Cinco canciones amatorias / Five love songs

For Voice and Piano / Voice and String Orchestra / Voice and String Quintet


Commentary
Texts
Recording
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Commentary


Composed during the summer of 1994, these Cinco canciones amatorias wished to be my modest and enthusiastic contribution to the commemorative events of the 150th anniversary of the "Jaume Balmes" Institute of Secondary Education, in whose classrooms I was trained between 1962 and 1969, attending to the kind invitation that the Organizing Commission of such an important ephemerides would kindly extend to me for said act.
Initially, the project wanted to have integrated, together with the music of a former student of the Institute, texts written by other former students; but those that could be made available were not suitable for musicalization. Instead, and not being able to "count on the help" of contemporary authors or recent generations linked to the Center, I directed my search towards a somewhat more distant past, finally selecting a series of Catalan poems from the 14th to 16th centuries (four of anonymous authors, and one of the poet Pere Serafí) that captivated me by the charm of its simplicity, as well as by the sonorous beauty of its language, agglutinated by the common denominator of the love theme.

The five poems were then treated in a musical elaboration process that, preserving the essence of each one of them, also sought the necessary contrasts -both in character and in the vocal and instrumental treatment of each one- that would guarantee an direct and attractive audition of them. For this, and taking into account the characteristics of the act in which the first audition would take place, I decided to put aside all kinds of stylistic experimentalism and aesthetic speculation, serving the texts with a traditional language, but not for that reason in any way outdated.

Thus, the mournful languor of the "Cançó de la llassa" ("Unfortunate’s Song") gives way to the openly scherzante and festive character of "D'on sou, que tan alt veniu?" ("Where are you who come so tall from?"). The third song, "En clavell, Sí m'ajut Déu" ("Don carnation, help me God"), is written for the voice alone, assuming a zone of intimate reflection in the center of the cycle. Also scherzante, although with greater lyricism, is "No puc dormir soleta" ("I can't sleep alone"). Finally, the work closes with the longest of the songs, the one entitled "Si em lleví de bon matí" ("I got up very early in the morning"), based on a poem by Pere Serafí, made up of a succession of friendly melodic sections, periodically broken by dramatic episodes.

The score, originally composed for voice and piano, was premiered in a version for voice and string orchestra at the commemorative event for the 150th anniversary of the "Jaume Balmes" Institute in Barcelona, held at the Palau de la Música Catalana on April 25, 1995, being performed by the soprano Rosa Mateu and the "Gonçal Comellas" Chamber Orchestra conducted by himself. Later, the soprano Claudia Yepes premiered the version for Voice and String Quintet at the Monumental Theater in Madrid.

Program of the premiere of the Cinco canciones amatorias (Barcelona, April 25, 1995)

Texts

I Anonymous (first half of the 14th century) Cançó de la llassa / Unfortunate's song

Llassa, mais m'hagra valgut que fos maridada, o cortès amic hagut que can sui monjada. Monjada fui a mon dan: pecat gran han fait, segons mon albir; mas cells qui mesa m'hi han, en mal an los meta Déus, e els aïr. Car si io ho hagués sabut, -mas fui un poc fada- qui em donàs tot Montagut no hic fóra entrada.

Unfortunate, it would have been better for me be married, or have a courteous friend tan having been an ordained nun. They put me in a nun for my harm: great sin they did, in my opinion; but to those who put me here more damage God give them and hate them. Cause if I had known -But I was a bit foolish- nor that they gave me all Montagut I would have entered here.

II Anonymous (late 16th century) D'on sou que tan alt veniu? / Where are you who come so tall from?

D'on sou que tan alt veniu, don Piripipiu? Segons cantau poc a poc i us cremau on no hi ha foc, deveu ser de quelque lloc nat en lo mig de l'estiu, don Piripipiu. Puix nos dau tant de plaer, raó és que us donem muller, però voldria saber d'on sou ab vostre enretxiu, don Piripipiu. Ab vostre ballar i manyes, i voltetes tan extranyes, deveu ser de las muntanyes on fan cogullades niu, don Piripipiu.

Where are you who come so tal from, Don Piripipio? Because of the slowness of your singing and for burning you where there is no home, you must be from anywhere born in the middle of summer, Don Piripipio. Since you give us so much pleasure, It is fair that we give you a woman, but i would like to know where are you from with your spell, Don Piripipio. With your dance and your tricks, and little twists so strange, you must come from the mountains, where the lark makes its nest, Don Piripipio.

III Anonymous (16th century) En clavell, si m'ajut Déu / Don carnation, help me God

En clavell, sí m'ajut Déu, tan belles olors haveu! En clavell verd i florit, ma senyora us ha collit. Tan belles olors haveu! En clavell verd i granat, ma senyora us ha segat. Tan belles olors haveu!

Don carnation, help me God, what beautiful smells you have! Don carnation, green and flowery, My lady has caught you. What beautiful smells you have! Don carnation, green and pomegranate, my lady has reaped you. What beautiful smells you have!

IV Anonymous (ca. 1429) No puc dormir soleta / I can't sleep alone

No puc dormir soleta, no. ¿Què em faré, llassa, si no mi's passa? Tant mi turmenta l'amor! Ai, amic, mon dolç amic! Somiar vos he esta nit. ¿Què em faré, llassa? Somiat vos he esta nit que us tenia en mon llit. ¿Què em faré, llassa? Ai, amat, mon dolç amat! Anit vos he somiat. ¿Què em faré, llassa? Anit vos he somiat que us tenia en mon braç. ¿Què em faré, llassa?

I can't sleep alone, no. What will I do, wretch? if it doesn't go from me? Love torments me so much! Oh friend, sweet friend! I dreamed of you tonight. What will I do, wretch? I dreamed of you tonight, that you were with me in bed What will I do, wretch? Oh beloved, my sweet beloved! I dreamed of you last night. What will I do, wretch? Last night I dreamed of you that I had you well embraced. What will I do, wretch?

V Pere Serafí (1505-1567) Si em lleví de bon matí / I got up very early in the morning

Si em lleví de bon matí y aní-me'n tota soleta, i entrí-me'n dins mon jardí, de matinet, l'aire dolcet la fa rira-riret, per collir la violeta. Ai, llasseta ¿què faré ni què diré? Valga'm Déu, que estic dolenta, l'amor és que m'aturmenta. A mon dolç amat trobí adormit sobrel'herbeta, despertàs dient així, de matinet, l'aire dolçet la fa rira-riret. si vull ésse sa amieta. Ai, llasseta ¿què faré ni què diré? Valga'm Déu, que estic dolenta, l'amor és que m'aturmenta. Jo li'n responguí que sí, mas que no fos sentideta. Ai, que tant pler mai prenguí, de matinet, l'aire dolcet la fa rira-riret, que restí consoladeta. Ai, llasseta ¿què faré ni què diré? Valga'm Déu, que estic dolenta, l'amor és que m'aturmenta.

I got up very early in the morning and alone I left, and I entered my garden in the morning; the sweet air does rira riret picking up the violet Oh, wretch! What will I do nor what will I say? God help me, how bad I feel; It is love that torments me. I found my sweet lover asleep on the grass. He woke up saying so -in the morning the sweet air does rira riret-: if I want to be of him. Oh, wretch! What will I do nor what will I say? God help me, how bad I feel; It is love that torments me. I told him yes if it was secret. Oh! how much pleasure i never took -in the morning the sweet air does rira-riret-: consoled I was Oh, wretch! What will I do nor what will I say? God help me, how bad I feel; It is love that torments me.

Recording

Recording: Claudia Yepes (soprano) string quintet of the Spanish Radio Television Orchestra
Madrid, Teatro Monumental, november 2002 (6th Cycle of Chamber Music of the Spanish Radio Television Orchestra

I. Cançó de la llassa
II. D'on sou que tan alt veniu?
III. En clavell, si m'ajut Déu
IV. No puc dormir soleta
V. Si em lleví de bon matí

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(Scores and parts without watermarks available at www.asesores-musicales.com )

General score of the version for soprano ans string orchestra of the Cinco canciones amatorias

Score of the reduction for voice and piano of the Cinco canciones amatorias

General score of the version for soprano ans string quintet of the Cinco canciones amatorias