Oratorio de Noël

The Oratorio de Noël ( German: " Christmas Oratorio ") is a arisen in 1858 the work of the then 23 -year-old French composer Camille Saint- Saëns ( 1835-1921 ). It bears the opus number 12, and is also listed in the German-speaking area frequently for several years.

Formation

Camille Saint- Saëns worked from 1858 at the Church La Madeleine in Paris as an organist, a position he was to hold for nearly 20 years. Up to this time he was already among others as a composer of three symphonies (of which numbered only one: A Major, 1850 / No. 1 op 2 in E flat major, 1853 / Urbs Roma, 1856) and Fair ( 1857) emerged. In Advent 1858, he composed within 12 days of his Oratorio de Noël op 12 The composition was completed on 15 December 1858 and experienced on December 25, 1858 in the Madeleine premiered. It is dedicated to his pupil Madame de Vicomtesse de Grandval.

Instrumentation and Duration

The work provides a cast of five vocal soloists (soprano, mezzo- soprano, alto, tenor and baritone ), four-part mixed chorus, string orchestra, harp and organ. Instruments are missing.

The performance of the relatively short duration of an oratorio work is approximately 35 to 40 minutes.

Content and sequence of movements

The Catholic Saint- Saëns put together texts from the Vulgate and the Latin liturgy for his Christmas Oratorio de Noël 10-piece. On the proclamation of the Gospel of Luke taken from the birth of Christ to follow Psalm texts as well as the Gospels of Matthew and John removed verses. With few exceptions, prevails in the composition before a lyrical contemplative mood.

• No. 1 Prelude (dans le style de Seb. Bach). Instrumental prelude, which refers in its investment as overriding, siciliano -like Pastorale ( in 12/8-Takt ) to baroque models, without posing an actual copy style of Johann Sebastian Bach.
• # 2 Recit et Choeur " Et erant pastores / Gloria in altissimis Deo ". The angel's message is entrusted to a quartet of soloists (soprano, alto, tenor and baritone ), the subsequent Gloria the choir, with the first simple sentence is gaining complexity by Fugierungen.
• No. 3 Air " Expectans, expectavi Dominum ". Aria of mezzo- soprano.
• # 4 Air et Choeur " Domine, ego credidi / Qui in hunc mundum Venisti ". Aria the tenor, alternating with the split women's choir.
• # 5 Duo " Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini ". Duet for soprano and baritone, in the introduction for the first time out occurs the harp.
• # 6 Chœur " Quare fremuerunt gentes ". A short dramatic episode of the chorus ( " Why do the heathen rage " ) is changing rapidly in a solemn and quiet invocation of the Trinity.
• Trio No. 7 " Tecum principium ". Trio (soprano, tenor and baritone solo ), accompanied by the harp figurations.
• # 8 Quatuor " Alleluia ". Quartet of soloists (soprano, mezzo- soprano, alto, baritone).
• # 9 Quintette et Choeur " consurge, Filia Sion". The orchestra takes up the pastoral melody of the first part again, to join in the first soloist's Quintet, then the chorus.
• # 10 Chœur " Tollite hostias ". A short homophonic choral finale concludes the work festive.

The work is often referred to in France has increasingly found in the German -speaking world for several years now input into the Christmas choral repertoire and is available in several CD recordings.