The Canticle of the Sun
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The Canticle of the Sun is a song-poem by Saint Francis of Assisi, founder of the Franciscan Order, in the early 13th Century. It is considered one of the more beautiful poems in western literature and is also thought to be the very first work of literature in the Italian language. St. Francis composed it most likely during the winter of 1224 possibly while at the Church of San Damiano, in Assisi.
In the 20th Century is was made a musical piece by Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina and dedicated to cellist Mstislav Rostropovich for his seventieth birthday.
Sofia Gubaidulina gives the following outline of the formal sections:
- Glorification of the Creator, and His Creations - the Sun and the Moon
- Glorification of the Creator, the Maker of the four elements: air, water, fire and earth
- Glorification of life
- Glorification of death
Though she notes that the cellists 'abandonment' of his or her instrument actually divides the piece in two.
An overtone row is played on the C string is used, after which the cellist tunes the string down to the lowest note possible on the instrument, plays near the bridge, on the bridge with a snare drum stick, behind the bridge, and then on the tailpiece. The cellist then puts down the instrument, playing on a bass drum, and then on a flexatone with a bass bow before returning to the cello.
The piece has been recorded and released on:
- The Canticle of the Sun (1997) and Music for Flute, Strings, and Percussion (1994). The first performed by cellist and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich and London Voices conducted by Ryusuke Numajiri, the second by flutist Emmanuel Pahud and the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Rostropovich. Gubaidulina attended the recording of both pieces.
External links
- The Canticle of the Sun (http://www.franciscan-archive.org/patriarcha/opera/canticle.html)