Paul Schwartz
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
About the Stabat Mater
| 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". |
| Colour bar: |
As the normal text is not used, I did not make a colorbar. |
Information about the recording
| CD: | Windham Hill Records 82876-53017-2: State of Grace II: Turning to Peace |
| More info: | 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 |
| Soloists: | Lisbeth Scott, soprano |
| Other works: | Magnificat, Gloria, Ave Maria and others |
| Code: | SCHW-01 |
