SAMPLE PROGRAM—NOT for CONCERT USE the Hunchback of Notre Dame Lon Chaney's 1923 Silent Film with a Cont
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
SAMPLE PROGRAM—NOT FOR CONCERT USE presents The Hunchback of Notre Dame Lon Chaney’s 1923 silent film with a continuous live soundtrack of French medieval music Silent films were never meant to be silent; they were intended to be performed with musical accompaniment. During the current silent film revival, musicians are approaching that challenge in a number of creative ways. Some are finding and reconstructing the original music written for a film when it was first produced. Others are writing their own scores, in every style from atonal music to jazz. More than a few old theaters have renovated their mammoth theater organs, and keyboard players improvise soundtracks today as they did in the 20s. HESPERUS is doing something different. We have crafted a soundtrack of music centered upon the time and place the film was set, 15 th century France, and perform the music on copies of period instruments. Actually, we’ve expanded our parameters to include French and Burgundian music from 13001500, giving us a chance to feature such masters as Guillaume de Machaut, Jehan l’Escurel, Guillaume Dufay, as well as lesserknown composers such as Vaillant, Morton and Borlet. We use this music in different ways—some individual characters, like Esmeralda and Quasimodo have their own themes. There’s also a love theme, and a theme for the beggars. Some pieces were written in 3 or 4 parts, and although we may vary the instrumentation, we perform the music as written. Others are monophonic, singleline pieces and we use the melodies as vehicles for improvisation. Occasionally we’ll string together tunes with a similar spirit and make medleys; or we’ll mirror the fight between the nobles and beggars with contrasting tunes. We’ll introduce our instruments just before the film starts, and then you’ll have a choice during the film, whether to watch the screen or the performers. The Hunchback is our second ‘History’s Soundtrack’ presentation, and audiences tell us that the combination of film and early music gives the action an unexpected depth and poignancy. This fits right into HESPERUS’s mission: to find points of connection between the past and present. Partial list of music performed From 12 th & 13 th century Europe Bache bene venies Carmina Burana #200 (1213 th c.) Benedicamus Domino Liturgical Chant Congaudentes celebremus Play of Daniel (c. 1230) From 14 th & 15 th century France 5 chansons Jehan de Lescurel (d. 1304) Par maintes foy Vaillant Andrez soulez Anon Alarme, allarme Grimace L’homme armé Robert Morton Jouissance vous donnerai Anon Guillaume de Machaut (13001377) Kyrie/ Messe de Notre Dame Rose lis, printemps, verdure Comment q’a moy Douce dame jolie C’est d’amer Dame a vous sans retolir Foy porter Lai de la fontaine Guillaume Dufay (14001474) Amour me fait desir Ce jour de l’an J’attendrai tant La belle se siet Se la face ay pale How this music was chosen When choosing music to accompany a film, the first goal is naturally to reinforce the mood of each scene. Music can add pacing, drama, or irony; foreshadow tragedy or anticipate rescue. Since Victor Hugo set the Hunchback in 1460, I used French 14 th and 15 th century music (from the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance) as the basic repertoire, supplementing it with earlier medieval chants and processionals. Musicians who perform the whole panoply of early music must be familiar with 6 or 7 centuries of music, from England, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Burgundy and the Lowlands. Each niche repertoire has its own distinctive character, social context, appropriate instruments and performance practices. It’s a treat to spotlight a particular rep and use it in a project like this. And it turns out that using authentic music as soundtrack gives the film an intangible verisimilitude that audiences remark on time and again. HESPERUS Tina Chancey, vielle, rebec, kamenj, recorders, krumhorn Grant Herreid, tenor, lute, shawm, pipe and tabor, cornetto, recorders Rosa Lamoreaux, soprano, chimes Tom Zajac, recorders, early flute, krumhorn, percussion GROUP BIO PERFORMERS’ BIOS ADDITIONAL MATERIALS: Expanded program notes Reading list.