The Cantata “Jean de Damas” by Sergei Ivanovitch
Tanéïev (1856 – 1915) bears witness to the fact
that the young composer (he was only 25 at the time!)
combined, on the occasion of his first opus, a
traditional Russian song “ Rest in peace”, with
western counterpoint.
This prayer, the text of which was composed in the 8th
century by the illustrious Father of the Syrian Church,
Jean de Damas (who gives his name to the cantata), is
carried here by an old Russian melody which constit...(+)
The Cantata “Jean de Damas” by Sergei Ivanovitch
Tanéïev (1856 – 1915) bears witness to the fact
that the young composer (he was only 25 at the time!)
combined, on the occasion of his first opus, a
traditional Russian song “ Rest in peace”, with
western counterpoint.
This prayer, the text of which was composed in the 8th
century by the illustrious Father of the Syrian Church,
Jean de Damas (who gives his name to the cantata), is
carried here by an old Russian melody which constitutes
the common thread of work, like a leitmotif.
To make this edition, I used a transcription of the
sounds of the Russian language in the French alphabet,
in order to facilitate its appropriation by
French-speaking singers.
M.N. Ossorgin (2021)
