El Fuego by Mateo Flecha the Elder
I write in haste for the joyful reason that tonight is the first live meeting of the Sonoma Bach Choir in over 18 months (albeit a limited group). So much to do to get ready! For those not in BC: We're beginning a series of hybrid rehearsals--16 vaccinated singers in a large space with our accompanist and me, rehearsing together (masked etc, of course), and beaming out via Zoom to the rest of the group, who are meant to join in the singing from afar. We'll rotate the singers week by week so everyone gets as much live rehearsal as possible, till we can all join together safely under one roof.
ANYWAY: Work for this project has been proceeding apace, pushing out other things right and left. But I simply must introduce you to this week's wonderful Monday Madrigal, so here you go--
It's called 'El fuego' (The fire), and it's by Mateo Flecha the Elder, one of his so-called 'ensaladas', that is to say, a mixed salad of preëxisting tunes and newly composed material setting to music a disaster story. Actual disaster is always avoided by the intervention of the Virgin Mary and other celestial beings, to whom prayers go up ceasingly during the period of danger. Then a prayer of thanks is heard, followed by an increasingly raucous party, with songs and dances and guitars and percussion and shouts of joy and praise.
Sound familiar? Many weeks ago, I sent out Flecha's 'La bomba' (The pump), which adheres to this pattern in the case of a shipwreck in which all souls are--not lost--but saved.
For your musical delectation, I attach a little bio of Flecha; a text-translation sheet with a brief program note from Circa 1600's 2011 performance of the piece; and a score. As to a recording, you can do no better than to click this link to a bravura performance by La Colombina.
I write in haste for the joyful reason that tonight is the first live meeting of the Sonoma Bach Choir in over 18 months (albeit a limited group). So much to do to get ready! For those not in BC: We're beginning a series of hybrid rehearsals--16 vaccinated singers in a large space with our accompanist and me, rehearsing together (masked etc, of course), and beaming out via Zoom to the rest of the group, who are meant to join in the singing from afar. We'll rotate the singers week by week so everyone gets as much live rehearsal as possible, till we can all join together safely under one roof.
ANYWAY: Work for this project has been proceeding apace, pushing out other things right and left. But I simply must introduce you to this week's wonderful Monday Madrigal, so here you go--
It's called 'El fuego' (The fire), and it's by Mateo Flecha the Elder, one of his so-called 'ensaladas', that is to say, a mixed salad of preëxisting tunes and newly composed material setting to music a disaster story. Actual disaster is always avoided by the intervention of the Virgin Mary and other celestial beings, to whom prayers go up ceasingly during the period of danger. Then a prayer of thanks is heard, followed by an increasingly raucous party, with songs and dances and guitars and percussion and shouts of joy and praise.
Sound familiar? Many weeks ago, I sent out Flecha's 'La bomba' (The pump), which adheres to this pattern in the case of a shipwreck in which all souls are--not lost--but saved.
For your musical delectation, I attach a little bio of Flecha; a text-translation sheet with a brief program note from Circa 1600's 2011 performance of the piece; and a score. As to a recording, you can do no better than to click this link to a bravura performance by La Colombina.