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Tenebrae Responsoria (Gesualdo)

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Tenebrae Responsoria (Gesualdo)

Responsoria et alia ad Officium Hebdomadae Sanctae spectantia is a musical work by Italian composer Carlo Gesualdo, published in 1611. The work consists of three sets of nine short pieces, one set for each of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday, and a psalm and a hymn. The work was written for unaccompanied voices: two soprano parts, alto, two tenor parts, and bass. The work could be performed by six individuals, but is more usually sung with a few voices per part. Total performance time is about an hour.

Contents

The text of the work is settings from the Passion, the narrative of Jesus's trial, torture, execution and burial. The pieces are stylistically madrigali spirituali - madrigals on sacred texts. As in Gesualdo's later books of madrigals, he uses particularly sharp dissonance and shocking chromatic juxtapositions, especially in the parts highlighting text passages having to do with Christ's suffering, or the guilt of St. Peter in having betrayed Jesus.

Content

  1. Tenebrae Responsories for Maundy Thursday
    1. In monte Oliveti
    2. Tristis est anima mea
    3. Ecce vidimus eum
    4. Amicus meus osculi
    5. Judas mercator pessimus
    6. Unus ex discipulis meis
    7. Eram quasi agnus innocens
    8. Una hora non potuistis
    9. Seniores populi consilium
  2. Tenebrae Responsories for Good Friday
    1. Omnes amici mei dereliquerunt me et praevaluerunt insidiantes mihi
    2. Velum templi scissum est
    3. Vinea mea electa, ego te plantavi
    4. Tamquam ad latronem existis cum gladiis et fustibus cemprehendere me
    5. Tenebrae factae sunt, dum crucifixissent Jesum Judaei
    6. Animam meam dilectam tradidi in manus iniquorum
    7. Tradiderunt me in manus impiorum
    8. Jesum tradidit impius summis pricipibus sacerdotum, et senioribus populi
    9. Caligaverunt oculi mei fletu meo
  3. Tenebrae Responsories for Holy Saturday
    1. Sicut ovis ad occisionem
    2. Jerusalem, surge
    3. Plange quasi virgo
    4. Recessit pastor noster
    5. O vos omnes
    6. Ecce quomodo moritur justus
    7. Astiterunt reges terrae
    8. Aestimatus sum
    9. Sepulto Domino
  4. "et alia" – settings of:
    1. Miserere mei, Deus (Psalm 51)
    2. Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79)

Publication of the score

  • Carlo Gesualdo, Responsoria et alia ad Officium Hebdomadae Sanctae spectantia, Giovanni Giacomo Carlino (Ioannes Iacobus Carlinus), 1611.
  • Wilhelm Weismann and Glenn Watkins (editors). Tenebrae Responsoria in Carlo Gesualdo: Sämtliche Werke. Hamburg, Deutscher Verlag für Musik, 1957-1967.

    • Recordings

  • Gesualdo : Tenebrae Responsories, A Sei Voci, 2CD Erato 97411; Warner Classics 2564 62782 (1984-1986)
  • Gesualdo : Tenebrae, The Hilliard Ensemble, ECM New Series 1422/23 843 867 (1991)
  • La Compagnia del Madrigale (complete)
  • Ensemble Arte Musica, Francesco Cera
  • Ensemble De Labyrintho, Walter Testolin
  • Responsoria for Maundy Thursday:
  • The King's Singers, Signum SIGCD048 (2004)
  • Responsoria for Good Friday:
  • Taverner Consort & Choir, direction Andrew Parrott, Sony Classical SK62977 (2000)
  • Responsoria for Holy Saturday
  • Ensemble Vocal Européen, direction Philippe Herreweghe, Harmonia Mundi France HMF790120 (1990)
  • Tenebrae Responsories for Holy Saturday, The Tallis Scholars, direction Peter Phillips, Gimell, CDGIM 015 (1987)

    • References

    Tenebrae Responsoria (Gesualdo) Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA