Séverac's interest in the goigs, manifested by himself on several occasions[ii], in addition to arranging the Goigs de nostra Senyora dels Dolors, I wanted to express it with the incursion of different phrases of the Goigs del Sant Crist Gloriós venerat a la parròquia de Llívia[iii]. Also the ringing of the bells of the Church of Our Lady of the Angels of Llívia, recorded by me, accompanies all the sorrow and uneasiness transmitted by the melodies and accompaniments proposed by Séverac. Thus, at the beginning and end of the number, as well as in two of the most ethereal fragments of the piece, these bells are heard (m. 76 and 102, and mins. 5:50 and 7:29). And not only in the recordings, but also Séverac gives this indication in m. 89: “arpeggiate without haste, making the Eb resonate more than the F which has to be like a bell vibration” (min. 6:25) [iv].

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The phrases of the Goigs have become a common thread that interrupts the continuity of the number to establish their own, a parallel evocation with the words of devotion to Christ. At the moments of greatest tension these words merge with my performance (m. 24, 66 and 110, and mins. 1:49, 5:05 and 8:02), to make the evocation more present in the most heartfelt fragments. The other nine verses are interspersed between the following measures: m. 11-12, 19-20, 39-40, 53-54, 61-62, 75-76, 90-91, 101-102 and 109-110, and mins.  0:52, 1:26, 2:56, 4:00, 4:42, 5:43, 6:39, 7:21 and 7:53, in which there is a change of phrase, since it is a very fragmented number. Some of the verses have been recorded only by the women's string, others only by the men's string and others by the whole chorale (Tracks 7 and 8 women, and mins. 4:42 and 5:05; Tracks 10 and 11 men, and minx. 6:39 and 7:21; Track 12 verse men and verse all, min. 7:53; the rest all mins. 0:52, 1:26, 1:49, 2:56, 4:00 and 5:43). 

 

[i] Photograph of the Holy Christ of Llívia: https://www.inspai.cat/Inspai/ca/imatge/647823/Talla+del+Sant+Crist+de+Llivia

[ii] To Monseigneur de Carsalade du Pont, the restorer of Saint-Martin-du-Canigou, Séverac once declared: “I would give all my music for the honor of having composed the simple musical phrase of the refrain of the ‘Goigs de la Sanch’ (the Canticle of the Precious Blood)” (“A Monseigneur de Carsalade du Pont, le restaurateur de Saint-Martin-du-Canigou, il déclare un jour: ‘Je donnerai toute ma musique pour l’honneur d’avoir composé la simple phrase musicale du refrain des ‘Goigs de la Sanch’ (le Cantique du précieux Sang)”, Cahours D’aspry 1991, 21. We have also seen how he talks about the goigs in other note.

[iii] The Goigs were recorded on October 9, 2024, at my request, by the Capella de Santa María de Puigcerdá choir, directed by Carme Baulenes Relats. The Goigs can be read at this link: https://algunsgoigs.blogspot.com/2020/03/goigs-al-sant-crist-llivia-cerdanya.html

[iv] “arpégez sans hâte, en faisant résonner plus le Mib que le Fa qui doit être comme une vibration de cloche” (Séverac 1919, 50).