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Welcome to Teacher Barbara's blog

You have reached the area of my website where I share ideas, thoughts, knowledge, experiences, etc., which range from a more academic point of view to reflections related to a trip, a book or music.

Sometimes, for work reasons, I don't have time to publish new posts, however, it is my wish to publish regularly.

I invite you to read the posts I have been publishing since I started this journey in the social networks.

I hope they are interesting to you!

I canti natalizi italiani: la storia di “Tu scendi dalle stelle”

26/12/2014

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Cari amici,

oggi continuiamo a parlare di Natale e lo facciamo in musica. Per chi è credente e per chi è scettico, il Santo Natale, il più antico e avvincente racconto della nascita di un bambino, è legato da secoli al canto, alla novena in chiesa o alla corale in casa attorno al presepe e ancora di più nelle tante manifestazioni pubbliche scandite da brani classici, ormai imparati a memoria da milioni di persone.

Vorrei quindi dedicare questo blog al canto natalizio per antonomasia della mia bella Italia: Tu scendi dalle stelle. Questo brano fa pensare al Natale, quelli trascorsi all'asilo o, al massimo, ai primi anni delle elementari, qualcosa che ci riporta ai sapori della nostra infanzia quando, trepidanti, aspettavamo l’arrivo della notte Santa.

Tutti noi italiani abbiamo canticchiato almeno una volta questo motivo. Persino Giuseppe Verdi, dopo averlo ascoltato nella cappella di palazzo Doria a Genova, la notte di Natale del 1890, asseriva che il Natale non sarebbe più Natale senza i versi e la melodia di questo famosa pastorale.

Ma come nasce questa canzone cantata da secoli in ogni parte del mondo?

La melodia è tratta da un famosissimo canto settecentesco napoletano attribuito dalla tradizione popolare a Sant'Alfonso Maria de' Liguori (“Quanno nascette Ninno”) e il testo è adattato in lingua italiana. Si tratta di una felicissima invenzione linguistica che dà forma ad una gioia spontanea: in una parola, è davvero “poesia”.


ImagenFonte: laparoladelgiorno-idl.blogspot.com.es
L’autore, Alfonso Maria de’ Liguori, era un uomo di ampia cultura, missionario, fondatore, vescovo, scrittore fecondo, pittore, poeta, musicista  e senza dubbio un grande protagonista della storia della Chiesa e della storia tout court. Ha un posto di tutto rispetto nella cultura del ‘700, il secolo dell'Arcadia. Il movimento arcadico, infatti, si presentava ricco di fervore creativo, ispirato al mondo semplice, bucolico, dei pastori, e spesso al mistero del Natale.

Sant’Alfonso scrisse di getto su un pezzo di carta le note del canto quando si trovava nella città di Nola, mentre era in predicazione e le eseguì poi al clavicordo, uno strumento musicale a corde dotato di tastiera, e destando la meraviglia di un altro sacerdote che gli chiese di poter copiare a sua volta la canzone. Il successo fu immediato. Il canto si diffuse nei paesi vicini, poi via via gli zampognari lo portarono dappertutto, specialmente a Roma.

Franz Listz, nelle sue visite a Roma, ascoltava questa dolce nenia con tale piacere da riproporla uguale nella prima parte del suo Oratorio "Christus", strumentandola da genio musicale qual era e senza sapere che l'aveva scritta un santo.

Ecco qui il testo di Tu scendi dalle stelle. Il brano è in realtà molto più lungo delle due strofe che normalmente si conoscono: è infatti composto da sette strofe.

Tu scendi dalle stelle,
o Re del cielo,
e vieni in una grotta al freddo, al gelo.
Oh Bambino mio divino,
io ti vedo qui a tremar
o Dio beato;
ah quanto ti costò l’avermi amato!
A Te che sei del mondo
il Creatore, mancan panni e fuoco,
o mio Signore
Caro eletto pargoletto
quanto questa povertà
più m’innamora,
giacché ti fece amor
povero ancora!


Ora ascoltiamolo qui in musica cantato dal grande tenore Luciano Pavarotti:


Tu scendi dalle stelle diventò un modello che dette vita a un genere nuovo di musica popolare. 

Grazie ai missionari redentoristi, ispirati a Sant’Alfonso, analoghe espressioni musicali nacquero anche al Nord, nei dialetti locali. Tra le quali le più note sono quelle bergamasche e quelle veneziane, che vanno ad affiancarsi a quelle napoletane, siciliane e sarde.

Qualunque sia l’origine dei canti natalizi, in quasi tutte le melodie tradizionali nulla è banale, niente è casuale. La semplicità dei versi, si coniuga con l’orecchiabilità della musica, che da sempre esprime e manifesta gioia.

Quindi, cari amici, non mi resta che augurarvi uno splendido Natale, colmo di pace e d'amore, due simboli che caratterizzano le feste. Ma non dimenticate che ogni giorno dev’essere Natale,  gli stessi simboli devono rappresentare il cammino ed essere presenti anche nel resto dell'anno.

Auguri e buone feste!

Teacher Barbara

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Le marché de Noël de Strasbourg : le plus ancien de France

15/12/2014

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Chers amis,

Aujourd’hui nous retournons en France et nous allons encore une fois à Strasbourg, dans la belle Alsace, une région où la période de Noël prend tout son sens : des marchés typiques, des décors de cartes postales, des animations pour toute la famille...

Aussi féériques qu’authentiques, les marchés de Noël alsaciens émerveillent depuis 500 ans.

Des plus grandes villes aux plus petits villages, chaque commune se pare de ses plus beaux atours pour déployer son marché de Noël. Ils sont près de 150, éparpillés du nord au sud de la région, à accueillir petits et grands.

ImagenSource: commons.wikimedia.org
En particulier, né en 1570, le marché de Noël de Strasbourg est le plus réputé par son ampleur. Avec ses quelque 300 chalets répartis sur 11 sites au cœur de la ville, il est un des plus grands d'Europe. Vous y trouverez de l'artisanat, des produits alimentaires et des décorations typiques du Noël alsacien, chaque année du 28 novembre au 31 décembre.


La ville entière est illuminée pendant toute la saison festive. Le marché est très beau surtout en fin d’après-midi, alors que la ville tourne sur les lumières et les vitrines brillent, des décorations ornent les murs, les odeurs d’épices et de cannelle emplissent l’air et les églises résonnent des chants de Noël.

ImagenSource: magcuisine.fr
Trois siècles plus tard, en 1870, ce marché, où l'on vend des sapins, des décorations de Noël, des crèches, des santons, des objets d'artisanat local, des confiseries et du vin chaud, s'installe place Broglie, lieu où il se tient encore aujourd'hui. Petits et grands flânent de chalet en chalet, savourant avec grand plaisir du pain d'épices, des bretzels, des confiseries, des pâtisseries et du vin chaud.


ImagenSource: castinghotels.over-blog.com
Depuis 1570 Strasbourg fête ainsi Noël. A cette époque, le "Klausenmärik" ou "marché de la Saint-Nicolas" était une animation consistant à distribuer des cadeaux aux enfants à l'occasion de la célébration de la Saint Nicolas. Le 22 décembre 1570, le conseil des 21 (Conseil municipal de l'époque) décide de maintenir cette foire mais en la dédiant au "Christkindel", l'Enfant Jésus. Voilà comment est né le "Christkindelmärik", le marché de Noël. 


Outre les stands traditionnels au cours de la période de Noël il y a de nombreuses manifestations : spectacles, promenades en bateau à travers la ville pour les enfants et  concerts. Que serait Noël en Alsace sans ces notes de musique mélodieuses diffusées sur les places des marchés de Noël et lors des veillées? Ces chants traditionnels louent à la fois la naissance du Christ, l’altruisme et la magnificence du paysage hivernal.

Et bien sûr, il n'y a pas de Noël sans sapin, surtout en Alsace où cette tradition remonte elle aussi au Moyen Âge, celui du marché de Noël de Strasbourg s'élève à 30 mètres de haut (c'est le plus grand sapin de Noël naturel d'Europe) et voit des rennes gambader à son pied. 

Certes, il faut s’habiller chaudement pour ne pas souffrir du froid, mais le jeu en vaut la chandelle !

L’Alsace vous attend donc avec sa magie de Noël. Je vous laisse avec cette jolie vidéo : 


Joyeuses fêtes les amis.

À la prochaine,

Teacher Barbara
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Christmas traditions in the UK: pantomimes, carols and the Queen’s message.

8/12/2014

1 Comment

 
Dear friends,

Christmas is coming! Only two weeks are left. It‘s undoubtedly my favourite holiday and time of the year.

The Christmas and New Year holiday seasons bring with them many traditions all over the world. Even people who consider themselves to be anti-religious quite happily wish each other a “Happy Christmas” or a “Merry Christmas”.

Hence, I will devote my future blogs of December to Christmas and the New Year traditions in the UK, France and Italy. And today I will start with England and with a popular theatrical tradition called pantomime (often shortened to “panto”), staged in hundreds of theatres in the UK at Christmas and specifically designed to appeal to children. It usually involves the acting out of a well-known folk tale (for example: Cinderella, Aladdin, Snow White, etc.) with plenty of opportunity for audience participation. It is a peculiarly British tradition of winter musical comedy theatre.

Imagen
Source: gla.ac.uk
British pantomime has very deep roots, drawing on the 15th and 16th century traditions of Italian Commedia del Arte for an assortment of stock characters and other conventions. For example, the cast includes a “principal boy” (the young hero), who is always played by a woman, and a “dame” (an older female character), who is always played by a man. 
Over the centuries it has developed into a festive entertainment that is still beloved by modern audiences. The continuing popularity of pantomime is assisted by the fact that these leading roles are today frequently taken by well-known personalities from the worlds of television or sport. 

Together with pantomimes, a very common tradition in England is carol singing. Every year at Christmas time, carols are sung outside in the street, at home, in the supermarket, you can hear them everywhere. Just for curiosity, the word carol comes from the Greek word choros meaning a "band of singers and dancers". 

For many centuries carols had little or no religious content and were simply ancient songs that were sung in midwinter. Early carols were celebratory and fun. So, before the invention of the printing press, carols were a way to communicate the Christmas story and pass it from one generation to another.

ImagenSource: en.wikipedia.org
One of the most popular traditional carols in England is called Twelve Days of Christmas. During the holiday season, it is heard everywhere from shopping malls to television commercials to church functions.

If you don’t know the song, it tells the story of a series of increasingly impressive gifts given, I  think, by a man to the woman he loves, one on each day, for 12 days! You can listen to it here:


Everywhere you go, you can hear about Two Turtle Doves, Seven Swans-a-Swimming and Eleven Pipers Piping. But what does any of this mean? What does a song about doves, hens and geese have to do with Christmas?

Well, many people have asked that question, and there are many answers.

The lyrics of the song were first published in England in 1780 and its music was first included in a book of nursery rhyme tunes called Mirth about Mischief in 1842 but it is thought that the carol was sung for a long time before that.

The 12 gifts have been associated with the 12 months of the year, each gift relating to the English climate of that month. There is also an idea that the song was a way for young Catholics to remember religious doctrine at a time when Catholicism in England was discouraged.  As a matter of fact, from the 16th to the 19th century, being a Catholic was a crime in Protestant England, children would sing this song to profess their forbidden faith. The partridge and the pear tree was Jesus Christ, the four calling birds were the four gospels, the pipers piping were the eleven faithful apostles, and so on. But there is no proof of that.

Finally, one Christmas ritual not drawn from an ancient tradition is the British monarch's broadcast on Christmas day. The tradition began in 1932 when King George V read a special speech written by Rudyard Kipling. The broadcast was an enormous success. It began, "I speak now from my home and from my heart, to you all...".

Queen Elizabeth II continues the tradition to this day. Every year she broadcasts her message on Christmas Day, and it is heard by millions of people all over the world. In England most people watch or listen to it whilst digesting their Christmas Dinner!

However, if for many people Christmas is a period of fun and happiness, for many others, it is a time of sorrow. They don't have the extra money to buy presents for their children, family, and friends. “Turkey dinners” may be only a wish and not a reality.

My thoughts go to these people and I really hope the power and happiness of Christmas will reach any house of the world.

Merry Christmas to everybody.

Teacher Barbara

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    LANGUAGE TRANSLATOR



    BARBARA CORDOVA

    Soy traductora, intérprete, lingüista, profesora y apasionada por la música
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I am a translator, an interpreter, a linguist, a teacher and a fan of music. I have a natural capacity for language and linguistic and a true love of words... See more
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