Advance Program Notes

Transcription

1 Advance Program Notes The Tallis Scholars Wednesay, November 29, 2017, 7:30 PM These Advance Program Notes are provided online for our patrons who like to read about performances ahead of time. Printed programs will be provided to patrons at the performances. Programs are subject to change. The Tallis Scholars Commemorating the 500 th anniversary of the death of Heinrich Isaac. Peter Phillips, director Soprano Amy Haworth Emily Atkinson Alto Caroline Trevor Alexander Chance Tenor Steven Harrold Simon Wall Guy Cutting William Balkwill Bass Tim Scott Whiteley Greg Skidmore Gaude virgo Stabat mater Absalom fili mi Lugebat Absalom Optime divino Josquin Josquin Josquin Gombert Isaac INTERMISSION Stabat juxta Tota pulchra es Inter natos mulierum Regina caeli (a 10) Browne Isaac Josquin Gombert This performance is supported in part by a gift from Jack and Sandy Davis. For more information, please visit thetallisscholars.co.uk. The Tallis Scholars record for Gimell Records. Follow The Tallis Scholars on Facebook and YouTube. North American Management: Alliance Artist Management, 5030 Broadway, Suite 812, New York, NY 10034

2 Texts and Translations JOSQUIN DES PREZ (c1450/ ) Gaude virgo Gaude virgo mater Christi Quae per aurem concepisti, Gabriele nuntio. Gaude, quia Deo plena Peperisti sine poena, Cum pudoris lilio. Gaude, quia tui nati, Quem dolebas mortem pati, Fulget resurrectio. Gaude Christo ascendente Et in caelum te vidente Motu fertur proprio. Gaude quae post ipsum scandis Et est honor tibi grandis, In caeli palatio. Ubi fructus ventris tui Per te detur nobis frui In perenni gaudio. Alleluia. Rejoice, O virgin mother of Christ, who has conceived through the breath of the messenger Gabriel. Rejoice, for when heavy with God you gave birth without suffering, with the chastity of a lily. Rejoice, for your own Son, whom you mourned as if dead, now shines in resurrection. Rejoice, for Christ has ascended and sees you in heaven and all proceeds in proper course. Rejoice, for you rise up after him and great honour is yours in the palace of heaven. Where the fruit of your womb through your doing is granted to us to bring eternal joy. Alleluia. JOSQUIN Stabat mater Stabat Mater dolorosa Iuxta crucem lacrimosa. Dum pendebat filius. Cuius animam gementem, Contristantem et dolentem, Pertransivit gladius. O quam tristis et afflicta Fuit illa benedicta Mater unigeniti! Quae maerebat et dolebat, Et tremebat cum videbat Nati poenas inclyti. Quis est homo qui non fleret, Christe matrem si videret In tanto supplicio? Quis non posset contristari, Piam matrem contemplari, Dolentem cum filio? Pro peccatis suae gentis, Vidit Jesum in tormentis Et flagellis subditum. Vidit suum dulcem natum By the cross stood the sorrowing Mother, weeping while her Son hung there. Her aching soul, anguished and grief-stricken, has been run through by a sword. O how sorrowful and afflicted was that blessed mother of an only child. She grieved and mourned, and trembled when she saw the pain of her glorious Son. What man would not weep to see the mother of Christ in such anguish? Who would not feel compassion when contemplating the good mother grieving with her Son? She saw Jesus suffering agony for the sins of his people and subjected to scourging. She saw her sweet

3 Texts and Translations, continued Moriendo desolatum, Dum emisit spiritum. Eia, Mater, fons amoris, Me sentire vim doloris, Fac, ut tecum lugeam. Fac ut ardeat cor meum In amando Christum Deum, Ut sibi complaceam. Virgo virginum praeclara, Iam mihi non sis amara, Fac me tecum plangere. Fac ut portem Christi mortem, Passionis eius sortem, Et plagas recolere. Fac me plagis vulnerari Cruce hac inebriari Ob amorem filii. Inflammatus et accensus, Per te Virgo sim defensus, In die iudicii. Fac me cruce custodiri, Morte Christi praemuniri, Confoveri gratia. Quando corpus morietur, Fac ut animae donetur paradisi gloria. Son, forsaken death, as he gave up his spirit. Ah mother, fount of love, let me feel the strength of thy grief, that I may mourn with thee. Make my heart burn with the love of Christ, my God, that I may be pleasing to him. Most excellent of virgins, do not treat me harshly. Grant that I may bear the death of Christ, be a sharer of his passion and reflect on his wounds. Let me feel the pain of his wounds, be exalted by the cross and blood of thy son. Be my defence, O Virgin, when the flames consume me at the day of judgment. Let me be protected by the cross, forearmed by the death of Christ, uplifted by his grace. When my body dies, grant to my soul the glory of paradise. Amen. JOSQUIN Absalom fili mi Absalon fili mi, quis det ut moriar pro te, fili mi Absalon? Non vivam ultra, sed descendam in infernum plorans. Absalom, my son, who will allow me to die for you, my son Absalom? I shall live no longer, but descend weeping into hell. NICHOLAS GOMBERT ( ) Lugebat Absalom Lugebat David Absalon, pius pater filium, tristis senex puerum: heu me fili mi Absalon, quis mihi det ut moriar, ut ego pro te, O fili mi Absalon? Rex autem David filium cooperto flebat capite: quis mihi det ut ego moriar pro te, O fili mi? Poro rex operuit caput suum, et clamabat voce magna: O fili mi Absalon. David mourned for Absalom, a pious father for his son, a sad old man for his boy: alas, my son Absalom, would God I had died for you. King David covered his head and wept for his son: would God I had died for you, Absalom, my son. Then the king covered his head, and cried with a great voice: O my son, Absalom.

4 Texts and Translations, continued HEINRICH ISAAC ( ) Optime divino Optime divino date munere pastor ovili, Tandem qui laceri medicus gregis ulcera sanes, Sis felix pecori et nobis tuque ipse beatus. Sit totum pacare gregem tibi cura perennis; Reddatur pax alma tuis pax aurea saeptis, Et tua, qua polles, tam blando fistula cantu Foedere cornipetas concordi vinciat agnos. Reginam volucrum regi tibi iunge ferarum, Reddatur vobis ut abactis vestra Chimaeris. Postmodo concordes generosi pectoris iras In Turcas animate, lupos et monstra Canopi. Nulla gregi quadrupes, volucrisve inimica resistet, Dum videant aquilamque ducem verumque leonem, Haec pia Caesarei cantores vota frequentant. Vobis religio parque est reverentia recti. Vis animi et pietas clementiaque insita vobis. Par mundi imperium et gladius debetur utrique. Vera ergo auspiciis vigeat sapientia vestris Floreat et sanctis cum moribus inclita virtus; Sit suus ingenuis honor artibus et sua merces. Tum Medico exsultent colles et pascua plaudant Pontifici et tanto laetetur Caesare mundus. Haec pia Caesarei cantores vota frequentant. Amen. Most worthy shepherd, granted to the flock by heaven s gift, doctor, who at long last cure the sores of your wounded flock, may you be a blessing to your flock and to us, and be yourself blessed. May soothing all your flock be your eternal care; let bountiful peace, golden peace, return to your folds, and may your shepherd s pipe, in which you excel, that pipe with its caressing song, bind your butting lambs in pact of concord. Join the queen of birds to yourself, the king of beasts, that once the Chimaeras are driven away your flock may be restored to you as your own. Then kindle the united wrath of your noble heart against the Turk, wolves and monsters of Canopus. No beast nor hostile bird shall withstand the flock, when they see the eagle as leader, and the true lion. These holy prayers the praise-singers of Caesar reecho. In you do religion and reverence for right exist side by side. In you are planted force of mind, piety and mercy, equal share of world dominion and the sword is owed to you both. Therefore let true wisdom flourish under your guidance, and may glorious virtue blossom with holy ways. May the liberal arts have their due reward. Then may the hills rejoice in the Doctor, and the pastures applaud the Pontiff, and the world delight in so great a Caesar. These holy prayers the praise-singers of Caesar reecho. Amen.

5 Texts and Translations, continued Tenor I Cantus firmus: Da pacem Domine in diebus nostris: quia non est alius qui pugnet pro nobis, nisi tu Deus noster. Tenor II Cantus firmus: Sacerdos et pontifex et virtutum artifex, bonus pastor in populo. Give peace in our time, O Lord, For there is no other that fights for us, but only You, our God. Priest and Pontiff and Maker of virtues, good shepherd amidst the people, thus have you pleased the Lord. JOHN BROWNE (fl c ): Stabat juxta Stabat juxta Christi crucem Videns pati veeram lucem Mater regis omnium. Vidit caput coronatum, Spinis, latus perforatum, Vidit mori filium. Vidit corpus flagellari, Manus, pedes perforari, Mitis a crudelibus. Vidit capit inclimatum, Totum corpus cruentatum Pastoris pro ovibus. In dolore tunc fuisti, Virgo pia, cum vidisti Mori tuum filium. Dolor ingens, dolor ille Dicunt sanci plus quaam mille Praecellit martyrium. Virgo mitis, virgo pia, Spes reorum, vitis via, Virgo plena gratia, Iube natum et implora Servis tuir sine mora Nobis donet gaudia. Beside the cross of Christ she stood, Watching the true light suffer, The Mother of the King of all. She saw his head crowned With thorns, his side pierced. She saw her son die. She saw his body scourged, His hands, his feet transfixed, That tender one, by cruel men. She saw his head bowed low, All his body stained with blood, The shepherd for his sheep. Yours then the anguish, Holy virgin, when you saw Your son perish. Great sorrow it was, that sorrow The countless saints declare Surpasses martyrdom. Gentle virgin, virgin holy, Hope of sinners, way of the vine, Virgin full of grace, Bid your son, implore him That even now he may grant joy To us who are your servants. ISAAC Tota pulchra es Tota pulchra es, amica mea, et macula non est in te. Favus distillans labia tua; mel et lac sub lingua tua; odor unguentorum tuorum super omnia aromata. Iam enim hiems transiit, imber abiit et recessit; flores apparuerunt vineae florentes odorem dederunt, You are all-fair, my beloved, nor is there any stain in you. Your lips drip sweetness like the honeycomb; honey and milk are under your tongue; the scent of your perfumes is beyond all spices. For now is the winter past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers have appeared; the flourishing vineyards have given forth their fragrance,

6 Texts and Translations, continued et vox turturis audita est in terra nostra. Surge, propera, amica mea, veni de Libano, veni, coronaberis. and the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land. Arise, my beloved, make haste: come from Lebanon, come and you shall be crowned. JOSQUIN Inter natos mulierum Inter natos mulierum non surrexit maior Ioanne Baptista, Qui viam Domino praeparavit in heremo. Alleluia. Fuit homo missus a Deo cui nomen erat Ioannes. Alleluia. Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist, who prepared the way of the Lord in the wilderness. Alleluia. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. Alleluia. St Matthew 11:11 and St John 1:6 GOMBERT Regina Caeli (a10) Regina caeli laetare, alleluia, Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia, Resurrexit sicut dixit, alleluia. Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia. Queen of heaven, rejoice, alleluia, For he whom thou wast worthy to bear, alleluia, Hath risen as he said, alleluia. Pray for us to God, alleluia.

7 Program Notes Josquin: Gaude virgo Josquin: Stabat mater Josquin: Absalom fili mi Gombert: Lugebat Absalom Isaac: Optime divino Browne: Stabat juxta Isaac: Tota pulchra es Josquin: Inter natos mulierum Gombert: Regina caeli (a 10) To me, [Isaac] seems well suited to serve Your Lordship, more so than Josquin, because he is of a better disposition among his companions, and he will compose new works more often. It is true that Josquin composes better, but he composes when he wants to, and not when one wants him to, and he is asking 200 ducats in salary while Isaac will come for 120 but Your Lordship will decide. This much-quoted statement of Gian de Artiganova paints a picture of Isaac and Josquin perhaps the two most preeminent musicians of their day in European society as rather differently-tempered. Josquin comes across as a brilliant, difficult artist, working to his own schedule and his own whims, like a sort of Renaissance Beethoven. Isaac, by contrast, is implied to be more workmanlike, dependable, much less brilliant by comparison. Such may indeed have been the eventual view of the Este family who ended up ignoring their agent s advice and hiring Josquin to be their maestro di cappella. But in a programme such as tonight s, we have a luxury denied to them: that of assessing the work of these two giants side-by-side, along with works by Renaissance contemporaries. Gaude virgo is entirely characteristic of Josquin: an economy of musical material, gently but deliberately unspooled over the course of the motet. Pairs of voices share almost identical material, creating hypnotic waves. The music is enlivened by syncopations and complex internal rhythms, as well as some judicious wordpainting the composer cannot resist pairing the word ascendente with a rising musical scale. In the Stabat mater, the fearlessly innovative composer turns his attention to a traditional and popular text. Not content with one layer of meaning, he adds another by basing the work around a melody line drawn from a secular chanson, Comme femme desconfortée. Even though this text is not heard, the melody would have reminded the educated listener of the words of Binchois chanson as a woman discomforted, distraught above all others whose once-secular text now comments on the suffering of Mary at the foot of the cross. In the Old Testament book of 2 Samuel, King David is brought the news that, following a battle, one of his sons has been killed in a powerfully moving passage of scripture. Despite the fact that Absalom had been in open rebellion against his father, David still weeps for his loss. The story has inspired countless composers across the centuries. In Absalom fili mi, attributed to Josquin, the descent into grief is described in a motet which seems to constantly spiral downwards in pitch, lower and lower as it traces the depths of sorrow. Nicholas Gombert, younger than Josquin and possibly one of his students, is likely the author of Lugebat David Absalom, which originally may have had secular words and subsequently been given a contrafactum, or new sacred text. Whatever its origin it is another profound meditation on grief, painted on a broader, 10-voice canvas. Isaac s extraordinary, opulent motet Optime divino was written for a meeting of great rulers the Emperor s Chancellor, Cardinal Lang, and a new Pope, Leo X. Rising to the occasion, Isaac set himself the challenge of composing around not merely the one customary tenor plainchant, but an additional chant sung at the same time. The result is a densely layered composition, with the chants Da pacem and Sacerdos et pontifex speaking directly to the nature of the occasion, while the main text, specially written, expresses hope for unity and joint political will. These allusions are all wrapped up in polyphony of consummate power and directness. With the music of John Browne, we are transported to late 15 th -century England and the glories of the Eton Choirbook, a lavish collection clearly intended to show off English music at its finest. Browne, largely forgotten

8 Program Notes, continued now, was well-regarded, and his motet, Stabat iuxta, is a fine example of this virtuosic style. Clearly unafraid of dense textures, he scored this motet for six lower voices, which are introduced in pairs or trios before coming together for climactic wall-of-sound choruses. Indeed, the motet has a higher than usual ratio of full to reduced sections, seeming to revel in the massed texture. The Biblical Song of Songs was a great favorite of Renaissance composers, who, as we have seen, were ever alert to the tensions between sacred and secular and found great satisfaction in setting its erotically-charged devotions. Isaac s Tota pulchra es has a languid quality, as if breathing in an exotic fragrance. Listen to the indulgent melismas of mel et lac milk and honey, the ultimate symbols of Biblical nirvana. Inter natos mulierum is a motet for six voices, though the manner of their deployment, among other features, has led scholars to consider its contemporary attribution to Josquin spurious. The plainchant throughline is in the upper bass voice. The second part uses trios and even in the sections for full choir maintains interest in the inner parts, which are festooned with runs and leaps. It was unusual for composers to go beyond this six-part texture. However, composers did experiment with even more grandly divided choral forces. Gombert wrote two surviving settings of the Marian antiphon Regina caeli. One of these is in 12 voices but the version given here is the much more rarely-heard 10-voice setting. The composer uses the plainchant as the basis for an imitative web of polyphony, lending structural unity to the piece by varying the groups of voices in different sections. James M. Potter, 2017

9 Biographies PETER PHILLIPS, director Peter Phillips has made an impressive if unusual reputation for himself in dedicating his life s work to the research and performance of Renaissance polyphony. Having won a scholarship to Oxford in 1972, Phillips studied Renaissance music with David Wulstan and Denis Arnold, and gained experience in conducting small vocal ensembles, already experimenting with the rarer parts of the repertoire. He founded The Tallis Scholars in 1973, with whom he has now appeared in over 2000 concerts and made over 60 discs, encouraging interest in polyphony all over the world. As a result of his work, through concerts, recordings, magazine awards, and publishing editions of the music and writing articles, Renaissance music has come to be accepted for the first time as part of the mainstream classical repertoire. The Tallis Scholars celebrated their 40 th anniversary in 2013 with 99 concerts, worldwide. Apart from The Tallis Scholars, Phillips continues to work with other specialist ensembles. He has appeared with the Collegium Vocale of Ghent, Intrada of Moscow, Musica Reservata of Barcelona, and El Leon de Oro of Orviedo, and is currently working with the BBC Singers, the Netherlands Chamber Choir, and Choeur de Chambre de Namur. He gives numerous master classes and choral workshops every year around the world amongst other places in Rimini (Italy), Evora (Portugal), and Avila (Spain). In 2014 he launched the London International A Cappella Choir Competition in St. John s Smith Square, attracting choirs from all over the world, which successfully completed its third run in June In addition to conducting, Phillips is well-known as a writer. For 33 years he contributed a regular music column (as well as one, more briefly, on cricket) to The Spectator, recently bidding a fond farewell to the magazine in May In 1995 he became the owner and publisher of The Musical Times, the oldest continuously published music journal in the world. His first book, English Sacred Music , was published by Gimell in 1991, while his second, What We Really Do, an unblinking account of what touring is like, alongside insights about the make-up and performance of polyphony, was published in 2003 and again in In 2005 Phillips was made a Chevalier de l Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister of Culture, a decoration intended to honour individuals who have contributed to the understanding of French culture in the world. In 2008 Phillips was appointed a Reed Rubin Director of Music at Merton College, Oxford, where the new choral foundation he helped to establish began singing services shortly after. His involvement included many tours, recordings, and broadcasts, a particular highlight being their first live broadcast on BBC Radio Three s Choral Evensong in October Phillips is now a patron of the choir and a Bodley Fellow of the college. For more information, please visit thetallisscholars.co.uk. Speaking of birds, it was also wonderful to glimpse Peter Phillips s conducting: hands opening as if setting free a dove, or closing to punctuate with dotting-the-i s exactitude. I found myself wishing I could get a choir s-eye view to witness Phillips complete lifelong inhabiting of this music. The Observer, September 2015

10 Biographies, continued THE TALLIS SCHOLARS The rock stars of Renaissance vocal music. The New York Times An uncanny ability to increase emotional intensity so subtly that you don t realise it s happening. Then, suddenly, pow! The music s blazing; so are you. The Times...One of the U.K. s greatest cultural exports. BBC Radio 3 The Tallis Scholars were founded in 1973 by their director, Peter Phillips. Through their recordings and concert performances, they have established themselves as the leading exponents of Renaissance sacred music throughout the world. Phillips has worked with the ensemble to create, through good tuning and blend, the purity and clarity of sound which he feels best serve the Renaissance repertoire, allowing every detail of the musical lines to be heard. It is the resulting beauty of sound for which The Tallis Scholars have become so widely renowned. The Tallis Scholars perform in both sacred and secular venues, usually giving around 70 concerts each year across the globe. In 2013 the group celebrated their 40 th anniversary with a world tour, performing 99 events in 80 venues in 16 countries and traveling sufficient air-miles to circumnavigate the globe four times. They kicked off the year with a spectacular concert in St. Paul s Cathedral, London, including a performance of Thomas Tallis 40-part motet Spem in alium and the world premieres of works written specially for them by Gabriel Jackson and Eric Whitacre. Their recording of the Missa Gloria tibi Trinitas by John Taverner was released on the exact anniversary of their first concert in 1973 and enjoyed six weeks at number one in the U.K. Specialist Classical Album Chart. On September 21, 2015 the group gave their 2,000 th concert at St. John s Smith Square in London. Recordings by The Tallis Scholars have attracted many awards throughout the world. In 1987 their recording of Josquin s Missa La sol fa re mi and Missa Pange lingua received Gramophone magazine s Record of the Year award, the first recording of early music ever to win this coveted award. In 1989 the French magazine Diapason gave two of its Diapason d Or de l Année awards for the recordings of a mass and motets by Lassus and for Josquin s two masses based on the chanson L Homme armé. Their recording of Palestrina s Missa Assumpta est Maria and Missa Sicut lilium was awarded Gramophone s Early Music Award in 1991; they received the 1994 Early Music Award for their recording of music by Cipriano de Rore and the same distinction again in 2005 for their disc of music by John Browne. The Tallis Scholars were nominated for a Grammy Award in 2001, 2009, and In November 2012 their recording of Josquin s Missa De beata virgine and Missa Ave maris stella received a Diapason d Or de l Année, and in their 40 th anniversary year they were welcomed into the Gramophone Hall of Fame by public vote. In a departure for the group in spring 2015 The Tallis Scholars released a disc of music by Arvo Pärt called Tintinnabuli, which has received great praise across the board. The latest recording of Josquin masses Missa Di dadi and Missa Une mousse de Biscaye was released in October For more information, please visit thetallisscholars.co.uk or gimell.com.

11 Engagement Events Wednesday, November 29, 2017 MASTER CLASS: PETER PHILLIPS Director of The Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips, led a master class in vocal performance with members of the Virginia Tech Chamber Singers. Wednesday, November 29, 2017, following the performance MEET THE ARTIST: THE TALLIS SCHOLARS After the performance, meet the director of The Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips at this meet and greet in the Grand Lobby. Special thanks to Dwight Bigler For Virginia Tech Students The Division of Student Affairs invites you to engage in the Aspirations for Student Learning to do more, be more, and aspire to be your best self. Aspirations for Student Learning Commit to unwavering CURIOSITY Pursue SELF-UNDERSTANDING and INTEGRITY Practice CIVILITY Prepare for a life of COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP Embrace UT PROSIM (That I May Serve) as a way of life One way to work toward these aspirational goals is to engage in Keystone Happenings. Keystone Happenings highlight the Aspirations for Student Learning, provide opportunities for learning, and challenge students to reflect. Search keystone on GobblerConnect at gobblerconnect.vt.edu/events to discover these opportunities. Keystone Happening Reflections for The Tallis Scholars What did you learn about composer Heinrich Isaac from the program? What s the impact and significance of hearing his music performed in a secular context, nearly 500 years after its composition? For more resources for educators, students, and lifelong learners to help you dig deeper and engage with this performance and our other season performances, view our Learning Guide at artscenter.vt.edu/experiences.

12 In the Galleries For more information on this artist, please visit jackshainman.com/artists. RADCLIFFE BAILEY September 14-December 9, 2017 Miles C. Horton Jr. Gallery and Sherwood Payne Quillen 71 Reception Gallery Painter, sculptor, and mixed media artist Radcliffe Bailey (American, based in Atlanta, Georgia) layers found objects, materials, and potent imagery to explore connections between past and present, personal experience and collective memory. In this installation, Bailey references historical and ancestral communities and migrations, including enslaved African peoples escaping through Virginia s Great Dismal Swamp, while examining concepts of identity race, culture, and the mnemonic power of objects. GALLERY HOURS Monday-Friday, 10 AM-5:30 PM Saturday, 10 AM-4 PM To arrange a group tour or class visit, please contact Meggin Hicklin, exhibitions program manager, at megh79@ vt.edu. or Pictured: Windward Coast West Coast Slave Trade, (detail) Piano keys, plaster bust, and glitter Shown here in black and white Dimensions variable Radcliffe Bailey Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York