Post by Dominic on Dec 3, 2023 21:05:38 GMT
With Christmastide coming up, I'm offering some links to the Song of the Sibyl, the jewel in the crown of Gregorian Chant and the only piece that has survived in almost uninterrupted practice since the tenth century. It was banned by the Council of Trent, but after a twenty odd year hiatus, was taken up again by the inhabitants of Mallorca, where it is still regularly performed during Mass on Christmas.
It has been designated a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by Unesco, and there have been efforts to restore it in Spain and France, especially in Catalonia and Galicia.
It is part of the oldest drama known in post-Antique Western culture, the "Ordo Prophetarum", or "Procession of the Prophets", and the oldest one for which we have detailed stage directions. It was originally performed during the Christmas Eve vigils, then during the Christmas Day liturgy itself.
It's also the oldest drag performance, because it was originally performed by a young priest dressed as the Sibyl herself, at first from the altar for the benefit of fellow clerics in the quire, and later for the benefit of the whole congregation from the ambon.
Nowadays in Mallorca, it is performed either by a young boy or even a young girl, which is unfortunate because the piece is written for an highly accomplished singer, and kids just don't have the skill to do it justice, bless their hearts.
Spanish revivals often use accomplished adult female singers to bring out the best the song has to offer, although, of course, women were not permitted to sing in church during the Middle Ages (except in cloistered monasteries), and the idea of women performing is a recent innovation. Womens' roles were performed exclusively by men even in the time of Shakespeare and Baroque Opera.
The source of the lyrics predates Constantine, and though the original author is unknown, a Greek version appears in the writings of Eusebius of Caesarea, and it was translated into Latin by Augustine of Hippo. After that, it fell into obscurity until it resurfaced in the tenth century.
It was incorporated into the Christmas Vigil service and set to the music that survives until this day. Before long, it was expanded into the Ordo Prophetarum, in which the Sibyl was joined by Old Testament figures such as Jacob, Moses and Daniel.
Later still, it grew into a major work called the Ludus Adami, or Play of Adam, which recounted the whole history of Salvation from the Creation to the Last Judgement. Unfortunately, this extensive performance has not survived intact, and we have only fragments that hint at its former glory.
This is a link to a performance of the whole one hour long Ordo Prophetarum, from the famous pilgrimage shrine of St. James in Compostela (Catedral de Santiago de Compostela). A neat feature is that as each Old Testament figure is introduced, a drawing of the famous Portico of Glory at the shrine is shown with the statue of the respective personage outlined:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySxrbwddHG8
This is a video by UNESCO containing excerpts from several performances in Mallorca:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BniECJ7GC0
Here is a jaw-droppingly spectacular and glorious restored performance at the Cathedral of Barcelona:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmqiTQfVNGw
The (incredibly famous) Catalan early music artist Jordi Savall has recorded an album three different versions of the Song of the Sibyl, in Latin, Provencal and Catalan:
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_llxmMXak7-lbiItTjGN0mCGgMZW0VfEW0
The first performance I saw was by Lisa Gerrard, generally considered the most accomplished vocalist in contemporary popular music. When she started singing, my friend and I turned to each other in amazement because we knew we had been transported to a whole new realm of musical reality:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=swDzw_-RR1g
It has been designated a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by Unesco, and there have been efforts to restore it in Spain and France, especially in Catalonia and Galicia.
It is part of the oldest drama known in post-Antique Western culture, the "Ordo Prophetarum", or "Procession of the Prophets", and the oldest one for which we have detailed stage directions. It was originally performed during the Christmas Eve vigils, then during the Christmas Day liturgy itself.
It's also the oldest drag performance, because it was originally performed by a young priest dressed as the Sibyl herself, at first from the altar for the benefit of fellow clerics in the quire, and later for the benefit of the whole congregation from the ambon.
Nowadays in Mallorca, it is performed either by a young boy or even a young girl, which is unfortunate because the piece is written for an highly accomplished singer, and kids just don't have the skill to do it justice, bless their hearts.
Spanish revivals often use accomplished adult female singers to bring out the best the song has to offer, although, of course, women were not permitted to sing in church during the Middle Ages (except in cloistered monasteries), and the idea of women performing is a recent innovation. Womens' roles were performed exclusively by men even in the time of Shakespeare and Baroque Opera.
The source of the lyrics predates Constantine, and though the original author is unknown, a Greek version appears in the writings of Eusebius of Caesarea, and it was translated into Latin by Augustine of Hippo. After that, it fell into obscurity until it resurfaced in the tenth century.
It was incorporated into the Christmas Vigil service and set to the music that survives until this day. Before long, it was expanded into the Ordo Prophetarum, in which the Sibyl was joined by Old Testament figures such as Jacob, Moses and Daniel.
Later still, it grew into a major work called the Ludus Adami, or Play of Adam, which recounted the whole history of Salvation from the Creation to the Last Judgement. Unfortunately, this extensive performance has not survived intact, and we have only fragments that hint at its former glory.
This is a link to a performance of the whole one hour long Ordo Prophetarum, from the famous pilgrimage shrine of St. James in Compostela (Catedral de Santiago de Compostela). A neat feature is that as each Old Testament figure is introduced, a drawing of the famous Portico of Glory at the shrine is shown with the statue of the respective personage outlined:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySxrbwddHG8
This is a video by UNESCO containing excerpts from several performances in Mallorca:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BniECJ7GC0
Here is a jaw-droppingly spectacular and glorious restored performance at the Cathedral of Barcelona:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmqiTQfVNGw
The (incredibly famous) Catalan early music artist Jordi Savall has recorded an album three different versions of the Song of the Sibyl, in Latin, Provencal and Catalan:
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_llxmMXak7-lbiItTjGN0mCGgMZW0VfEW0
The first performance I saw was by Lisa Gerrard, generally considered the most accomplished vocalist in contemporary popular music. When she started singing, my friend and I turned to each other in amazement because we knew we had been transported to a whole new realm of musical reality:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=swDzw_-RR1g