Tamesis Issue 247 January 2015

Editorial

Victoria Helby

Chairman�s Chat

David Fletcher

Review of the Baroque Chamber Music Day at Burnham

For those who haven't been to one of these days before, let me explain the format. The day is divided into four sessions of about 1 to 1� hours each. Everyone is in a different group in each session, with the groups varying from 3 to 10 players. Victoria suggests repertoire for each group, but ultimately it�s up to the group as to whether they play pieces through, or repeat and rehearse them. There�s no performance to others to worry about. Any preferences given on the booking form are taken into account e.g. pitch of instruments, standard of sight-reading. I did say it was a mammoth organisational task!

As the groups can be very different, I can really only talk about my own experiences. This year I was in two groups of 4 and two groups of 5. Usually I play keyboard, and in addition this time Victoria fitted me in with my modern flute to an A=440 group for one session, where I really enjoyed playing through repertoire on the flute that I normally play on keyboard. Some years there have been bigger groups for works such as Brandenburg concertos, and Handel�s and Telemann�s water music. It�s easy to mention those works as they are well-known and memorable, but for me one of the pleasures of the day is the smaller trio sonata groups where I invariably come across new composers and new repertoire that I wouldn�t otherwise find. There�s a broad range of instruments as well � cello, gamba, bassoon, viola, violin, oboe, flute and recorder are regulars, and sometimes we have theorbos. There are probably a few others I�ve forgotten as well.

The baroque playing days widen my circle of friends in TVEMF, deepen my knowledge of repertoire and not least help improve my continuo sight-reading � there�s nothing like practice with a small friendly group! Do consider coming along if you haven�t been before. Each day has a few first-timers, and most people come back whenever they can. It�s a wonderful way to spend a day.

Barbara Moir

When in Rome�.

Once organised into the formation in which we remained throughout the six selected pieces (three of which were for double choir) we engaged in an unusually low-key warm- up, which omitted some of the more exotic bodily contortions and weird noises that have been required of us on other occasions, though the angry librarian made a brief but welcome reappearance, �Bella Signora� mercifully (for your reviewer, at any rate) terminated after Act I, Scene 1, and the confusion engendered by chanting the alphabet in reverse order was, as usual, plainly audible. We began with Victoria�s antiphon Alma redemptoris Mater, for SATB x 2. The Marian antiphon formed an important category of Victoria�s works and Victoria based this and two other of his masses (Ave regina coelorum and Salve regina) on those antiphons. The New Grove tells us that the two masses Ave regina coelorum and Alma redemptoris Mater were so popular in Mexico City that in 1640 they had to be recopied by hand because the original part books were worn out and that copies were sent to such distant places as Graz, Urbino and Bogota. Despite their contemporary popularity in mainland Europe and Latin America, Victoria�s masses (apart from the Officium pro defunctorum) aroused little interest in England until relatively recent times.

While drawing this to our attention, David also told us about the change in attitude towards Palestrina which has resulted in the �vanilla� image of Palestrina that prevailed in Victorian times being supplanted by a more recent perception of him as a darker and more complex composer. Allen W Atlas (Renaissance Music, Norton, 1998, p.587) traces this earlier image back to the seventeenth century, when Palestrina �was held up as the model of the so-called stile antico, the strict style of a cappella diatonic counterpoint that was still cultivated from time to time as a way of giving sacred music an aura of nostalgic religiosity�a tradition that would live on well into the nineteenth century�

Nineteenth century England, as the literary, musical and theological aspects of the time clearly show, would have been receptive to this perception of Palestrina. There and then, Dr Bowdler was busy sanitising Shakespeare (volume 1 of The Family Shakespeare was published in 1818), Coventry Patmore was celebrating domestic piety and tranquillity with The Angel in the House, the after-life loomed large in the consciousness of many - in particular, earnest young men from Oxford - and English sacred music rarely (as evidenced by Shaw�s entertaining criticisms in his London Music in 1888-89 as heard by Corno di Bassetto and the subsequent three volumes of Music in London) rose above the mawkishly sentimental or the reverentially turgid. There was no space in this cultural landscape for the sensuality of Victoria�s Marian music, particularly anthems with texts from the Song of Solomon such as Trahe me post te and Quam pulchri sunt, and the masses based on them, or for the brittle darkness (to use David�s phrase) of Palestrina�s O Magnum mysterium (SSATTB) which was the second item of the programme. This motet displays a great deal of syllabic homophony and, given that it was published in 1569, may have been written in this style as a gesture of conformity with the decrees of the Council of Trent, which, earlier in the decade, had been greatly exercised over the elimination of �every admixture of the secular� (as Palestrina�s biographer, Baini, put it) from sacred music. The same may be said of the third item in the programme, Palestrina�s Hodie Christus natus est (SATB x 2), published in 1575.

After the convivial lunch which is a feature of these pre-Christmas Amersham events, we were aroused from the resulting torpor by having to cope with the rhythmic complexities of a motet by Viadana, perhaps the least well-known of the composers to whom the programme was devoted. Viadana, a friar, was a member of the Order of Minor Observants and held posts in Mantua, Cremona, Concordia and Fano, though he is known to have spent some time in Rome. The motet which we sang was his Hodie nobis caelorum, written for SATB x 2. After the opening statement has been made by all eight parts in succession, the motet proceeds at a measured pace, alternating antiphonal and full double choir sections until all eight voices embark on the three-time section gaudeamus omnes in Christo. Once the participants begin rejoicing (jubilantes cantabimus) the action becomes much faster, the full-choir rejoicing being intermingled with the statements by the upper parts in each choir of glory to God and peace not (as is usual) simply to men of goodwill but to men of goodwill and true faith (verae fidei). One may wonder whether that unusual inclusion in any way reflected the doctrinal conflicts of the Counter-Reformation period. According to the New Grove, Viadana�s latter years
    Conference on the Effects of Playing on Early and Modern Musical
    Instruments. London, Royal College of Music 9-10 September 2015
   
Aside from a few exceptions, musical instruments are very efficient tools, designed and built with the aim of combining the best musical result with ergonomic and economic considerations. However, as with many tools, their durability is closely connected to high structural tension, the reaction of materials to wear, chemical and humidity changes, and many other technical issues. The situation is further complicated by cultural pressures to learn by touch which stems from a fascination towards historical objects as well as precious and unusual materials almost unparalleled in other fields of antique and old artifacts.

It is sometimes the case that some instruments, for example those of the violin family, are used almost continuously for three hundred years or more. Their cultural appeal goes far beyond consideration of their sound, eventually leading to the idea that use is vital for their long term conservation. On the other hand there exist instruments, particularly from the keyboard or woodwind family, which have been restored to playing condition after long periods of rest due to increasing interest towards early music that grew in the early 20th century. On the opposite, some others are considered too fragile to be used and are therefore preserved for their cultural and aesthetical value, sometimes being used as models for the creation of functional copies. In all these cases, issues arise in connection to the effects of use and the choices of makers, the taste of players, as well as conservation policies and techniques, changed through time: how is sound affected by continuous use, what effects does it produce in short and long term conservation of the materials, how does this affect decisions about the construction of modern replicas, how can preventive techniques help to minimise risks connected to use and improve musical performance, all without neglecting ontological and ethical issues in playing a historic instrument.

Issues related to the use of instruments are also a primary concern for modern makers � both historically and nowadays, who are continuously experimenting with new materials and practical techniques in order to improve the performance and resilience of newly constructed instruments. While there are several elements that guide the choice of materials and working techniques, the reaction of the instrument to performance under a variety of conditions is certainly one of the leading ones. How do traditional and innovative materials react to playing, how much are cultural choices led by issues related to performance, how does the choice of different materials affect the performer and the audience?

This conference aims to broadly address the implications of playing on early, reproduction and contemporary musical instruments, with particular attention to: Historical and contemporary approaches to the choice of materials in musical instrument construction, the reaction of the material to playing and implications for performance. Monitoring and predicting the short and long term reactions of instruments in connection to being played/not played. Analysis of acoustical behaviour of original instruments vs. replicas, with particular attention to the complexity of implications for the player and listener (both musical and psychological)

Persons interested in giving a paper are invited to submit an abstract of two pages related to the topics of the conference through the form to be found at http://woodmusick.org/events-2 .

The Devil to Pay on Brook Street

Musical consultant is Laurence Cummings, and the play is directed by Martin Parr who was responsible for the recent Handel House production of Acis and Galatea at Cannons where it was first performed in 1713.

It is Midnight on the 13 April, 1759.

Former Royal Academy of Music sensation, the imposing Italian diva, Faustina Bordoni, has returned to England for the first time in decades to reignite her London career, with Handel�s assistance.

But the maestro�s health is fast failing. It�s late. The house is quiet.

As Handel�s servants tend his bedside, Faustina, tired and tetchy after an arduous journey, faces an anxious wait to see the ailing genius � with only a lowly maidservant for company.

What follows is both unexpected and disquieting�

For performance dates see the Handel House info on page 10.

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Handel House

Tuesday 10 March, 6.30-7.30pm Anniversaries Harpsichordist John Henry will celebrate two anniversaries in 2015: Jacquet de la Guerre and Jacques Duphly � and anticipate one a year later � Johann Jakob Froberger. In partnership with the British Harpsichord Society and the British Clavichord Society.

Thursday 12 March, 6.30-7.30pm The Bird-Fancyer�s Delight Southwark Baroque will celebrate the beautiful and diverse range of chamber music composed for voice and woodwind, with a feathered friends twist! Southwark Baroque are Gwendolen Martin (soprano), David Beaney (recorders) and Claire Williams (harpsichord).

Thursday 19 March, 6.30-7.30pm Mozart in London 250 years ago Mozart stayed in London from 1764-65. This concert will explore music of the time with works by Boyce and Mozart�s own arrangement of a keyboard sonata by JC Bach. Performed by Concertante of London: Madeleine Easton and Jane Gordon (baroque violins), Emma Alter (baroque viola), Nick Stringfellow (cello) and Nicholas Jackson (harpsichord).

Sunday 22 March, 2-3pm Exhibition Event: A Year in the Life of Handel 1738 was a year of stiff competition and sublime music making for Handel. Countertenor and RCM PhD student, Randall Scotting, will sing and discuss selections from Serse, Faramondo, Alessandro Severo, and Saul.

Thursday 26 March, 6.30-7.30pm Handel House Talent: Marie van Rhijn Marie van Rhijn (harpsichord) celebrates the 300th anniversary of Jacques Duphly�s birthday. Following Fran�ois Couperin and Rameau�s paths, his music offers a balance between tender expression and virtuosic figurations, in order to reach the French elegance of the 18th century. Exhibition A Year in the Life of Handel: 1738 Until Sunday 28 June 2015 The series of exhibitions looking in depth at a single year in Handel�s life continues with 1738. It was a year of varying fortunes for Handel � the Italian opera was failing and he was turning increasingly to the new form of the English oratorio. But at the same time a magnificent statue of him was unveiled at Spring Gardens in Vauxhall, celebrating his pre-eminent position in London society. It was the year in which Handel helped create the Fund for Decay�d Musicians, the roots of the new Methodist ministry were established, and Fortnum and Mason invented the Scotch Egg.

Once again a team of Handel House Volunteers has researched and curated the exhibition, and the story of 1738 is told through images and objects from the Handel House Collection, together with loans from other museums. Exhibition Talks at 3pm Exhibition Talks are delivered by volunteers and are suitable for all levels of knowledge. They last between 15-20 minutes and will take place on the last Saturday of each month: 31 January, 28 March and 25 April. Tickets: included in museum admission price of �6.50 adults, �5.50 concessions and free for children.

Entrance to the Museum is round the back of 25 Brook Street in Lancashire Court. Opening hours Tuesday-Saturday 10am-6pm (8pm on Thursday), Sunday 12pm-6pm. Last admission 30 minutes before closing. Closed on Mondays and Bank Holidays

Lift Access There will be no lift access to the museum from March until late July 2015. If you have any questions, please contact the museum in advance of your visit.