Morten Johannes Lauridsen Les Chansons des Roses By

Morten Johannes Lauridsen & Les Chansons des Roses By Kelsi Capizzi 7/7/2011

Morten Lauridsen is “the only American composer in history who can be called a mystic, (whose) probing, serene work contains an elusive and indefinable ingredient which leaves the impression that all the questions have been answered”. -Nick Strimple, Conductor http: //homepage. mac. com/kennesten/lauridsen/index 2. html

Biography http: //stopthecap. com/tag /cable-television/page/2/ Born Feb. 27, 1943 • Born in Colfax, Washington • Raised in Portland, Oregon http: //www. webweaver. nu /clipart/music/piano. shtml Began playing the piano at age 8 • Learned a love of music from his mother http: //www. leadmineband. c om/trumpet. html Shortly after that he began playing the trumpet

Schooling �Graduated from Whitman College in Washington �Went to graduate school at the University of Southern California (USC) �Graduated from USC in 1967 http: //www. yorkblog. com/teentakeover/2009/04/uscsets-high-standards-for-ac. html

Career �Professor of Composition at USC’s Thornton School of Music �Chair of the Composition Department at USC �Composer-in-Residence for Los Angeles Master Chorale �Founded USC’s Advanced Studies Program in Film Scoring �Currently USC’s Distinguished Professor of Composition

Vocal Cycles �Les Chansons des Roses (Rilke) �Mid-Winter Songs (Graves) �Cuatro Canciones (Lorca) �A Winter Come (Moss) �Madrigali: Six “Fire. Songs” on Renaissance Italian Poems �Nocturnes �Lux Aeterna

Series of Sacred A cappella Motets �O Magnum Mysterium �Ave Maria �O Nata Lux �Ubi Caritas et Amor �Ave Dulcissima Maria

Awards � 3 Grammy Nominations �Named “American Choral Master” by the National Endowment for the Arts in 2006 �Awarded the National Medal of the Arts from President Bush in 2007 http: //www. bruceduffie. com/lauridsen. html

Composition History Rainer Maria Rilke’s poems about roses from the early 1900 s became the text for Lauridsen’s Les Chansons des Roses. http: //www. goodreads. com/author/show/7906. Rainer_Maria_Rilke

http: //www. singers. com/9238 b/Morten. Lauridsen/Les-Chansons-Des-Roses/ Les Chansons des Roses was premiered on April 23, 1993. It was sung by Choral Cross. Ties and conducted by Bruce Browne.

Albums O Magnum Mysterium The Complete Choral Cycles Nocturnes Morten Lauridsen The Passing of the Year Echo in my Soul

En Une Seule Fleur Listening Guide �Verse 1 begins with driving rhythm �Homophonic texture �Key phrase = “Mais tu n’a pas pensé ailleurs” (Translated by Barbara and Erica Muhl to mean “But you never did think otherwise”) which is always repeated at least twice �Verse 2 begins much more polyphonic in texture �Verse 1 repeats; back to a homophonic texture �Piece ends with key phrase being repeated three time with very gradual ritardando and decrescendo

Contre Qui, Rose Listening Guide �Verse 1 -Phrase 1 begins extremely quietly (ppp) with a very slow and thoughtful tempo �Verse 1 -Phrase 2 begins with tenors being quite prominent even though sopranos maintain the melody �Verse 2 -Phrase 1 begins with tenors ahead of the other parts rhythmically �Verse 2 -Phrase 2 grows in volume and intensity as it approaches the climax of the song �Song reaches its climax with the words, “Au contraire” (or “to the contrary”) �Final chord has no resolution which seems appropriate considering the text ends by restating a

De Ton Rêve Trop Plein Listening Guide � Verse 1 -Variation 1 opens very light � Verse 1 -Variation 2 grows to a much fuller and louder sound � Verse 1 -Variation 3 starts at the slow/dissonant part and moves to the quick/light ending � Verse 2 -Variation 1 begins with very driving rhythm � Verse 1 -Variation 4 has the altos singing melody and the sopranos holding a long, sustained note above that � Verse 2 -Variation 2 has men begin the verse and as the pitch of the melody rises, the women join in which gives it the feel that it is growing � Verse 1 -Variation 5 the volume slowly grows as the tempo picks up, but quickly fades � Verse 1 -Variation 6 begins almost with a round � All parts join together for a final repeat of the quiet/dissonant theme, followed by the light/quick conclusion

La Rose Compléte Listening Guide �Very melodic and beautiful beginning �Harmony holds a lot of dissonance �Verse 1 repeats with a lot more movement from the tenors �Verse 2 has sopranos take melody and maintain their own rhythm while other parts remain homophonic and provide the harmony �Verse 2 repeats with the entire choir lingering on the climax a little longer than before �Concludes with final phrase repeated twice, softer and slower with slight dissonance

Resources �http: //homepage. mac. com/kennesten/lauridsen/i ndex 2. html �http: //www. classiccat. net/lauridsen_m/biography. php �http: //www. allmusic. com/artist/q 66659 �http: //www. answers. com/topic/les-chansons-desroses-for-chorus