Requiem (Gabriel Fauré)

Gabriel Fauré wrote this, the best-known of his large-scale choral works, between 1887 and 1890. Although his parents died in 1885 and 1887, he disclaimed any connection and declared it was “composed for nothing … for fun, if I may be permitted to say so”.
The text is based on the Roman Catholic Mass for the Dead, with some omissions and amendments. To this he added the motet Pie Jesu and two texts from the Order of Burial, Libera me and In Paradisum.

I. INTROITUS – KYRIE
Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine	Rest eternal give them, Lord,
et lux perpetua luceat eis.	and let light always shine on them.
Te decet hymnus, Deus in Sion	It is right to hymn you, God, in Sion
et tibi reddetur votum in Jerusalem.	and to you will be made a vow in Jerusalem.
Exaudi orationem meam, ad te omnis caro veniet.	Hear my prayer, to you all flesh will come.
Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison.	Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, lord have mercy.
II. OFFERTORIUM
O Domine, Jesu Christe, Rex Gloriae	O lord, Jesus Christ, king of glory
libera animas defunctorum	free the souls of the dead
de poenis inferni et de profundo lacu.	from the punishment of hell and the deep pit.
O Domine, Jesu Christe, Rex Gloriae	O Lord Jesus Christ, king of glory,
libera animas defunctorum de ore leonis	deliver the dead souls from the mouth of the lion,
ne absorbeat eus Tartarus ne cadant in obscurum.	so they are not swallowed by hell and do not fall into darkness.
Hostias et preces tibi Domine, laudis offerimus	Sacrifices and prayers to you, lord, with praise we offer
tu suscipe pro animabus illis	receive them for those souls
quarum hodie memoriam facimus	whom today we remember.
Fac eas, Domine, de morte transire ad vitam	Make them, lord, from death cross over to life
Quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini eus.	as once to Abraham you promised and to his seed.
III. SANCTUS
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth	Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts
pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua	full are the heavens and earth with the glory of you
hosanna in excelsis.	hosanna in the highest.
IV. PIE JESU
Pie Jesu, Domine, dona eis requiem	Merciful Jesus, Lord, give them rest
dona eis requiem sempiternam requiem	give them rest, eternal rest.
V. AGNUS DEI
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi	Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
dona eis requiem.	give them rest.
Lux aeterna luceat eis, Domine	Let light eternal shine on them, lord,
Cum sanctis tuis in aeternum,	with your saints for eternity,
quia pius es	for you are merciful.
Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine,	give them eternal rest, lord,
et lux perpetua luceat eis	and let light always shine on them.
VI. LIBERA ME
Libera me, Domine, de morte aeterna	Free me, lord, from death eternal
in die illa tremenda	on that day of dread
quando coeli movendi sunt et terra	when the heavens will be shaken and the earth
dum veneris judicare saeculum per ignem	while you come to judge the world with fire.
Tremens factus sum ego et timeo	I am made to shake, and am afraid
dum discussio venerit atque ventura ira	awaiting the trial and the coming anger.
Dies illa, dies irae, calamitatis et miseriae	That day, day of anger, of calamity and misery,
dies illa, dies magna et amara valde.	that day, the day of great and exceeding bitterness,
Requiem aeternam …	(reprise of the introit)
VII. IN PARADISUM
In Paradisum deducant Angeli	Into paradise may angels draw them,
in tuo adventu suscipiant te Martyres	on your arrival, may the martyrs receive you
et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem	and lead you into the holy city Jerusalem.
Chorus Angelorum te suscipiat	May the chorus of angels receive you,
et cum Lazaro quondam paupere	and with Lazarus, once a beggar,
aeternam habeas requiem	may you have eternal rest.

Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison. A transliteration of the greek prayer Κύριε ἐλέησον, Χριστὲ ἐλέησον, Κύριε ἐλέησον.

---

December 1999: the first half of the first concert by what would later become known as The Sacred Wing was a performance of Fauré’s Requiem. My friend Ian B, an intelligent and privately-educated man, came up to me during the interval and said “That was lovely. What was it about?”
We'd chosen the work because we thought it was well-known, and anyway everybody would know what a requiem was and think it appropriate for a concert so near World Aids Day. A reminder, if one were needed, of the dangers of making assumptions. Since then I've always included a translation of anything non-english when putting programme notes together (here's a pdf of the programme for Sacred Wing's 2004 performance), and I suppose that ultimately you've got Ian to thank for this blog.

Démons et Merveilles (Maurice Thiriet)

Jacques Prévert wrote these lyrics as part of his screenplay for the 1942 film Les Visiteurs du Soir, an allegory of the eternal struggle between good and evil.

Démons et merveilles,	Demons and wonders,
Vents et marées	Winds and tides
Au loin déjà la mer s'est retirée	In the distance already the sea has withdrawn
Et toi comme une algue	And you like a piece of seaweed
Doucement caressée par le vent	Gently caressed by the wind
Tu remues en revant.	You stir dreaming.
Démons et merveilles,	Demons and wonders,
Vents et marées	Winds and tides
Au loin déjà la mer s'est retirée	In the distance already the sea has withdrawn
Mais dans tes yeux entr'ouverts	But in your half-opened eyes
Deux petites vagues sont restées	Two little waves have remained
Démons et merveilles,	Demons and wonders,
Vents et marées	Winds and tides
Deux petites vagues pour me noyer.	Two little waves to drown me.

Trois Beaux Oiseaux du Paradis (Maurice Ravel)

One of three songs which Ravel wrote to his own words in 1915, shortly after the outbreak of the First World War. Blue, white and red are the colours of the french flag (and the flags of many other countries).

Trois beaux oiseaux du Paradis,	Three beautiful birds of paradise,
(Mon ami z'il est à la guerre)	(My friend has gone to war)
Trois beaux oiseaux du Paradis	Trois beautiful birds of paradise,
Ont passé par ici.	Have passed through here.
Le premier était plus bleu que ciel,	The first was more blue than the sky,
Le second était couleur de neige,	The second was the colour of snow
Le troisième rouge vermeil.	The third red, bright red.
“Beaux oiselets du Paradis,	“Beautiful little birds of Paradise,
Qu'apportez par ici?”	What (do you) bring through here?”
“J'apporte un regard couleur d'azur.	“I am bringing a blue-eyed look.
“Et moi, sur beau front couleur de neige,	“And me, on a beautiful forehead the colour of snow
Un baiser dois mettre, encore plus pur”	A kiss should place, even more pure”
“Oiseau vermeil du Paradis,	“Vermillion bird of paradise,
Que portez-vous ainsi?”	What do you bring as well?”
“Un joli cœur tout cramoisi …	“A beautiful heart all crimson …
“Ah! je sens mon cœur qui froidit …	“Ah, I feel my heart is becoming cold …
Emportez-le aussi”.	Take it also.”

Z'il. The z doesn't really mean anything, it's just a way of keeping the two vowels apart. It's like the t introduced when elle a is inverted to a-t-elle.

Rouge vermeil. Tempting to use vermilion, but that's the english for vermillon. Vermeil is an adjective meaning bright red, and qualifying rouge (red).

Un regard couleur d'azur. Azur (azure) is a literary way of saying blue. There are more brown eyes than blue in France, and the tendency was even more marked before the days of easy travel. So someone with blue eyes was likely to be foreign.

CPDL

Les Fleurs et les Arbres (Camille Saint-Saëns)

The second of two unaccompanied chorales opus 68, published some time in the 1880s. The first is Calme des Nuits.

Les fleurs et les arbres,	The flowers and the trees,
Les bronzes, les marbres,	The bronzes, the marbles,
Les ors, les émaux,	The golds, the enamels,
La mer, les fontaines,	The sea, the springs,
Les monts et les plaines	The mountains and the plains
Consolent nos maux.	Console our pains.
Nature éternelle	Eternal nature,
Tu sembles plus belle	You seem more beautiful
Au sein des douleurs,	To a heart in sorrow,
Et l’art nous domine,	And art reigns over us,
Sa flame illumine	Its flame illuminates
Le rire et les pleurs.	The laughter and the tears.

CPDL

Calme des Nuits (Camille Saint-Saëns)

The first of two unaccompanied chorales opus 68, published some time in the 1880s. The second is Les fleurs et les Arbres.

Calmes des nuits, fraicheur des soirs,	Still periods of the nights, coolness of the evenings,
Vaste scintillement des mondes,	Vast shimmering of the worlds,
Grand silence des antres noirs	Great silence of black caverns
Vous charmez les âmes profondes.	You charm profound spirits.
L’éclat du soleil, la gaité,	The burst of sunlight, merriment,
Le bruit plaisent aux plus futiles;	Noise please the more frivolous;
Le poéte seul est hanté	The poet alone is haunted
Par l’amour des choses tranquiles.	By the love of quiet things.

CPDL

Quatre Motets sur des Thèmes Grégoriens (Maurice Duruflé)

Four beautiful if challenging little gems, a 1960 re-imagining of plainsong. Leaning on the marked syllables (á, é, etc) rather than the first beat after every irregular bar-line adds to the effect.

UBI CARITAS
Ubi cáritas et ámor, Déus ibi est.	Where (there is) charity and love, God is there.
Congregávit nos in únum Chrísti ámor.	We are gathered into one by Christ’s love.
Exsultémus et in ípso jucundémur.	Let us rejoice and, in him, be happy.
Timeámus et amémus Déum vívum.	Let us revere and love the living God.
Et ex córde diligámus nos sincéro.	And from the heart we are diligent by being genuine.
Amen.	Amen.
TOTA PULCHRA ES
Tóta púlchra es, María, et mácula originális non est in te.	You are wholly beautiful, Mary, and original sin is not (found) in you.
Vestiméntum túum cándidum quasi nix, et fácies túa sicut sol.	Your clothes are as white as snow, and your face is like the sun.
Tu glória Jerúsalem, tu laetítia Israel, tu honorificéntia pópuli nóstri.	You (are the) glory of Jerusalem, you (are the) joy of Israel, you (are the) honour of our people.
TU ES PETRUS
Tu es Pétrus, et super hanc pétram edificábo ecclésiam méam.	You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.
TANTUM ERGO
Tántum érgo sacraméntum venerémur cérnui,	Only because of this sacrament let us bow low,
Et antíquum documéntum novo cédat rítui,	And let the old law give way to the new rite,
Praéstet fídes suppleméntum sénsuum deféctui.	Let faith make up for our deficient senses.
Genitóri genitóque laus et jubilátio, sálus, hónor, vírtus quóque;	To the begetter and the begotten praise and jubilation, salvation, honour and power also;
sit et benedíctio, procedénti ab utróque cómpar sit laudátio.	And be there blessing, to the one proceeding from both let there equally be praise.
Amen.	Amen.

Amen. The usual translation is so let it be. But it's also the verily in verily I say unto you – a solemn afirmation.

Petrus, petram. A contender for the world's most venerable pun. Two very similar words, meaning Peter and rock, but in different forms because they have different functions in the sentence. It's easier in french, which uses Pierre for both meanings and both functions. Or of course if Mr Hudson had been a bit godlier …

Ergo. Best known as the therefore in I think therefore I am (cogito ergo sum), but can also do the opposite job in logic and mean because.

Genitori genitoque. I've used the biblical begetter and begotten to emphasise how similar the two words are. The que on the end is a neat way of saying slightly more than just and, of emphasising that two words are strongly paired.

Tant que vivray (Claudin de Sermisy)

First published in 1527, this is one of about 175 chansons by Claudin de Sermisy, who gets a name-check in Rabelais’ Gargantua and Pantagruel.

Tant que vivray en âge florissant,	So long as I live at a flourishing age,
Je serviray d'amour le dieu puissant,	I will serve love's powerful god,
En faictz, et dictz, en chansons, et accords.	In actions and words, in songs and harmonies.
Par plusieurs fois m'a tenu languissant,	Many times (he) left me languishing,
Mais après dueil m'a faict réjouyssant,	But after mourning made me rejoice,
Car j'ay l'amour de la belle au gent corps.	Since I have the love of a beautiful woman with a fine body.
Son alliance	An alliance with her
C'est ma fiance:	That's my pledge:
Son cœur est mien,	Her heart is mine,
Le mien est sien:	Mine is hers:
Fi de tristesse,	Boo to sadness,
Vive lyesse,	Long live joy,
Puis qu'en amour a tant de bien.	Since in love there is so much good.
Quand je la veulx servir, et honorer,	When I want to serve her, and honour (her),
Quand par escripts veux son nom décorer,	When with fine scripts (I) want to decorate her name,
Quand je la veoy, et visite souvent,	When I see her, and visit her often,
Les envieux n'en font que murmurer,	Envious people just murmer about it
Mais notr'amour n'en sçaurait moins durer;	But our love won't therefore endure less;
Aultant ou plus en emporte le vent.	So far or further will the wind carry it.
Malgré envie	Despite envy
Toute ma vie	All my life
Je l'aimeray,	I will love her
Et chanteray,	And I will sing,
C'est la premiere,	“She is the first
C'est la derniere,	She is the last
Que j'ay servie, et serviray.	That I have served, and will serve”.

The french text is from our Editions Outremontaises edition, slightly different in places from CPDL.

I've based my translation on an anonymous one lent to me by friend and fellow-Cantabilean David Adshead which begins “While I am in my prime”. In most other contexts that would be better but in this blog I'm trying to be more literal and give singers a clue as to what the individual words mean.

La belle au gent corps. La belle is literally the beautiful (female), so she may be a bit younger than woman implies. Gent meant graceful or elegant, with overtones of being well-born. I'll lay good money that someone somewhere has translated this phrase as fair maid.

Fi de. Well yes, you could perhaps translate this as Fie upon. But I couldn't.

Il est bel et bon (Pierre Passereau)

A jolly 16th-century chanson in archaic language.

Il est bel et bon, commère, mon mari.	He is handsome and good, dear, my husband.
Il estoit deux femmes toutes d'ung pays,	There were two women, both from the same area,
disanst l'une à l'aultre – “Avez bon mary.”	saying one to the other, “got a good husband?”
Il ne me courrousse, ne me bat aussy.	He doesn't abuse me, or beat me either.
Il faict le mesnaige,	He does the housework,
il donne aux poulailles,	he gives (food) to the poultry
et je prens mes plaisirs.	and I take my pleasure.
Commère, c'est pour rire	Dear, it’ll make you laugh
Quand les poulailles crient:	to hear the cries of the poultry:
Petite coquette, (co co co co da), qu'esse-cy?	You little charmer, what’s this?

Commère was used by a woman to (or about) a female friend who she liked chatting with. Now it means more of a gossip. I’ve used dear as a placeholder; a restrained englishwoman probably wouldn't feel the need to say anything at all, and an ebullient american might well say girlfriend. Unfairly, as ever, the male equivalent compère is still quite a positive word for a friend.

Co co co co da is great fun to sing. It picks up the first syllable of coquette, and when the altos and basses sing it under the sopranos’ and tenors’ petite coquette then it sounds as if the poultry are clucking away. But perhaps there's also an echo of cocu or cuckold – maybe je prens mes plaisirs (I take my pleasure) means more than just sitting around chatting.

CPDL

Tanzen und springen (Hans Leo Hassler)

For my first ever blog post: a German madrigal from Cantabile’s first full concert in July 2008.

Tanzen und springen, singen und klingen,	Dancing and jumping, singing and sounding,
Lauten und Geigen, soll’n auch nicht schweigen,	lutes and fiddles should also not stay silent.
Zu musizieren und jubilieren steht mir all mein Sinn.	To make music and rejoice is all my sense.
Schöne Jungfrauen in grüner Auen,	(There are) beautiful young women in green meadows,
Mit ihn’n spazieren und converzieren,	with them to walk and talk,
freundlich zu scherzen, freut mich im Herzen	to have a friendly joke, makes me happy in the heart
für Silber und Gold.	more than silver and gold.

It's a sprightly little number, and a bit of a tongue-twister with plenty of Zs (pronounced “TS”) and the odd J (“Y”) to trip up the unwary.

CPDL