Song of Songs: Program & Notes
Program:
|
Shir hashirim, 1:1-4 Okumo no vaasov'vo voir, 3:2 B’rach dodi, 8:14 |
Hebrew Cantillations |
| Veni, veni , venias | Text: Carmina Burana, music: Florence Manuscript (13th c) |
| O qualis es | Troyes Manuscript (French, 12th c) |
| Instrumental | |
| Dilectus meus | Katherina von Tirs (14th c) |
| Awake, North Wind, 4:16 | Shira Kammen (b. 1961) |
| Tota pulchra es/ Anima mea liquefacta est Virginale decus/Descendi in ortum meum Anima mea/Descendi |
Anonymous (French, 13th c) |
| Quam pulchra es | John Dunstable ( c.1390-c.1453) |
| Behold, thou art fair, 4:1-7 - premiere | Karen Thomas (b. 1957) |
| Beata progenies Anima mea liquefacta est |
Lionel Power( c.1370-1445) |
| Instrumental | |
| Ave generosa Favus distillans Karitas |
Hildegard of Bingen( 1098-1179) |
| Instrumental | |
| Et dodim kala, 2:10-13 Uri tsafon,4:16 Ana halech dodech, 6:1-2 Dodi li, 2:16; 3:6; 4:9; 4:16 |
Hebrew cantillation and settings |
| Kol Dodi - premiere | Shira Kammen (b. 1961) |
Notes:
The biblical Song of Songs (or Song of Solomon) holds a central place in both the Christian and Jewish traditions. Its sensuous imagery of love and longing has inspired poets and composers through the ages. This program will feature several Hebrew cantillations and songs. Cantillation is the ritual chanting of readings from the Hebrew Bible. In the Sephardic tradition the Song of Songs is read on Sabbath eve, as well as on the Sabbath of Passover. These chants are written with special signs or marks to aid the cantor.
The medieval interpretation of the Song of Songs as an allegory of the spiritual marriage between God and Church especially spoke to the women in the German mystic tradition, a tradition that spans the centuries from the great 12th century abbess Hildegard of Bingen to her 15th century follower Katherina von Tirs. The mellifluous consonances of the English 14th century composition style, as shown in the compositions from Lionel Power and John Dunstable, lend themselves well to settings of texts from the 2nd and 4th chapter, with their images of the beloved, and the garden where the lovers meet.
This program will also feature two compositions, commissioned especially for this program - by Seattle composer Karen P. Thomas and Shira Kammen from Berkeley, CA. Ms. Kammen will also play medieval fiddle and harp in the concert.
~Margriet Tindemans