Christmas Oratorio - Any English recordings?
Stephen Bridges
Oratorio sung in English? The CDs never seem to say what language they're
sung in, either on the cover or even in the accompanying booklet. Every one
I've tried (even ones by major English choral societies) is in German.
Jaime Jean
out: unless otherwise specified, all Bach works are sung in German (or
Latin, in a few cases). If the work is sung in a different language, it's
clearly specified on the cover.
Jaime
Stephen Bridges <st...@stevebridges.freeserve.co.uk> escribió en el mensaje
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Stephen Bridges
other composers' works are clearly marked as to which language they are sung
in - Haydn's Creation is a good example - none of the various and excellent
versions I have seen says what language it's sung in anywhere either on the
cover, nor even in the enclosed booklet! You have to listen to it to find
out! Bach wrote few choral pieces that can be sung in both English and
German, and the fact remains, I can't find any recorded copy of the
Christmas Oratorio sung in English (even though it is commonly sung in
concert in English).
Does anyone know of one?
Steve B
Jaime Jean <jj...@data.net.mx> wrote in message
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Gilbert Elliott
itself based on Milton, there is a special argument for doing it in English,
which was done I think in and in any event not long after his lifetime.
Equally, "the seasons" is based on an English poem, and often done in
English (though not so often now recorded that way).
I think the Xmas Oratorio lacks that contemporaneity for translation, and
anyone who is doing a recording is likely to do it in German. The tradition
of doing it in English possible only survives in recordings of exerpts as
parts of King's College carol services, yet even they did it in German with
Philip Ledger circa 1977. Then passions have been recorded in English, but
equally not for some time... maybe Britten/Pears versions the last? and
that's a LONG time ago.
Just get to enjoy the German! Learn the translation carefully, and after a
while you'll come aloive to the nuances.
Stephen Bridges wrote in message <7pncb2$hg5$1...@news7.svr.pol.co.uk>...
Debbie Cusick
Gilbert Elliott wrote:
>
> Haydn's Creation is from a different generation and, as the libretto is
> itself based on Milton, there is a special argument for doing it in English,
> which was done I think in and in any event not long after his lifetime.
>
> Just get to enjoy the German!
On the other hand I once bought a copy of The Messiah at J$R Music
World in lower Manhattan so that I could listen to it while preparing
to sing it in concert, and it turned out that it was sung in German!
Nowhere on the CD did it indicate that it was sung and German and I
certainly did not expect it.
--
Debbie Cusick
Clavichord
schreibt:
>On the other hand I once bought a copy of The Messiah at J$R Music
>World in lower Manhattan so that I could listen to it while preparing
>to sing it in concert, and it turned out that it was sung in German!
Mmmmm, well, here on the Continent we never really grew up to the fact that
certain composers like Händel, Geminiani et al were British composers for most
of their lives. You will find many German Messiah recordings and performances
in Germany. There is an interesting nationalistic angle to this, as we accept
Cosi fan tutte in Italian because we know that "our" (although he was Austrian)
Mozart wrote in a FOREIGN language, but we do not accept the Messiah in English
because Händel wrote in HIS language, and that is unbearable.
Michael
Michael Zapf (Germany) - clavi...@aol.com
Harald Schäfer
Your statement causes severe headache.
Phrases like "here on the continent", "we never really grew up" and "we
do not accept..." are unacceptable generalizations. You are neither the
speaker of the german musicians, nor of the germans in general!
Of course one can accept Haendel愀 Messiah in english language. Have you
ever sung both versions? (Like I did). For example, listen to the choir
"For onto us a child is born"/"Denn es ist uns ein Kind geboren". The
distribution of the text in the english version sounds much more
"natural" than in the german version, and am I mistaken with the
opinion, that the english version was written before the german?
Please stop that "nationalistic" nonsense - you may be misunderstood by
our foreign friends.
Harald
Clavichord
=?iso-8859-1?Q?Sch=E4fer?= <sch...@uni-muenster.de> schreibt:
>Please stop that "nationalistic" nonsense - you may be misunderstood by
>our foreign friends.
Hey I was being critical, did you see the brackets and quotation marks when I
mentioned Mozart? Or the "unbearable" Händel language? Those Anglos are pretty
good in reading between lines, so I have no fear of being misunderstood. We
Germans are supposed to have no sense of humour (again using "we"), and I just
have too much Anglo training in my system, so I deviate (sigh). Relax.
Clavichord
>certain composers like Händel, Geminiani et al were British composers for
>most of their lives.
Don't you see that that means that in MY book Händel is a British composer?
Inotmark
>Of course one can accept Haendel愀 Messiah in english language. Have you
>ever sung both versions? (Like I did). For example, listen to the choir
>"For onto us a child is born"/"Denn es ist uns ein Kind geboren". The
>distribution of the text in the english version sounds much more
>"natural" than in the german version, and am I mistaken with the
>opinion, that the english version was written before the german?
>
the original version was a duet for two women in one of his operas.
Inotmark
> and am I mistaken with the
>opinion, that the english version was written before the german?
that is to say, it was a duet for two women in italian from one of his operas.
TPower5085
fidarmi," Duetto number XVI, comp.(?), July 1741, reused in the Messiah, comp.
a few weeks later.
Zachary Uram
> >certain composers like Händel, Geminiani et al were British composers for
> >most of their lives.
>
> Don't you see that that means that in MY book Händel is a British composer?
> Michael
Ah but he wasn't British. Handel was German whether he liked it or not. He
certainly wasn't most patriotic or nationalistic of Germans but you
cannot erase your blood line. Why did Handel want acceptance from British?
Regards,
Zach
________________________________________________________
ur...@cmu.edu
"Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have faith." - John 20:29
Clavichord
Zachary Uram <zu...@andrew.cmu.edu> schreibt:
>He
>certainly wasn't most patriotic or nationalistic of Germans but you
>cannot erase your blood line.
Hmmmm, and that from an American. Which Indian tribe do you belong to?