May 13th 2007 – Pieve di San Lorenzo – Panico – Bologna
Letterally “What are you doing in the sky, you Moon?” is the incipit of a famous poetry by Giacomo Leopardi.
By the end of 2006 one of my choiristers, Rossella Campagnini, an Elementary School teacher, asked me to help her for the Christmas recital organized by her school. I suggested her the lauda Gloria in cielo e pace in terra, the n.91 from the Laudario di Cortona, and Rosas das Rosas, the 10th Cantiga te Santa Maria.
The pupils got a surprised silence during their performance and the final applause and compliments were far beyond from usual, indeed the parents asked for a new show with a similar mood for the end of the scholar year.
With few expectation we asked if any of the pupils’ parents liked to partecitate to the new show, but the entusiasm obtained by the first one was so much that up to eleven parents accepted. I proposed to partecipate to the choirists of the parish’s choir which I was directing since 10 years at that time, and nearly all accepted. The new choir so formed named its self We sing the Beauty, well describing the intention and the consciousness of the choirists.
All the choristers submitted them selves to study not only new songs, but also to execute non trivially and to sing in poliphony (which was a novelty for many of them). We had care also about the recitation of the reader so that the poetries can be rendered in a non infantly way, but able to communicate an experience and then a true judgment on life.
The result was the “concert” Che fai tu Luna in ciel?, a meditation on the religious sense of Man where poetries by Dante, Leopardi, Michelangelo and others were interleaved to songs spreading from Laudas and Cantigas to ancient and modern poliphony, all linked to the human desire of beauty and fulfillment, which is stressed by our inability of our forces and immagination.
In the little church of Panico the choir was conducted by the teacher while I remained anomgh the coristers.
In the following days the thanks of the teacher and the answers of the pupils’ parents unveiled the richness of the experience done. The choir of my parish “Santa Croce” drew motivation and enthusiasm; it was the beginning of a work that enricherd the repertoir and improved musical abilities and sesitivitiy with benefit also for the quality of the liturgical service.