Messe à la mémoire de Jeanne d'Arc
CG 74
Gounod’s Messe à la mémoire de Jeanne d’Arc was composed in 1887 for a festive mass in Reims to commemorate the arrival of the national heroine in the city on the occasion of the coronation of Charles VII in 1429.
Performed a cappella or only accompanied by an organ, vast stretches of the work are in an archaic style in the tradition of Palestrina. The royal procession into the cathedral is conveyed in the splendid “Prélude” at the beginning, which was performed at the premiere by eight trumpets, three trombones, and organ. In the performance material, the present edition also offers a version of the movement for piano and organ. For the “Offertoire”, Gounod composed a cantilena for violin and organ (or piano), which is also included in the edition, as a ‘Vision’ of Jeanne d’Arc.
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Composer
Charles Gounod
| 1818-1893Charles Gounod is known today especially as the composer of the operas Faust (1859) and Roméo et Juliette (1867), and of the very popular Méditation sur le 1er prélude de piano de J. S. Bach (1852), arranged in 1859 as an Ave Maria. The fact that Gounod is regarded primarily as an important opera composer does not do justice to his extensive œuvre, which encompasses all genres. His creative output is dominated by his church music, which overshadows that of all other 19th-century composers. Personal details
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Editor
Barbara Grossmann
| 1978
Reviews
... Die für den praktischen Einsatz gut strukturierte Partitur, deren wenige Anmerkungen durch die Herausgeberin, wie im kritischen Bericht vermerkt, deutlich abgesetzt wurden, bietet eine gute Grundlage zur Aufführung im kirchenmusikalischen Kontext.
Musica Sacra, 01/2021
... Sicher wird gerade diese aparte und dosiert eingesetzte lnstrumentierung ihren besonderen Reiz auf Ausführende und Zuhörer ausüben.
Kirchenmusik im Bistum Limburg, 1/2019