(Christmas Pastoral) is a trio composition for flute, bassoon and harp written by

André Jolivet André Jolivet (; 8 August 1905 – 20 December 1974) was a French composer. Known for his devotion to French culture and musical thought, Jolivet drew on his interest in acoustics and atonality, as well as both ancient and modern musical influe ...

in 1943. It is cast in four movements and lasts about 12 minutes. It has been described as an "unusual and very lovely Christmas piece".

Overview

The work, for the most part gentle and evocative, establishes a mood of antiquity. The four scenes are vividly characterized and the instruments are used to great effect. The opening movement, " (The Star) begins with a mysterious duet for flute and bassoonChicago Chamber Musicians, program notes by Dr. Richard E. Rodda, October 2007. Chamber Concerts by members of the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

program notes
by Gregory Karl. and features sparkling harp arpeggios. In "", the bassoon and the flute echo the

Magi Magi (; singular magus ; from Latin '' magus'', cf. fa, مغ ) were priests in Zoroastrianism and the earlier religions of the western Iranians. The earliest known use of the word ''magi'' is in the trilingual inscription written by Darius t ...

s' efforts during their journey, with a melody that displays a characteristic augmented interval (E-flat to F-sharp). The goal of their pilgrimage is the subject of the next movement, "". It is extremely simple, based entirely on the

C minor C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature consists of three flats. Its relative major is E major and its parallel major is C major. The C natural minor scale is: : Cha ...

scale. The harmony consists only of three chords: C minor,

F minor F minor is a minor scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature consists of four flats. Its relative major is A-flat major and its parallel major is F major. Its enharmonic equivalent, E-sharp mi ...

and

G minor G minor is a minor scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has two flats. Its relative major is B-flat major and its parallel major is G major. According to Paolo Pietropaolo, it is the con ...

and calls to mind a peaceful lullaby. The final movement, "" (Entrance and Dance of the Shepherds) is more rhythmically complex and changes

metre The metre (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its prefi ...

several times. It ends unexpectedly on an E major chord with added sixth.

Movements

# L'Étoile # Les Mages # La Vierge et l'enfant # Entrée et danse des bergers

Selected discography

*Castagner, Faisandier, Laskine, 2005, Recorded in 1956, Accord 2CD 4767783. *Trio Nordmann, 1972, Erato STU-70-706. *The Britten–Pears Ensemble, 1995, ASV CD DCA-918. * Manuela Wiesler, Christian Davidsson, Erica Goodman, 1996, Bis Records CD 739. *Ensemble Arpeggio, 2004, ASV QS 6252.

References

External links

* , members of the

Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra (TSO) is a symphony orchestra based in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. It is the smallest of the six orchestras established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). History The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestr ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pastorales de Noel Compositions by André Jolivet Chamber music compositions Compositions for flute Compositions for bassoon Compositions for harp 1943 compositions