"Cantique de Jean Racine"

I can't wait to sing this. Suggested as the 'big push' for our rapidly improving (and growing) school choir, Fauré's "Cantique de Jean Racine" could be brilliant. If we pull if off of course...

I laughed at my pitiful attempts in harmony class upon hearing this fantastic choral piece. The rich harmonies of "Cantique de Jean Racine" just scream 'DO ME JUSTICE AND GET AN OBSCENELY LARGE CHOIR TO SING ME'. My initial laughter was then quickly replaced by utter disbelief when I learnt that Mr. Gabriel Fauré was a mere 2 years older than myself (19) when he composed this whilst at the École Niedermeyer. That, to me, is simultaneously amazing and soul destroying...

Fauré influenced the teaching of harmony so strongly during 20th Century; and this is just a lesson in how to do it. But the great thing about it is that no chord seems fashioned - everything seems to come from the composers heart. Anyone can put pen to paper to a certain extent, but I fully believe that composers are born to be composers.

[Just want to put in a quick note on the text, courtesy of Jean Racine himself, before we get onto the hardcore stuff. The text of course is wonderful; and as a French student I am particularly happy to see 'nous rompons' in there - as perhaps the best sounding of all French verbs :)]

Firstly, if I was a man, I'd be a Bass. There's nothing better, or more manly, than a good bass in choir. It doesn't even have to be a good bass...any bass will do! So I was delighted when I heard the manly solo entrance to this piece; imitatively working upwards until the soaring sopranos come in. Though despite the fact that every choir member was involved, the gentle dynamics made it just encapsulate 'peace'. Peace :) that's what was the overwhelming feeling of this.

For me, this is like a wave, moving in and out with dynamic change and phrase structure. Just when you think that gentle piano is here to stay, it swells with fabulously built up crescendo; and Fauré does this build up so eloquently. The alto/tenor/bass lines remind me of the strength and grace of a cello (the best instrument on Gods earth) as they glide over crotches underneath the soprano's held dotted minim; this just pulling the listener towards the soaring release on 'divin sauver' (the video clip has the music so you can see what the hell I'm going on about!).

The structure sounds a bit like ABA, and before returning to the beautiful first melody, Fauré makes a bigger scale wave; section B being a stronger force than soft section A. The texture changes slightly here too...it's never completely homorythmic - but the rich harmonies are brought out more as they move at pretty much the same time. Imitative entrances and a key change put me on edge a bit, before coming back to section A, which was like slipping into a lovely warm bath (with candles!).

Urgh I've changed that last paragraph at least 8 times...it was horrific; I imagine reading version 1 would have been like wading through very boring, slightly scientific, not very interesting treacle...whatever that's like. I apologise :)

I just love this. It's beautiful. The end :)

As an added note; Handel's Messiah arrived in the post this morning...all 256 pages...lets get learning :)

Tomorrow: A beautiful setting of 'Ubi Caritas'