(Christmas

Pastoral The pastoral genre of literature, art, or music depicts an idealised form of the shepherd's lifestyle – herding livestock around open areas of land according to the seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. The target au ...

) is a trio composition for

flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

bassoon The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity ...

and

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orchestras or ...

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 influ ...

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 Movement may refer to: Generic uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Movement (sign language), a hand movement when signing * Motion, commonly referred to as movement * Movement (music), a division of a larger co ...

, " (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 is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...

program notes
y Gregory Karl. and features sparkling harp

arpeggio An arpeggio () is a type of Chord (music), chord in which the Musical note, notes that compose a chord are individually sounded in a progressive rising or descending order. Arpeggios on keyboard instruments may be called rolled chords. Arpe ...

s. In "", the bassoon and the flute echo the

Magi Magi (), or magus (), is the term for priests in Zoroastrianism and earlier Iranian religions. The earliest known use of the word ''magi'' is in the trilingual inscription written by Darius the Great, known as the Behistun Inscription. Old Per ...

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 ...

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. The G natural minor scale is: Changes n ...

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 (or meter in US spelling; symbol: m) is the base unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). Since 2019, the metre has been defined as the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of of ...

several times. It ends unexpectedly on an

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

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 Nordmann is the demonym of the Norwegian people in its native language (see: Norman). It is also a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alexander von Nordmann (1803–1866), Finnish zoologist * Armand von Nordmann (1759–1809), Au ...

, 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