CDLXXXIII. REBEL, Jean-Féry: Les Élémens

CDLXXXIII. REBEL, Jean-Féry (1666-1747)

Les Élémens (1737-38)
1. Le Chaos
2. Loure "La Terre" (Air pour les violons); "L'eau" (Air pour les flütes)
3. Chaconne "Le feu"
4. Ramage "L'air"
5. Rossignolo
6. Loure "La chasse"
7. Tambourin 1 -- Tambourin 2
8. Sicillienne
9. Rondeau "Air pour l'amour"
10. Caprice
Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
Thomas Zehetmair, cond.
(23:43)

Genesis 1:2

2Now the earth was astonishingly empty, and darkness was on the face of the deep, and the spirit of God was hovering over the face of the water.

בוְהָאָ֗רֶץ הָֽיְתָ֥ה תֹ֨הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ וְח֖שֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י תְה֑וֹם וְר֣וּחַ אֱלֹהִ֔ים מְרַחֶ֖פֶת עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הַמָּֽיִם

The important Hebrew words in the text above, are the third and fourth  -- TOHU (chaos) and VOHU (emptiness).

The Midrash Rabbah states:

"R. Huna said in Bar Chappara's name: 'If the matter were not written, it would be impossible to say it, viz., GOD CREATED HEAVEN AND EARTH; out of what? Out of NOW THE EARTH WAS TOHU AND VOHU.'"

But there is a fascinating footnote:

"God first created tohu and vohu, and out of these He created the world. But this is not to be taught publicly."

**

But indeed, this cannot avoid being discussed. What came before the nothingness?

Rebel -- who served as court composer to Louis XIV -- sought to teach us one of the strangest musical moments of the Baroque era:

1. Le Chaos

Here he opens with a tone cluster consisting of each note in the D Harmonic scale -- D, E, F, G, A, B-Flat, and C-Sharp:

Out of this chaos emerges some normal tonality, but with quickly ascending 32nd-notes and a repeated riff on one note, which dies down and ends peacefully:

6:21: 2. Loure "La Terre" (Air pour les violons); "L'eau" (Air pour les flütes)

Earth and Water ...

8:12: 3. Chaconne "Le feu"

10:48: 4. Ramage "L'air"

12:03: 5. Rossignolo

13:42: 6. Loure "La chasse"

15:27: 7. Tambourin 1 -- Tambourin 2

17:34: 8. Sicillienne

19:39: 9. Rondeau "Air pour l'amour"

20:42: 10. Caprice