(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 bassoon
[Chicago 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