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.

Description Twenty-Four Italian Songs And Arias Of The 17th And 18th Centuries - Medium Low Voice (CD) A standard in teaching literature, now available with both accompaniment cassette or CD. Songlist Alma Del Core (La Constanza In Amor Vince L'Inganno) [Caldara, Antonio] Amarilli, Mia Bella [Caccini, Giulio] Caro Mio Ben [Giordani, Tommaso] Che Fiero Costume [Legrenzi, Giovanni] Come Raggio Di Sol [Caldara, Antonio] Danza, Danza, Fanciulla Gentile [Durante, Francesco] Gia Il Sole Dal Gange [Scarlatti, Alessandro] Lasciatemi Morire (Adriane's Lament) [Monteverdi, Claudio] Le Violette [Scarlatti, Alessandro] Nel Cor Piu Non Mi Sento (L'Amor Contrastato) [Paisiello, Giovanni] Nina [Pergolesi, Giovanni Battista] Nina [Pergolesi, Giovanni] Non Posso Disperar [De Luca, S.] O Cessate Di Piagarmi [Scarlatti, Alessandro] O Del Mio Dolce Ardor (Paride Ed Elena) [Gluck, Christoph Willibald] Per La Gloria D'adorarvi [Bononcini, Giovanni] Pieta, Signore [Stradella, Alessandro] Pur Dicesti, O Bocca Bella [Lotti, Antonio] Se Florindo E Fedele [Scarlatti, Alessandro] Se Tu M'ami, Se Sospiri [Pergolesi, Giovanni] Sebben, Crudele [Caldara, Antonio] Tu Lo Sai [Torelli, Giuseppe] Two Bourrees (Third Cello Suite] [Bach, Johann Sebastian] Vergin, Tutto Amor [Durante, Francesco] Vittoria, Mio Core! [Carissimi, Giacomo]

The words for Panis Angelicus form an extract taken from St Thomas Aquinas’s hymn Sacris solemniis and frequently treated as a separate hymn. Of the many settings César Franck’s from 1872 is the best known.He included it in his Messe á Trois Voix for Tenor Harp Cello and Organ some years after that piece was written. Of all the works by Franck the Panis Angelicus with its serene meditative Vocal line and restrainedaccompaniment is the best known and certainly the most frequently recorded in all Voices and in many arrangements.