22 de Novembre...

De la Música i la Natura...

Dels Instruments i els Sentiments...

 Éxtasis de Santa Cecília, Raphael (1516-1517)

Pinacoteca Nazionale (Bologna) 

 1
From harmony,[1] from heavenly harmony
      This universal frame[2] began.
    When Nature underneath a heap
      Of jarring atoms lay,
    And could not heave her head,                          5
  The tuneful voice was heard from high:
      "Arise, ye more than dead!"
  Then cold and hot and moist and dry
    In order to their stations leap,
      And Music's power obey.                                 10
  From harmony, from heavenly harmony
      This universal frame began;
      From harmony to harmony
  Through all the compass of the notes it ran,
  The diapason closing full in Man.[3]                       15

 2
What passion cannot Music raise and quell?
      When Jubal[4] struck the corded shell,[5]
    His list'ning brethren stood around,
      And, wond'ring, on their faces fell
    To worship that celestial sound,                          20
Less than a god they thought there could not dwell
      Within the hollow of that shell
      That spoke so sweetly and so well.
  What passion cannot Music raise and quell?

 3
The trumpet's loud clangor                                     25
        Excites us to arms,
      With shrill notes of anger
        And mortal alarms.[6]
      The double double double beat
        Of the thundering drum                                 30
        Cries, "Hark, the foes come!
  Charge, charge, 't is too late to retreat!"

4
The soft complaining flute
      In dying notes discovers
      The woes of hopeless lovers,                            35
  Whose dirge[7]is whispered by the warbling lute.

5
Sharp violins proclaim
  Their jealous pangs and desperation,
  Fury, frantic indignation,
  Depth of pains and height of passion,                   40
      For the fair disdainful dame. 

 6
But oh! what art can teach,
      What human voice can reach
        The sacred organ's praise?
      Notes inspiring holy love,                                45
  Notes that wing their heavenly ways
      To mend[8] the choirs above.

7
Orpheus[9] could lead the savage race,
  And trees unrooted left their place,
      Sequacious of the lyre;                                    50
  But bright Cecilia raised the wonder higher:
  When to her organ vocal breath was given,
  An angel heard, and straight[10] appeared--
      Mistaking earth for heaven. 

 GRAND CHORUS
As from the power of sacred lays                            55
      The spheres began to move,
    And sung the great Creator's praise
      To all the blest above:
    So, when the last and dreadful hour[11]
    This crumbling pageant shall devour,                  60
    The trumpet shall be heard on high,
    The dead shall live, the living die,
    And Music shall untune the sky. 

[1.] Referència a la teoria pitagòrica de la "música de les esferes", segons la qual els cossos celestes emeten sons harmònics: l'harmonia de l'univers.

[2.] L'univers visible, el que se'ns mostra com imatge sobre un bastidor.

[3.] Dins l'home (el diapasó), la més alta creació de Déu, s'inclouen totes les virtuts i poders de les altres criatures inferiors (tota l'extensió dels tons).

[4.] Segons la Bíblia, Jubal fou el pare de tots aquells qui tocaven l'arpa i l'orgue (Gènesi, 4,21).

[5.] La lira o cítara. Se suposa que la primera lira va ser construida amb cordes tensades sobre una closca de tortuga.

[6.] Notes que provoquen en els hómens conflictes mortals.

[7.] Forma mètrica: cançó trista, plany, lament.

[8.] Millora, perfecciona.

[9.] Es diu que Orpheus fou un poeta traci amb extraordinàries dots musicals que commovia les pedres i els arbres i domesticava ler bèsties salvatges tocant la seua lira o cítara.

[10.] De seguida, immediatament.

[11.] El día del Judici Final.

TEXT: (John Dryden, 1631-1700) The Literature Network

MÚSICA: George F. Haendel, Fragments de l' "Ode for St. Cecilia's Day", HWV 76

To Saint Cecilia (Purcell, Handel, Haydn)[Minkowski]
Classical, Baroque | 2 CD | EAC | APE tracks, no CUE, no LOG | Scans | 689 MB | RS | TT 71:31
Released: 2009 | Label: NAIVE
David Bates, Nathalie Stutzmann, Richard Croft, Lucy Crowe, Anders J. Dahlin, Luca Tittoto, Neil Baker,
Nicolas Mazzoleni, David Bates, Thibault Noally, Gilberto Caserio, Diego Nadra, Jean Barrière,
Thibaud Robinne, Nils Wiebodlt, Florian Cousin, Francesco Corti, Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski (conductor)