Henry Purcell - Jubilate Deo

Jubilate Deo
Henry Purcell

Timothy Brown
The Choir of Clare College Cambridge

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Purcell
• Henry
• Jubilate
• Deo
• Choral
• Sacred
• Music
• Baroque

[brianroger]

Yes indeed anachronistic, but was referring to mainstream usage of the chord some years later. The well-tempered pitch comment was meant with irony. As a cellist yourself you´ll be fully conversant with the difference between two enharmonically equivalent notes in a Pythagorean scale. In my experience as an orchestral cellist and choral director most tenors would assume that Eb = D#, which of course is not the case.

[TheCrazyCello]

@brianroger Why would you use a Pythagorean scale? Eb is lower than D# in Just Intonation and meantone temperaments. In circulating and schismatic temperaments they are the same note, in Pythagorean tuning Eb is higher than D#, resulting in horribly sour intervals which are unusable in diatonic harmony. In this instant it is a true Neapolitan 6th which is heard at 4:01, the tenor's leading note is quite low at 4:03, which is what you would expect from singers who naturally tend to just intervals

[brianroger]

@TheCrazyCello I was using the Pythagorean comma as an example for pitches. The problem to me is that the tenor´s leading note is if anything too sharp, followed by a D that is also a tad on the bright side. Eb ok D ok C# sharpish leading note, D too sharp, forced vibrato, C# then back to a lower D which agrees once again with the accompaniment pitch. But rather than not see the wood for the trees, a most enjoyable performance.

[TheCrazyCello]

@brianroger Ah, but the Pythagorean comma is something different altogether, rather than the difference between Eb and D#, it is the difference between a Pythagorean major 3rd and a pure major third...

[brianroger]

Beautiful performance indeed. 4:03 Just watch your well-tempered pitch tenor, leading note after the (almost Neopolitan 6th chord at 4:01- albeit 200 years early!) Prefer it all senza vibrato.

[TheCrazyCello]

@brianroger Couple of anachronisms there... firstly the Neopolitan 6th chord takes its name from the early 18th century Neapolitan school, but it was already in standard use by then, Purcell frequently uses it in his vocal works as well as the trio sonatas and organ voluntaries! Secondly circulating temperaments belong to the 2nd half of the 18th century. If they were being historically accurate in this recording they would use a form of meantone temperament. Unfortunately I suspect it's Valloti

[brianroger]

This difference is known as the Pythagorean comma. On a practical note, as a cellist I always tune the middle fifth a little wider

[brianroger]

@TheCrazyCello I always believed it was the pitch discrepancy which occurs between 7 8ves and 12 just perfect 5ths. To wit, when 12 successive perfect 5ths have been played, one should, in theory, be returned to the starting pitch (albeit some 8ves higher), B# being the equivalent of C; but in actual practice one finds that a B# thus obtained is a discernibly higher pitch than the original C.

[TheOldObserver]

An remarquable version: excellent singers and instrumentalists for the most satisfaction of the listeners... (I'm not sure wether my English is grammatically correct but I think/hope you understand what I mean).

[sensatzionellst]

The English really know how to perform Purcell. Excellent.