Born into a family that had lived in Florence since the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492 Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968) entertained only a distant relationship with the music he heard at synagogue. It was only when he discovered Schelemo a rhapsody for cello and orchestra written in 1916 by Ernest Bloch that he began to understand what “Jewish music” could be. In the mid-1920s the young composer found a collection of prayers set to music among his maternal grandfather’s papers. Something clicked and from then on Jewish tradition would become a source of inspiration for Castelnuovo-Tedesco. In 1928 two years after publishing theDances of King David he wrote this Vocalise-Étude for medium voice and piano at the request of vocal teacher Amédée-Landély Hettich who wanted to include it in the Répertoire moderne de Vocalises-Études published by Leduc. The piece became so popular that several instrumental adaptations were soon created published under the title Chant hébraïque (for violin and piano: AL17 713; for cello and piano: AL 17196). Divided into three sections this wordless melody opens with a “sad and impassioned” chant that appears to grieve the tragic fate of the Jewish people. A folk dance follows in which a “lively and stubborn” movement has great panache. The third section returns to the initial poignant theme before briefly reiterating the dance motif allowing the piece to conclude on a hopeful note. The composer himself would adopt this proactive stance refusing to yield to resignation when fleeing Mussolini’s anti-Semitic laws he decided to emigrate in 1939 to the United States a land of refuge to which he would remain faithful until his death some thirty years later.

Pierre Garnier débute en poésie au sein de l'Ecole de Rochefort sous l'oeil de Jean Rousselot. Il fonde ensuite la revue 'Les Lettres', pivot de la poésie spatiale, mouvement qu'il fonde avec sa femme Ilse Garnier. Il cultive une véritable passion pour les oiseaux, comme dans la 3e mélodie très justement intitulée 'Oiseaux'. Isabelle Aboulker a ici mis en musique trois poèmes, écrivant comme à son habitude pour la voix avec une grande maîtrise. Le style y est spontané, la mélodie fluide, l'harmonie concise, dans la plus parfaite tradition française. / Voix Moyennes Et Piano