December 17, 2013

Conferences

CHRISTMAS IN THE ARTS

Music for Christmas in Pamplona Cathedral

D. Aurelio Sagaseta.
Chapel Master of the Cathedral of Pamplona.

Within the rich artistic-religious heritage of Christmas, the Cathedral of Pamplona has kept until today some interesting musical manifestations of the liturgical cycle.

Antiphons O.- One of the oldest traditions is found in the seven Major Antiphons or the so-called "O Antiphons", because they all begin with the Latin letter O. Born at the end of the 6th century, during the 7 days before Christmas they sing of the future Savior as O Wisdom, O Key of David, O East, etc. Evidently the Cathedral of Iruña did not create this tradition, but it has kept it alive, while it has created and preserved its own Christmas polyphony in Matins, Lauds and Masses of this liturgical season, as is shown in its Historical Music file .

Cathedral polyphony of the XVI-XX centuries.- The lecturer presented scores of the cathedral heritage from the Renaissance to the XX century, some taken from concerts performed by the Music Chapel and others served live, such as "Tonadilla al Nacimiento", anonymous of the local Baroque, with soloist, flute and small organ. The affectionate and typically childish expressions of its text (18th century) "Ce, ce, Manolito, ce, ce, ce, chiquito, rro, rro, mi bien, a la nana, Niño hermoso, a la nanita chiquito mío, que yo te arrullaré", suggest the authorship of some secular component of the Music Chapel and not so much of clerical chapel masters of the time and less of brainy capitular prebendaries.

These "villancicos" constitute the contribution of the people and of some masters, music written in language vernacular that little by little was introduced first outside the liturgy and from the XIX century in the middle of the same one, thus "villancico para después de la epístola", "villancico para después de la consagración", among them those of Julián Prieto, Mariano García, etc.

The Kalenda: This ancient tradition of the Kalenda still survives in the Cathedral, by which on December 24 the beginning of Christmas is officially announced with the singing of the Martyrology by the Dean and the chantre. It is followed by the "Anuntio vobis gaudium magnum" and ends with the first Adeste fideles of Christmas, sung first by the Chapter in Gregorian and then by the people in the well-known 18th century version, now extended to the whole western world. The ceremony, which remains identical in its central part, is very detailed in the Choir Regulations of 1931, which takes up the previous tradition.

Solemn praeconium Epiphaniae.- Another tradition, this one with exclusive monody of the Cathedral of Pamplona, constitutes the official sung advertisement of the movable feasts of the liturgical year carried out in the solemnity of Epiphany, that is to say: the dates of each year of the beginning of the Lent, day of Easter, Pentecost, Corpus, etc.

We know that in the first centuries of Christianity the popes commissioned the astrologers of Alexandria, as specialists in the calendar, to fix the date of Easter each year. Later this, Easter, was determined directly from Rome for the whole Church.

The Epiphany constitutes in the Cathedral of Pamplona perhaps the solemnity of Christmas that attracts more public, a little in the way of some Eastern churches that celebrate it with special popular emphasis. In Pamplona the following program is obligatory on Three Kings' Day: Cloister procession with the "Statio liturgica" and incensation before the free-standing sculptures by Jacques Perut (14th century) of the Three Wise Men. XIV) of the Magi and the 10 angels musicians of the archivolt that surround them, with obligatory music of the Music Chapel and brass quintet, while in the cloister above the shawms play and above the Mary Bell sounds, Epiphany Mass in the temple, Solemn Praeconium Epiphaniae or advertisement of the movable feasts, and Concert "End of Christmas" with choir and orchestra. Some numbers of the program enjoy a multi-secular antiquity and others have already become "tradition" in the last 50 years.
 

Carols to the Child God. Pamplona Cathedral

Carols to the Child God. Pamplona Cathedral