Thomas Crecquillon - Pater peccavi

From our album "Penitence & Lamentation" (2023)
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Pater Peccavi ("Father, I have sinned") draws from the parable of the prodigal son. Crequillon sets only the penitent words of the son, and none of the generous replies of the father, which makes the sweet sounds of this lush eight-voice texture somewhat unexpected. Perhaps Crequillon wanted to emphasize the earnestness of the words, or how sweetly they fell on the ears of a father who dearly missed his son. There is so little musical tension presented in this piece: even the line "ego autem hic fame pereo" ("and here I am starving to death") seems unbothered. Only the line "et dicam ei" ("and I will tell him") introduces any kind of tension at all, but the tension is immediately resolved again at "fac me sicut unum ex mercenariis tuis" ("make me one of your hired men"). - Joshua Haberman
***
Pater peccavi in coelum et coram te.
Iam non sum dignus vocari filius tuus,
fac me sicut unum ex mercenariis tuis.
Quanti mercenarii in domo Patris mei abundant panibus,
ego autem hic fame pereo,
Surgam, et ibo ad Patrem meum et dicam ei:
fac me sicut unum ex mercenariis tuis.
***
Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you;
I am no longer worthy to be called your son:
make me like one of your hired men.
How many of my father's hired men have food to spare,
and here I am starving to death!
I will arise and go to my father and say to him:
“Make me like one of your hired men.”
***
Produced by @scribestudiosus
The Byrd Ensemble, directed by Markdavin Obenza
Soprano: Ruth Schauble, Margaret Obenza
Alto: Sarra S. Doyle, Joshua Haberman
Tenor: Orrin Doyle, Sam Faustine
Bass: Thomas Segen, Clayton Moser