You will have heard of Saint Nicholas … but what do you know about the other saints?
It is true, we would have loved to dedicate this entire Concertzender Live to Saint Nicholas – the 5th of December comes round only once a year. But alas: you won’t find any traditional songs about Saint Nicholas in our archives. Sacred music for Saint Nicholas, however, does exist.
This people’s saint has been popular for centuries and no Catholic will ever miss his holy day. This episode features two concerts with music dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Myra, as well as some other holy days. Two musical calendars for the saints, both performed in Utrecht.
In the first concert, we listen to Utrecht’s musical pride and joy: the Camerata Trajectina. This ensemble specialised in performing songs from the early music genre, contributed by their founder, professor Louis Grijp. He would combine them with a melody, often after many years of meticulous research in archival catacombs. They are mostly songs from the Dutch Golden Age.
This brings other historic events to mind, like the activities of the ‘Geuzen’ (Dutch rebels who successfully fought the Spanish during the Eighty Year’s war), and upcoming Calvinism. A large part of the Dutch at that time did stay Catholic nonetheless, even in the north. They had to practise their religion in secret, using a hidden church or their house. It was here that, in addition to hymns in Latin, they also sung profane songs with religious texts in Dutch. We will hear Camerata Trajectina perform some of this repertoire, in the very appropriate location of Saint Catherine’s Cathedral, seat of the Archdiocese Utrecht.
The second concert took place in another fitting location: the Nicholas church in Utrecht. Ensemble Cercamon perform another type of repertoire: the hymns in Latin that are part of Mass.
Each hymn was written to celebrate a saints day and, for the benefit of non-Catholics, we added the name of the saint and the date of the saint’s day. Each and every one is a popular people’s saint. How many do you recognise?
Playlist
1. Het oudere jaer is heenen (January 1, Circumcision of Christ)
2. Dierbaar is de dood, halleluya (January 19, Saint Marius and Martha)
3. O Agnes, jonghe maegt (January 21, Agnes)
4. Strijd vromelijck Polycarpus (January 26, Polycarp of Smyrna)
5. Richardus nam een grauwen rock (February 7, Richard I of England)
6. Jerusalem vyert met goe reden (February 18, Simeon or Saint Simon of Jerusalem)
7. Al’ wie beweert sich selven te begeven (March 7, Thomas Aquinas)
8. Ick groet u Sint Gregori (March 12, Saint Gregory the Great)
9. Laet ons op noten stellen (March 17, Gertrude of Nivelles)
10. Dario Castello – Sonata
11. Wat dot ghy Friessche Volcken (June 5, Bonifacius)
12. Egmont die de graven (June 25, Adalbert of Egmond)
13. O diere schat (July 17, Alexius)
14. Wat leeft hier, in ‘t rood vyer, een salamander? (August 10, Saint Laurence)
15. Held’re zee-ster! Moeder (August 15, Assumption)
16. Veronica, beleefde vrouw (August 29, Veronica)
17. Den man Goods Sinte Baaf (October 1, Bavo)
18. Carthuyser Bruyn! Waartoe in een tuin (October 6, Bruno of Cologne)
19. Willibrorde! Die Holland heeft bekeerd (November 7, Willibrord)
20. Jacob van Eyck – Variations on Repicavan
21. Wy vyeren heden, na d’oude seden (December 6, Saint Nicholas)
22. Heer Jesu! Had ghy hier geweest (December 17, Lazarus)
23. God wou dat ons een Duyf besloot (December 31, Columba)
24. Statuit ei Dominus (Introit voor Saint Nicholas)
25. Angelica revelatione (Willibrord-responsory)
26. O Bonifaci (Bonifatius-antiphon)
27. In gente Fresonum (Willibrord-responsory)
28. Improvisation on Evangelica luce perfudit
29. Gratuletur omnia (Barbara-hymn)
30. O Supremi regis (Cunera-antiphon)
31. Improvisation on Mel et lac
Performing
1-23: Camerata Trajectina: Suze van Grootel (soprano), Sytze Buwalda (altus), Nico van der Meel (tenor), Marcel Moester (bass), Saskia Coolen (recorder, gamba), Erik Beijer (gamba), Louis Grijp (lute, zither, conducting)
24-31: Ensemble Cercamon; Berry van Berkum (organ)
