Mixed choir, 8.5 minutes
I was commissioned by musica intima to write this piece for a concert that would feature compositions by the group Les Six. The text I chose by the French poet, Paul Verlaine, links nicely to Les Six and the school of Nadia Boulanger.
Reviews:
"Craig Galbraith's Sérénade is a setting
of a
dark symbolist
love poem by Verlaine. Sombre, full of soft attenuated lines,
delicate dissonances, close harmonies and sliding pitches, it's a
rarefied piece of writing, and its rich part-work and atmosphere were
beautifully drawn out by the singers."
-Lloyd Dykk, Vancouver Sun,
Feb 19th.
"A highlight of the concert was the world premiere of Sérénade
by the young Vancouver composer Craig Galbraith. With its riverlike
melodies flowing through an ocean of jarring dissonances, it brought
a rich and colourful vibrancy to a morbid lovepoem by Paul Verlaine."
-Douglas Hughes, The
Georgia Straight
Premiered February 11, 2001 at West Vancouver United Church, B.C. |
|
musica
intima,
vocal ensemble
|
Recording
(begins very quietly) |
| Sérénade Paul Verlaine Comme la voix d'un mort qui chanterait Du fond de sa fosse, Maîtresse, entends monter vers ton retrait Ma voix aigre et fausse. |
Sérénade -translation by Marc Trottier Like the voice of a corpse who would sing From the bottom of its grave, Mistress, hear my shrill and hollow voice Rise up towards your domain. |
| Ouvre ton
âme et ton
oreille au son De la mandoline: Pour toi j'ai fait, pour toi, cette chanson Cruelle et câline. |
Open your soul and
your ear to
the sound Of the mandolin: I made this song for you, This cruel and tender song. |
| Je chanterai tes
yeux d'or et
d'onyx Purs de toutes ombres, Puis le Léthé de ton sein, puis le Styx De tes cheveux sombres. |
I will sing about
your eyes of
gold and onyx, Free of any shadow, And I will sing about the Lethe of your bosom, And about the Styx of your dark hair. |
| Comme la voix d'un
mort qui
chanterait Du fond de sa fosse, Maîtresse, entends monter vers ton retrait Ma voix aigre et fausse. |
Like the voice of a
corpse who
would sing From the bottom of its grave, Mistress, hear my shrill and hollow voice Rise up towards your domain. |
| Puis je louerai
beaucoup, comme
il convient, Cette chair bénie Dont le parfum opulent me revient Les nuits d'insomnie. |
And I will much
praise, as it is
appropriate, This blessed flesh Whose opulent fragrance I remember During sleepless nights. |
| Et pour finir, je
dirai le baiser De ta lèvre rouge, Et ta douceur à me martyriser, --Mon Ange! --ma Gouge! |
And to finish, I
will speak of
kissing Your red lips, And your softness that tortures me, - My Angel! - My wench! |
| Ouvre ton
âme et ton
oreille au son De ma mandoline: Pour toi j'ai fait, pour toi, cette chanson Cruelle et câline. |
Open your soul and
your ear to
the sound Of the mandolin: I made this song for you, This cruel and tender song. |