Twenty Polish Christmas Carols (Lutosławski)
Twenty Polish Christmas Carols (Polish: 20 polskich kolęd) is a collection of Polish carols arranged for soprano and piano in 1946 by the Polish composer Witold Lutosławski (1913–1994) and then orchestrated by him for soprano, female choir, and orchestra in 1984–89. [1] The tunes and texts were taken mostly from 19th-century printed sources.[2][3][4]
History
Twenty Polish Christmas Carols for soprano, female choir and orchestra is a composition of Witold Lutosławski. The composer collected the Christmas carols in 1946 in hard times in Poland at the request of the Director of the Polish Music Publishing. Nazi Germany had plundered the land and emaciated, then came the troops of Stalin, who on behalf of the Soviet Union over again did. Normal life was hard, but also the cultural life was under pressure from what the authorities allowed or not. A spell of arts hung permanently in the light, as a few years later showed Lutosławskis First Symphony.
In such a climate is collecting Christmas songs a harmless, yet rewarding work. Known songs as a composer can not provide you with overly complex music, such as those in the 40s could be heard elsewhere. On the other hand carols do generally well in the population and in bad times. Twenty Polish Christmas Carols is an atypical composition within the oeuvre of the composer. No hard music theoretical work, but a melodic interplay between soloist, choir and orchestra.
Lutosławski first composed a cycle for voice and piano. Aniela Szleminska (soprano) and Jan Hoffman gave in Krakow the implementation of a number of songs from this cycle. Then it disappeared in the drawer. The composer took almost forty years later the work again and came up with a version for soprano, women's chorus and orchestra.
On December 15 1985 was the first performance of that version. Marie Slorach sang accompanied by the London Symphony Orchestra with choir probably led by the composer. Who had then only seventeen of the twenty songs with an orchestration. On December 14th 1990 the time had come. The Chamber Orchestra of Scotland with accompanying choir played the work with soloist Susan Hamilton in Edinburgh. This version was equipped with English-language texts, while the previous versions are still in the Polish. Twenty Polish Christmas Carols have been likened to folksong settings by Ralph Vaughan Williams.
The Polish texts were drawn from a number of books:
- Śpiewnik Kościelny -collection of Polish 19th century sacred songs by Michał Mioduszewski (1838–1853)
- Pastorałki i kolędy z melodyjami – collection of 17th to 19th century Polish sacred Christmas carols by Michał Mioduszewski (1843)
- Lud vol.16: Lubelskie by Oskar Kolberg (1883)
- Lud vol.22: Leczyckie by Oskar Kolberg (1899)
Carols
| No. | English title [3] | Original title in Polish [2] | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The angels came to the shepherds | Aniol Pasterzom Mowił | |
| 2 | Hey, We look forward now on | Hej, weselmy się | |
| 3 | When Christ has come to us | Gdy się Chrystus rodzi | |
| 4 | just after midnight | Północ już była | |
| 5 | God is born | Bóg się rodzi | |
| 6 | Our Lady | Gdy śliczna Panna | |
| 7 | Hurrying to Bethlehem | Przybieżeli do Betlejem | |
| 8 | Lying in the manger | W żłobie leży | |
| 9 | Jesus is there | Jezus malusieńki | |
| 10 | we are shepherds | My też pastuszkowie | |
| 11 | sleep baby Jesus | Lulajże Jezuniu | |
| 12 | On this day | Hej, w dzień narodzenia | |
| 13 | Jesus lovely flower | Jezu, śliczny kwiecie | |
| 14 | Hay la, Hey la, shepherds, there you | Hola hola, pasterze z pola | |
| 15 | What to do with this child | A cóż z tą dzieciną | |
| 16 | Hey, hey, lovely Lady Mary | Hej hej, lelija Panna Maryja | |
| 17 | This is God's birthday | Z narodzenia Pana | |
| 18 | Shepherds, can tell you what you have seen | Pasterze mili | |
| 19 | Infant so tiny | Dziecina mała | |
| 20 | Holy Mother Mary (ran through the wide world) | Najświętsza Panienka po świecie chodziła | (). |
Orchestration
- soprano
- SSAA (sopranos and altos )
- 1 flute, 1 oboe / cor anglais, 2 clarinets (II also bass clarinet), 1 bassoon
- Two horns, one trumpet, one trombone
- percussion, 1 harp, piano
- violins, violas, cellos, double basses
References
- ↑ Richard Whitehouse. Liner notes to Naxos CD 8.555994, Lutoslawski, 20 Polish Christmas Carols, 2005
- 1 2 Lutosławski, Witold (2007), 20 kolęd na głos i fortepian, Polskie Wydawnictwo Muzyczne SA, Seria Jubileuszowa, retrieved October 30, 2013
- 1 2 Lutosławski, Witold (2007), 20 Kolęd. Album by Lutosławski, Grooveshark Profile, retrieved October 30, 2013
- ↑ Lutosławski, Witold (2006), 20 polskich kolęd (Twenty Polish Christmas Carols), Adam Mickiewicz Institute, retrieved October 30, 2013
| ||||||||||||||||||||||