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· ........................................................................ FROM YOUTH TO THE "SINS OF OLD AGE" THE CHORAL MUSIC OF ROSSINI by William Braun This article coincides with the 200th Rossini began composition and come. As Richard Osborne, Rossini's anniversary of Rossini's birth, counterpoint studies in 1804 with most recent biographer, points out: February 29, 1792. Padre Stanislao Mattei (a pupil of Martini) in Bologna. While a student Much of the part-writing for FTER INITIAL SUC­ there, Rossini wrote some sacred chorus is wooden and the writing cesses in Venice, Milan, music and a secular cantata for for tenor solo lacks Rossini's later Naples, and Rome, where tenor, chorus, and orchestra, entitled melodic fluency. Perhaps he was Rossini dominated striving too hard for a both opera seria certain "German" cut to and opera bujja the phrasing and with such master­ harmony. There is, pieces as Trancredi though, some characterful and Il barbiere di Siviglia, orchestral writing, with he conquered the opera lovely wind solos and a stages of the rest of Europe, glimpse of Rossini's new­ including finally Paris, then found love, the solo the opera capital of the cello. 2 world. In Paris in 1829 Rossini produced his Rossini wrote a number of masterpiece of grand opera, similar "occasional" cantatas his 40th opera, Guillaume throughout his career, 3 Tell, and subsequently although oftentimes they did settled into semi-retirement not survive in their original for the next 40 years of his form. Rossini, never one to life.! Although this early waste an idea, would take retirement might be some of the ideas which considered a loss for the began in his (or other opera world, Rossini composers') works and continued to compose - remake them into new primarily chamber works for compositions. Such is the performer friends. He case with the choral triptych collectively entitled these Trois Choeurs religieux of compositions "peches de 1844 (subtitled La Foi, vieillesse" (Sins of Old Age). L'Esperance, La Charite). This article briefly surveys The first two pieces of this the choral music of Rossini set were revisions of choruses (including some choral taken from the incidental pieces written before his music for Edipo a Colono retirement, but excluding opera Il pianto d'Armonia sulla morte (written around 1816). The third choruses) as we celebrate the d'Orjeo, for which he won an piece was written at the request of bicentennial of his birth. academic prize and the opportunity the publisher Troupenas to complete of performance in August, 1808. It is St. Paul's trinity of moral Braun is Associate Professor of Music at obviously a student work, but one imperatives: faith, hope, and Arkansas College in Batesville, Arkansas. that shows the promise of things to charity. These pieces are scored for February 1992 Page 7 SSA chorus and piano (the third include the Stabat Mater, the Petite sent the Neapolitans into piece contains a short soprano solo). Mes~e Solennelle, both composed in paroxysms of delight. It is built on Contemporary reaction to the music his retirement, and a work, written two figures, an impish pizzicato was considerably varied. Adolphe in 1820 at the height of his and a swirling second theme Adam, critic for the La France compositional career, Messe di which follows it in a brilliant musicale, reported that La Foi Gloria. In the late 1970s, after ritornello, joyously crowned by would establish a lesser composer's nearly 150 years of neglect, the soloists and chorus. 6 title to glory; L'Esperance earned Messe di Gloria was rediscovered, praise by its "majestic opening, edited, and performed by Herbert Philip Gossett comments on the happy development, and the Handt. (It has been published in significance of this work: beautiful simplicity of its epilogue"; piano score by Edition Kunzelmann, "La Charite gave proof of GM 791, and recorded by Handt The Messe di Gloria is not only a compositional genius."4 with the BBC Singers and the beautiful work, but a work of the Berlioz, on the other hand, a critic utmost importance. It is the first for the' Journal des debats, wrote a sacred music of Rossini's maturity, critical review of the 1844 premiere and indeed the only sacred work of the triptych: to come from this period of active Rossini's "Sins of Old Age" composition. It shows the La Foi will not move mountains; represent a mixture of influence of his Neapolitan operas, L'Esperance lulled us sweetly; as particularly Mose in Egitto, in its for La Charite, which M. Rossini both sacred and secular mastery of orchestration, its fine just has prepared for us, it must sense of detail, and its firm be conceded that it cannot have works which are small in command of a wide range of interfered greatly with the growth scope and are scored for, musical structures, while of his musical fortune, and that manifesting the composer's search his alms-giving will not ruin him.5 or were originally for a sacred style. 7 performed by, an SATB Franz Liszt was impressed enough The Italian scholar and critic, with the last chorus to make a quartet or double quartet Paolo Isotta, places an even greater transcription of it for voice and of singers and piano. value on the Mass: organ which he occasionally performed, Osborne notes that this Certainly, it is the least known of chorus "is full of distinctive touches, (his) great (works) [parentheses notably in the harmonization of the sic]: but, on the other hand, it is piano part which keeps English Chamber Orchestra.) While the most important or, at least, it sentimentality at bay." doing research on the music of vies for this honor with the Petite Lucca, Handt discovered the Mass Messe, winning out (in the same As noted earlier, Rossini composed and found that it had been context) over the Stabat Mater . ... a number of sacred works during his composed for Holy Week of 1820. With the Messe di Gloria, Rossini student years. These included a Scored for SA TB choir, SA TB solos, widely expanded his possibilities: complete mass (1808) and a number and orchestra, it consists of only the it is a sample of his aspiration to of mass parts, mostly scored for sol6 . first two parts of the Ordinary, the be, and of what he could daas, a voices and male chorus. His most Kyrie and Gloria, and is divided into composer in the "learned" and significant sacred choral works 10 movements in the manner of a dramatic styles. 8 Baroque cantata mass. Osborne describes the choral sections in the While Rossini was writing operas, LYRIC CHOIR GOWNS following manner: he did not compose many independent or shorter works for from $25.95 The Kyrie, in E-flat major, starts vocal ensemble; however, there are "Professionallytailored gowns of boldly in A-flat minor and is several pieces from the early 1820s lasting beauty: ' richly scored for the larger that deserve our attention. One of FREE instrumental and vocal forces these, Il Carnevale di Venezia, was catalog and Rossini was deploying in his later the result of a collaboration between Neapolitan works. By contrast, Rossini and Paganini at the carnival IfaDIilc samples. the E minor choral sections of the festivities approaching the Lenten Write today. Qui tollis belong to a style evolved season of 1821 in Rome. Rossini, Since 1955 ... LYRIC by Rossini in the Scene of the Paganini, Lipparini, and Massimo Shadows in Mose in Egitto with d' Azeglio, looking for a way to its winding ostinatos and hushed celebrate the coming festivities, choral entries. The jauntiest decided to dress up as blind people movement, aptly enough, is the and sing for charity during the Gloria itself, a movement which carnival. They drew up the Page 8 CHORAL JOURNAL following four lines of text which originally commissioned by a Spanish Aulagnier in 1841, Rossini decided to Rossini set to music: state counselor, Fernandez Varela. revise the work, substituting the Rossini, completing six of the movements written by Tadolini with Siamo ciechi; siamo nati (We are proposed 12 movements in 1831, his own settings. The Italian blind. We were born) delegated the composition of the premiere of the revised Mass took Per campar di cortesia (To earn remaining six movements to a friend place 150 years ago, on March 17, our living from kindness) and fellow composer, Giovanni 1842, under the direction of Rossini's In giornata d'allegria (On a happy Tadolini. When the manuscript was friend and soon to be successor in the day,) acquired by the Parisian publisher field of opera, Gaetano Donizetti. Non si nega carita. (Do not refuse charity.) Example 1: Il Carnevale di Venezia Massimo d' Azeglio describes the Allegro giusto jolly quartet as they acted out their 22 staccato ~" II l! P ~ ~ masquerade: tJ r r Ii' 7 Rossini and Paganini had to act as Sia- mo tut- ti po- ve rel-li che suo - nando i cam- pa nel - Ii che suo - the orchestra, strumming two P s~acc~t guitars, and they decided to dress 1\ II II as women. Rossini filled out his . tJ r r already abundant form with Sia- mo tut- ti po-ve rel - Ii che suo - bundles of straw, looking 'lJ staccato absolutely nonhumanl Paganini, " II l! as thin as a door, and with a face that seemed to be the handle of ,; che suo - 'lJstaccato his violin, appeared twice as thin " and loose-limbed when dressed as : a woman. I ought not to say so, sai - mo but we created a furor, first at ~ two of three homes where we 27 went to sing, then in the Corso, '" II II f.'\ ~ ~ then on the festal night.9 tJ ~ r r r r nando 1 cam- pa - nel- Ii e scuo ten- do Ii ba toc- chi, col do, re mi fa sol f.'\ Rossini reworked the piece in 1847 10.

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