We are very happy to add another song to the competitions repertoire today and the only one in the competition in Spanish language. It's a song written by the young Spanish composer Ramón Gil González "Zagalejo de Perlas" based on the poetry of the great spanish poet Félix Lope de Vega Carpio (1562-1635).
The composer wrote the song, subtitled "Villancico" (Christmas Carol), in 2016 and dedicated it to María Rodríguez Gómez. Here is possible to listen to the song, in the interpretation of soprano Aurora Peña Llobregat, accompanied by the composer himself.
The poem "Zagalejo de Perlas" (Shepherd of Pearls) belongs to the collection "Pastores de Belén. Prosas y versos divinos" (in English: "Shepherds of Bethlehem. Divine prose and verse", 1614) and the text is like this:
Zagalejo de perlas
hijo del alba,
¿dónde vais que hace frío
tan de mañana?
Como sois lucero
del alma mía
a traer el día
nacéis primero;
pastor y cordero,
sin choza, y lana,
¿dónde vais que hace frío
tan de mañana?
Perlas en los ojos,
risa en la boca,
las almas provoca
a placer, y enojos,
cabellitos rojos,
boca de grana,
¿dónde vais que hace frío
tan de mañana?
A translation found on the website of the rhyming translator-poet Timothy Adès is like this:
Shepherd of pearls,
child of the Dawn,
where must you go
this cold early morn?
Light of my soul,
star of the morn,
you bring the day,
you the first-born.
Shepherd and sheep,
shelterless, shorn,
where must you go
this cold early morn?
Eyes full of pearls,
lips full of joy,
teaser of souls, soothe or annoy:
Ruby-child, blow,
rose-lip, your horn:
where must you go
this cold early morn?
The third stanza of the poem is not part of the song by Ramón Gil Gonzáles, who chooses to end the song with a free improvisation "a bocca chiusa". The text of the third stanza in the poem of Lope de Vega is as follows:
¿Qué tenéis que hacer
pastorcito Santo,
madrugando tanto?
Lo dais a entender
aunque vais a ver
disfrazado al alma.
¿Dónde vais que hace frío
tan de mañana?
What must you do,
saint of the sheep,
honest and true,
world still asleep?
Cloak of the soul,
lowliness worn,
where must you go
this cold early morn?
The score of the song, kindly given to the disposition of the competitors:
Some words about the composer:
Ramón Gil González was born in Madrid in Spain. He began to study piano in his home city with professors Pilar Valero and Andrés Alén obtaining his graduation in Theory of Music and Piano. At the same time, Ramón completed his instrumental training on violin and viola with professor Victoria Molina and collaborated in Camerata Numantina orchestra as violinist, assistant director and musical director.
As a pianist, he performed numerous recitals as a soloist and with chamber groups. However, his current main focus is vocal and choral music.
He started as a choirboy in the Escolanía de la Sagrada Familia, conducted by César M. Sánchez, who was a renowned teacher, founder of many children’s choirs and regular collaborator with the Spanish National Orchestra. There, Ramón had the chance to sing with relevant musicians such as Miguel Ángel Gómez Martínez, Theo Alcántara, Nacho Cano or Elena Obraztsova.
He studied choral conducting with Marco García de Paz, Stephen Cleobury, Josep Vila i Casañas, Josep Ramón Gil-Tàrrega, Néstor Andrenacci, Johan Duijck, Óscar Gershensohn, Juan Luis Martínez, Alina Orraca among others. Ramón is the musical director of “Peñas Arriba” Choir in Madrid since 2010 and he works as the assistant director of Dr. Nuria Fernández in Carlos III University Choir. He is the current President of the Spanish Association of Choir Conductors (AEDCORO) since 2018.
Ramón is the official pianist of Agrupacoros, association of Children and Youth Choirs in Madrid. He usually works in choral workshops with prestigious directors as Panda van Proosdij, Bob Chilcott, Elisenda Carrasco, Albert Alcaraz or Basilio Astúlez. He is frequently invited as a jury member in a number of choral contests in Spain.
As a composer, Ramón had written some original vocal works: “Kyrie, eleison”, “Amantmaremar”, “O Magnum Mysterium”, “Zagalejo de Perlas”, “Vívoy” or “Madrid se luce por ti”, commissioned by “Jesús Maestro” Choir for the Christmas Carols Contest of Madrid in 2015 (first prize). Also he cooperates with other composers arranging songs for choirs. He participated in the 25th Anniversary Concert of the Camerata Lacunensis Choir as composer and conductor of the commissioned work “Tenerife, nuestra Ítaca”
He took part in the creation of the musical setting of “Panoptikum / Паноптикум” by the Bulgarian playwright Martina Novakova. It is a multidisciplinary play about the memory of objects and Ramón was able to work hand in hand with the writer, composing and performing an original soundtrack for the play.
Ramón Gil has a Degree in Industrial Electronics and Automatics Engineering from Madrid Polytechnical University and Physics from Spanish National University of Distance Education. He is currently the responsible engineer for the hardware area in the Railway Technology Research Centre (CITEF) in Madrid.
Many thanks to the composer who gave on the disposition of the competitors of the the "Bolko von Hochberg" Lied-Competition this beautiful song.
Mail the composer for more information and other compositions: rgil@live.com
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