Cantata on "Conditor Alme Siderum" for Choir, Soloists, Orchestra, and Organ
Cantata on “Conditor Alme Siderum”Justus Frank Parrotta, DMA Director: Andrew Simpson, DMCantata on “Conditor Alme Siderum” contains six movements while using the plainsong hymn with the same name in the 1st, 3rd, and 6th movements as a cantus firmus. Both the 3rd and 6th movements of the cantata possess clear ritornelli. The ritornelli of the 3rd movement takes its inspiration from the ritornelli of the 1st movement of Bach’s Cantata 140, Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme. The ritornello for the 6th movement resembles the 6th and 10th movements of Bach’s Cantata 147, Herz und Mund, und Tat, und Leben. All of these cantus firmus based movements consist of choir, orchestra, and organ. Due to the reference of Christ as the bridegroom in both the text of the third verse of Conditor Alme Siderum and in the first verse of Philipp Nicholai’s chorale Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, the instrumental lines quote Nicholai’s chorale at measures 34-43, 51-59 and 109-122.The 2nd, 4th, and 5th movements employ newly composed melodies. In the case of the 2nd movement, the opening line derives from an inverted and ornamented variant of the first line of the original plainsong hymn. Like He shall feed, his flock from Handel’s Messiah, the 2nd movement, Qui condolens ineritu, acts as a double aria with the first half for soprano and the second half for tenor. The organ and orchestra accompany the solo bass in the 4th movement, Cuius forti potentiae. The 5th movement dialogues between the soloists and the choir, then eventually leads into a tutti section that begins with a fugal exposition.This cantata is intended for the Advent season. The cantata can be performed in its entirety for a concert or as a festive prelude. Also, individual movements can be used during the prelude, offertory, communion, or postlude portions of the mass.
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