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Betlem
Cantata de Nadal 2007 - vol. 3
Coro infantil, Coro mixto, Piano y Orq. cámara
GUTIERREZ, Joan JosepReg.: CN0003
21,00 €
P.V.P. (VAT included 4%)
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- Ensemble: Chamber orchestra: With voice/choir.
- Genres: Classical / contemporary: Chamber.
- Lyric author: GUTIERREZ GIL, Juan
- Language: Catalán
- Language of the comment: Spanish, Catalan, English
- Product format: Partitura
- Difficulty level: Advanced-superior
- Period: 2nd half S. XX - XXI
- Publishing house: Editorial Boileau
- Collection: Cantata de Nadal
- No. of pages: 76
- Measure: 31,00 x 23,00 cm
- ISMN: 979-0-3503-3832-8
- Available in digital: No
- Available for rent: No
Children Choir and Mixed Choir
1 1 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 — tmp — str
THE MATERIALS ARE SOLD SEPARATELY
The poem Betlem by Juan Gutiérrez Gili, over and above its poetic imagery and beautiful Castilian sound, offers a very peculiar view on the Nativity of Jesus. It is neither a superficial nor a festive poem. It conveys a restrained joy—almost a sense of sadness. One of its focal points is the Mother’s distress caused by the vision of the future that lies ahead for his Child. It can be read as a symbol of maternity, which sets the necessity of the biological fact against the uncertainty of its consequences.
From a structural point of view, I approached the poem by respecting its three parts in independent numbers that are still stylistically related to each other. The mixed choir sings the narrative parts—more descriptive, reflective, and affective—whereas the children’s choir performs the more joyful verses—similar to the traditional carols. The work is written in a bright key, with dissonant polyphony, and with melodies and rhythms based on the Iberian baroque music, which is related to the inspiration the poet Gutiérrez Gili took from Lope de Vega, with some of his verses accompanying his poem.
In short, the first part describes the physical space of the nativity and introduces the first distressing concern of the Virgin to us: «¡Qué Vía-Crucis la Madre descubre!» (What Via Crucis the Mother discovers!) This is the moment when the culminating point is reached with the break of the strophic musical structure, respected until now, and the appearance of the highest-pitched phrase that, on top of that, is dynamically and expressively opposed to the succeeding phrase.
In the second part, the description gives way to a deeper feeling. The music is also presented in a strophic form that is later broken when it says: «Pero viendo un lejano camino de dolores, la Virgen se esforzaba por no echarse a llorar» (But seeing a distant way of sorrows, the Virgin struggled not to burst into tears), a moment when the mixed choir sings a capella in an imitative polyphonic style. The children transform the tears into a joyful song.
The third part has a more traditional Christmas feel, with a poetic image of peace and hope. The text of the children’s choir comes from the traditional song A la nanita, nana. Musically, I approached it with similar stanzas with a very little instrumental variation. Both choirs conclude the work all together in a majestic coda and an E Major chord.
Joan Josep Gutiérrez
The Cantata de Nadal Collection
The Cantata de Nadal [Christmas Cantata] Project is based on the premiere of a cantata for children’s choir, mixed choir and chamber orchestra, composed by a contemporary composer based on texts of Catalan poets. This formula, which requires the integration of three different musical formations, brings together three differing values: musical creativity, intergenerational participation and the updating and modernization of our Christmas tradition.
In the various previous editions, we have been privileged to collaborate with the actresses Carme Sansa, Marta Angelat and Mercè Arànega, who recited texts and poems to highlight the spoken Word combined with music in order to give the cantata a greater theatrical dimension.
For the children’s and youth choirs, the Christmas Cantata provides an opportunity to sing together with a mixed choir and an orchestra a choral symphony composition. This experience gives them an artistic challenge of working with a degree of difficulty and complexity greater than what they are used to, within an intergenerational framework.
We are convinced that the experience of interpreting this work will lead them to enjoy communicating emotions to the audience and at the same time will contribute to improve the quality of their choral family or choral school.
Xavier Baulies
Director, Camerata Sant Cugat and Coral Polifónica de Tremp
Artistic director of the Cantata de Nadal Collection
Fitxa tècnica de l’estrena / Participants in the Premiere / Ficha técnica del estreno
Pròleg / Prologue / Prólogo
Prefaci / Preface / Prefacio
Poemes / Poems / Poemas
Betlem
I. Duerme la noche de azul violeta
II. Lágrima de la divina Madre
III. A la gala, gala
El compositor / The Composer / El compositor
El poeta / The Poet / El poeta
Obres de la col·lecció / Collection's Works / Obras de la colección
