Schola Hungarica / D'Abraham à Moïse

Harmonia mundi "Quintana" QUI 903038
1991
Holy Family Parish Church, Zugliget, Budapest



D'ABRAHAM À MOÏSE



Part I : DE ABRAHAM, ISAAC ET JACOB

1 - "Praeludium"     [1:25]

2 - a. Lectio : Erat autem Abraham     [2:06]
b. Responsorium : Deus Domini mei

3 - a. Lectio : Tulitque decem     [2:15]
b. Responsorium : Veni hodie ad fontem

4 - a. Lectio : Fuerunt autem dives     [1:09]
b. "Interludium"

5 - a. Lectio : Senuit autem Isaac     [2:31]
b. Responsorium : Tolle arma tua

6 - a. Lectio : Dixitque Jacob     [1:50]
b. Responsorium : Det tibi Deus

7 - a. Lectio : Oderat ergo semper Esau     [2:30]
b. Responsorium : Dum exiret Jacob

8 - a. Lectio : Surgens ergo Jacob     [2:16]
b. Responsorium : Erit mihi Dominus

9 - a. "Interludium"     [3:52]
b. Lectio : Misit autem et nuntios
c. Responsorium : Oravit Jacob

10 - a. Lectio : Traductisque omnibus     [2:20]
b. Responsorium : Dixit angelus ad Jacob

11 - a. Lectio : Ait ergo     [1:44]
b. Responsorium : Vidi Deum in facie

12 - a. Lectio : Elevans autem Jacob     [3:53]
b. Benedictio : Omnia opera Domini


Part II : DE JOSEPH ET UNDECIM FRATRIBUS EJUS

13 - "Praeludium"     [1:01]

14 - a. Lectio : Israel autem diligebat     [2:40]
b. Responsorium: Videntes Joseph a longe

15 - a. Lectio : Confestim igitur     [2:50]
b. Responsorium : Memento mei

16 - a. Lectio : Dixitque rursus Pharao     [3:17]
b. Responsorium : Tollite hinc vobiscum

17 - a. Lectio : Igitur ingressus est Joseph     [3:08]
b. Responsorium : Iste est frater

18 - a. Lectio : Praecepit autem Joseph     [2:51]
b. Responsorium : Merito haec patimur

19 - a. Lectio : Non se poterat     [4:58]
b. Responsorium : Dixit Joseph undecim fratribus
c. Responsorium : Nuntiaverunt Jacob


Part III : DE MOYSE

20 - "Praeludium"     [2:27]
21 - a. Lectio : Post multum vero     [2:34]
b. Responsorium : Locutus est Dominus ad Moysen

22 - a. Pro lectione Psalmus 104 : Misit Moysen     [1:36]
b. "Interludium"

23 - a. Lectio : Cumque extendisset Moyses     [6:04]
b. Psalmus responsorius : Alleluja, In exitu Israel

24 - a. Lectio : Haec dices domui Jacob     [1:54]
b. Responsorium : Moyses famulus Domini

25 - a. "Interludium"     [2:40]
b. Responsorium : Audi Israel

26 - a. Responsorium : Vos qui transituri estis     [4:06]
b. Lectio : Ascendit ergo Moyses

27 - a. Improvisatio : Alleluja, Audite caeli     [9:05]
b. "Postludium"


SCHOLA HUNGARICA

Soloists:
Mizsei Zoltán, Dobszay Gergely, Soós András, Kaposy Gergely, Dobszay László, Melis László

Conducted by

DOBSZAY LÁSZLÓ
(2, 5, 7, 9, 11, 16, 19b, 21, 23, 24, 26, 27)
SZENDREY JANKA
(3, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19c, 25)


Kurtág György, organ
(1, 4b, 9a, 20, 23a, 24, 26, 27)

Király Csaba, organ
(13, 20, 22b, 27a)


Sung in Latin



SUNG TEXTS

From Abraham to Moses


The events related in the first two books of the Old Testament belong to the archetypes of the consciousness of mankind and for hundreds of years they have inspired and been commented on by philosophers, theologians, poets, sculptors, historians and composers. This record, too, is a kind of commentary composed of three elements : prose, chant and instrumental music.

The prose readings illuminate momentary images from the story and serve as a kind of framework to the Gregorian chant of crucial passages from the text. The organ represents the division into "chapters" and a particular vision of the verbal narrative.

In the Christian liturgy the books of Genesis and Exodus were read in the offices during the months of February and March. From time to time the recitation was interrupted by chanting in order to lend the sustenance of music to the meditation. In the "responsories" for Matins the libretto was drawn from the book of the scriptures that had just been read ; in this way comprehensive musical cycles to every book in the Bible came into existence. The number of the responsories composed to the first two books of the Old Testament rose to seventy in Europe, although they were not all used everywhere.

The Hungarian tradition was particularly generous in its selection and almost the entire series of responsories, furnished with characteristic melodic versions, found a place in the so-called Gran Liturgy*. A previous selection (QUI 903032) was devoted to texts from Genesis, from Adam to Abraham, while this one continues from Abraham to Moses.

These responsories probably originated in the 8th-9th centuries, before the conclusion of the classical Gregorian era. In style they represent a transition between the classical Gregorian chant and the "new style" of the second millennium. We still hear the traditional opening and concluding formulas, the spirited melodic treatment in all the pieces, the emotional effect of the pathos, the extension of the range. The interpolation of wide intervals or unusual melodic progressions, however, indicates the breakthrough of a new style. The prose sections between the responsories are, on the one hand, reminders of the inserted recited passage, and, on the other, contrasts to the uniformity of the art form.

A third stylistic element in this recording is the sound of the organ. The listener seeking a museum of music history in the recording might be surprised by these interludes. But they should not be regarded as irrelevant intrusions, but as the reflection to ancient stories in the language of the contemporary composer. We made no attempt at restoration of an "old" style, but added the music of our time to the other two "layers". We had the good fortune that Kurtág György, one of the finest composers of the day agreed to provide the instrumental preludes and interludes with Király Csaba.

Three other chants have been inserted into this series of responds. The first two are extremely early : Benedictio (No.12) praises the creation according to the Book of Daniel (Plock, Bibl. Sem. Duch.), and Psalm 114 (113) refers to the departure of the people of Israel out of Egypt (Cambrai Manuscript, Bibl. Mun Ms. 38). As regards the improvised Alleluia that concludes this recording (No.27), it is, in a way, an application of the principle according to which Gregorian plainsong was not originally transmitted in written form. We wished to try, if no more than once, to return to the very earliest practices. Thanks to their thorough familiarity with the alleluias of the Gregorian repertory, the singers of the Schola Hungarica have created thirty six improvisations on six Mosaic verses. The most beautiful of them appear on this record.

Dobszay László

*The responsories are sung according to the 13th century Gran Breviary (Bibliotheca Strahoviensis, Prague, DE I, 7. Kodex).