Category: Organ / Sacred Music
Long before humans existed from prehistoric times, birds originated - as mysterious miraculous creatures. They are intelligent, can sing or communicate almost by speech. That is why the bird was revered as a messenger of the gods in all cultures. Birds connect this world with the hereafter, which is why they were believed to have transcendent knowledge and were often consulted as oracles. Each bird has its own symbolism, which is quite uniform worldwide.
In the "Cant dels Ocells", a Catalan folk song, over thirty species of birds hail the birth of Christ. The connection of birds with wisdom and a natural spirituality is wonderfully documented here. The great Catalan humanist Pau Casals (1876-1973) also knew this when he ended all his exile concerts since 1939 with an arrangement for violoncello and piano. With the message of the birds, he was for a peaceful world without wars or oppression, for freedom.
That the premiere will take place in the Catalan basilica SAGRADA FAMILIA, the landmark of Barcelona, in April 2023, the 50th anniversary of the death of Pau Casals, is a pleasure and a great honour. The work was composed especially for this occasion and wishes to be dedicated to Pau Casals with great reverence.
Movements: 1: the bird goddess & the cosmic egg
2: raven & crow – mystery of the black
3: the white swan – transcendence & beauty
4: the owl – wisdom & magic
5: ritual dance & soul flight
World Premiere
BASILIKA SAGRADA FAMILIA
BARCELONA / CATALUNYIA
17.4.2023 / 9 PM
with
Juan de la Rubia (Basilica Sagrada Familia)
Martin Baker (Westminster Cathedral)
Hansjörg Albrecht (Münchener Bach-Chor)
&
The Christian Benning Percussion group
&
Georg Hiemer (Piccolo Trumpet)
Duration: 20 Minutes
Publisher of notes/sheet music: Strube Musikverlag , 2023
Instrumentation: MYTHOS OF THE BIRDS – EL CANT DELS OCELLS
for
Piccolo Trumpet
1 large main organ and 2 small organs (positifs with one manual)
Five Percussion players:
1: also with sticks, superball / 3 Timpanis / 2 gongs / Triangle / Guiro / Plastic Tube in F
2: also with sticks, superball / Marimba / BassDrum / chimes / Triangle / Bullroarer
3: also with sticks, superball, string bow / Snare Drum / Vibraphone / plastic tube in C / Bass Drum / Claves / hand cymbals
4: also with sticks, superball, string bow / Vibraphone / 3 hanging cymbals / Congas / Lotus Flute / Donnerblech / plastic tube in C
5: also with sticks, superball, string bow / Tamtam / 4-6 Tom (asian drums) / handcymbals / Lotus flute / woodblocks / frog guiro / bullroarer
Introduction: Long before humans existed from prehistoric times, birds originated - as mysterious miraculous creatures that could fly and disappear into the divine sky, that could dive into the abyss of the earth as water birds. They are intelligent, can sing or communicate almost by speech. That is why the bird was revered as a messenger of the gods in all cultures. Birds connect this world with the hereafter, which is why they were believed to have transcendent knowledge and were often consulted as oracles. Each bird has its own symbolism, which is quite uniform worldwide: from the eagle as a powerful ruler, the owl with wisdom, the swan with dignity and beauty, raven or crow as a bird of death and farewell. The list of birds that recur in religions and mythologies as advisors of man with excellent abilities is almost endless: dove, nightingale, falcon, vulture, stork, ducks, geese, pelican, phoenix, peacock, hummingbird, blackbird, lark or sparrow.
In the "Cant dels Ocells", the Catalan folk song that has become a hymn, over thirty species of birds hail the birth of Christ. The connection of birds with wisdom and a natural spirituality is wonderfully documented here. The great Catalan humanist Pau Casals (1876-1973) also knew this when he ended all his exile concerts since 1939 with an arrangement for violoncello and piano. With the message of the birds, he was for a peaceful world without wars or oppression, for freedom, for a reconsideration of a humanity that had fallen into materialism and madness.
My composition MYTHOS OF THE BIRDS takes up the melody that has become famous as a peace metaphor and expands the world of birds to its archaic - many millennia old - origins, when the bird itself was still worshipped as a deity. Prototypically, the "bird goddess" is recalled, who was already the spiritual centre of every matriarchy in prehistory and the Stone Age. These goddesses were two-faced. They symbolised birth and death, life and the transfer to the realm of the dead. This ambivalence still characterises the world of the bird today. For example, the owl's wisdom, cleverness and magic are linked to its qualities as a bird of prey and silent hunter of the night, - deadly and dangerous. This contradictoriness of emotions also characterises the composition MYTHOS OF THE BIRDS, placing dark passages and archaic rituals next to beauty and the innocent jubilation of songbirds. Feather and claws, - the immaterial lightness but also the death-bringing tools are the extreme symbols of the birds world.
That the premiere of this work will take place in the famous Catalan basilica SAGRADA FAMILIA, the landmark of Barcelona, in April 2023, the 50th anniversary of the death of Pau Casals, is a pleasure and a great honour. The work was composed especially for this occasion and wishes to be dedicated to Pau Casals with great reverence.
Dedication: Dedicated to the memory and humanity the great Pau Casals.
Additional remarks: Kompositionsauftrag für die Basilika SAGRADA FAMILIA in Barcelona, einem katalanischen Wahrzeichen
World premiere: 17.04.2023, Barcelona - Basilika SAGRADA FAMILIA
Performers at world premiere: World Premiere
BASILIKA SAGRADA FAMILIA
BARCELONA / CATALUNYIA
17.4.2023 / 21:00
with
Juan de la Rubia (Basilica Sagrada Familia)
Martin Baker (Westminster Cathedral)
Hansjörg Albrecht (Münchener Bach-Chor)
&
The Christian Benning Percussion group
&
Georg Hiemer (Piccolo Trumpet)
