Cornelius Trauer und Trost

Day 41

Cornelius Trauer und Trost

Margaret Price

Graham Johnson

Many people know and love the Christmas carol Three Kings from Persian Lands Afar even if they don’t know the composer. It was originally a song for voice and piano by Peter Cornelius but the version we usually hear is an arrangement with the piano part (a chorale) sung by a mixed choir. Cornelius (1824-1874) was part of the circle round Wagner. He was the composer of The Barber of Baghdad, which I consider to be one of the very best comic operas ever written. It has everything - a Sullivanesque patter song, some lovely solo arias, big ensembles where everybody is at sixes and sevens with each other and a beautiful evocation of the call to prayer by the distant voices of the muezzin.

This small cycle of 6 songs dates from 1854. It contains the famous song on one note Ein Ton which I mentioned in my note on Rossini (day 34). I knew that but had not heard the others. What I hadn’t realised is that the one note -  a B - was persuasive throughout the cycle, though it is only Ein Ton where the vocal line is restricted to that one note.  These were attractive songs to listen to - contemplative and generally subdued as one would expect with a title which translates as Grief and Consolations. The melodic line is attractive but these are not really ‘tune’ songs - much of the interest lies in the harmony and the way that the vocal line explores the direction in which the piano takes the music. These songs are very much in the tradition of Schumann rather than looking forward to Wolf. Although Cornelius was a Wagnerian there is not much here that sounds like Wagner, although of course in 1854 Tristan and The Ring were still years away from completion. 

There are several more short cycles by Cornelius - I look forward to getting to know them.