Cursus Sacro-harmonicus
The Cursus Sacro-harmonicus is a cycle of 56 masses , graduals and offerings by the Bohemian composer Jakub Jan Ryba , whose parts I – V he dedicated to the city of Pilsen between 1808 and 1814 . The cycle remained unfinished due to the composer's suicide in 1815.
JJ Ryba and Pilsen
“I can trace my acquaintances back to my friend František Křepelka, who was the first teacher in the secondary school at the time and who was also the choir director in the city. I learned from him that many of my ecclesiastical pieces of music were praised in this city, and he asked me to write an oratorio for Pilsen. "
Ryba describes his contacts with the city of Pilsen. Elsewhere he also passed on a letter from the aforementioned Křepelka dated November 17, 1800:
“With a great deal of applause, I led the Mass in C from you, ... so also the Offertory C, which you set for the H. Naxara after Přessticz, because I like it very much. Your things will all be neatly copied, and shine to your eternal glory at the Pilsen choir, because I was instructed to sell your things to the choir; so there once eternal reward, and here enduring fame! - Is there no tear wetting your cheeks? - oh, several people roll over it! "
Ryba's works have been performed in Pilsen since 1800 at the latest, but perhaps even earlier. So it is no wonder that at the beginning of 1805 a commissioned composition from the Church of St. Bartholomew awaited him. In view of the impending passion, a passion or a stabat mater offered itself. He chose the latter.
The text of the Stabat mater was written in the 13th century by an author who has not yet been identified and originally served as a rhyme prayer consisting of ten linguistically identical stanzas. The Stabat mater was only constituted by the Catholic Church in 1727 as a sequence to the then newly introduced “Feast of the Seven Sorrows of Mary” on September 15. Textually, the text interprets the passage that is described in John 25: But Jesus' mother and mother's sister, Mary, wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala were standing by the cross of Jesus. The modern expressiveness of the text was at the moment of Mary's pity for the sufferings of her son. This intensity of compassionate suffering, of emotional participation, became a popular motif of so-called sensitivity in the 1870s . Giovanni Battista Pergolesi 's setting of Stabat-mater in particular became a hymn for the so-called sensitive.
Ryba's relationship with Pilsen is often mentioned in the literature, but nobody knows the works themselves. Although many of them have been preserved, there are no modern music editions, no recordings, and no academic work on these works.
A composer like Ryba, shrouded in a special myth as a suicide, is particularly exposed to mystification. In the case of the so-called Pilsener Stabat mater, too, some facts are kept secret or passed on imprecisely.
On May 28, 1805 Jakub Jan Ryba was granted Pilsen citizenship, and the city of Pilsen was able to adorn itself with the name of a composer who had achieved fame far beyond the country's borders. From that time on, Ryba felt particularly close to Pilsen and regularly dedicated numerous works to the city. In his rhymed autobiography, he writes:
“Know that, like other
hard-working teachers , I, too,
received praise and recognition
for my efforts at school
. Then loyal Pilsen
(please no envy!) Made me
an honorary citizen,
and she gave me a generous gift
for Stabat, Sacrum,
which I melodized and dedicated.
Famous city, let
me tell you vivat anytime! "
The modern musicological lexicons ( New Grove , MGG ) list three Stabat mater compositions by Ryba. However, it can be seen that he composed at least four Stabat mater, because in his catalog raisonné from 1801 he names three, and a fourth was added in 1805, which is probably the most legendary, as Ryba was supposedly made a citizen of Pilsen for this.
“On May 28, 1805 he received honorary citizenship from the city of Pilsen. It was the reward for the great Latin oratorio Stabat mater for the choir of the St. Bartholomew Church there. "
writes Němeček in his Ryba biography.
Based on the primary sources, the situation is different:
“In 1805 - at the request of Mr. František Křepelka, the first teacher of the Pilsen Secondary School and at the same time the director of the Pilsen Choir - I made a Stabat Mater, which I dedicated to Councilor Matas, who was also the inspector of the Pilsen Choir; it was gratefully accepted. I also composed the holy mass together with the offertory for this venerable city, which in the Kingdom of Bohemia always stands out in public through philanthropy, in order to then dedicate these musical works to the famous magistrate of the city, which earned me a reward, namely I became the Honorary citizen of the city and also received 100 guilders, which should encourage me to continue. "
Ryba wrote in his second autobiography, written in 1811. As Ryba further reports, he composed the work in six weeks. Thanks to this information, a fairly precise schedule can be reconstructed, whereby the fact that a stabat mater could only be performed on two days is helpful: on Holy Saturday or on September 15. Since no organ was allowed to sound during Holy Week, a harpsichord was used for the continuo accompaniment. This explains why the figured bass part bears the heading Clavi = harpsichord aut organo e viol:
Ryba's representation results in the following harmonogram :
- Křepelka asked for or ordered a Stabat mater from Ryba in mid-January 1805 at the latest.
- Ryba composed the work over the course of six weeks. Provided that it was rehearsed before the beginning of Holy Week, the score had to arrive in Pilsen by the end of February at the latest, as parts still had to be created and revised.
- It will most likely be performed on Holy Saturday, April 13, 1805.
- The work was well received. Křepelka will have immediately notified Ryba of this in writing.
- Ryba then composes a mass and an offertory and dedicates both works to the city's magistrate. This will be done within two weeks, i.e. by the beginning of May. Ryba sends the works to Pilsen.
- For these two compositions (and by no means for the Stabat mater) Ryba was granted civil rights in the city of Pilsen on May 28, 1805.
This perspective corresponds exactly to what Dlabač reports in his artist lexicon in column 617:
“Even the k. The district town of Pilsen valued a solenne mass that he wrote and venerated it so highly that it honored him with a gift of 100 florins and a citizen's rights. "
Since the offertory could be seen as an in-between music for mass, Dlabacz's statement is correct.
This information is also confirmed by the entry in the memorial book of the royal district town of Pilsen (Kniha pamětní královského krajského města Plzně, 1883):
"In 1805, the Rožmitál teacher Jakub Ryba received 100 guilders from the local city council for the large mass that he composed especially for the St. Bartholomew Church."
On July 30, 1805, Ryba was sent 100 guilders, as he remarks in a note on his autobiography in rhymes.
The works dedicated to the Magistrate of the City of Pilsen are the Missa solemnis in D minor and the Offertorium ad Festum S.Bartholomaei. Offert.solemne per Choro Plsnensis (sic!) Anno 1805 . The Bartholomew Festival takes place on August 24th. The Moctetum Festo S.Bartholomaei accomodatum (1812) and the Graduale in C pro Festo S.Bartholomaei (1813) were also created for the patronage festival of the Pilsen Bartholomäus Church, that is, on August 24, 1812 and 1813, works by Ryba were performed here.
Cursus Sacro-harmonicus
It is particularly important that Ryba put his most ambitious project following the works dedicated to the city into the service of Pilsen, namely the plan to write a mass , a graduation and an offertory for every church Sunday of a whole year . Ryba planned 156 muzyčních chrámních zpěvů for 52 church Sundays . Under the title "Cursus Sacro-harmonicus" (Sacred Harmonic Cycle) he planned 9-10 volumes, which he dedicated to Pilsen, of which he also sent the first five to Pilsen.
“In the same year I sent the first volume of my musical piece entitled Cursus Sacro-harmonicus, which contains 16 short masses from the first Sunday in Advent to Quadragesimus, the famous magistrate of the royal family. City of Pilsen. "
Dating problem
The Ryba literature has so far overlooked dating problems that arise with this and other information for the preparation of the course sacro-harmonicus. In his autobiography, Ryba gives contradicting statements about the second volume of this work:
"Just today, when I write this down, in the year 1811, I have the second volume of the musical work, which contains 16 offers, and I plan to send it to the appropriate place this year."
Ryba writes just a few lines further:
"In 1810 I delivered the second volume of my musical work to the famous magistrate of the royal city of Pilsen: Cursus Sacro-harmonicus, which contains 16 offers from the first Sunday in Advent to the Quadragessimo."
Since the second volume has survived and is dated 1811, the first statement applies. The explanation for this contradiction offers the guidance of the autobiography. While the second message can be found in the running text, the first is in the comments. Ryba had probably planned to send the second volume in 1810 and noticed this prematurely in 1810, but was only able to realize this in 1811. This could have led to the second entry, which was made chronologically before the first. However, these considerations are purely theoretical as the autograph is missing.
It can be assumed that Ryba's statement should be read in such a way that he began to conceptualize the first volume of his cycle, comprising over 700 pages, as early as 1807 or perhaps even earlier, for example after his appointment as a citizen of Pilsen. In some cases he used older compositions, but he composed the majority from scratch. The first volume of the cycle must have been completed at the end of January 1808; it arrived in Pilsen on February 18, as can be seen from the advice of the Pilsen magistrate secretary Johann Pirner of March 4, 1808, which Ryba reproduced in his autobiography to which he writes that the (first volume) "under the 18th Hornung lJ ... transmitted and revered Cursus Sacro-harmonicus is received with particular approval and therefore not only the thanks, but also the complete satisfaction for this musical product on the part of the local magistrate testifies with the assurance that one will not fail to recommend the efforts made in this case and thus the laudable use of the high state office and to seek appropriate reward for the same in the event of complete completion and delivery of the work. "
The high state office can only refer to the gubernium in Prague. In addition to an even greater level of awareness, Ryba, who had been valued and praised in higher positions thanks to his pedagogical skills, was also promised a corresponding financial reward. However, the data given deserve attention. Ryba's shipment had arrived in Pilsen on February 18, 1808, as this was a Thursday, it will only be possible with the greatest haste to produce voices and perform the mass corresponding to this church Sunday by next Sunday, February 21. But this could have happened in the following week, that is, on Sunday, February 28, 1808, the following Friday the letter will be written. Obviously it was not an empty phrase, but at least one of Ryba's compositions had been heard and received with special approval.
Overall, the content and dating of the volumes in Ryba's autobiography are as follows: 1808 (Volume I, 16 masses 1st Advent Quadragesima), 1810 (1811! Volume II, 16 Offertories 1st Advent Quadragesima), 1813 (Volume III 16 Graduals 1st Advent Quadragesima) and 1814 (Volume IV and Volume V, 7 Masses, 7 Graduals and 7 Offertories for Lent).
No reaction was known to the sending of the second volume, but František Křepelka will certainly have reported to Ryba about the performances and reactions. In response to the third volume, Ryba was promised that his son would get board and lodging in Pilsen, where a grammar school had been located since 1808. Caring for his son Vilém, who is attending grammar school in Pilsen, was certainly an essential motivating factor for Ryba's work:
“Since I've been writing musical pieces, I've also been grateful to the city of Pilsen. I am very attached to this place now. Through a friend - be it given to me to be really grateful! - I received lunch from some good-natured people for my second son Vilém - with such philanthropic help my son can now pursue his studies, because I, a poor father burdened with seven unsupervised children, who apart from the modest school income has no other fortune, was unable to send his children to school without this philanthropic help; which is why I would like to mark these benefactors in eternal memory with a genuine heartfelt gratitude. Their names are: the honorable Mr. Tomáš Kordík, dean and prelate in Pilsen; Mr. Matas, councilor and school and choir inspector as well as his brother Mr. Matas, doctor of law; born wife Baroness von Leštiny; Mr. Karel Pěvec, who, among other benefits, allowed my son to practice fortepiano with him; Mr. Kraus, former waiter in Křimice, also Mr. Franc, landlord of the restaurant "Bílá růže". May God abundantly replace everything here and in eternity for these human friends! This is my constant and fervent prayer, which I hope will be heard by the Most Holy. I try to convey this grateful feeling to my son as well and encourage him to show his gratitude to these benefactors with his good and commendable behavior, to pray for them and to respect them - as well as his best friends - as long as he lives and himself to show gratitude with words and deeds. The city of Pilsen will certainly be blessed because it is so effective in providing courteous help to so many children whose parents are unable to do so, but who are distinguished by ability, diligence and morality. All of you - no matter what condition you are in - will bless this city, which has always distinguished itself through goodness, with gratitude. I bless them too, and as long as I live I will speak of them with gratitude; I will use all my abilities so that I can at least show myself as grateful. "
During his work on this large cycle, Ryba dedicated further works to Pilsen: 1812: Responsoria pro feria V, VI et Sabbato Sancto and 1808: Vesperae omnibus per annum festis adaptatae
But Ryba also composed works for Pilsen in the secular field. On October 18, 1814, Ryba's cantata Jubel der Pilsener ( Jubel der Pilsener ) was performed in the Pilsen Theater (not in today's, only opened in 1902!) .
“Do not believe, you blasphemers,
you would-be sages who follow fashion,
that I sing
rosaries for the sake of my profit for the city of Pilsen!
Look in ancient writings!
(They tell you: what are you!)
Look, then you will know
that it was Balbín
who praised the faithful Pilsen,
eternal praise for this city in Bohemia! "
Ryba was not to complete his Cursus Sacro-harmonicus. As if he feared this, he commented self-critically on his great task:
“However, it is time I made my plan a reality. for the years go by, and with them, as is so common with people, especially those with many children, more worries, which bring the greatest agony to the human soul and heart. I am now 46 years old: I am a father of seven children who have not yet been cared for and only have the income of a teacher. But I don't mind, Almighty providence has never condemned me; I am glad, and in spite of all the difficulties she will give me so much spirit and heart that I will fulfill my faithful intention and maybe a little more. It is exhilarating to praise the Creator through songs and thus show one's gratitude. That is also the most effective incentive. God forbid that I accomplish - accomplish happily - what I set out to do for your glory and your glory! "
Quote:
"On April 8, 1815 Jakub Jan Ryba ended his life and the city of Pilsen lost not only one citizen, but also one of its most important composers after at least 15 years of intensive musical contact."
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Jakob Johan Ryba´s musical curriculum vitae, facsimile in: Jakub Jan Ryba, Můj život a hudba [My life and music], Rožmitál pod Třemšínem 2005. (German / Czech, partly incorrect transcription)
- ^ Jan Němeček, Jakub Jan Ryba, with catalog raisonné, Prague 1963 (Czech)
- ↑ Kniha pamětní královského krajského města Plzně [Memorial Book of the Royal District City of Pilsen], 1883.
- ^ Andreas Kröper-Hoffmann, Jakub Jan Rybas Pilsener Stabat mater, Acta Musicologica 1/08
literature
- Jirí Berkovec: Jakub Jan Ryba. Nakl. H & H, Praha 1995, ISBN 80-85787-97-0 . (Czech.)
- František Augustín Slavík: Život a působení Jakuba Jana Ryby. Nakl. Mrs. A. Urbánek, Praha 1888. (Czech.)
- Jakob Johan Ryba´s musical resume. Facsimile In: Jakub Jan Ryba, Muj život a hudba. Rožmitál po Třemšínem 2005. (German / Czech, partly incorrect transcription)
- Jan Němeček: Jakub Jan Ryba. with catalog raisonné, Prague 1963. (Czech)
- Andreas Kröper-Hoffmann: Jakub Jan Rybas Pilsener Stabat mater. In: acta musicologica. 1/08.