Alexander Nevsky

[Parthenophilus]

In Prokofiev’s cantata Alexander Nevsky the Crusaders chant:

Peregrinus, expectavi, pedes meos in cymbalis

[The CD notes say of this: “The chanting of the Teutonic knights invokes their subjugation of the Russian people…”]

Then later on they sing:

Peregrinus, expectavi, pedes meos in cymbalis est!
Vincant arma crucifera! Hostis pereat!

The rest of the cantata is in Russian.

The meaning of the final line is clear enough, but the rest is quite puzzling. The punctuation is as it appears in the notes.

Does this make sense to anyone?.

[Deses]

The NY Philharmonic has a solution:

Pereginus, expectavi, pedes meos, in cymbalis.
[Single words of Latin crusader hymns.]

http://www.newyorkphilharmonic.org/programNotes/Prokofiev_AlexanderNevsky.pdf

[Parthenophilus]

Thanks for the link D.

It’s odd. In the same document they translate

Pereginus, expectavi, pedes meos, in cymbalis.

as:

“As a foreigner, I expected my feet to be clad in cymbals.”

Which is the sort of thing a weirdo would say. Of course the Teutonic knights were weirdos, so perhaps this is a plausible transation.

But I don’t understand what “Single words of Latin crusader hymns” is supposed to mean.

(Incidentally, I just had a listen, and the notes’ inclusion of the word “est” in the second line is incorrect.)

[Deses]

@Parthenophilus

Thanks for the link D.


But I don’t understand what “Single words of Latin crusader hymns” is supposed to mean.

I think it means that these are disjointed words from various Latin hymns. Sounds about right to me. But I will look around some more.

[edonnelly]

@Parthenophilus

“As a foreigner, I expected my feet to be clad in cymbals.”

Perhaps it’s another way of saying I expected to stick out like a sore thumb.

[Deses]

@edonnelly

@Parthenophilus

“As a foreigner, I expected my feet to be clad in cymbals.”

Perhaps it’s another way of saying I expected to stick out like a sore thumb.

And that would be just the way to compose a religious hymn, ain’t it? Especially with clear biblical allusions?

[Adelheid]

Found a reference here:

http://www.thefim.com/pdfs/4-29-2006-program-notes.pdf

where it says

“The Latin words themselves make little sense: Prokofiev admitted having put them together (apparently borrowing them from the text of Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms) without much regard for their meaning.”

Groet,
Adelheid

[cadoro]

@Adelheid

Found a reference here:

http://www.thefim.com/pdfs/4-29-2006-program-notes.pdf

where it says

“The Latin words themselves make little sense: Prokofiev admitted having put them together (apparently borrowing them from the text of Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms) without much regard for their meaning.”

Groet,
Adelheid

Darn it! the number times I mulled over that line wondering how you could apply cymbals to footwear. If I were Stalin I’d have sent Prokofiev to Siberia just for misleading impressionable Latin amateurs like that!

[Adelheid]

@cadoro

Darn it! the number times I mulled over that line wondering how you could apply cymbals to footwear. If I were Stalin I’d have sent Prokofiev to Siberia just for misleading impressionable Latin amateurs like that!

I forgive Prokofiev e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g, for all the great music he composed




Groet,
Adelheid

[amans]

This reminds me that Stravinsky composed an opera in Latin, Oedipus Rex:

http://www.karadar.com/Librettos/strawinsky_rex.html

Does anyone know of other works of music containing some Latin (apart from the religious stuff, like masses etc.)?

[cadoro]

@amans

Does anyone know of other works of music containing some Latin (apart from the religious stuff, like masses etc.)?

Carl Orff’s famous Carmina Burana is well worth listening to for its secular lyrics

He also wrote something called Catulli Carmina
http://www.karadar.com/Librettos/orff_catulli.html

which hasn’t attained so much popularity.