What an amazing, beautiful composition. I think it's structured (sort of) around a ground bass. Purcell has super-powers. There are some really good male countertenor versions of this song too.
Chopin also died at a young age. Why do the composers who make such lovely music die at tragically young ages? God bless Purcell:) My favorite composer, who moves my soul.
And Pergolesi died at the age of 26. Maybe they were too evolved for this physical plaine. I also love Purcell. If he had lived to be an old man, the history of opera would be veeeery different.
D'après "La solitude" d'Antoine Girard de Saint-Amant (1594-1661)
O! que j'aime la solitude ! Que ces lieux sacrés à la nuit, Eloignés du monde et du bruit, Plaisent à mon inquiétude ! Mon Dieu ! Que mes yeux sont contents De voir ces bois qui se trouvèrent A la nativité du temps, Et que tous les Siècles révèrent, Être encore aussi beaux et verts, Qu'aux premiers jours de l'Univers !
I can't help but feel a bit sad every time I listen to music by Henry Purcell. He died so young, at age 38. Just imagine all the great music he could have written had he lived longer. His Dido and Aeneas rocked my world when I first heard it.
I read somewhere that Purcell love thedrink and one night his wife had had enough and locked him out of the house amidst a storm. He got very ill and died. I also recently learned that Pergolesi died at 26 or 27.
I happen to be a real musician (composer only, but I guess that means I know a couple of things about music), but I don't see why your original comment would deserve anything but what you got in return. Yes, Bowman is singing a third lower, and it doesn't fit the score, but before announcing it to the world, maybe you could verify if it's not already mentioned in the video description?
As long as you don't read well the comment of that real musician you speak of, it would never make any difference whether s/he commented or not. Whoever is classified as a real musician by you is besides the point since what you do is to assume who is who.
I simply posted a video which I put some work into, just to give another version of a musical piece I posted in several versions already, thinking it would be appreciated by some. I don't charge you to view it. And I certainly don't need your judgment on who or what I am. As certain as you are not an authority on the subject at hand, you seem to think you are qualified to post a comment, so why not anyone else? At least, I tried to answer instead of ignoring your nonsensical question.
When I said "read the description", I meant that I pointed out the difference in the key as opposed to the score showed. I think people should read what was posted before blurting things out. It is often the case with my videos since I mostly post baroque pieces; the pitch is almost always a relative thing. Why people feel the need to bother talking about the pitch difference, as if I am not aware of it, I don't understand.
When did I say it is? No, there is no "baroque pitch" norm other than the convenient 415 norm commonly used nowadays, to make things easier for performers. As I said, it is relative. 'A' could be anything, 392, 423.2, or 480 depending on the circumstances. Plus, I have no idea why King chose to record it the way he did. I'm sure he had a reason for it. But what matter to me is how it sounds, not what frequency it is.
Giordana55: everything was explained in the description, and it's obvious you didn't read it before posting your second comment. How rude is that? Bowman sings it like that because he's not a mezzo-soprano, but an alto. It's either that, or he just can't sing it well. If the "difference" between the score and the recording bothers you, you can close your eyes like suggested in the description, or simply go watch other videos.
James Bowman is probably the only one who has sung this is an way that has moved me ever. This is a song with an extreme amount of meaning to Purcell - probably. Just read the words. What else could it be. A difficult choise for anyone. Thank you James, for this.
Pas loin de la perfection, mais Bowman m'a beaucoup déçu dans de nombreux opéras, où sa voix se décoloraitet manquait vraiment de couleur et de mordant
Is there any particular reason why bowman's performance has barely been mentioned? Personally I don't like his tone, in general but especially at "oh solitude" at 5 mins 24. He's only singing a C#, it really doesn't sound very refined, he's struggling. Anyway, the 'music' video is a nice idea.
It's on "how I" the note dips slightly. His technique is excellent and he can sing very low in his falsetto register. I'm just not too keen on his tone, a bit hooty.
Well , not at all like Deller of course. So wonderful to have these here . the music suits the poems really almost too well. i can imagine him climbingback behind the heavy walls .
I know a record of " Saul" ( handel ) with mackerras e james bowman as countertenor. Impressive the James Bowman's performance in that version as David.
Civileso, you are a tremendous boon to music scholarship and to sheer enjoyment. Thank you for all your wonderful work and extensive notes and URL's. Even though a soprano myself and an admirer of Gritton, I believe I like the counter tenors more for "O Solutude."
I did not know the text was a translation of a French poem. Thanks for letting us know. I thought the English text itself was great.
I also love "Music for A While". There is something that invites meditation in these Purcell songs. I've been haunted for a long time by them (and I'm afraid I'll grow tired of them one day, which I absolutely do NOT want), so I take long breaks, avoiding to put them back in my CD player too often (maybe once a year).
Yes, Purcell has that effect on m,e too. Even when they seem to be really sad songs. All his solo songs that I have listened to so far all inspire serenity, although they all have an eerie feeling to them. May be it is the poetry and seeming simplicity of his harmonies that gives the feeling of quiet wisdom.
I have often concluded that some Baroque composers (esp. Purcell) have romantic qualities that far more exceeds what any Romantic composer could have conceptualised or matched in emotional power.
I agree. Purcell is my favorite Baroque composer for this reason. I especially like his "Here the Deities Approve" from his Odes to Saint Cecilia - the harpsichord suggesting quiet work in a study toward a secret skill. I think he might have been a renaissance neoplatonist pagan...
I personally think that purcell is a master at taking painful dark emotions and making them sound gorgeous and completely trancendant.
dxf323 1 month ago
One of the few songs I can truly relate to.
Kenazzle 2 months ago
Purcell is the only composer that equals Bach, just a pity he died so young.
laug66 1 year ago
Purcell, you touch us in such ways as no other can. I want this sung at my funeral ...;-( Gawd how depressing ....)
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AshlyRaljgdk 1 year ago
pour les francophones, j'ai fait une traduction : tapez Ô solitude avec paroles !!
Magnifique interprétation, j'en propose une autre, au moins aussi belle
hugoflebrave44 2 years ago
Bellísimo poema con la insuperable interpretación de James Bowman.
Todo bajo el cielo protector de Henry Purcell.
Espero hacer,en breve,una traducción del mismo al español.(castellano).
Impresionante de principio a fin...
paradoxicus 2 years ago 2
wow.purcell left a lot of great vocal music and instrumental which im just finding.there was great music before bach so little which i know.
lovesGenet 2 years ago 3
@lovesGenet Hey, me too. Thank God for you tube eh? x
pianomags 2 years ago
Oh que c'est beau! Bravo Bowman ici! AV avec grâce
ALEXISVASSILIEV 2 years ago 2
jazz version played on Radio 3 today
Purcell, arr. Branford Marsalis
O Solitude
Branford Marsalis Quartet
Universal Classics / Marsalis Music 613309
jesoby 2 years ago
could you please tell me where you found the score !? thanks
lionel140285 2 years ago
What an amazing, beautiful composition. I think it's structured (sort of) around a ground bass. Purcell has super-powers. There are some really good male countertenor versions of this song too.
sibionic 2 years ago 2
This is a male countertenor version! James Bowman is one of the most well known ever.
101francis101 1 year ago
Chopin also died at a young age. Why do the composers who make such lovely music die at tragically young ages? God bless Purcell:) My favorite composer, who moves my soul.
yamiyugikun 2 years ago
Well Said!
lapanen007 2 years ago
And Pergolesi died at the age of 26. Maybe they were too evolved for this physical plaine. I also love Purcell. If he had lived to be an old man, the history of opera would be veeeery different.
kiltedboy1950 2 years ago 2
Mayby God give us them just for the time to write music and then he needs them in Heaven to play...
Siberiaeterna 2 years ago
D'après "La solitude" d'Antoine Girard de Saint-Amant (1594-1661)
O! que j'aime la solitude ! Que ces lieux sacrés à la nuit, Eloignés du monde et du bruit, Plaisent à mon inquiétude ! Mon Dieu ! Que mes yeux sont contents De voir ces bois qui se trouvèrent A la nativité du temps, Et que tous les Siècles révèrent, Être encore aussi beaux et verts, Qu'aux premiers jours de l'Univers !
...
À vous de rechercher la suite.
OMaclac 2 years ago
The poem and music humanity needs more than ever.
headmark915 2 years ago
I can't help but feel a bit sad every time I listen to music by Henry Purcell. He died so young, at age 38. Just imagine all the great music he could have written had he lived longer. His Dido and Aeneas rocked my world when I first heard it.
kiltedboy1950 2 years ago
At the age of 36 years and 2 months, actually. Mozart died 4 months younger.
TheCompletePurcell 2 years ago
I read somewhere that Purcell love thedrink and one night his wife had had enough and locked him out of the house amidst a storm. He got very ill and died. I also recently learned that Pergolesi died at 26 or 27.
kiltedboy1950 2 years ago
Maybe there is a REAL musician who can comment of this instead of the inept rudeness of the wannbes?
giordana55 3 years ago 2
I happen to be a real musician (composer only, but I guess that means I know a couple of things about music), but I don't see why your original comment would deserve anything but what you got in return. Yes, Bowman is singing a third lower, and it doesn't fit the score, but before announcing it to the world, maybe you could verify if it's not already mentioned in the video description?
MehdiCaps 3 years ago
As long as you don't read well the comment of that real musician you speak of, it would never make any difference whether s/he commented or not. Whoever is classified as a real musician by you is besides the point since what you do is to assume who is who.
civileso 3 years ago
I simply posted a video which I put some work into, just to give another version of a musical piece I posted in several versions already, thinking it would be appreciated by some. I don't charge you to view it. And I certainly don't need your judgment on who or what I am. As certain as you are not an authority on the subject at hand, you seem to think you are qualified to post a comment, so why not anyone else? At least, I tried to answer instead of ignoring your nonsensical question.
civileso 3 years ago
You hard work is appreciated! lovely to listen to this piece and James Bowman. Very moving.
shazzer1976 2 years ago
Why should academics be the only ones allowed to enjoy Purcell? I'm thrilled people are taking an interest!
Helen2514 2 years ago 2
Helen: There is no reason. :) I've just started listening to his music and there are some songs/compositions I really like.
I sometimes think the composers [both modern and past] that are the least-well known are the most interesting and innovative.
NGS712 2 years ago
@giordana55 I like this. I think it's really nice.
locomotifx 1 year ago
The performance is very moving indeed but is singing a third below the printed music.
giordana55 3 years ago
May I kindly suggest you to read the video description?
civileso 3 years ago
Comment removed
lapanen007 3 years ago
When I said "read the description", I meant that I pointed out the difference in the key as opposed to the score showed. I think people should read what was posted before blurting things out. It is often the case with my videos since I mostly post baroque pieces; the pitch is almost always a relative thing. Why people feel the need to bother talking about the pitch difference, as if I am not aware of it, I don't understand.
civileso 3 years ago
Baroque pitch is a minor third below A440?
giordana55 3 years ago
When did I say it is? No, there is no "baroque pitch" norm other than the convenient 415 norm commonly used nowadays, to make things easier for performers. As I said, it is relative. 'A' could be anything, 392, 423.2, or 480 depending on the circumstances. Plus, I have no idea why King chose to record it the way he did. I'm sure he had a reason for it. But what matter to me is how it sounds, not what frequency it is.
civileso 3 years ago
Giordana55: everything was explained in the description, and it's obvious you didn't read it before posting your second comment. How rude is that? Bowman sings it like that because he's not a mezzo-soprano, but an alto. It's either that, or he just can't sing it well. If the "difference" between the score and the recording bothers you, you can close your eyes like suggested in the description, or simply go watch other videos.
MehdiCaps 3 years ago
James Bowman is probably the only one who has sung this is an way that has moved me ever. This is a song with an extreme amount of meaning to Purcell - probably. Just read the words. What else could it be. A difficult choise for anyone. Thank you James, for this.
lapanen007 3 years ago
Actually I must add that Alfred Deller does indeed sing this fabulously also.
lapanen007 3 years ago
Pas loin de la perfection, mais Bowman m'a beaucoup déçu dans de nombreux opéras, où sa voix se décoloraitet manquait vraiment de couleur et de mordant
acanthe83 3 years ago
Is there any particular reason why bowman's performance has barely been mentioned? Personally I don't like his tone, in general but especially at "oh solitude" at 5 mins 24. He's only singing a C#, it really doesn't sound very refined, he's struggling. Anyway, the 'music' video is a nice idea.
101francis101 3 years ago
He's not struggling, there, what are you saying?
Oooooooo(crescendo)-how-I-sooooo-li-tude...
It's perfectly controlled, to me.
MehdiCaps 3 years ago
It's on "how I" the note dips slightly. His technique is excellent and he can sing very low in his falsetto register. I'm just not too keen on his tone, a bit hooty.
101francis101 3 years ago
Am I the only person bothered that the sheet music shown is in f minor and he sings in (what sounds like) a?
jamesebailey 3 years ago
Read description.
MehdiCaps 3 years ago
there's a great arrangement of this on sax by Branford Marsalis. It's got a hint of jazz but not too much.
saxyjazzman91 3 years ago
Well , not at all like Deller of course. So wonderful to have these here . the music suits the poems really almost too well. i can imagine him climbingback behind the heavy walls .
lovesGenet 4 years ago
I know a record of " Saul" ( handel ) with mackerras e james bowman as countertenor. Impressive the James Bowman's performance in that version as David.
codonauta 4 years ago
I love purcell airs. Do you have 'dear pretty youth'? I would love to see that
hillevifan 4 years ago
Civileso, you are a tremendous boon to music scholarship and to sheer enjoyment. Thank you for all your wonderful work and extensive notes and URL's. Even though a soprano myself and an admirer of Gritton, I believe I like the counter tenors more for "O Solutude."
reallyharried 4 years ago 4
I did not know the text was a translation of a French poem. Thanks for letting us know. I thought the English text itself was great.
I also love "Music for A While". There is something that invites meditation in these Purcell songs. I've been haunted for a long time by them (and I'm afraid I'll grow tired of them one day, which I absolutely do NOT want), so I take long breaks, avoiding to put them back in my CD player too often (maybe once a year).
legato699 4 years ago
Yes, Purcell has that effect on m,e too. Even when they seem to be really sad songs. All his solo songs that I have listened to so far all inspire serenity, although they all have an eerie feeling to them. May be it is the poetry and seeming simplicity of his harmonies that gives the feeling of quiet wisdom.
civileso 4 years ago
I agree: a feeling of quiet wisdom, particularly in this song
legato699 4 years ago
I have often concluded that some Baroque composers (esp. Purcell) have romantic qualities that far more exceeds what any Romantic composer could have conceptualised or matched in emotional power.
thecritiquevirtuoso 4 years ago 2
Yes! Vivaldi's Nisi Dominus and Stabat Mater immediately come to mind.
HARMONICO101 3 years ago
I agree. Purcell is my favorite Baroque composer for this reason. I especially like his "Here the Deities Approve" from his Odes to Saint Cecilia - the harpsichord suggesting quiet work in a study toward a secret skill. I think he might have been a renaissance neoplatonist pagan...
Forteverum 3 years ago