use. However, that's not usually the case, and I can tell you honestly that even though last night was a pretty smooth ride as concerts go (thanks in large part to the kindness, flexibility, and skill of my collaborators), there were several necessary deviations from my original Plan A. That being said, it's probably also true that these deviations and changes and adaptations impacted the evening in ways that were visible and invisible, predictable and unpredictable, and knowing what I know now, I think I wouldn't go back and change much, even if I could. Why? Because while I know I could have done a lot of things better and I had to compromise on some things because I couldn't have everything I thought I needed, trading in history for yet another unpredictable future seems both ungrateful and probably ill-advised. The detours and negotiations and maybe even the mistakes led me and all the performers to the exact time/place/action I call "last night's concert", and behold....it was good.
So, in the realm of solfa, let's take an adventure with an old tune....
If you read just the top line (which you may choose to sing starting on "re" or "la"....there are no Bs in the tune, so it's all diatonic either way), this is one of the more well-known Gregorian tunes. It also happens to be one of only four sequences that survived the Council of Trent's liturgical reforms...perhaps the first point earning it its place in music history textbooks.
Now, if you read through this tune and thought to yourself, "Gee, that sounds familiar, but I don't think that's how I know it....", check this out:
That's right...this Gregorian tune, which certainly had its day in polyphonic settings by Catholic composers (look for long notes in order to locate the tune):
...got a new identity as a Lutheran chorale tune, courtesy of Luther himself. Predictably, the guy who took Luther's tune and made Lutheran magic (in the vernacular) with it was our favorite Thurungian genius, J.S. Bach:
http://www.kantoreiarchiv.de/archiv/choir_orchestra/cantata/bach/bwv_4/bwv_4_score_pdf/bwv_4_01a.pdf
And ever since, the tune has had a double life, and people from both Roman Catholic and Protestant denominations associate it with Eastertide.
So, this week, take a little time and read through various parts of its various incarnations. Look for common threads, and look for points of contrast. Hunt down other settings and tell us what you find! Choose your own adventure!
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