Tuesday’s song is fresh off the press. It is called Videntes stellam mag which translates to When They Saw The Star (at least according to my online translator). It was written in the 1500’s by Orlando Di Lasso, also known as “The King of Renaissance Music.” It has five lines of music.
Today’s song is titled “Tristis est anima mea” which translates to “Sad is my soul.” It just doesn’t seem like the kind of song that needed sound effects or percussion. 🕊️
This is a beautiful version also.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tristis_est_anima_mea_(responsory)
Today’s song is called In me Transierunt Irae Tuae, written by “The King of Renaissance Music, Orlando Di Lasso. The title translates to “My pain is ever with me.” Well, that just about describes it I would say. Life is pain. And music is Life. So does that mean music is pain? My fingers would say yes!
Bonus Song:
This one is titled “Giovanni Donna.”
Name That Tune:
Here are two versions of a song called Ricercar del prima tuono, which means Search for the First Thunder. It was written almost 500 years ago by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina.
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525 – February 2, 1594) was an Italian Renaissance composer of sacred music and the best-known 16th-century representative of the Roman School of musical composition. He had a long-lasting influence on the development of church and secular music in Europe, especially on the development of counterpoint, and his work is considered the culmination of Renaissance polyphony.
For more on the composer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Pierluigi_da_Palestrina
All of these Renaissance songs can also be found on the Renaissance Music page: https://wordpress.com/page/johnsthewritestuff.com/11830
And the Bach Chorales can be found on this page: https://wordpress.com/page/johnsthewritestuff.com/11995
if you are using Chrome on a smart phone, click the three dots in the top right corner to get to the menu. Choose settings, site settings, desktop site ON to view the music player on the right side of the page. If you are using a laptop you should be able to see the player. And then you can listen to this amazing music over and over.
Here is another song written by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, titled Missa Papae Marcelli, or Pope Marcellus Mass. It is a “mass sine nomine” or mass without a name. It is his best-known mass, and is regarded as an archetypal example of the complex polyphony done by Palestrina. It was sung at the Papal Coronation Masses (the last being the coronation of Paul VI in 1963).
It is also posted on the Renaissance Music Page at https://johnsthewritestuff.com/music-from-the-renaissance/ (along with the other renaissance songs, of course!)
It is a very calming piece of music. And let’s face it, couldn’t we all use that right about now?
Also, the list of 101 Bach Chorales continues to grow. Here is number 66: “Jesus, Priceless Treasure“:
What could be better than a 400 year old song? This one is called Prophetiae Sibyllarum, which translates to Sibylline Prophecies. It is one of a series of twelve motets by Orlando di Lasso (sometimes spelled De Lassus). The works are known for their extremely chromatic idiom. For those of you who don’t know what the word chromatic means, it is a series of notes that are only a half step apart. Here is an example of a chromatic scale:
For more on that: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prophetiae_Sibyllarum
And hold on to your masks, everyone. There is a new page on The Write Stuff :
https://wordpress.com/page/johnsthewritestuff.com/11830
And here is my version of Sibylline Prophecies:
Allow me to give you another song. It’s not too short and it’s not too long.
It is called “Cor Meum” which translates to “My Heart.” There are five parts (lines of music).
This is a song by “you know who” is titled Il Magnanimo Pietro, which means The Magnanimous Peter.
Many of these songs I have been posting have just 4 parts. This song has seven lines of music that harmonize perfectly.
And here, for some reason, is the number one downloaded song from this site. It is currently heading towards 1,000 downloads. For all of you mathematicians out there, it is less than 1,000 downloads, and closer to 1,000 than it is to 200.
Today’s song is called Adoramus Te Christe, and was written by my favorite “Renaissance Man” Orlando Di Lasso.
Adoramus te (Latin, “We adore Thee”) is a stanza that is recited or sung mostly during the ritual of the Stations of the Cross.
Primarily a Catholic tradition, it is retained in some confessional Anglican and Lutheran denominations during the Good Friday liturgy, although it is recited generally in the vernacular. It is recited or sung between stations.
And he is here on this page. Orlando Di Lasso, that is. This song, like all of his songs, was written in the 1500’s. I don’t know which version I like better: organ or piano.
It is titled Susanne un jour which means Susan one day. In Spanish it would be Susanna un dia. But it isn’t.
And he brought two more of his chorales with him. Do you notice how similar they sound? Of course you don’t! You haven’t listened to them yet. But when you do, you will notice that they each start in the same key: F Minor.
Here are two versions of Chorale Number 75:
And two versions of Chorale Number 78:
The Write Stuff 