CD

IMPRESSIONS / Songs

MARIA TAYTAKOVA / soprano & LADISLAV FANZOWITZ / piano

Recording venue: State Philharmonic Hall in Košice, Slovakia

Recorded: July – August 2021

Sound engineer: Rostislav Pavlík

Photo: Ctibor Bachratý

Cover design: Peter Beňo

Notes and translation: Peter Katina

Produced by Maria Taytakova & Ladislav Fanzowitz

Executive producer: Ján Sudzina

Recording label: Hevhetia ©, 2021 HV 0227-2-331, SOZA / BIEM

http://www.hevhetia.sk/

http://www.hevhetia.sk/

http://www.hevhetia.sk/

CANTIONES SACRAE Vol. II

Slovak sacred songs, which from earliest times have been imbued with elements of folk music, may be considered the most significant sphere of musical work created on the territory of Slovakia. Their remarkably developed genre displays a rich variety of melodic and compositional forms that evolved in course of centuries. They were preserved in numerous hymnals and song collections, dated mainly from the 17th century. Slovak sacred songs contain not only features of Reformation chorales, hymns and responsoria, but also traces of earlier medieval music. Attributes of Franco Flemish polyphonic innovations, “musica ficta”, and late Renaissance dance music are also in evidence. This demonstrates a close connection with major centers of European music, such as Italy, France, Flanders and Germany. Despite the fact that sacred songs from the territory of Slovakia demonstrate a great variety of composition and melody, they have until recently remained a little known genre. Although many characteristics of sacred songs disappeared by the 19th century, they influenced later liturgical music.

All sacred songs that have been reconstructed in this recording, are representative of the songs celebrating the cycle of holidays from Advent to Christmas. By their nature they range between folk songs and polyphonic music. We attempted to approximate as much as possible the authentic form of each sacred song whose charming hybrid character permits various interpretations. In each case we strove to preserve the vocal and instrumental arrangement of the period. At the same time we tried to emphasize the beauty and unique character of the songs. In some cases for Christmas songs and carols that have survived until the present time, texts dating from a later period were employed, since these remain part of Slovakia’s cultural heritage. To this day, the joy and spirit of Christmas still reverberates in the expressive music with which our ancestors celebrated the birth of the Savior.

Realization and texts by Egon Krák

Chorus Angelorum Ensemble

The Chorus Angelorum Ensemble was founded by a group of young musicians under the direction of Egon Krak. The initial aim of the

founders was not only to perform music of 15th – 17th centuries, but also to revive old music preserved in Slovakia in its authentic form. Their first presentation of sacred songs from the territory of Slovakia was released in 1996. The Chorus Angelorum Ensemble brings together singers and musicians who share a natural affinity for performing old music on copies of historical instruments. It is an international ensemble composed of leading musicians from Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Germany and Russia. Each of them is a specialist in his own right and all of them participated in the recording with great pleasure, creating the authentic atmosphere of bygone times.

CHORUS ANGELORUM ENSEMBLE

Mária Tajtáková

soprán1,2 / soprano1,2

Slávka Horváthova

alt / contralto

Peter Luknár

tenor / tenore

Peter Koma

barytón / baritone

Stanislav Beňačka

bas / bass

na nástrojoch / on instruments

Juraj Korec

priečna flauta / traverse flute, zobcová flauta / treble

recorder, kamzíčie rohy / goat-horns, kornamúzy / cornemuses,

šalmaj / shawm

Radek Vašina

cink / cornet

Steffen Schwartz

altový a tenorový renesančný trombón / renaissance trombone

(alto, tenore)

Viliam Solčány

tenorová kornamúza1 / cornemuse tenore1

Alexander Stepanov

tenorová kornamúza2 / cornemuse tenore2

Marek Spústa

basová kornamúza / cornemuse basso, basová zobcová flauta / bass recorder

Miloš Valent

viola da braccio

Peter Krivda

viola da gamba

Rudolf Měřinský

renesančná lutna 10 zborová / renaissance lute, teorba 16 zborová

(theorbe, barokové gajdy / baroque bagpipes, rolničky / jingle bells

Egon Krák

dirigent / conductor

Sélections de musique

CANTIONES SACRAE Vol. I

A sacred song is a combination of music and text with some religious content. In the past, the sacred songs were sung throughout the whole church year. They enjoyed a wide popularity and have been preserved in various versions, reflecting the different stages of their development. The songs performed at Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Ascension, Whitsuntide, and on Corpus Christi Day have each their special character. To harmonize with the liturgy, the songs were alternately grave, jubilant, joyful, or even dance-like in character. In their various forms they reveal the fine sense of beauty and spiritual attainments of our ancestors. They exude the sublime meekness, pathos and joy, wisdom and belief in the presence of God. Some of them are real music gems. Their structure consisted of elements derived from both secular and sacred cultures. They are mostly in the form of a chorale, some of them are antiphonal, psalmodic or hymnic in nature.

There have been sacred songs in Slovakia since medieval times. Some of them had a Slovak origin but most of them were even older and came to Slovakia from foreign countries. Thanks to the beautiful music, lyricism and diversity of styles, the sacred songs are one of the most interesting forms in the development of Slovak music. Hundreds of songs have been discovered only in a fragmentary form, with simple melodies for one voice and frequently lacking words. In this form they were preserved in several song collections and hymnals found in Slovakia, e.g. Cithara Sanctorum (1636) and Cantus Catholici (1651). The creators were generally anonymous but we have, at least, been able to distinguish songs of non-Slovak origin from earlier sources. A special place among the sacred songs is occupied by the psalms of Jan Silvan – presented here in the restored form for the first time. They attract with their melodic and harmonic structure, as well as with the content of their words. The spiritual message in Silvan’s songs reflects the mood of humanism and renaissance in Slovakia at that time. The songs were included in the collection The Songs on Seven Penitent Psalms and Other Psalms (Písně nové na sedm žalmů kajícich a jiné žalmy) printed for the first time in Prague in 1571

The medieval, renaissance and baroque songs demonstrate the exceptional creativity of the Slovak people. These sacred songs, worshipping God and Christian tenets, do not belong only to the precious legacy of the church music but, due to their high artistic level, to the general music heritage. They represent the important examples of the art of music in Slovakia. The vocal and the instrumental parts of the songs presented on this CD have been restored strictly according to the specificities of their original style.

Realization and texts by Egon Krák.

Chorus Angelorum Ensemble

The Chorus Angelorum Ensemble was founded by a group of young musicians under the direction of Egon Krak. The initial aim of the founders was not only to perform music of 15th – 17th centuries, but also to revive old music preserved in Slovakia in its authentic form. Their first presentation of sacred songs from the territory of Slovakia was released in 1996. The Chorus Angelorum Ensemble brings together singers and musicians who share a natural affinity for performing old music on copies of historical instruments. It is an international ensemble composed of leading musicians from Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Germany and Russia. Each of them is a specialist in his own right and all of them participated in the recording with great pleasure, creating the authentic atmosphere of bygone times.

CHORUS ANGELORUM ENSEMBLE

Mária Tajtáková

soprano / soprán

Ivana Mináriková

mezzosoprano / mezzosoprán

Peter Luknár

tenore 1 / tenor

Viliam Solčány

tenore 2 / tenor

Peter Koma

baritone / barytón

on instruments / na nástrojoch

Juraj Korec

traverse flute / priečna flauta, recorder (treble, basso) / zobcová flauta,

basset flute / basetová flauta, goat-horn / kamzičí roh, cornemuses (soprano, alto, tenore, basso) / komamúzy, shawm / šalmaj, wind-cup-shawm / rauschpfeiffe

Radek Vašina

cornet / cink

Viliam Solčány

cornemuse (tenore) / kornamúza

Marek Spústa

cornemuse (basso) / kornamúza, recorder (basso) / zobcová flauta

Miloš Valent

violin / husle, viola da braccio

Milan Rusko

hurdy-gurdy / organistrum

Rudolf Měřinský

renaissance lute / renesančná lutna 10 zborová, theorbe / teorba 16 zborová

Egon Krák

conductor/dirigent

Sélections de musique