The selections on this disc evoke the weight, depth, beauty and mystery of the Nativity, helping listeners on a reflective journey from traditional carols through Baroque classics as they ponder the modern implications of an event that transpired 2,000 years ago.
The first nine tracks are traditional carols, melodies that conjure pastoral images of shepherds dancing while a babe is being rocked to sleep. The last six tracks are from Baroque masters who layer on additional complexity for listeners along the way.
In addition to their sheer beauty, these pieces convey musical symbolism employed by 17th and 18th century composers. The two important musical features are the compound rhythms (6/8, 9/8, 12/8) used to simulate the rocking of the baby Jesus, and the evocation of bagpipe and flute - "shepherd music." The Pastorale soon came to reference the Biblical shepherds at the birth of Jesus, as heard in the bass drones and flowing, tender melodies suggestive of lullabyes. The French version, the Musette (the term literally means bagpipe), and an Italian version, the Siciliano, are musical cousins that also make use of these features.
Although each piece is for solo piano, many listeners might be thinking of the words to some selections, from the title track, which opens "Lo, how a Rose e'er blooming from tender stem hath sprung!/Of Jesse's lineage coming, as those of old have sung" to the J.S Bach finale, "Wachet Auf," which heralds the Advent season with the words "Wake, arise, the voices call us/Of watchmen from the lofty tower/Arise, thou town Jerusalem!"
Other listeners might be thinking of musical connections. Track 3, for example, the traditional French carol "Bring a Torch, Jeannette Isabella," gives a simpler glimpse of the more complex musical phrasing in the Scarlatti Pastorale in track 10. The Scarlatti Pastorale, in turn, connects melodically with the Corelli Pastorale in track 11. Both use a very popular Pastorale tune often sung in southern Italy during the novenario, the nine-day festival period leading up to Christmas.
These carols and classical selections weave a rich tapestry, celebrating themes as textured and profound as the music is soothing and complex. They strike deep emotional chords.
Ponder the shift in keys, the changes in tempo, the simple in the intricate, and come away each time with new insights into the season and what it means today.
Mike Massoglia
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