A little night music...

I have always had a fondness for classical music and, thanks to a former neighbour, Ian Harwood, I discovered a previously untapped love of (relatively) early music. Ian was a lutenist, and an inspiration to many in the world of Elizabethan and Jacobean music. And it was his passion for the work of the likes of Henry Purcell that acted as a bridge from there to the works of one of music's great pioneers, Claudio Monteverdi.

And so, as a distraction from the rather chaotic, often unnecessarily harsh world of politics, I offer you L'Arpegiatta, performing the Vespro della Beata Vergine - Vespers for the Blessed Virgin.

At 24:15, you'll find Psalm 122: Laetatus sum, which some Catholic readers in particular might be familiar with. Have a listen, I'll be back tomorrow with another take on it...

The benefits of confusion...

I was writing a piece on my new ringtone and, in searching for a video performance of the piece of music, I carried out the obvious search and came up with this;

For the madrigal scholars amongst you, and I know that there are so many of you, here are the lyrics, first in Italian, and then in English;

Zefiro torna e di soavi accenti
l’aer fa grato e’il pié discioglie a l’onde
e, mormoranda tra le verdi fronde,
fa danzar al bel suon su’l prato i fiori.

Inghirlandato il crin Fillide e Clori
note temprando lor care e gioconde;
e da monti e da valli ime e profond
raddoppian l’armonia gli antri canori.
Sorge più vaga in ciel l’aurora, e’l sole,
sparge più luci d’or; più puro argento
fregia di Teti il bel ceruleo manto.

Sol io, per selve abbandonate e sole,
l’ardor di due begli occhi e’l mio tormento,
come vuol mia ventura, hor piango hor canto.


Return O Zephyr, and with gentle motion
Make pleasant the air and scatter the grasses in waves
And murmuring among the green branches
Make the flowers in the field dance to your sweet sound;
Crown with a garland the heads of Phylla and Chloris
With notes tempered by love and joy,
From mountains and valleys high and deep
And sonorous caves that echo in harmony.
The dawn rises eagerly into the heavens and the sun
Scatters rays of gold, and of the purest silver,
Like embroidery on the cerulean mantle of Thetis.
But I, in abandoned forests, am alone.
The ardour of two beautiful eyes is my torment;
As my Fate wills it, now I weep, now I sing.
It is quite marvellous, and so I thought that I ought to share.

Enjoy!

I've got a brand new ringtone...

We're very keen on technology, here in Creeting St Peter. Admittedly, I understand far too little of it, but one must try to keep up. Ringtones intrigue me, following exposure at work to a colleague who is a pretty serious musician. Andrew hated my ringtone, describing it as sounding like an enraged wasp, and I admit that the usual tinny ersatz tunes that you get are a bit annoying.

Accordingly, having discovered that I could upload music onto my BlackBerry, I changed the ringtone to a Bach fugue. Instantly distinctive, there could be no doubt that it was my phone ringing, and given that Andrew is a pianist, keyboard music was tolerable to him - I'm so considerate like that.

Following my promotion and change of job, we have been separated now, so he doesn't have to endure my choice of ringtone. Despite this, I have maintained the habit of keeping my ringtone as real music, and pleasantly obscure. So, here's a performance of my new ringtone by La Compagnia del Madrigale. Enjoy...