Harmonia Caelestis
Encyclopedia
Harmonia Caelestis is a cycle of 55 sacred
cantatas attributed to the Hungarian
composer Paul I, 1st Prince Esterházy of Galántha
(1635–1713) and published in 1711. They are in the Baroque
style and incorporate traditional Hungarian
and German melodies. Each of the cantatas consists of one movement
. They are composed for solo voices (the majority for one solo voice, although there are some duets), choir, and orchestra (including viola
s, violone
, harp, bassoon, theorba
, violins, flutes, trumpets, organ, timpani
).
Péter Esterházy
's 2000 novel, Harmonia Caelestis, takes its name from the composition.
Religious music
Religious music is music performed or composed for religious use or through religious influence.A lot of music has been composed to complement religion, and many composers have derived inspiration from their own religion. Many forms of traditional music have been adapted to fit religions'...
cantatas attributed to the Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
composer Paul I, 1st Prince Esterházy of Galántha
Paul I, 1st Prince Esterházy of Galántha
Paul I, Prince Esterházy of Galántha was the first Prince Esterházy of Galántha from 1687 to 1713, Palatine of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1681 to 1713, and an Imperial Field Marshal...
(1635–1713) and published in 1711. They are in the Baroque
Baroque music
Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...
style and incorporate traditional Hungarian
Music history of Hungary
Little is known about Hungarian music prior to the 11th century, when the first Kings of Hungary were Christianized and Gregorian chant was introduced. During this period a bishop from Venice wrote the first surviving remark about Hungarian folk song when he commented on the peculiar singing style...
and German melodies. Each of the cantatas consists of one movement
Movement (music)
A movement is a self-contained part of a musical composition or musical form. While individual or selected movements from a composition are sometimes performed separately, a performance of the complete work requires all the movements to be performed in succession...
. They are composed for solo voices (the majority for one solo voice, although there are some duets), choir, and orchestra (including viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
s, violone
Violone
The term violone can refer to several distinct large, bowed musical instruments which belong to either the viol or violin family. The violone is sometimes a fretted instrument, and may have six, five, four, or even only three strings. The violone is also not always a contrabass instrument...
, harp, bassoon, theorba
Theorbo
A theorbo is a plucked string instrument. As a name, theorbo signifies a number of long-necked lutes with second pegboxes, such as the liuto attiorbato, the French théorbe des pièces, the English theorbo, the archlute, the German baroque lute, the angélique or angelica. The etymology of the name...
, violins, flutes, trumpets, organ, timpani
Timpani
Timpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
).
Péter Esterházy
Péter Esterházy
Péter Esterházy is one of the most widely known contemporary Hungarian writers. His books are considered to be significant contributions to postwar literature....
's 2000 novel, Harmonia Caelestis, takes its name from the composition.
Recordings
- Esterházy: Harmonia Caelestis – Mária Zádori, Márta Fers (sopranoSopranoA soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
s), Katalin Gémes (mezzo-sopranoMezzo-sopranoA mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
), Katalin Károlyi (contraltoContraltoContralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above...
), Gábor Kállay (tenorTenorThe tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
), József Moldvay (bassBass (voice type)A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
); Savaria Vocal Ensemble, Capella Savaria, conducted by Pál Németh. Label: HungarotonHungarotonHungaroton was the one and only record and music publisher company in Hungary for about 40 years.Hungaroton was founded in 1951, since then, its only competitors in the Hungarian music market were record labels like Melodiya, Supraphon and Eterna from other socialist countries. Previously called...
HCD31148-49 - Christmas Baroque Music – contains Harmonia Caelestis No. 1 "Sol recedit igneus" and No. 7 "Cur fles, Jesu". Label: Capriccio C10558.
External links
- Songs from Harmonia Caelestis with barytonBarytonThe baryton is a bowed string instrument in the viol family, in regular use in Europe up until the end of the 18th century. In London a performance at Marylebone Gardens was announced in 1744, when Mr Ferrand was to perform on "the Pariton, an instrument never played on in publick before." It most...
accompaniment (performance on YouTube) - Video: "O, quam dulcis", "Iesum ardentibus", and "Ave maris stella from Harmonia Caelestis, sung by Andrea RostAndrea RostAndrea Rost is a Hungarian lyric soprano. She has performed in leading roles with the Vienna State Opera, La Scala, the Royal Opera House, Opéra National de Paris, the Metropolitan Opera and the Salzburg Festival...
accompanied by the Liszt Ferenc Kamarazenekar.