Stabat Mater

by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi

and Fantasie Brilliante on Othello by H W Ernst
St John Fisher Parish Church
North Harrow

Soprano: Elspeth Piggott

Mezzo-Soprano: Charlotte Bowden
Director: Wilfrid Jones

13th March 2010

Programme
 Programme
Fanstasie Brilliante on Othello by Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst
Violin: Claudia-Sophie Giannotti Piano: Chris
Taylor

Stabat Mater by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi

I. Stabat Mater Dolorosa (Duet)
II. Cujus Animam Gementem (Soprano Aria)
III. O Quam Tristis (Duet)
IV. Quae Moerebat (Mezzo-Soprano Aria)
V. Quis est Homo (Duet)
VI. Vidit Suum (Soprano Aria)
VII. Eja Mater (Mezzo-Soprano Aria)
VIII. Fac ut Ardeat Cor Meum (Duet)
IX. Sancta Mater (Duet)
X. Fac ut Portem Christi (Mezzo-Soprano Aria)
XI. Inflammatus et Accensus (Duet)
XII. Quando Corpus (Duet)

Ensemble
Soprano Elspeth Piggott
Mezzo-Soprano Charlotte Bowden

First Violin Claudia-Sophie Giannotti

Second Violin Robin Ugbade-Campbell
Viola Rachael Booth
Violoncello Geoffrey Chang
Organ Continuo George de Voil

Director Wilfrid Jones

Administrative Team: Harry Evans, Finan Jones and Jess Evan-Hughes
With thanks to Fr Kevin Jordan and the Parish Team of St John Fisher
 Composers
Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst was born on January the 6th, 1814 in
Brno in the modern day Czech Republic and began to study the
violin at the age of 9. His remarkable
talent for the instrument was soon
noticed and he began his studies at the
Vienna Conservatory two years later.
There he came to the attention of
Paganini, with whom he maintained a
professional rivalry through his whole
career. Indeed, Ernst secretly rented the
room next to Paganini’s so that he could learn by ear the latter’s
unpublished works by listening to him practise. The public
generally considered Paganini to be technically superior to Ernst,
but believed Ernst’s performances to be more soulful. He died in
Nice on the 8th of October, 1865.

Giovanni Battista Pergolesi was born on the 4th of January,

1710 at Jesi in Ancona. He found fame
with his comic opera, The Servant
Mistress in 1733, although he had already
written much chamber music a mass
setting and two operas. He contracted
tuberculosis in 1735 but insisted upon
undertaking a commission from the
Monks of the Brotherhood of San Luigi di
Palazzo for a new setting of the Stabat Mater to be performed
annually at the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday. He died
very soon after completing his masterpiece and so did not see its
success. It was the most frequently printed piece of music of the
18th century and was used as the basis for many works by other
composers, including Bach’s Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden.
Pergolesi died in Pozzuoli on March the 17th, 1736 aged 26.
At the Cross her station keeping,
stood the mournful Mother weeping,
close to Jesus to the last.
Through her heart, His sorrow
sharing,
all His bitter anguish bearing,
now at length the sword has passed.
O how sad and sore distressed
was that Mother, highly blest,
of the sole-begotten One.
Christ above in torment hangs,
she beneath beholds the pangs
of her dying glorious Son.
Is there one who would not weep,
whelmed in miseries so deep,
Christ's dear Mother to behold?
Can the human heart refrain
from partaking in her pain,
in that Mother's pain untold?
For the sins of His own nation,
She saw Jesus wracked with torment,
All with scourges rent:
She beheld her tender Child,
Saw Him hang in desolation,
Till His spirit forth He sent.
O thou Mother! fount of love!
Touch my spirit from above,
make my heart with thine accord:
Make me feel as thou hast felt;
make my soul to glow and melt
with the love of Christ my Lord.
Holy Mother! pierce me through,
in my heart each wound renew
of my Savior crucified:
Let me share with thee His pain,
who for all my sins was slain,
who for me in torments died.
Let me mingle tears with thee,
mourning Him who mourned for me,
all the days that I may live:
By the Cross with thee to stay,
there with thee to weep and pray,
is all I ask of thee to give.
Virgin of all virgins blest!,
Listen to my fond request:
let me share thy grief divine;
Let me, to my latest breath,
in my body bear the death
of that dying Son of thine.
Wounded with His every wound,
steep my soul till it hath swooned,
in His very Blood away;
When my body dies,
let my soul be granted
the glory of Paradise. Amen.
Harry Evans