Sacred Music Archives - Page 5 of 6

Where Did Composers Haydn and Handel Get Their Ideas?

October 1, 2022April 24, 2017 by debisimons

Image by Roger Casco Herrera from Pixabay

Well, duh. From the Bible, of course. We all know that. But when a pieces becomes so familiar, so ingrained in our consciousness, we forget sometimes that they’re actually about something–that the composers started with an idea, a nugget of truth, a theme.

Let’s first look a selection from Franz Joseph Haydn’s oratorio The Creation: “The Heavens Are Telling,” is not from the first chapter of Genesis as you might have expected. Instead, it’s from Psalm 19, the first verse of which is: The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. (King James Version, thus the strange spelling of “sheweth” and “handywork.”)

Does the “All Night Vigil” Last All Night?

November 4, 2024November 21, 2016 by debisimons

Yes. A full performance of the entire special service in the Russian Orthodox Church can indeed last pretty much all night, but be aware that the time is filled with much more than music–litanies (petitions and responses), Scripture readings, prayers, etc. A composer wouldn’t have to come up with hours and hours of music. Also, the service is often/usually cut, with the full version being performed very rarely.

I ran across a fascinating article describing a 1911 performance that reproduced the long form. It lasted from 6:00 PM to 1:50 AM the following morning, so almost eight hours. If certain parts of the service had been performed in an even earlier form, it would have lasted three or four more hours. Here’s a little snippet from the article:

What’s the Source of the Hebrew Text in “On Justice, Truth and Peace”?

December 11, 2020November 14, 2016 by debisimons

What a wonderful message is contained in this song! Let me answer the question above first, and then I’ll cover some other issues. So the Hebrew words “Hine ma tov uma naim shevet achim gam yachad” are from Psalm 133 in the Hebrew Bible. I have always loved this psalm, and since the entire thing is so short I’m quoting it in full:

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;

As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore. (KJV)

Does the Word “Tibi” Have Anything to Do With Your Tibia?

February 16, 2023November 7, 2016 by debisimons

No. Your shinbone is named after an ancient Greek wind instrument, sort of like a flute.

Everybody got that? Maybe it’s just me, but I’m very distractible. So it’s good for me to get that out of the way. What does “tibi” mean? Basically, “to you.” Latin nouns and pronouns have various forms that determine their use in a sentence so that you don’t have to use a preposition. And you don’t have to worry about word order. You just have to learn all six types (called “cases”) of nouns and pronouns. Then you have to learn tense, voice and mood for each verb, and degrees of comparison for each adjective . . . and don’t get me started on the adverbs. It’s very complicated. How did the Romans have time to conquer the world when they had to learn all this grammar? Beats me.

How do the themes of light and darkness play out in the Requiem?

January 27, 2019May 9, 2016 by debisimons

Sun breaking through clouds

Sun breaking through clouds The meaning of the Requiem text, part 6:

Isn’t it interesting that the first creative act of God recorded in the Bible, in the book of Genesis, concerns light? “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light” (Gen. 1:3 KJV). When we get to the last book of the Christian New Testament we see the same idea: “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof” (Rev. 21:23 KJV). This bookending use of light imagery also plays out in the Requiem. Its very first line is: “Grant them eternal rest, Lord, and let perpetual light shine on them.” The title of the last section? That very same perpetual light, “Lux aerterna.” Just in case we didn’t get the drift, both “eternal” and “perpetual” are used.

Who Are the Thief and Michael in the Requiem?

August 29, 2018May 2, 2016 by debisimons

Archangel Michael defeating Satan The meaning of the Requiem text, part 5:

Last week I discussed Mary Magdalene, and she ended up taking over the entire post. You go, Mary! But time is hastening on, with our concert now less than three weeks away, so I must also hasten on. I’ll start out with a discussion of the “thief” who’s mentioned in the same stanza as Mary Magdalene, again, one character mentioned one time in the Requiem. An explanation of who this person is, though, gives us a window into many of the ideas presented in the text of this work. The relevant lines are:

You, who absolved Mary,
and listened to the thief,
give me hope also.

Who’s “Mary” in Mozart’s Requiem?

April 8, 2022April 25, 2016 by debisimons

Mary Magdalene looking toward Heaven The meaning of the the Requiem text, part 4.

Last week I wrote about animals in the Requiem. This week I’m concentrating on one person mentioned one time in the Requiem text. I guess I’m constitutionally unable to just go through the text line by line. You wouldn’t enjoy that anyway, would you? I’ve already talked about Abraham, David and the Sybils, so they’re covered. But that still leaves several other individuals or groups who should get an explanation, and that endeavor will take up this post and at least one more after that. In the “Recordare,” we have the lines:

Qui Mariam absolvisti
et latronem exaudisti
mihi quoque spem dedisti.

What’s the significance of the animals in the Requiem?

April 2, 2018April 18, 2016 by debisimons

The meaning of the Requiem text, part 3:

There are four different animals (by my count) mentioned in the Requiem. What’s their significance?

I’ll just go in order. The first two animals are sheep and goats, mentioned in the “Recordare” section sung by the quartet. “Recordare” means “Remember,” with the line as a whole reading “Remember, kind Jesus.” So here is the relevant section:

Why does Mozart keep talking about Abraham?

January 5, 2021April 11, 2016 by debisimons

Abraham, Hagar, Ishmael, Sarah, and Isaac The meaning of the Requiem text, part two:

Before I even get to David, Abraham, and the Sybils, I should probably mention the references in the very first section of the Requiem to Zion and Jerusalem: “You are praised, God, in Zion, and homage will be paid you in Jerusalem.” This line echoes the ideas in the New Testament book of Hebrews, “But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly” (Hebrews 12:22 NIV). You can see that the words “Zion” and “Jerusalem” in these verses refer to literal places but have a deeper, spiritual meaning. The same can be said of the Requiem text.

The Meaning of the Requiem Text, Part One

January 27, 2019April 4, 2016 by debisimons

Yellow and orange star I wrote last week about the constraints Mozart worked with as he composed the Requiem. Starting with this post I’ll look at the text of the various sections, as many as I can squeeze in, and perhaps an attempt at times to draw a connection between the words and the music.