Stabat Mater is a 2008 composition for choir and orchestra by

Karl Jenkins Sir Karl William Pamp Jenkins (born 17 February 1944) is a Welsh multi-instrumentalist and composer. His best known works include the song " Adiemus" and the ''Adiemus'' album series; '' Palladio''; ''The Armed Man''; and his ''Requiem''. J ...

, based on the 13th-century prayer Stabat Mater. Like much of Jenkins' earlier work, the work incorporates both traditional Western music (orchestra and choir) with ethnic instruments and vocals, this time focusing on the Middle East. The first recording features the

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Royal Liverpool Philharmonic is a music organisation based in Liverpool, England, that manages a professional symphony orchestra, a concert venue, and extensive programmes of learning through music. Its orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmon ...

Orchestra and Choir, along with two soloists, Lithuanian mezzo-soprano Jurgita Adamonyte, and English musician Belinda Sykes, who both sings and performs on the '' duduk'', an Armenian reed instrument.

Background

Written in the 13th century, the title Stabat Mater is actually an abbreviation of the first line, "Stabat Mater dolorosa" ('The sorrowful Mother was standing'). The poem reflects on the suffering of

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

, mother of

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...

, at the time of the

Crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagi ...

. Lasting just over one hour on the debut recording, Jenkins' setting of the 20-verse poem is one of the longest of hundreds of extant settings of the work.

Jenkins' adaptation

Stabat Mater focuses on the suffering of Mary, but unlike most adaptations of the text, Jenkins uses languages other than Latin and his native English. Jenkins' work extends across twelve movements, six of which use texts other than the original poem. They include a choral arrangement of the " Ave verum" Jenkins originally wrote for

Bryn Terfel Sir Bryn Terfel Jones, (; born 9 November 1965) (known professionally as Bryn Terfel) is a Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer. Terfel was initially associated with the roles of Mozart, particularly '' Figaro'', '' Leporello'' and '' ...

; "And The Mother Did Weep," which features a single line sung simultaneously in English, Latin, Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew; "Lament," a poem by Jenkins' wife Carol Barratt; and "Incantation," which is partly sung in early

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

. It also features two poems—a poem by Rumi and an excerpt from the ''

Epic of Gilgamesh The ''Epic of Gilgamesh'' () is an epic poem from ancient Mesopotamia, and is regarded as the earliest surviving notable literature and the second oldest religious text, after the Pyramid Texts. The literary history of Gilgamesh begins with ...

—''translated into English and

Aramaic The Aramaic languages, short Aramaic ( syc, ܐܪܡܝܐ, Arāmāyā; oar, 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀; arc, 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀; tmr, אֲרָמִית), are a language family containing many varieties (languages and dialects) that originated in ...

. The addition of the Armenian '' duduk'' (or ''ney'') heightens the Eastern atmosphere, and its deep double-reeded sound adds a richer, more resonant dimension to the work than can perhaps be achieved using orchestra alone. Alongside the ''duduk'', Jenkins features percussion from the Middle East, such as the ''darabuca'', ''def'', ''doholla'', and '' riq''. The first movement is an extended variation of a piece from '' Adiemus'', ''Cantus: Song of Tears'', using the same format (with soft introduction preceding the main melody) and harmonisation. The seventh movement, "And The Mother Did Weep," adapts "Amaté Adea," the seventh movement of the first ''Adiemus'' album.

Premiere and recording

Stabat Mater received its world premiere in

Liverpool Anglican Cathedral Liverpool Cathedral is the Cathedral of the Anglican Diocese of Liverpool, built on St James's Mount in Liverpool, and the seat of the Bishop of Liverpool. It may be referred to as the Cathedral Church of Christ in Liverpool (as recorded in the ...

on Saturday 15 March 2008 and featured the

Choir and Orchestra, Jurgita Adamonyté, Belinda Sykes, and was conducted by Jenkins himself. The work was recorded with the same personnel and the of Helsinki, and was released by EMI on 10 March 2008.

Movements

Jenkins' Stabat Mater is divided into 12 movements. Unlike his Requiem, no movements combine both

liturgical Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

and non-liturgical texts. The table gives the forces used for the 2007 recording; the score calls for a single contralto soloist (recorded by mezzo-soprano Adamonyte and vocalist Sykes) and a single chorus.

References

{{Authority control Compositions by Karl Jenkins 2008 compositions 2008 classical albums Karl Jenkins albums Jenkins