About the composer
Paul Schwartz was born in New York. His father was
Arthur Schwartz, a songwriter who wrote the well known "Dancing in the Dark". At
the age of twelve his family moved to London, where he went to the Royal College
of Music. He returned to the USA in 1981. He worked primarily as a conductor,
first in the classical world and subsequently on Broadway. In 1993 he left the
show, Phantom of the Opera, to pursue composing full-time. About the
State of Grace II record he said (from the CD insert):
I have always been drawn to the great Latin texts that have inspired so many
composers over the last thousand years. I get a sense from them of being
connected to ages past: to a spiritual and musical continuity.
More information can be found on his website
www.paulschwartz.com
| Date | 2003 |
| Performers | Soprano, Choir and Orchestra |
| Length | 5.38 minutes |
| Particulars | The work is more or less divided into two sections, with the same melodical line. The music has a "New Age" feeling, slow in tempo, with a pronounced beat. The text is being sung by the singer, the choir generally giving backing vocals, with the exception of a small intro and the beginning of the third stanza. |
| Textual variations | Surprisingly, Paul Schwartz does not use the
usual Stabat Mater text, but uses the 6 mediaeval English stanzas that
replace the stanzas 9 to 20 of the normal text. For the text of these
stanzas, see Latin text The choir starts with a short text that I cannot hear clearly enough to understand what they are singing. As far as I can hear it does not come from the regular text. Furthermore, the last stanza is omitted, except the final "Amen". |
As the normal text is not used, I did not make a colorbar.
| CD | Windham Hill Records 82876-53017-2: State of Grace II: Turning to Peace |
| About this CD | In the CD insert Paul Schwartz writes
(abridged): When I started thinking about this record, I decided to base
it on two Latin texts: the Magnificat and the Stabat Mater. I wanted to
oppose these two images: the rejoicing expectant mother, and the eventual
tragedy that overcomes her. These texts and the other songs on the album
form a journey from joy, to sorrow, to joy again. I bought this CD on the Internet |
| Orchestra | Studio orchestra |
| Conductor | Gavyn Wright |
| Soloist | Lisbeth Scott, soprano |
| Other works | Magnificat, Gloria, Ave Maria and others |
| Added | SCHW 01 |
E-mail:
stabatmater@dds.nl