Giovanni Battista Pergolesi - Stabat Mater
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- Опубликовано: 23 июл 2024
- - Composer: Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (4 January 1710 -- 16 March 1736)
- Ensemble: Ricercar Consort
- Conductor: Philippe Pierlot
- Soloists: Núria Rial (soprano), Carlos Mena (contratenor)
- Year of recording: 2006
Stabat mater, for soprano, alto, strings & organ in F major, written in 1736.
00:00 - 1. Stabat Mater dolorosa - Grave
04:37 - 2. Cujus animam gementem - Andante amoroso
06:41 - 3. O quam tristis et afflicta - Larghetto
08:53 - 4. Quae moerebat et dolebat - Allegro
10:33 - 5. Quis est homo - Largo
13:20 - 6. Vidit suum dulcem natum - A tempo giusto
16:48 - 7. Eja mater fons amoris - Andantino
19:06 - 8. Fac ut ardeat cor meum - Allegro
21:13 - 9. Sancta mater, istud agas - A tempo giusto
26:17 - 10. Fac ut portem Christi mortem - Largo
30:02 - 11. Inflammatus et accensus - Allegro
31:52 - 12. Quando corpus morietur - Largo assai
Pergolesi's Stabat Mater is a musical setting of the Stabat Mater sequence, composed in 1736 in the final weeks of Pergolesi's life. He actually wrote the final chorus on his deathbed.
Quis est homo? "Who is he that would not weep, to see the mother of Christ in such despair?" These words were first uttered in thirteenth century Italy in an affective and emotional Latin deovtional lyric; the obvious answer to its rhetorical question is that no true believer would not mourn with the Virgin over the dying Christ. The poem is the "Stabat mater," thought to be the work of the great Lauda-poet Jacopone da Todi. Its plangent strophes affect an emotional connection between the meditating believer and the mother of the Crucified, and first emerged from the intense strains of popular devotion following the Black Plague. In the eighteenth century, however, the text took on new life in popular devotional practice through the influence of one musical setting: the Stabat mater dolorosa of Giovanni Battista Pergolesi.
The work is divided into twelve movements, each named after the incipit of the text. Much of the music is based on Pergolesi's earlier setting of the Dies Irae sequence.
The Stabat Mater is one of Pergolesi's most celebrated sacred works, achieving great popularity after the composer's death. Jean-Jacques Rousseau showed appreciation for the work, praising the opening movement as "the most perfect and touching duet to come from the pen of any composer". Many composers adapted the work, including Giovanni Paisiello, who extended the orchestral accompaniment, and Joseph Eybler, who added a choir to replace some of the duets. Bach's "Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden" is a parody cantata based on Pergolesi's composition.
The work was not without its detractors. Padre Martini criticised its light, operatic style in 1774, and believed it was too similar to Pergolesi's comic opera "La Serva Padrona" to adequately deliver the pathos of the text. 
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To write such a masterpiece at the tender age of 26 is nothing short of a miracle. These 'deathbed' works are particularly moving (Pergolesi; Mozart; Marcel Proust; ... ).
Agreed.
I am just fresh from a concert tour of this composition (having only sung in the choir for no.8 and the amen), and the more I learnt about it (only once we began performing!!),
the more moved I was. I don't know if all of us (in the choir) understood the full weight of the composition, but even contemplating on this young man in 1736, who completed the final chorus on his deathbed, ... is/was a struggle for me to maintain composure. What a gift. The mysteries of life, art, beauty, and the movement of the Great Creation, or Love thru humans.
Amen!
Don’t forget about Shostakovich’s later works.
Mahler 10.
Schubert...
ES UNA OBRA MAGISTRALMENTE GRANDIOSA CATALOGÁNDOLO PATRIMONIO DE LA HUMANIDAD .DEBE SER ESCUCHADO POR TODAS LAS GENERACIONES EN TRÁNSITO MANTENIENDO ASÍ VIVA El ALMA DE SU COMPOSITOR POR TODA LA ETERNIDAD.
GRACIAS A ESTE MARAVILLOSO MEDIO DE COMUNICACIÓN QUE NOS PERMITE TAN SUBLIME CÁNTICO.
Los Ángeles Chile.
Spectacular! Amazing voices and orchestra, truly a pleasure to follow them with the score on the screen.
Beeindruckendes Werk von G. Pergolesi! Jeder Teil hat sein einzigartiges Etwas. Stimmt wirklich alles ins Detail! Dieses junge Genie darf nicht vergessen werden!
Je vous exprime ma plus profonde gratitude. Il s'agit du le meilleur enregistrement de cette œuvre que j'ais écouté. À la différence de l'interprétation opératique, la voix de ces artistes est si pure ! si pure ! et spirituelle ! Vraiment à recommander. (The very best recording !)
a work of a genius, so happy to be able to admire such invention, such mastery with simple yet condensed harmonic flow in a wonderful counterpoint. The ensemble is fantastic.
Чудеснейшие голоса, потрясающая музыка!!! Слава гению и величайшему композитору Перголези!!! Спасибо исполнителям и хормейстера за титанический труд!!!
As a devout Roman Catholic, I appreciate being able to hear works like this on a sunny afternoon here in LA. Too fast? Light operatic style? Maybe for 21st century listeners, but not for 18th century listeners. Or those who can comfortably understand and appreciate works like this on their own standards. Yes, I voted "like" :)
+Harry Andruschak You get it, Harry. This piece was made for the tastes of people in those days, it can be enjoyed on its own merits like that. Cheers!
@@olla-vogala4090 Well put!
Also, it's a lively piece, n oit a dirge, light and swift fits the emotional palette- I used to perform this piece myself and it's very appropriately done.
As far as I know as a "lay person", it was composed for opera singers
Meraviglioso Pergolesi! In questo stabat mater c'è una classe infinita. Mozart deve aver succhiato molto di questo dolce nettare...
Неужели это создано в возрасте 20 с небольшим лет? Это поразительно, а ещё более, восхитительно!!!!!❤❤
Перголезе! Это что то! Вечная ему память на все времена.
Quando corpus morietur make me weep. It is deeply moving and perfectly interpreted.
Yes, beautiful.
The soloists are delicately and powerfully masterful in their art !
Música de verdade. A beleza das coisas ainda existe e merece ser conservada
I'm listening and singing with the soprano! Wonderful time so far! I love it
Really enjoyed this. Love love love the speedy Quae moerebat 😅. Sounds so dance like and bouncy and refreshing. Was a lovely surprise, made me sit up! What a wonderful countertenor. Such a versatile voice with real precision and agility.
Gracias por compartir la.partiturs plena con instrumentos y voces !!!!👏👏👏❤️ ❤️❤️
Beautiful voices and orchestra.
the music holds the suffering of the world
Great pathos all right. But the suffering of the world?
Do youtube really need to insert 6 Ads, 6! n this 37 mins of most divine sacred work, I continued only because i'm reading a score upload here....
I love this sublime interpretation Carolos and Nuria are wonderful!!
Thank you for posting this masterpiece
wonderful singers🤗🎶
Esta obra, me transporta al pie de la cruz... Puedo sentir el dolor de su madre! Saludos desde Argentina!
a mi me pasa algo muy similar :)
Bravissimi!!! Spettacolare Esecuzione adatta a questo Triste Momento di Guerra!! 😎😎😎🙏🙏🙏🌟💚🌟VICTOR STARITA
Thanks so much for uploading. i'm playing this with my string quartet and two fantastic soloists in November. So looking forward to it!
We are singing this at my school for our concert, and it really helps practicing this with the music and the parts written
Hope it went well
*YES!*
We just went on Tour with this, and it was beautiful to listen to this recording now that it's all done...
It will remain in me for a long time to come I think....
What a awesome video. Thanks for the love you put into it! Looking forward to seeing more :D
ONE OF MY FAVORITES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thank you : + )
It was far from my favourites when we had to learn it in January.
But now after touring with it for a mere 3 days, it is painful to have to leave it behind... Very touching and special music.....
Giovanni was the eras' top hot Artist in the 1700's. I can definitely hear why :) ...he created such a youthful solace within his music . Angelically liberating yet unorthodox. He managed to be such a sensation in his very short life. He composed in many music forms: including Opera. How Cool , a Child prodigy I suspect LOL
Added to my FAVS
Thanks for posting this!
Wow. I have never seen a trill on voices before!
C'est trop beau!
J'adore!!!!!!
D'accord
Very moving piece of music. Enjoyed very much!
Perhaps Pergolesi feels his death coming at 26 years! So he has written this masterpiece before his agony!
hermoso de principio a fin
Those commercials are like sins
so true.
absolutely , i stopped watching because i cant trust this channel for this. It shows a complete lack of sensibility. I heard this on good friday and pissed me of right on ii moviment
@@emanuel_soundtrack adblock and some other addons can solve it
Fr
2d
1 )Stabat mater dolorosaj 0:10
5) Quis est homo 10:34
8) Fac, ut ardeat cor meum 19:06
9) Sancta Mater, istud agas 21:14
12) Quando corpus morietur 31:53
12/2) 36:08
Thanks for uploading.
Merci pour cette pépite !! Quelle pièce baroque admirablement ciselée !! Christian R vivement intéressé par la partie contre-ténor !
Choral music is more soulful than opera.
Women's voices are so crystal and sublime.
True Worship.
The Holy Spirit gripping the heart by inspiring composers who had experienced Him.
In supreme Liturgy.
Gloria in exelsis Deo
I don't mean to diminish your feelings about the piece, but here are a few things to keep in mind:
Pergolesi was famous primarily for his operas - especially opera buffa. Opera, in his day (early 1700s) was considered much more expressive than the "cold" learned style, which is what the church had primarily used previously. So he wrote this using operatic techniques.
It's funny you should say "true worship." Purists within the church argued that mixing operatic aesthetics with sacred music corrupted it, and made it less worthy of being performed specifically for worship. Nevertheless, people loved it, so it lived on.
You may like women's voices now, but back in the day, you may never had heard a woman sing sacred music - unless you traveled to a convent. Pergolesi wrote the piece for castrati. The castrato tradition was abondoned for obvious reasons, so today men who sing primarily in their falsetto are known as countertenors. The alto part, in this performance, is sung by a countertenor (i.e. a man).
Kocham tę muzę. Piękno i harmonia !
This work feels so personal: written as he was in the throes of death, it reaches sublimity.
Amazing ✨ Thank You
10.35 Quis Est Homo!! That’s just heavenly !
Genio di Pergolesi
Lindo, lindo!!!😢
Bellissima. Meravigliosa e potente. Monumentale
The opening of "Fac ut Christi Mortem..."
Oh my God. O__O
Wonderful!
Awesome upload
That Edim6#/G just hit and surprised me uuufffff
The third chord in the 3rd movement
Perfect
la linea del b. continuo è meravigliosa
Thanks
Esta soberbia obra catolica de Pergolesi fue tomada por JS Bach en plena madurez quien aprecio su genialidad, le cambió la letra y adaptó al culto luterano de Leipzig. Genios ambos!!
excellent ,
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi:Stabat Mater
1.Stabat Mater dolorosa (Grave) 00:10
2.Cujus animam gementem (Andante amoroso) 04:37
3.O quam tristis et afflicta (Larghetto) 06:41
4.Quae moerebat et dolebat (Allegro) 08:53
5.Quis est homo (Largo) 10:33
6.Vidit suum dulcem natum (A tempo giusto) 13:20
7.Eja mater fons amoris (Andantino) 16:48
8.Fac ut ardeat cor meum (Allegro) 19:06
9.Sancta mater, istud agas (A tempo giusto) 21:13
10.Fac ut portem Christi mortem (Largo) 26:17
11.Inflammatus et accensus (Allegro) 30:02
12.Quando corpus morietur (Largo assai) 31:52
Núria Rial-szoprán
Carlos Mena-kontratenor
Ricercar Consort
Vezényel:Philippe Pierlot
Millle grazie!!
Thanks for adding the time stamps!
Assez belle interprétation quoique inférieure à celle de Nathalie Stutzman avec l'inoubliable Emöke Barath et Philippe Jaroussky.
Les deux solistes sont excellents et la direction est précise et sensible.
Finalement, j'aime assez : la dramaturgie est bien présente et, avec elle, l'émotion.
Has anyone noticed how similar Carlos Mena and Delphine Galou sound when singing Stabat Mater?
😍✨✨
Who can give a thumbs down to Pergolesi´s Stabat Mater???????
Stabat Mater dolorosa iuxta crucem lacrimosa dum pendebat Filius
Em pé, a Mãe dolorosa, chorando junto à cruz da qual pendia seu Filho.
De pé, a mãe dolorosa junto da cruz, lacrimosa, via o filho que pendia
Cuius animam gementem contristatam et dolentem pertransivit gladius
Cuja alma gemente, entristecida e dolorida por causa da espada que atravessava
Na sua alma agoniada enterrou-se a dura espada de uma antiga profecia
O quam tristis et afflicta fuit illa benedicta Mater Unigeniti
Oh, quanto triste a tão aflita ela estava, a mãe bendita do Unigenito
Oh! Quão triste e quão aflita entre todas, Mãe bendita, que só tinha aquele Filho
Quae moerebat et dolebat et tremebat cum videbat nati poenas inclyti
Quae moerebat et dolebat Pia Mater dum videbat nati poenas inclyti
Como suspirava e gemia [e tremia] Mãe Piedosa, ao ver os sofrimentos de seu divino Filho
Quanta angústia não sentia, Mãe piedosa quando via as penas do Filho seu!
Quis est homo qui non fleret Matri Christi si videret in tanto supplicio?
Quem homem não choraria se visse a Mãe de Cristo em tamanho suplício?
Quem não chora vendo isso: contemplando a Mãe de Cristo num suplício tão enorme?
Quis non posset contristari Matrem Christi contemplari dolentum cum filio?
Quem não se entristeceria ao contemplar a Mãe de Cristo, condoída com seu filho?
Quem haverá que resista se a Mãe assim se contrista padecendo com seu Filho?
Pro peccatis suae gentis vidit Iesum in tormentis et flagellis subditum
Pelos pecados de seu povo, viu Jesus em tormentos e submetido aos flagelos.
Por culpa de sua gente Vira Jesus inocente Ao flagelo submetido
Vidit suum dulcem natum moriendo desolatum dum emisit spiritum
Viu seu doce nascido [filho] morrendo abandonado quando entregou seu espírito
Vê agora o seu amado pelo Pai abandonado, entregando seu espírito
Eia Mater, fons amoris, me sentire vim doloris fac ut tecum lugeam
Eia, mãe, fonte de amor, faz-me sentir tanto as dores que eu possa chorar contigo.
Faze, ó Mãe, fonte de amor que eu sinta o espinho da dor para contigo chorar
Fac ut ardeat cor meum in amando Christum Deum ut sibi complaceam
Faz que arda meu coração de amor por Cristo Deus, para se compadecer
Faze arder meu coração do Cristo Deus na paixão para que o possa agradar
Sancta Mater, istud agas crucifixi fige plagas cordi meo valide
Santa Mãe, faze isto: que as chagas do crucificado sejam fortemente impressas em meu coração
Ó Santa Mãe dá-me isto, trazer as chagas de Cristo gravadas no coração.
Tui nati vulnerati tam dignati pro me pati poenas mecum divide
As feridas de teu filho, que por mim padeceu as penas, divide comigo.
Do teu filho que por mim entrega-se a morte assim, divide as penas comigo.
Fac me vere tecum flere crucifixo condolere donec ego vixero
Fac me tecum pie flere crucifixo condolere donec ego vixero
Faz-me contigo[piedosamente] verdadeiramente chorar, sofrer com o crucificado enquanto eu viver.
Oh! Dá-me enquanto viver com Cristo compadecer chorando sempre contigo.
Iuxta crucem tecum stare te libenter sociare in planctu desidero
Iuxta crucem tecum stare et me tibi sociare in planctu desidero
Quero estar contigo junto à cruz e, de boa vontade quero me associar ao teu pranto.
Junto à cruz eu quero estar quero o meu pranto juntar Às lágrimas que derramas
Virgo virginum praeclara mihi iam non sis amara fac me tecum plangere
Virgem das virgens preclara, não sejas amarga comigo, faz-me contigo chorar.
Virgem, que às virgens aclara, não sejas comigo avara dá-me contigo chorar.
Fac ut portem Christi mortem passionis eius sortem et plagas recolere
Fac ut portem Christi mortem passionis fac consortem et plagas recolere
Faz que eu traga a morte de Cristo, que eu participe de sua paixão e que venere suas chagas.
Traga em mim do Cristo a morte, da Paixão seja consorte, suas chagas celebrando.
Fac me plagis vulnerari cruce hac inebriari ob amorem filii
Fac me plagis vulnerari fac me cruce inebriari et cruore filii
Faz me ferido pelas chagas, pela cruz embriagado de amor pelo teu Filho.
Por elas seja eu rasgado, pela cruz inebriado, pelo sangue de teu Filho!
Inflammatus et accensus, per te, Virgo, sim defensus in die iudicii
Flammis ne urar succensus, per te, Virgo, sim defensus in die iudicii
Flammis orci ne succendar, per te, Virgo, fac, defendar in die iudicii
Inflamado e abrasado, que eu seja defendido por ti ó Virgem, no dia do Juízo.
No Julgamento consegue que às chamas não seja entregue quem por ti é defendido
Fac me cruce custodiri morte Christi praemuniri confoveri gratia
Christe cum sit hinc (iam) exire da per matrem me venire ad palmam vicoriae
Faz-me ser guardado pela cruz, fortalecido pela morte de Cristo e confortado pela graça.
Quando do mundo eu partir daí-me ó Cristo conseguir, por vossa Mãe a vitória
Quando corpus morietur fac ut animae donetur paradisi gloria. Amen
Quando meu corpo morrer, faz que minha alma alcance a glória do paraiso. Amén
Quando meu corpo morrer possa a alma merecer do Reino Celeste a glória. Amén
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi
Ricercar Consort
Philippe Pierlot
Núria Rial , Carlos Mena
olla-vogala ( jij maakt het werelds ) en RUclips.
Heel veel dank.
Graag gedaan Mr. Berkhout :)
I believe the song is being performed in a different key
Giovanni Battista Draghi, su auténtico nombre. No confundir con otro compositor anterior del mismo nombre
Finis. Laus Deo.
Does anyone have notes for the first part of Stabat Mater?
Ledigoo tumevezzzz hermosa pksoytumujerrrrr perooo nombreeee ay muchas mejoreskeyooooo y medijoooo Pedro esketuuuuu eres auténtica y esooooo es loke me llamooo la atencionnnn
Bonjour je m appelle olivier barthe je suis musicien et j aurais bien aimé avoir la partition si possible bien sûr. Merci beaucoup cordialement olivier barthe
At another level, Don t you think that Sting has put some Pergolosi's sabat Mater in its song "moon over bourbon street"?
Is the organ taking the bass in this piece, or is there some other magical instrument whose name is yet unknown to myself? To note: I'm not referencing the stringed instruments. It's the keyed wind instrument that's got my fancy! =)
yes, it is an organ :)
i listened again, and now i'm not sure anymore.. it could be a cello, too..
yep, i think it's rather cello than organ.
It's called a positive
I think both organ and cello are playing.
Segunnnnn el antes andabnnnn detrsdeelllll guapisimassss cuando tenía 20 pero no las pelaba pk nokeria gastarrrrrr paraenviarleee asumama
Why does the composer duplicate the bass melody in the viola section in some movements? What effect does he want to achieve? Is it to give more sonority to the lower registers?
@RünerTheWolf 25 Oh, thanks for the info!
Which Mozart symphonies are you talking about?
And what's going on with writting for the viola? Does one need to achieve a certain technique in order to do so?
wat een moorddadig tempo voor de zangers....hijg hijg..
Timings 13:32 - 13:40 sounds like Astor Piazzolla
Piazolla sounds like Pergolesi there, yes.
i do not understand why it is a semitone below how it is written!
Baroque tuning
At 27:57 the singer doesn't mach the score.
Through the whole thing the singers don't match. I think the score is in a different key
Can someone tell me what style of singing this is? I much prefer it to the wild vibrato of opera.
+E I'm not sure, but I think, it's usual in baroque music (or it should be...) not to do such a "wild" vibrato like in classical operas. It's the actual practice of "early" music (but there are musicologists distingishing between early and baroque music.), where musical ornamentation was written into the scores (see the earliest italien operas) or where - as melodical ornamentations - part of the "unwritten knowledge" so nobody needed vibrato, as there where a lot of differentiating ways to show expression.
(Sorry for my curious english, I'm not used to express myself about professionally topics...)
+sehpianonah But I agree! This is my favourite version of Pergolesi's "Stabat Mater" on RUclips...
sehpianonah
@@JoeGuardino mille grazie.
Very helpful.
France dolorosa
15:00
This song was in the collection of music belonging to Thomas Jefferson
This honestly doesn't surprise me, given that Pergolesi's Stabat Mater was actually the single most reproduced piece in the 18th century. Also off-topic but his favorite composer was Haydn
@@bunnybird9342 I didnt know that! Thanks for that info!
@@Gunnarr123abc thanks
One may have to be Signed In to Google to read all about Pergolesi’s uniqueness. There are five (5) sections I-V to my RUclips posting. And since III comes in IIIa, IIIb, and IIIc, that is in effect seven (7) sections.
ABOUT THE TRANSCENDENTAL UNIQUENESS OF PERGOLESI’S MUSIC:
AN ESSAY (PART IIIc)
_by_ Leo Depuydt
_To the Memory of Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), André Ernest Modeste Grétry (1741-1813), and Jean le Rond D’Alembert (1717-1783), Unconditional Admirers and Lovers of the Eternal Pergolesi’s Music, Comrades-in-Arms_
(¬_Continuation from Part IIIb._)
APPENDIX: SUPPORTING MATERIALS
APPENDIX, SECTION Ic: Historical Notes on the Appreciation of Pergolesi’s Music (_continued_)
G. B. Pergolesi died at age 26. The way in which he was on occasion spitting blood from about age 20 and the fact that his three siblings had all died by age 2, 3, or 5, or so, led those who knew him to strongly suspect that he was not going to last all that long. Also, one of his legs was atrophied in some way. It all makes one wonder how such an eternal genius could inhabit such a crippled body. The way in which, in just six years of activity, he compiled a musical legacy that is unsurpassed if not unparalleled has been the subject of much wonder.
What if I had not accidentally heard G. B. Pergolesi’s _Stabat mater_ a few years back on an inflight sound system and not caught, on radio, just a couple of years ago the tail end of a performance of his _La Serva Padrona_ in English and then his entire Mass in F? I am not a complete novice in music. I have never been a professional musician. Still, I once was a member of a university symphony orchestra and in another context played Haydn’s trumpet concerto more than once by heart from beginning to end in the bygone years of my youth on an E-flat trumpet (I have not played in more than 25 years), including M. André’s cadenza at the end of the first movement, copied from an LP recording around 1980. I thought that I had a decent acquaintance with the history of music. But I had to ask myself two years ago or so: Who is this Pergolesi? Hey, that _Stabat mater_ really rocks. But is there anything else? Probably not. And where is his native Jesi exactly? Never heard of it. Does it even exist? And more questions a year ago: Leonardo Leo, who’s that? I have no idea (on a personal note: that’s a really nice name). And where exactly is his native San Vito dei Normanni? Why don’t I get a map. Just start at Rome and keep going south south south. But don’t walk off into the Mediterranean. Ladies and gentlemen, signore e signori, let there be no mistake: _Pergolesi e Leo rappresentano quello che è veramente importante in Italia: Eccellenza in nome dell’eccellenza_.
PS I wholeheartedly endorse the efforts of “Raimondo di Sangro” on RUclips and www.livestream.com/radio700 to promote the music of early and later _settecento_ Napoli. Check it out. Hundreds of recordings providing unlimited delight. Viva Partenope! Partenope viva!
NOTES
[1] Ch. Burney, “A General History of Music,” Vol. IV, Printed for the Author, London, 1789, p. 557.
[2] A. E. M. Grétry, “Mémoires ou essais sur la musique,” Vol. I, Printer of the Republic, Paris, Year 5 [of the French Republic], p. 424.
[3] G. Radiciotti, “G. B. Pergolesi: Vita, opere ed influenza su l’arte (con multi esempi musicali ed illustrazioni),” Edizione “Musica,” Rome, 1910.
[4] M. H. Paymer and H. W. Williams, “Giovanni Battista Pergolesi: A Guide to Research,” _Garland Composer Resources Manuals_, Vol. 26, Garland Publishing Inc., New York and London, 1989.
[5] A. E. M. Grétry, “Mémoires ou essais sur la musique,” Vol. I, Printer of the Republic, Paris, Year 5 [of the French Republic], p. 424.
[6] Ch. Burney, “A General History of Music,” Vol. IV, Printed for the Author, London, 1789, p. 556.
[7] G. Radiciotti, “G. B. Pergolesi: Vita, opere ed influenza su l’arte (con multi esempi musicali ed illustrazioni),” Edizione “Musica,” Rome, 1910, p. 275.
[8] M. E. Paymer and H. W. Williams, “Giovanni Battista Pergolesi: A Guide to Research,” _Garland Composer Resources Manuals_, Vol. 26, Garland Publishing Inc., New York and London, 1989, p. 84.
[9] M. E. Paymer and H. W. Williams, “Giovanni Battista Pergolesi: A Guide to Research,” _Garland Composer Resources Manuals_, Vol. 26, Garland Publishing Inc., New York and London, 1989, p. 98.
[10] M. E. Paymer and H. W. Williams, “Giovanni Battista Pergolesi: A Guide to Research,” _Garland Composer Resources Manuals_, Vol. 26, Garland Publishing Inc., New York and London, 1989, p. 105.
[11] M. E. Paymer and H. W. Williams, “Giovanni Battista Pergolesi: A Guide to Research,” _Garland Composer Resources Manuals_, Vol. 26, Garland Publishing Inc., New York and London, 1989, p. 96.
[12] A. E. M. Grétry, “Mémoires ou essais sur la musique,” Vol. I, Printer of the Republic, Paris, Year 5 [of the French Republic], pp. 426-427.
[13] Ch. Burney, “A General History of Music,” Vol. IV, Printed for the Author, London, 1789, pp. 551-552.
[14] G. Radiciotti, “G. B. Pergolesi: Vita, opere ed influenza su l’arte (con multi esempi musicali ed illustrazioni),” Edizione “Musica,” Rome, 1910, p. 27.
[15] G. Radiciotti and A.-E. Cherbulliez, Ed., “Giovanni Battista Pergolesi: Leben und Werk,” Pan-Verlag, Zürich, 1954, p. 49.
[16] G. Radiciotti and A.-E. Cherbulliez, Ed., “Giovanni Battista Pergolesi: Leben und Werk,” Pan-Verlag, Zürich, 1954, see index at “Leo, L.”
So fast. Where is he going?
+Perry Weiner Who is he, the composer/conductor/soloist etc?
+olla-vogala conductor
I got to Quae moerebat et dolebat and immediately thought "oh wow, that's fast. in a hurry?" I think I prefer it closer to 120bpm instead of the 130bpm-ish this seems to sit at.
Actually I really like it at that speed. It was really exciting and he totally nailed it.
Mitzy Pinks
..
ĺ
14:53
0:00 - 4:36
30:02 - 31:52
36:06 - 37:00
Allegro is NOT prestissimo, the Train is still in Station............
37:02
In the 8th movement are they saying "Fac me"?
"Fac" means "make" in Latin
φανταστικο ! απεκτο !
βεβαια λίγο η τραγουδίστρια δεν μου
αρεσε
BTW, here is an English translation of the Stabat Mater
www.stabatmater.info/english-translation/
Why is it that all of the audio recordings are in e minor when all the IMSLP versions of this piece are in f minor? For instance, the music displayed in this video is not the same key that the audio is in... Frustrating.
I truly appreciate this dialogue here!!!!
Megan Mattoon That is due to the fact that the pitch of most of baroque era’s music is a half tone lower than compared to modern notation. E.g. baroque instruments are tuned at 415 Hz for a‘, whereas modern instruments are tuned at 440 Hz.
A=415?
is it just me or do the notes not match up with the music. Is it in the wrong key? I have sang this song and the music is same but sound is not. It also sounds different. I checked with someone who has perfect pitch and they confirmed this. Great song otherwise. :):)
Julian Chen Maybe it's because the baroque "A" is about a half step lower then the modern A we use today. I'm not a music expert though.
I was confused at first as well, but the a is at 415 Hz. It's the historic a which was used until modern orchestras decided to tune the a to 440-442 Hz. You could say this recording is authentic, probably done with historical instruments as well.
The aspect dissonant of the melody is wanted by Pergolèse, it's baroque style. It's in minor and the notes are sometimes very close between sopranos and altos like just one tone and this is creating dissonance. Sounds weird but great at the same time isn't it? I had the chance to sing it in middle school and that was quite difficult but very pleasant :)
@@elisekurosaki6276 *THANK YOU*
That is beautifully put
We only have returned from a 3day tour of this (complete with string quartet and 2 soloists from Vienna, paired with our organist and choir from Ireland here)
And I am only JUST BEGINNING to "know" this piece now, it feels like.
So intoxicatingly addictive, both painful, anguished and stunningly delicate, beautiful. *SIGH!!!!*
666 visualizzations!
Bent u Nederlandse afkomst? Olla vogala nestas...
Poresooooo yo TE valoroooo y el divorcio noexisteeeee pa miiiiii un engano talvezzz perooooo notengo necesidddddd eres potente muyyy potente hasta el ultimoooo chorritooooo kesemeviene la tienes bien Paradaa tuuuuuuuuu tienes más potencia keyooooooo pero llegassss cansdoooo de trabajo yyonokieroooo molestarte perooooo tú eres potente de día yodenocheeee pero me encabronaba al principio poresooo y estoy tratandoooo de convertirme potente eneldiaaa y no enla noche
What the fuck did Núria Rial and Carlos Mena have to do with this?
They're the singers. Not sure what you mean...
+olla-vogala Oh ok, that's fine then. I thought they might have been some couple who died recently or just had a passion for Pergolesi.
the ads shows that the curator prefers to sacrifice the message of the music, it hurts the open soul . Dislike 👎
Too fast...Music ruined because it is rushed...Philippe dear, this was not what Giovanni wrote!
One may have to be Signed In to Google to read all about Pergolesi’s uniqueness. There are five (5) sections I-V to my RUclips posting. And since III comes in IIIa, IIIb, and IIIc, that is in effect seven (7) sections.
ABOUT THE TRANSCENDENTAL UNIQUENESS OF PERGOLESI’S MUSIC:
AN ESSAY (PART V)
_by_ Leo Depuydt
_To the Memory of Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), André Ernest Modeste Grétry (1741-1813), and Jean le Rond D’Alembert (1717-1783), Unconditional Admirers and Lovers of the Eternal Pergolesi’s Music, Comrades-in-Arms_
APPENDIX: SUPPORTING MATERIALS
APPENDIX, SECTION III: IN THE END, THAT IS, AT THE VERY END, THE UNDERDOGS ALWAYS WIN, TRUST ME
Pergolesi’s music has attracted the highest praise. But it has also attracted some virulent criticism. What to make of it? I address this question as an addendum to my previous remarks. The following remarks are extracted from my comments on Pergolesi’s _La Salustia_ on RUclips (the Iesi performance, not the Montpellier performance).
Is the admiration for G. B. Pergolesi’s music that so many have experienced a kind of what the Germans would call _Schwaermerei_ “(fanatical) gushing”? Let us also not forget that there have been quite a few bitter, bitter opponents of G. B. Pergolesi’s music. I am still thinking about what this means. Is the admiration in question the result of a certain sadness pertaining to what seems like the gods taking away G. B. Pergolesi from mankind at age 26 because they were so jealous? Are we being misled by a certain partisan defense by his biographer G. Radiciotti, who wrote so much about musicians from his native and beloved Le Marche region around Ancona, where G. B. Pergolesi was born in the city of Jesi?
It is true that a deeply romantic tradition sprang up about the composer in the nineteenth century, some of it ridiculous. Partly as a result, as many as ten times as many more works were attributed to him than he actually wrote.
In that regard, I should emphasize that I knew none of all this as I discovered G. B. Pergolesi’s music. I like to think that my interest in it was solely inspired by accidental recent encounters with his music in and by itself and by wondering what it is all about. I was impressed by the _Stabat mater_ but for a couple years thought he did nothing else. But it was only when I heard the tail end of _La serva padrona_ in English on radio, hardly more than a few measures. I asked myself: What on earth is this? Let’s go find out.
I have read some of the bitter criticism of Pergolesi’s music. I somehow remember some angry Germans and some angry Englishmen. Is there any way in which we can make them change their mind? Too late. They’re all dead. Is this all just a matter of taste? I like, you don’t like. So who are some of these people that feel that they need to stand up for G. B. Pergolesi?
There is the Swiss scholar A.-E. Cherbulliez, sometime professor in Zurich at its University and at the Eidgenoessische Technische Hochschule, author of an updated German version (Zurich, 1954) of G. Radiciotti’s biography of G. B. Pergolesi, who described G. B. Pergolesi on the jacket of his book as “one of the most charming and lovely, one of the purest poetic creatures in the realm of musical sounds of all time and of all nations (_eine der anmutigsten und lieblichsten, reinsten Dichternaturen im Reiche der Toene aller Zeiten und aller Nationen_).”
There is also the French-speaking Belgian, that is, Walloon, A. E. M. Grétry, whose pronouncements are cited in more detail in other messages that I posted.
And there are the protagonists of the newly founded Pergolesi center at the City University of New York, the late B. S. Brook and the late M. E. Paymer, Americans and both Jewish I think, at least I hope that they are. The center has now moved to Milan where C. Toscani is picking up the thread.
And then there is little me, a Flemish-speaking or Dutch-speaking Belgian (Flemish relates to Dutch like British English does to American English, by the way).
A Swiss professor, a Walloon composer, a couple of American Jews, and a wayward Flemish guy. This really starts to look very suspiciously like the little nations, the little guys, the underdogs basically, rooting for the underdog G. B. Pergolesi and the underdog Italy’s Mezziogiorno and Napoli where his genius flowered. But then, J.-J. Rousseau is on our side. What can go wrong? I feel we’re gonna win this thing.
And it also looks very suspiciously like finally a matter of importance on which a French-speaking Belgian and a Flemish-speaking Belgian can agree.
To conclude, listening to G. B. Pergolesi’s music is like listening to your own heartbeat. Listening to G. B. Pergolesi’s music is like feeling the blood coursing through your veins. It is proof of being alive.
One may have to be Signed In to Google to read all about Pergolesi’s uniqueness. There are five (5) sections I-V to my RUclips posting. And since III comes in IIIa, IIIb, and IIIc, that is in effect seven (7) sections.
ABOUT THE TRANSCENDENTAL UNIQUENESS OF PERGOLESI’S MUSIC:
AN ESSAY (PART I)
_by_ Leo Depuydt
_To the Memory of Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), André Ernest Modeste Grétry (1741-1813), and Jean le Rond D’Alembert (1717-1783), Unconditional Admirers and Lovers of the Eternal Pergolesi’s Music, Comrades-in-Arms_
[I provide some info on the uniqueness of Pergolesi’s music, divided into five parts for technological reasons, as follows:
1. Main text: Part I continued in Part II.
2. Appendix, Section Ia, Ib, and I c: Parts IIIa, IIIb, and IIIc
3. Appendix, Section II: Part IV
4. Appendix, Section III: Part V.]
I am the only person in the world-so it seems-to believe that, owing to his unique musicality, Pergolesi is the greatest composer of music to have ever existed (and also to believe that his friend and older contemporary Leonardo Leo is the second best [more on Leo’s music later]).
There is a need for a fundamental change of direction in the history of Western music. Stay tuned!
Make no mistake, however. Bach was a genius. Beethoven was a genius. But Leo is inimitable. And Pergolesi is transcendental.
Some materials about Pergolesi are provided in an appendix (see below). This appendix consists of three sections.
It is tempting to consider, as I once did until about four years ago (before which I had hardly heard of him!), Pergolesi to be a “one-trick-donkey” because he is mostly known only for his _Stabat Mater_, which is indeed phenomenal (it was recently voted Number One Classical Composition of All Time in the Leading Flemish [Belgian] Classical Music Station Klara). However, it is necessary to listen to all of Pergolesi carefully to understand why this musician’s musician is unparalleled. Pergolesi is a kind of world wonder (I think). And he was a cripple (pardon the political incorrectness) who was spitting blood from age 20 and died at age 26! How could such unparalleled musical sublimity exist in such a defective body?
If one makes the effort to listen extremely carefully, one can come to understand why the great composer André Grétry, a fellow Belgian of mine (he Walloon or French-speaking, I Flemish or Dutch-speaking [here is something a Belgian Fleming and a Belgian Walloon can really agree on!]), believed Pergolesi’s music to be “as indestructible as nature.” Grétry also wrote in his Memoirs (there is a restaurant called Mémoires de Grétry in Brussels, capital of Europe) as follows: “Pergolesi was born and the truth became known.” André, how right you are! Is not beauty and truth and harmony with nature all that we in the end aspire to?
But what is that makes Pergolesi unique? It is easy to find delirious statements in support of him by ardent admirers. But there have been, it needs to be admitted, ardent detractors, a few of them actually really vicious, we will deal with them elsewhere; they are all dead by the way.
A crucial question arises: How to define the unique musicality of Pergolesi? It is almost impossible to find a comprehensive statement of Pergolesi’s unparalleled musicality anywhere.
I had been looking for some written corroborative expression of the features that I experience to be transcendental every time I listen to Pergolesi’s music.
And then, it came to my attention, rather unexpectedly, that the absolutely unique properties of Pergolesi’s music had been summed up for the most part in the early nineteenth century by Carlo Antonio de Rosa, Marquese di Villarosa (1762-1847). There was so much confusion about the life of Pergolesi that the Marquese di Villarosa strongly felt that clarification was needed. Even the simple fact that he was born in the city of Iesi near Ancona was unknown. The Marquese cleared up the matter. There is something completely bizarre about the fact that there was so much confusion about where the greatest composer of music of all time (I think) was born. J. S. Bach definitely did not suffer from the same problem.
The Marquese di Villarosa published a “Biographical Letter” on Pergolesi in 1830, summarized it in 1840 in his celebrated Memoirs of Neapolitan composers, and updated the letter in 1843 with a second edition. It is from the second edition of the letter that I will excerpt the following passage. This is the greatest musical apology ever written (I think), and that in defense of the greatest musical composer who ever set foot on this earth (I think). Yet, it is totally unknown. How is this possible? When I read this, it confirmed every characteristic that I had come to accept as absolutely unique in about four years of listening to Pergolesi’s music. It seemed like everything that I had been looking for.
I will cite de Rosa in Italian. I refuse to translate it. It is not possible to understand the absolute genius of Pergolesi without knowing Italian (some of it in the Neapolitan dialect in regard to musical comedies) and Latin (in regard to religious music). I have added numbered paragraphs to structure the text somewhat in order to articulate the transcendental properties of Pergolesi’s music. I hope to somehow illustrate them with concrete musical examples elsewhere. The crucial passage appears on pages 18 and 19 of the second edition of his letter, dating as was said to 1843.
I provisionally believe that it is possible to articulate eleven discrete characteristics of Pergolesi’s music in de Rosa’s characterization of it. The first six are said to set him apart from his teacher Francesco Durante (1684-1755)-and from most composers, I like to think. Four more characteristics involve properties that de Rosa believes was “the first” to exhibit. A fifth characteristic is embedded in the fourth characteristic. But I treat it here separately as an eleventh characteristic.
A more refined analysis is desirable. But for the time being, de Rosa’s assessment will do. It should serve as the beacon of a definitive assessment of Pergolesi that is still to come. The Marquese di Villarosa was the first (and the only?) to present a detailed and more technical assessment of Pergolesi’s transcendence. He fully deserves the credit for having been the first to articulate it so well.
How do these characteristics typify Pergolesi’s music as absolutely unique? It cannot be said that all of these characteristics are unique to Pergolesi, although some come quite close and a couple of them probably are. I will need to work more on an exact calibration of the singular characteristics of Pergolesi’s music. Still, de Rosa’s characterization comes close to what is desired to capture Pergolesi’s ¬_total_ uniqueness. And in its totality, it suffices in my opinion to make the case that Pergolesi was the greatest composer ever. de Rosa was positively overwhelmed in the 1830s and 1840s, and so am I. I am not sure who else is. de Rosa’s text is as follows.
[Psst! I decided last minute to add an English translation. Please see further below.]
(_Main text continued in Part II_)
One may have to be Signed In to Google to read all about Pergolesi’s uniqueness. There are five (5) sections I-V to my RUclips posting. And since III comes in IIIa, IIIb, and IIIc, that is in effect seven (7) sections.
ABOUT THE TRANSCENDENTAL UNIQUENESS OF PERGOLESI’S MUSIC:
AN ESSAY (PART I)
_by_ Leo Depuydt
_To the Memory of Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), André Ernest Modeste Grétry (1741-1813), and Jean le Rond D’Alembert (1717-1783), Unconditional Admirers and Lovers of the Eternal Pergolesi’s Music, Comrades-in-Arms_
[I provide some info on the uniqueness of Pergolesi’s music, divided into five parts for technological reasons, as follows:
1. Main text: Part I continued in Part II.
2. Appendix, Section Ia, Ib, and I c: Parts IIIa, IIIb, and IIIc
3. Appendix, Section II: Part IV
4. Appendix, Section III: Part V.]
I am the only person in the world-so it seems-to believe that, owing to his unique musicality, Pergolesi is the greatest composer of music to have ever existed (and also to believe that his friend and older contemporary Leonardo Leo is the second best [more on Leo’s music later]).
There is a need for a fundamental change of direction in the history of Western music. Stay tuned!
Make no mistake, however. Bach was a genius. Beethoven was a genius. But Leo is inimitable. And Pergolesi is transcendental.
Some materials about Pergolesi are provided in an appendix (see below). This appendix consists of three sections.
It is tempting to consider, as I once did until about four years ago (before which I had hardly heard of him!), Pergolesi to be a “one-trick-donkey” because he is mostly known only for his _Stabat Mater_, which is indeed phenomenal (it was recently voted Number One Classical Composition of All Time in the Leading Flemish [Belgian] Classical Music Station Klara). However, it is necessary to listen to all of Pergolesi carefully to understand why this musician’s musician is unparalleled. Pergolesi is a kind of world wonder (I think). And he was a cripple (pardon the political incorrectness) who was spitting blood from age 20 and died at age 26! How could such unparalleled musical sublimity exist in such a defective body?
If one makes the effort to listen extremely carefully, one can come to understand why the great composer André Grétry, a fellow Belgian of mine (he Walloon or French-speaking, I Flemish or Dutch-speaking [here is something a Belgian Fleming and a Belgian Walloon can really agree on!]), believed Pergolesi’s music to be “as indestructible as nature.” Grétry also wrote in his Memoirs (there is a restaurant called Mémoires de Grétry in Brussels, capital of Europe) as follows: “Pergolesi was born and the truth became known.” André, how right you are! Is not beauty and truth and harmony with nature all that we in the end aspire to?
But what is that makes Pergolesi unique? It is easy to find delirious statements in support of him by ardent admirers. But there have been, it needs to be admitted, ardent detractors, a few of them actually really vicious, we will deal with them elsewhere; they are all dead by the way.
A crucial question arises: How to define the unique musicality of Pergolesi? It is almost impossible to find a comprehensive statement of Pergolesi’s unparalleled musicality anywhere.
I had been looking for some written corroborative expression of the features that I experience to be transcendental every time I listen to Pergolesi’s music.
And then, it came to my attention, rather unexpectedly, that the absolutely unique properties of Pergolesi’s music had been summed up for the most part in the early nineteenth century by Carlo Antonio de Rosa, Marquese di Villarosa (1762-1847). There was so much confusion about the life of Pergolesi that the Marquese di Villarosa strongly felt that clarification was needed. Even the simple fact that he was born in the city of Iesi near Ancona was unknown. The Marquese cleared up the matter. There is something completely bizarre about the fact that there was so much confusion about where the greatest composer of music of all time (I think) was born. J. S. Bach definitely did not suffer from the same problem.
The Marquese di Villarosa published a “Biographical Letter” on Pergolesi in 1830, summarized it in 1840 in his celebrated Memoirs of Neapolitan composers, and updated the letter in 1843 with a second edition. It is from the second edition of the letter that I will excerpt the following passage. This is the greatest musical apology ever written (I think), and that in defense of the greatest musical composer who ever set foot on this earth (I think). Yet, it is totally unknown. How is this possible? When I read this, it confirmed every characteristic that I had come to accept as absolutely unique in about four years of listening to Pergolesi’s music. It seemed like everything that I had been looking for.
I will cite de Rosa in Italian. I refuse to translate it. It is not possible to understand the absolute genius of Pergolesi without knowing Italian (some of it in the Neapolitan dialect in regard to musical comedies) and Latin (in regard to religious music). I have added numbered paragraphs to structure the text somewhat in order to articulate the transcendental properties of Pergolesi’s music. I hope to somehow illustrate them with concrete musical examples elsewhere. The crucial passage appears on pages 18 and 19 of the second edition of his letter, dating as was said to 1843.
I provisionally believe that it is possible to articulate eleven discrete characteristics of Pergolesi’s music in de Rosa’s characterization of it. The first six are said to set him apart from his teacher Francesco Durante (1684-1755)-and from most composers, I like to think. Four more characteristics involve properties that de Rosa believes was “the first” to exhibit. A fifth characteristic is embedded in the fourth characteristic. But I treat it here separately as an eleventh characteristic.
A more refined analysis is desirable. But for the time being, de Rosa’s assessment will do. It should serve as the beacon of a definitive assessment of Pergolesi that is still to come. The Marquese di Villarosa was the first (and the only?) to present a detailed and more technical assessment of Pergolesi’s transcendence. He fully deserves the credit for having been the first to articulate it so well.
How do these characteristics typify Pergolesi’s music as absolutely unique? It cannot be said that all of these characteristics are unique to Pergolesi, although some come quite close and a couple of them probably are. I will need to work more on an exact calibration of the singular characteristics of Pergolesi’s music. Still, de Rosa’s characterization comes close to what is desired to capture Pergolesi’s ¬_total_ uniqueness. And in its totality, it suffices in my opinion to make the case that Pergolesi was the greatest composer ever. de Rosa was positively overwhelmed in the 1830s and 1840s, and so am I. I am not sure who else is. de Rosa’s text is as follows.
[Psst! I decided last minute to add an English translation. Please see further below.]
(_Main text continued in Part II_)
One may have to be Signed In to Google to read all about Pergolesi’s uniqueness. There are five (5) sections I-V to my RUclips posting. And since III comes in IIIa, IIIb, and IIIc, that is in effect seven (7) sections.
ABOUT THE TRANSCENDENTAL UNIQUENESS OF PERGOLESI’S MUSIC:
AN ESSAY (PART IIIa)
_by_ Leo Depuydt
_To the Memory of Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), André Ernest Modeste Grétry (1741-1813), and Jean le Rond D’Alembert (1717-1783), Unconditional Admirers and Lovers of the Eternal Pergolesi’s Music, Comrades-in-Arms_
APPENDIX: SUPPORTING MATERIALS
APPENDIX, SECTION Ia: Historical Notes on the Appreciation of Pergolesi’s Music
It needs to be said-and it needs to be repeated-about the composer Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710-1736): _Pergolesi rappresenta quello che è veramente importante in Italia: Eccellenza in nome dell’eccellenza._
Style is everything, _dixit_ G.-L. Leclerc (1707-1783), Comte de Buffon, who actually said, “The style is the man (_Le style c’est l’homme même_)”. In that regard, G. B. Pergolesi (1710-1736) is a true inspiration.
The celebrated traveler, author, and musician Ch. Burney (1726-1814), father of the novelist Fanny Burney, described G. B. Pergolesi’s music not only as singularly clear (_chiaro_), simple (_semplice_), and true (_vero_), but also as sweet (_dolce_) [1].
In this connection, the Belgian composer A. E. M. Grétry (1741-1813), who won great acclaim at theaters and the royal court in France, who wrote the music for Voltaire’s funeral, and whose body is buried at the famed Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris while his heart rests in a shrine below a statue of him towering in front of the Royal Opera of Wallonia in his native Liège in Belgium, famously stated the following about G. B. Pergolesi in his Memoirs [2]:
_Pergolesi was born and the truth was known (Pergolèze naquit et la vérité fut connue)._
G. Radiciotti fittingly put this statement on the title page of the first edition of his biography of G. B. Pergolesi [3]. A street is named after A. E. M. Grétry in the center of Brussels, Belgium. And a restaurant in this street even bears the name of his memoirs.
G. B. Pergolesi’s most ardent admirer, A. E. M. Grétry, seems to have suffered a fate even worse than the subject of his admiration. One just wonders how many patrons of the afore-mentioned restaurant “The Memoirs of Grétry” in the Grétry Street in Brussels know who A. E. M. Grétry was.
A remarkable property characterizes the personality and the work of G. B. Pergolesi. After a long interlude of oblivion, his star has been-relatively speaking-sharply on the rise in the last 30 to 40 years or so, accelerating rapidly especially in the 1980s and 1990s, most of the acceleration occurring after my undergraduate years and much of it even after my graduate work. This means that, when I was a student, there would have been little incentive to recognize G. B. Pergolesi as a prime paragon of Western civilization. And in fact, my own interest in his personality and his work has been the result of chance encounters in recent years. I happened to hear his incomparable _Stabat mater_ a few years ago just by accident. Very nice. But I assumed that he was a “one-trick-donkey” who had died young. Little did I know until about two years ago.
There has been a flurry of activity roughly in recent decades, accelerating in the 1980s and the 1990s. This activity includes world premiers in modern times of many musical works including his seemingly forgotten operas, conferences devoted to him, a new series entitled “Pergolesi Studies/Studi Pergolesiani”, research centers founded in New York and Milan, and a guide to research [4], to which I refer for more detail. B. S. Brook, F. Degrada, H. Hucke, D.E. Monson, M. E. Paymer, C. Toscani, and others have been at the forefront of the revival of Pergolesi scholarship.
It may be noted in the margin that the music by A. E. M. Grétry has also made something of a comeback. And, in general, period interpretations of baroque works have been on the rise. For half of my life, the second Brandenburg concert was almost never played on natural baroque trumpets. Now, using a natural trumpet is _de rigueur_.
It will be useful to buttress what has been said before, first, by detailing G. B. Pergolesi’s style a little more and second by showing that the revival of his music is not a fluke in the sense that-while there have been his detractors, some ardent-many others have considered his music unsurpassed and some even unparalleled.
Four observations on style. First, “natural” is a property that I should have added to the characteristics of G. B. Pergolesi’s style already mentioned above and also elsewhere. According to A. E. M. Grétry [5],
_the truth of declamation constituting [G. B. Pergolesi’s] songs is as indestructible as nature (la vérité de déclamation qui constitue ses chants, est indestructible comme la nature_).
Second, G. B. Pergolesi is in my opinion on quite a few occasions just ever so subtly mischievous (_birichino_ in Italian?) in a way that I only rarely discern in the music of other composers. It seems to mean that he does not take himself too seriously. And that is good to know.
Third, citing an eyewitness account gathered in the course of his travels in Italy, Ch. Burney describes G. B. Pergolesi as a “slow composer” [6]. His biographer G. Radiciotti interprets Ch. Burney as stating that the composer was “an accurate worker using a file ([_un_] _lavoratore accurato e di lima_)” [7]. This seems like a mistranslation improving on the original.
But the fourth characteristic has been the most inspiring, to me at least. It is the way in which G. B. Pergolesi’s lines of melody (supported by an accompaniment that never takes control but impeccably does all it possibly can to enhance the melodic line) run from the very beginning to the very end without a single note being out of place, and all this with-at almost every turn-plenty of originality and unexpected and interesting twists that surprise but never either disrupt the line or displease. Originality by itself could be classified as yet a fifth characteristic.
G. B. Pergolesi’s melodic lines stand as a metaphor of how one would like an intellectual argument to proceed. Again, style is everything. D. Monson has established that the composer “wrote the music for the vocal line before writing the bass and accompaniment” [8]. In the same way, the stepwise rigorous intellectual coherence of the main line of an intellectual argument is paramount.
(_Continued in Part IIIb._)