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Annuccia
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One of the two most beautiful harmonizations of mountain songs that I know (the other is Belle rose du printemps by Teo Usuelli)
The shepherdess and the wolf - arr. Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli
It is a traditional Piedmontese song, already present in the collection by Costantino Nigra.
Member
Does it happen that these ABM harmonizations are being exalted? Personally, I find them to be a postmodern mess and even somewhat illogical.
I wonder if anyone else feels the same sensation... a bit of Gregorian, a bit of Renaissance; quite a lot of Mussorgsky salsa,
Puccini and others, in a bizarrely blind proceeding.
Chromaticisms of late nineteenth-century sensibility alternating with various modalisms (but ABM was certainly not Puccini, it must alas be emphasized, and I am not speaking of the Puccini of Turandot, I am speaking of the one from the Edgar choruses).
And then, most importantly, I do not understand (I really don't understand! This is not polemic) what kind of approach to the text exists. In short, I provide the words and their translation: I see simple little stories of shepherds, while in the music I hear an atmosphere that I could not link to the text even through transfiguration.
La bërgera larga ij moton,
e la bërgera larga ij moton
al long de la riviera;
'l sol levà l'era tant càod,
la s'è setà a l'ombrëta.
I'è sortije gran luv dël bòsc,
e I'è sortije gran luv dël bòsc
con la boca ambajeja,
l'ha pià 'l pi bel barbin
ch'jera 'nt la tropeja.
La bërgera as bota a crié,
e la bërgera as bota a crié:
"Ahi mi, pòvra fiëtta!
Se qualcun a m'agioteisa
mi saria soa morosëtta".
Da lì passa gentil galant,
e da lì passa gentil galant,
con la soa bela spèja:
a l'ha dait tre colp al luv,
barbin l'è saotà 'n tèra.
"Mi v' ringrassio gentil galant,
e mi v' ringrassio gentil galant,
mi v' ringrassio 'd vòstra pen-a;
quand ch'i tonda 'l me barbin
mi a 'v donerai la len-a".
"Mi son pà marcand 'd pann,
e mi son pà marcand 'd pann
e gnanca de la len-a;
un basin dël vòst bochin
me pagherà la pen-a".
(The shepherdess leads the flock along the shore; the high sun was so hot, the shepherdess sits in the shade.
A great wolf came out of the woods, with its mouth wide open, and took the most beautiful kid from the flock.
The shepherdess begins to cry out: "Alas, poor girl! If someone would help me, I would be his little sweetheart."
A handsome young man passes by, with his beautiful sword; he gave three blows to the wolf, the kid fell to the ground.
"I thank you, handsome young man, I thank you for your trouble; when I shear my kid, I will give you the wool."
"I am not a cloth merchant nor even of wool; a kiss from your little mouth will pay me for the trouble.")
... I would leave the musical treatment of shepherds' stories to those truly capable of doing so.
Member
...it may be, but I like it....
Moderator
I didn't know that Michelangeli had ventured into works like this ...
Member
Frank wrote:I didn't know that Michelangeli had ventured into works like this ...
Michelangeli harmonized numerous folk songs of the tradition, dedicating them to the S.A.T. Choir, whose conductor he was a friend of. The Choir still performs many of them today and has also recorded them.
Member
... I wouldn't want to say it, but it “remind me quite fondly” of the Anthem of the Faculty of Engineering of L'Aquila
Anthem of the Faculty of Engineering of L'Aquila
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHNZK2bfFrc
Member
Annuccia wrote:...it might be, but I like it ....
... there are those who like much worse things
Moderator
Carlos wrote:Michelangeli harmonized numerous folk songs of the tradition, dedicating them to the S.A.T. Choir, whose conductor he was a friend of. The Choir still performs many of them today and has also recorded them.
Thank you
Member
I didn't know it, just discovered...thanks friends
