Good Shepherd Sunday
In preparation for Good Shepherd Sunday (tomorrow), Kathy sent me this link to Marian Anderson singing the lovely aria from Handel’s Messiah, “He shall feed his flock.” A week or two ago, the 70th anniversary of her famous concert at the Lincoln Memorial was celebrated by, among others, Denyce Graves. This was the concert that Eleanor Roosevelt arranged after the DAR refused permission for Marian Anderson to sing at their auditorium. One seems to hear the whole history of blacks in this country in her performance of Isaiah’s hopeful plaint for a people in exile.
Here is the biblical verse.
He shall feed His flock like a shepherd; and He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. (Isaiah 40:11)
Thank you, Kathy and Fr. Komonchak. It’s a lovely performance. And it is always nice to be reminded of the story of Marian Anderson, Eleanor Roosevelt, and the Daughters of the American Revolution.
I thought I would be able to find a performance by Anderson of “O Silver Moon,” which is the first recording of hers I ever heard, but it appears to be much more of a rarity than I thought. I think I have it only on vinyl.
I sang this as a prelude at Mass today, much faster (in the new style) and with almost none of Anderson’s delicacy. She is singing on a level of artistry that is difficult for me to even hear well, it is so beautiful. Glad you like it, Fr. K. and David.
Kathy:
Is the “new style” simply modern, or an attempt at historical authenticity, you know, like with period instruments?
Is there an analogy with interpretations of the US Constitution: original intent vs. free adaptations?
Fr. K,
I will try to find out about this particular question. More generally on the subject, you might enjoy this book by Frederick Dorian, The History of Music in Performance, http://www.amazon.com/History-Music-Performance-Interpretation-Renaissance/dp/0393003698
I blogged about this book: One of Dorian’s thematic arguments has to do with the development of the written score as a binding controlling device for all performances of a musical work. In the old days, there wasn’t too much written down, in terms of dynamic markings, etc. The composer ordinarily conducted his own work, and thus the interpretation would be defined, not by written symbols, but by performance. But it was more than that. There was a kind of fluid understanding about the music that could be made from the score. The written instrumentation might be only a suggestion–other combinations of instruments might be possible. He maintains that the concerns with the coloration of the sound are later concerns, of Berlioz, for example.
In other words, maybe musical interpretation is like Pope Benedict’s definition of the hermeneutic of reform: continuity and discontinuity at different levels.