The Oratorio de Noël, Op. 12, by Camille Saint-Saëns, also known as his Christmas Oratorio, is a cantata-like work scored for soloists, chorus, organ, strings and harp. While an organist at La Madeleine, Saint-Saëns wrote the Christmas oratorio in less than a fortnight, completing it ten days before its premiere on Christmas 1858.Smither, Howard (2000). Chapel Hill, North Carolina A History of the Oratorio: The Oratorio in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. UNC Press books, p. 566. The vocal score of this oratorio was prepared later by the composer and organist Eugene Gigout, a colleague of Saint-Saëns.
Performing forces The work is scored for five soloists (soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone), SATB mixed chorus, organ, harp, and strings in the standard five sections. The women of the chorus divide into four parts in one movement. The organ plays a significant role in the work, often playing alone, while the harp is limited to three movements.
Text Saint-Saëns chose several verses from the Latin Vulgate Bible for the text of the work. "While these texts are not from a single source, it is clear that the traditional church liturgies surrounding Christmas influenced Saint-Saëns. About half of the texts he chose match different portions of two Christmas Offices: the First Mass at Midnight and the Second Mass at Dawn."Barrow, Lee G. (2014). Camille Saint-Saëns, Christmas Oratorio. BarGraphica, p. 33. One author calls the work "a musical enhancement of the words of the [Christmas] Office, without interest in the human drama."Rees, Brian (1999). Camille Saint-Saëns: a life. London: Chatto & Windus, p. 95.
The narrative portion of the text, taken from the second chapter of St. Luke, appears in the second movement and tells the part of the traditional Christmas story involving the shepherds. The remainder of the texts, taken from John, Isaiah, Lamentations, and the Psalms, reflect upon the meaning and significance of the event.
Structure and style
The Oratorio de Noël is structured in a way that "hardly exceeds the limits of a cantata, but musically is constructed in oratorio style."Upton, George Putnam (1890). Chicago The Standard Oratorios: Their Stories, Their music, and Their Composers; a handbook, p. 269. A. C. McClurg and Company However, "its shorter length and the fact that it was intended for presentation during a worship service place it closer in character and purpose to a traditional sacred cantata."Barrow (2014), p. 70 Its structure bears a greater resemblance to oratorios of the early Baroque than to later works of that genre.
Saint-Saëns divided the work into 10 movements, a prelude followed by nine vocal numbers. After the prelude, opening recitatives and chorus, the work gradually builds from a single soloist accompanied by a small ensemble to involve the entire instrumental and vocal forces. The full chorus sings in the second, sixth, and final movements and the women of the chorus accompany the tenor soloist in the fourth.
While there are brief episodes of grandeur in the solo parts and one frenetic section for the chorus, most of the work is subdued and lyrical in character. Saint-Saëns's study of the choral music of Bach, Handel, Mozart, Berlioz, and others had a great influence on the work, with the most significant influences being Part II of J. S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio and Gounod's St. Cecilia Mass.
Movements
There are ten movements:
Recordings +ConductorSoloistsChoir and orchestraOrganHarpdateLabelDiethard HellmannVerena Schweizer, SopranoEdith Wiens, SopranoHelena Jungwirth, AltoFriederich Melzer, TénorKurt Widmer, BassBachchor & Bachcorchester MainzHans-Joachim BartschBarbara Biermann1976Calig report Profil
(Édition Günter Hänssler) 2005 Sylvain CambrelingMichèle Lagrange, SopranoAnnie Tasset, Mezzo-sopranoGeorges Gauthier, TénorHanna Schaer, ContraltoPaul Guigue, BarytonLe Madrigal de LyonOrchestre de Chambre de LyonPaul Coueffé1981ArionGrand Prix de l'Académie du Disque LyriqueAnders EbyAnne Sophie von Otter, Mezzo-sopranoBritt-Marie Aruhn, SopranoErland Hagegård, TénorUlf Lundmark, BassIng-Mari Landin, AltoRoyal Opera Theater OrchestraMikaeli Chamber Choir Lars HagströmKarin Langebo1981Proprius Musik AB1994 Piet Kiel JrMarja Pool, AltoArthur Schildmeyer, BassHélène Verslot, Mezzo-sopranoWendela Bronsgeet, SopranoJos Van Der Lans, TénorL'Estro ArmonicoPiet HalsemaFrieda Kahn1983LarigotMartin FlämigElisabeth WilkeArmin UdeEgbert JunghannsAnnette MarketJuta ZoffUte SelbigDresdner KreuzchorDresdner PhilarmonieMichael-Christfried Winkler1987CapriccioJean-Louis PetitClaire Louchet, SopranoMarie-Madelein Lauvin, Mezzo-sopranoDanielle Michel, AltoHervé Lamy, TénorMarc Thoron, BassEnsemble Polyphonique de VersaillesEnsemble instrumental de Ville d'Avray Jean-Michel Louchart1993REMMichael WeberHendrik Ritter, TénorSteffen-Friedl-Schneider, BaritoneTraudl Well, SopranoAndrea Forscher, Mezzo-sopranoUlla Teich, AltoCor der Evangelischen Gemeinde Hemsbach/sulzbachLukas Kamerata MannheimAndreas Well10/12/1995SFSAlexandros MyratJulia SouglakouMarina Fideli, mezzo-sopranoMarina FerreiraVanghelis Hatzisimos, tenorChristoforos Stabogli, bassGreek Radio and Television Choir La CamerataMartin HaselböckIon Ivan-Roncea1997DOMSven-Ingvart MikkelsenTinebeth Hartkopf, SopranoBolette Bruno Hansen et Lilly Schulz, Mezzo-sopranoJune Lund, TénorLars Fentz Krogh, BassLogumkloster Vokal EnsembleBent SorensenJoost Schelling1998CD Scandinavian ClassicsJörg-Hannes HahnAnna Maria Friman, SopranoAleksandra Lustig, Mezzo-sopranoPatricia Wagner, AltoAndreas Wagner, TenorTobias Schabel, BassCantus StuttgartBachchor StuttgartBachorchester StuttgartPeter Kranfoed Rie Hiroe-Lang2005CantateHolger SpeckAntonia Bourvé, SopranoGundula Schneider, Mezzo-sopranoSabine Czinczel, AltoMarcus Ullman, TénorJens Hamann, Baritone Vocalensemble RastattLes FavoritesRomano Giefer2006CarusRalf OttoSimona Houda-Šaturová, sopranoRegina Pätzer, mezzo-sopranoAnke Vondung, altoHans Jörg Mammel, tenorFlorian Boesch, baritoneBachchor Mainz L'arpa festantePetra Morath-PusinelliFrançoise Friedrich2008Deutsche Harmonia MundiTim KeyesJustin Connors, TénorVictoria Lotkowictz, Mezzo-sopranoGary Gavula, BaritoneElisa Rush, SopranoThe Keyes Consort2008ALLMUSIC PLAY VODRoberto MolinelliOrchestra da Camera delle MarcheCoro Colombati Città di Pergola2009You Tube TheRMstaffChristoph PoppenRuth Ziesak, SopranoAnja Schlosser, Mezzo-sopranoClaudia Mahnke, Mezzo-sopranoJames Taylor, TénorNikolai Borchev, BaritoneSaarbrücken, Chor & Orchestra2008DVD 16222
Literature
Barrow, Lee G. (2014). Camille Saint-Saëns, Christmas Oratorio. BarGraphica. .
References
External links