Premiere of Cantata Amoris

The world premiere of "Cantata Amoris" was a big success, and I would like to thank the members of the Panasonic Choir for giving me an opportunity to write the work. I also would like to thank the members of Kansai University Egolado and Koube University Apollon, and other participated collegiate singers from different universities. Once I get the recordings, I will upload them as usual.

For the time being, here are recordings from the rehearsal...

-Cantata Amoris-

1. Sectamini Caritatem

2. Diligamus Invicem

3. Nihil Sum 

4. Deus Caritas Est (sorry, I failed to record the 4th movement)

Gloria (from Missa pro Pace)

At after-concert party, the Panasonic Choir gave me their new digital camera which contains pictures from the rehearsal. I was really touched by this, because we could buy a camera, but we can't buy memories.

Rehearsal...

Giving last-minutes advices...

Rehearsalcontinues...

After the concert...

With Mr. Honjo (conductor)...

"Cantata Amoris (Cantata of Love)" is 25min 4-movement a cappella choral work for mixed chorus. The text was prepared by the composer on the theme of "Love." Special Thanks to Dr. Robert Zaslavsky for advices on the title.

Cantata Amoris

©2010 Kentaro Sato (Ken-P)

1. Sectamini Caritatem
Ubi cáritas et ámor, Déus íbi est.
Ergo, sectámini caritátem,
quóniam ubi cáritas et ámor, Déus íbi est.

2. Diligamus Invicem
Caríssimi, diligámus ínvicem,
quóniam cáritas ex Déo est.
Déum némo vídit úmquam.
si diligámus ínvicem,
Déus in nóbis mánet,
et cáritas éjus in nóbis consummáta est.
Qui non díligit, non cognóvit Déum,
quóniam Déus cáritas est.
Caríssimi, diligámus ínvicem,
quóniam cáritas ex Déo est.

3. Nihil Sum
Si línguis hóminum lóquar et angelórum,
caritátem áutem non hábeam,
fáctus sum vélut aes sónans, aut cýmbalum tínniens.
Et si habúero prophétiam
et nóverim mystéria ómnia
et ómnem sciéntiam,
et si habúero ómnem fídem,
íta ut móntes tránsferam,
caritátem áutem non habúero,
níhil sum.
Et si distribúero in cíbos ómnes facultátes méas
et si tradídero córpus méum, ut glórier,
caritátem áutem non habúero,
níhil míhi pródest.
Ergo, sectámini caritátem,
quóniam si caritátem áutem non habúero,
níhil sum.

4. Deus Caritas Est
Ubi cáritas et ámor, Déus íbi est.
Congregávit nos in únum ámor Déi.
Exultémus, et in ípso iucundémur;
Déo Grátias, et ex córde diligámus nos sincéro.
Cáritas pátiens est, benígna est.
Cáritas non aemulátur, non ágit supérbe,
non inflátur, non est ambitiósa,
non quáerit quáe súa sunt, non irritátur,
non cógitat málum, non gáudet súper iniquitátem,
congáudet áutem veritáti.
Cáritas ómnia súffert, ómnia crédit,
ómnia spérat, ómnia sústinet.
Cáritas númquam éxcidit, quóniam Déus cáritas est.
Ubi cáritas et ámor, Déus íbi est.
Sectámini caritátem.
Dóminus Vobíscum, et Déus cáritas est.
Allelúia.
Ubi cáritas et ámor, Déus íbi est.
Caríssimi, diligámus ínvicem.
Allelúia.
Congregávit nos in únum ámor Déi.
Exultémus, et in ípso iucundémur;
Déo Grátias, et ex córde diligámus nos sincéro.
Allelúia.
Amen.

Cantata of Love

©2010 Kentaro Sato (Ken-P)

1. Sectamini Caritatem
Where charity and love are, God is there.
So, follow the way of love,
because where charity and love are, God is there.

2. Diligamus Invicem
Beloved, let us love one another,
because love is of God.
No one has ever seen God.
Yet, if we love one another,
God remains in us,
and his love is brought to perfection in us.
Whoever is without love does not know God,
for God is love.
Beloved, let us love one another,
because love is of God.

3. Nihil Sum
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels,
and have not love,
I become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
And though I have the gift of prophecy,
and understand all mysteries,
and all knowledge;
and though I have all faith,
so that I could remove mountains,
and have not love,
I am nothing.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor,
and though I give my body to be burned,
and have not love,
it profits me nothing.
So, follow the way of love.
because if I have not love,
I am nothing.

4. Deus Caritas Est
Where charity and love are, God is there.
The love of God has gathered us together into one.
Let us rejoice and be glad in Him.
Let us thank God, and love each other from the depths of our heart.
Love is patient, is kind.
Love is not jealous, is not pompous,
is not inflated, is not rude,
does not seek its own interests, is not quick-tempered,
does not brood over injury, does not rejoice over wrongdoing,
but rejoices with the truth.
Love bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails, because God is love.
Where charity and love are, God is there.
Follow the way of love.
God is with you, and God is Love.
Alleluia.
Where charity and love are, God is there.
Beloved, let us love one another,
Alleluia.
The love of God has gathered us together into one.
Let us rejoice and be glad in Him.
Let us thank God, and love each other from the depths of our hearts.
Alleluia,
Amen.

Portable Digital Pipe Organ

   The availability of pipe organ in a certain nation is often directly proportional to the number of churches in the country. Because Christianity in Japan is not that big, it is rare to find pipe organ and it is very expensive to use the pipe organ. Therefore, the choral music performances with pipe organ do not happen that often in Japan. 

   Now, a Japanese company Roland, one of the biggest digital music instrument manufacturer and parent company of Rodgers Organ, started to make digital pipe organs recently. For the sake of introducing pipe organ to wider audience, I really like them to make portable but fine 2-manual-and-pedalbord digital pipe organ between $2000-$5000 price ranges. I am pretty sure that there are needs for this kind of products both in Japan and beyond. I know I want to buy one.

Honda Chorus

If you have not seen, watch this video!







And this is rehearsal...







Cool, isn't it?

Rehearsal of Cantata Amoris in Osaka

Rehearsal went very well! I am certain that the premiere on 9/4 will be splendid!

mp3 from the rehearsal (3rd movement). 

Discussing with Mr. Honjo (conductor).

Talking to the tenor section.

Explaining the chords...

Performer and Composer

   One needs to love a piece of music, if he is to perform the piece well and convincingly. In this sense, being able to love many pieces of music is one of the prerequisite of being a performer. 

   One needs to hate a lot of existing music, if he is to create new music. Or at least he needs to find major faults or lack of something in existing music in order to make something meaningful or new. In this sense, being able to hate many pieces of music is one of the prerequisite of being a composer. Of course, this does not mean that he needs to hate music itself.

   Although performers and composers live in the same world of music, their thinking and reasons to exist are very different. Performers are blessed because their activities itself has values. On the other hands, composers are valued only when his finished works have certain value. Leonard Bernstein, one of the most celebrated musicians in the 20th century, really struggled and regretted until his death as a composer because his concert works have never been accepted as much as his popular style works from movies and musicals. I very much understand how hard it must be for him. This is totally separate from being his success as a conductor (performer). 

   There is a line in Dante’s Inferno from the Divine Comedy that says:

Leave behind every hope, you who enter.

   Of course, this is the line embedded at the gate of hell, but I am sure that if there were a gate of being composer, we could read similar line on it. And I am sure that there would be something wonderful written on the gate of being performer. :)

"SH" sound

   For English-native people, one of the most difficult Japanese consonances to learn is “SH.” SH in English appears words like “shot” “shell” “she” “shock” “shook,” and technically it is known as “voiceless postalveolar fricative.” Japanese SH sound on the other hand is known technically as “Voiceless alveolo-palatal fricative.” Because English does not have this Japanese SH sound, it is very hard for English-native people to produce this sound. For practical reason, English SH is often used to substitute Japanese SH, but one has to learn Japanese SH sound, if s/he wishes to speak Japanese really well.

   Although it is difficult to teach Japanese SH sound without the recording and video, here are two tips that I use when I have to teach Japanese SH really first in guest conducting or workshop situation. 

1) Japanese SH need no pursing of lips.

2) Japanese SH has more “high hiss” than English SH. This happens because the shape of the tongue for Japanese SH is like of “ee” vowel, on the other hand English SH is like of “oo” vowel.

   I noticed that fixing this SH and correct execution of double consonances are the key for good performance of songs in Japanese by English speakers. So, next time you sing Japanese song, please do spend a bit time to learn this new SH. This SH sound, especially with combination with “ee” vowel,” appears a lot in Japanese texts.

Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration

Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. 

   This famous Thomas Edison’s quote is often used to emphasize the importance of perspiration. However, for me, this quote tells the importance of inspiration. If I restated the quote, it would be “without inspiration, perspiration is meaningless.” And because I am a composer, I would also restate as “Great Work is perspiration standing on the foundation called inspiration.”

 

  This kind of thinking is very important for not only any creative minds but also any entrepreneurs. “Fail fast and fail early” is familiar quote in entrepreneurs’ community, and for me this quote IS the Edison’s quote told differently. No matter how much efforts one put in, if the first step/assumption was wrong (or if there was no inspiration), it will not be succeed. Therefore, the faster and the earlier they fail, the better chances of later success they have. 

   For people or products to succeed, it is very important not to be attached to effort. Effort is a virtue that should be valued as one of the human qualities, but it is not the part of any works or products.

Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration, and Nothing is 0% inspiration and 99% perspiration.

   

   It might be cruel, but this is how things work. And the earlier we realize, the better.