"Angelus ad pastores" by Sulpitia Cesis (Young Women's Chorus)

Описание: "Angelus ad pastores" by Sulpitia Cesis (1577-c.1617)
Performed by the Young Women’s Chorus of San Francisco
Dara Phung, piano
Sophie Deng, cello
Dr. Matthew Otto, conductor

Angelus ad pastores
Italian composer, lute player, and nun, Sulpitia Cesis (1577-c.1617), was the daughter of Count Annibale Cesis and wife, Barbara. She joined the convent of Saint Geminiano in Modena which had a high-caliber music program. Like other women composers of the time, especially those in convents, Cesis found ways to circumvent strict orders from the church, for example including the use of cornett and trombone in her musical performances. Author Giovan Battista Spaccini, chronicling a religious procession at Saint Geminiano convent, explained that, “The nuns there are versed in all sorts of musical instruments having…Sister Sulpitia, daughter of Count Cesis, who plays the lute excellently.” This description gives us valuable information about Cesis and her musical leadership role within the convent.

In 1619, Cesis’ 8-part Motetti spirituali for 2-12 voices, dedicated to nun Anna Maria Cesis who resided at the convent of Santa Lucia in Rome. The motets Cesis published were in the polychoral style and were likely sung by the nuns in the convent. Four of the motets were written for five voices and are considered to be madrigale spirituale because their texts are written in Italian rather than Latin. These works were likely written before 1619.

Angelus ad pastores ait:
annuntio vobis gaudium magnum:
quia natus est vobis hodie
Salvator mundi, alleluia.

Et vocabitur Deus fortis,
admirabilis Deus fortis,
princeps pacis pater, futuri saeculi.
cujus regni non erit finis.

The angel said to the shepherds:
“I bring you tidings of great joy,
for has been born to you today,
the Savior of the world, alleluia.

And he will be called mighty God,
wonderfully mighty God,
Prince of Peace, everlasting Father,
whose kingdom will have no end.

The Young Women’s Choral Projects of San Francisco transforms the lives of young women through exceptional artistry in choral performance and brings the expressive power of their music to the community, the nation, and the world. Founded in 2012 by Dr. Susan McMane, and now led by Dr. Matthew Otto, YWCP includes five levels of choral experience for young women ages 4-18 from across the San Francisco Bay Area. Through YWCP, participants of richly diverse socio-ethnic backgrounds find their voices as singers, artists, and women in a nurturing environment that empowers them to achieve artistic and personal excellence. Learn more at YWCP.org

The Young Women’s Chorus is the premier ensemble of the Young Women’s Choral Projects of San Francisco. The Chorus is composed of singers ages 12-18, and has been praised for its beauty of sound, stellar musicianship, and dynamic programming. Acclaimed in the American Record Guide for its “refined and beautifully controlled singing,” the Young Women’s Chorus has also won many competitive, national awards including the American Prize in Choral Performance; the Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence, the Dale Warland Singers Commission Award from Chorus America and American Composers Forum; and the ASCAP Adventurous Programming Award. They have performed with the London Philharmonia Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony and graced stages from Carnegie Hall to acclaimed venues in South Africa, France, Argentina, Canada, and New Zealand. Performing repertoire from early music to contemporary selections, the YWC annually performs a professional series of concerts in the Bay Area, and commissions new works by leading composers.