Marc-Antoine Charpentier was one of the most outstanding musicians in late seventeenth-century France. As a young man he had spent three years in Rome studying with one of the leading Italian composers of the day, Giacomo Carissimi, with whom he acquired valuable first-hand experience of opera and oratorio - both relatively new forms at that time. On returning to his native Paris he put these skills to effective use, composing a number of operas and bringing the dramatic oratorio to France for the first time.
Charpentier’s output of sacred music was prodigious, comprising some thirty-five oratorios, eleven settings of the Mass, over two hundred motets and the well-known Te Deum, the overture of which is used as the signature tune for the Eurovision Song Contest. (It is rather ironic that the music of a composer who faced a continual struggle to achieve recognition during his lifetime should now be familiar to millions of people all across Europe!)
Charpentier was particularly drawn to writing Christmas music, producing instrumental carols, Latin oratorios on Christmas themes, French pastorales and a Christmas mass - the delightful Messe de Minuit pour Noël. This piece dates from around 1690 and was probably composed for the great Jesuit church of St. Louis in Paris, where Charpentier held the important post of maître de musique (master of music). The use of popular carols in church music had long been an accepted practice. In England, carols were more often sung than played, but in France noëls figured prominently in the substantial French organ repertoire. The liturgy of Midnight Mass for Christmas Eve permitted the singing and playing of these Christmas folksongs, and, by Charpentier’s time, quite complex instrumental arrangements were commonplace. However, Charpentier’s idea of basing a whole mass on these songs was completely original. Altogether there are eleven noëls, most of which are dance-like in character, reflecting the carol’s secular origins. In addition to the carol melodies that he adapted to fit various parts of the mass text, Charpentier also composed new material, such as the slow sections ‘Et in terra pax’ at the beginning of the Gloria and ‘Et incarnatus est’ in the Credo. It says much for the composer’s craftsmanship that these quite different idioms are so seamlessly and convincingly blended together.
Very little of Charpentier’s music was published during his lifetime. In common with a number of his colleagues, he suffered greatly from the stranglehold exerted on Parisian music by his illustrious but unscrupulous contemporary, Jean-Baptiste Lully. Only in the late twentieth century has Charpentier’s music seen a substantial revival, with a consequent re-assessment of his true place in French music. —John Bawd
Kyrie
Noël (Joseph est bien Marie): Sylvia Baba, soprano
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Joseph est bien marié à la fille de Jessé. C’était chose bien nouvelle D’être mère et pucelle. Dieu y avait opéré: Joseph est bien marié. Et quand ce fut au premier Que Dieu voulut nous sauver |
Joseph married well, to the daughter of Jesse This was something very new, to be mother and virgin God made it so: Joseph married well. And when God first wanted to redeem us He made his only son Jesus descend to earth To take human form through Mary: Joseph married well. |
Chorus
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Kyrie eleison. |
Lord have mercy |
Noël (Or nous dites Maries): Instrumental
Trio: Mark Tuning (tenor), Chris Vettel (tenor) & Nick Hegle (baritone)
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Christe eleison. |
Christ have mercy. |
Noël: Une jeune pucelle: Darla Tuning, contralto
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Une jeune pucelle de noble cœur, priant en sa chambrette son Créateur: l’Ange du Ciel descendit sur la terre, lui conta le mystère du notre Salvateur. Lors fut tant consolée de ses beaux dits, qu’elle s’estimoit être en Paradis, se soûmetant du tout à lui complaire, disant: Voici l’ancelle du Sauveur Jésus-Christ. |
A young maiden of noble heart, praying in her little room to her Creator: the Angel from Heaven descended to earth, to her recounted the mystery of our Savior. At that moment she was consoled by his beautiful words, which she valued to be in Heaven, she submitted herself to all that satisfied him, saying, “Here is the servant of the Savior, Jesus Christ. |
Chorus
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Kyrie eleison. |
Lord have mercy. |
Gloria
Incipit: Scott Schrader, baritone
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Gloria in excelsis Deo |
Glory to God in the highest, |
Chorus
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et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis. Laudamus te, benedicimus te, adoramus te, glorificamus te. Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam. |
and on earth peace to men of good will. We praise you, we bless you, we worship you, we glorify you. We give thanks to you for your great glory. |
Trio: Mark Tuning (tenor), Chris Vettel (tenor) & Nick Hengl (baritone)
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Domine Deus, rex coelestis, Deus pater omnipotens. Domine fili unigenite Jesu Christe, Domine Deus, agnus Dei, filius patris. |
O Lord God, Heavenly King, God the Father Almighty. O Lord, the only-begotten Son Jesus Christ. O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father. |
Chorus
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Qui tollis peccata mundi, Miserere nobis. Qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram. Qui sedes ad dexteram patris,miserere nobis. |
You who take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. You who take away the sins of the world, hear our prayer. You who sit at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. |
Duo: Liz Minchington & Sasha Metcalf (soprani)
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Quoniam tu solus sanctus, tu solus Dominus, tu solus altissimus, Jesu Christe, cum sancto Spiritu in gloria Dei patris. |
For you alone are holy, you alone are Lord, you alone are the Most High Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father. |
Chorus
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Amen. |
Amen. |
Credo
Incipit: Chris Vettel, tenor
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Credo in unum Deum, |
I believe in one God, |
Chorus
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patrem omnipotentem, factorem coeli et terrae, visibilium omnium et invisibilium. Et in unum Dominum Jesu Christum, filium Dei unigenitum, et ex patre natum ante omnia saecula. Deum de Deo, lumen de lumine, Deum verum de Deo vero, genitum non factum, consubstantialem patri, per quem omnia facta sunt, qui propter nos homines et propter nostram salutem descendit de coelis. Et incarnatus est de Spiritu sancto ex Maria virgine, et homo factus est. |
the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible, and in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all worlds: God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation descended from heaven and became flesh of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and was made man. |
Trio: Mark Tuning (tenor), Chris Vettel (tenor) & Nick Hengl (baritone)
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Crucifixus etiam pro nobis, sub Pontio Pilato passus et sepultus est, et resurrexit tertia die secundum scripturas, |
He was crucified for us, suffered under Pontius Pilate and was buried; and he rose again on the third day, in accordance with the scriptures, |
Chorus
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et ascendit in coelum, sedet ad dexteram patris, et iterum venturus est cum Gloria iudicare vivos et mortuos, cuius regni non erit finis. |
and ascended to heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father. And he will return again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will know no end. |
Trio:
Liz Minchington (soprano), Sasha Metcalf (soprano) & Darla Tuning (contralto)
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Et in Spiritum sanctum, Dominum et vivificantem, qui ex patre filioque procedit, qui cum patre et filio simul adoratur et conglorificatur, qui locutus est per prophetas. |
And I believe in the Holy Spirit, Lord and Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and Son together is worshipped and glorified, and who spoke through the Prophets. |
Chorus
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Et unam sanctam catholicam et apostolicam ecclesiam. Confiteor unum baptisma in remissionem peccatorum, et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum, et vitam venturi saeculi. Amen. |
And I believe in one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. And I await the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen |
Sanctus
Chorus
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Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth. Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua. Osanna in excelsis. |
Holy, holy, holy Lord God of Hosts. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. |
Benedictus
Trio & Chorus: Mora Mattingly (contralto), Chris Vettel (tenor) & Elliott Lee (baritone)
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Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Osanna in excelsis. |
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest |
Agnus Dei
Chorus and Trio: Mora Mattingly (contralto), Chris Vettel (tenor) & Elliott Lee (baritone)
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Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem. |
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace. |