BORDESHOLMER MARIENKLAGE SEQU

Thanks are due to Sequentia for bringing to life something quite unique. The Bordesholm Marienklange is a late (1475-6) medieval planctus of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a form of Passion play in the vernacular, half-sung, half-spoken, with a few quotes from Latin liturgical pieces interspersed. The last moments of the life of Jesus dying on the Cross unfold before the eyes of a few bystanders, chief among them Mary and the beloved disciple, John. Mary's lament, which begins with the Lauds antiphon Anxiatus est in me is the focus of the whole exercise. The insert-notes include a translation of the highly instructive Preface to the lament, from which we learn that, far from being a play as such, or a sport, it was conceived as a pious Good Friday devotion for the faithful, a representation of the sorrowing Mother at the foot of the Cross, to be performed within the church, or outside, weather permitting, and lasting all of two and a half hours. Priests were to take the parts of Jesus and St John, the female roles being taken by young men. Although highly charged with emotion, it was to be sung with restraint and moderation.

Sequentia has captured the spirit of all this—the seriousness of the theme and the intense sorrow. Many of the details of performance outlined in the Preface have been modified, though, by cutting down the performance time to just over two hours and by assigning the female roles to women. They have also introduced occasional instrumental accompaniments—drones, plucked or bowed strings—all of it quite pleasing and fairly discreet, though probably without manuscript justification. It is extremely unlikely that instruments were permitted: even organs and bells were strictly forbidden during the Triduum. Indeed, and perhaps not surprisingly, it is those passages (such as "Owy, owe..." at the opening of the second CD) which the Virgin Mary (Barbara Thornton) sings unaccompanied with her powerfully measured legato, that are the most telling.

Near the beginning there is a long exhortation by St John (Benjamin Bagby). He instructs the faithful, summarizing the events leading up to the Crucifixion and inviting them to enter into the emotions and sorrow of Mary. This didactic section ends with the people joining in the recitation of familiar prayers, the Pater noster and the Ave Maria. They then sit for the performance, rising after the final responsory Tenebre factue sunt to kneel and recite another Pater and Ave. The vernacular (Plattdeutsch) used almost throughout, is a gentle, homely tongue, softer than modern German, a tongue that captivates the ear, like Middle English. It should present no problems for the listener since modern translations (English, German and French) are provided.

The Latin pieces and quotations that are interspersed would have been familiar to the congregation and will still be to many listeners today, since nearly all are taken from the Good Friday services.

-- Mary Berry, Gramophone [12/1993]