T H E A T L A N T A E A R L Y M U S I C A L L I A N C E B R O A D S I D E Volume IX, # 3 March 1, 2008 2008 Mid-Winter Music Workshop The musicians came from all over the Southeast to the 5th annual Mid-Winter Workshop. Clayton State University again opened its beautiful Music Education Building to 82 “students” and nine music Faculty. They had gathered for a day and a half of music making on their Early instruments. Kurt-Alexander Zeller has been the host for all these workshops. He always makes our experience very enjoyable. Our sincerest thanks go to him and his Department Chair and the Dean of the College for AEMA MISSION It is the mission of the Arts and Sciences. Atlanta Early Music Alliance The Mid-Winter workshop has been co-sponsored by the Atlanta Recorder Society, the Atlanta to foster enjoyment and Early Music Alliance and local members of the Viola da Gamba Society for their members and non- awareness of the historically informed performance of member participants. music, with special The Early Instruments involved in the workshop included Bowed Psaltery, the Recorder emphasis on music written family, the Viola da Gamba family, Chalumeau, Cornamuse, Cornetto, Crumhorn, Dulcian, Baroque before 1800. Its mission will be accomplished through Flutes, Lute, Treble Quintone, Rackett, Sackbut, Shawm, Theorbo, Percussion and Voices. (Of course, dissemination and Voices are the premiere Early Instruments!) coordination of information, The music, collected from the Faculty beforehand and mailed to all participants prior to the education and financial workshop for their preview, spanned the 14th through the 21st centuries. Even contemporary composers write for combinations of these instruments and graciously made their pieces available for the workshop. AEMA’s Website: The Faculty: Jane Burke, William Hearn, Phil Hollar, Gerald Moore, Susan Patterson, Patricia www.atlema.org Petersen, Claire Rottembourg, Gail Ann Schroeder and John Tyson. The various Groups of players enjoyed the encouragement of their Clinicians, who led to better understanding, interpretation and performance practices of the many styles of music. All gathered for the FINALE session in the Atrium of the Music Education Building and performed Antoine Brumel’s “Sicut Lilium inter Spinas” and Orlando di Lasso’s double choir composition “Tutto lo Di mi dici: Canta! Canta! Canta!,,,”, (All day I tell myself: Sing!), a fitting piece to end this inspiring event. In this issue: Mid-Winter Workshop - page s 1 –3 Musica Transalpina Workshop -page 4 John Whitt -page 5 Francesca Caccini -pages 5-6 Member information -page 7 Musical Musings -page 8 Voices and Viols , directed by Jane Burke Continued on page 2 2 B R O A D S I D E March 1, 2008 The Atlanta Early Continued from page 1 Music Alliance 2007/2008 Board of Directors Jorg F. Voss, President [email protected] Susan Patterson, Vice President [email protected] Vicki Porter-Fink Secretary Gisela McClellan, Treasurer Jane Burke, Membership Chair [email protected] Gray Crouse, at large George Lucktenberg, representing harpsichord interests within AEMA Viols, Theorbo, Sackbuts and Cornetto Sue Koenig Web Master Submissions for BROADSIDE……to Susan Patterson 2228 Edison Ave. NE Atlanta, GA 30305 Spatterson @ATLSPSCH.org Early Music Concerts or Events: AEMA wants to help spread the word! If you want to make announcements, contact: Jorg Voss, [email protected] or Patricia DeWitt, [email protected] Content Copyright 2007, Atlanta Early Music Alliance The FINALE March 1. 2008 B R O A D S I D E 3 The Musicians from Clarksville, TN Artwork by Joan M. Meixell, 2007 Intense Recorderists Contrabass Recorder This is serious concentration! Gail Ann: “Where are the Viols?” 4 B R O A D S I D E March 1, 2008 Musica Transalpina Workshop February 24, 2008 The Atlanta Early Music Community has once again had the pleasure of having Alison Crum and Roy Marks in our midst. This year, following the Music-on-the-Mountain Viol Weekend in Monteagle, TN, Alison and Roy visited St Mark United Methodist Church in Atlanta. There, sponsored by AEMA and our Hostess, Jane Burke, Minister of Fine Arts at St Mark, was held an evening workshop for Voices and Viols in performing the Italian Madrigals known as the Musica Transalpina. Alison conducted the musical session. In 1588, Nicholas Yonge, an English singer, translated the words of a collection of Italian Madrigals into English and published the works for popular use. The popularity of this collection is considered to have been the genesis of an interest in Madrigal singing which lasted into the first decades of the seventeenth century. Musica Transalpina contains 57 pieces by 18 Composers.. Alfonso Ferrabosco (the elder) and Luca Marenzio contributed the largest number of pieces to the collection, but Lasso, Byrd, Palestrina, Conversi, de Monte, and De Wert are also represented. A second book, “The Second Booke of Madrigalles... translated out of Sundry Italian Authors” was published in 1597. Much of this collection of music has never been published in modern notation. Roy Marks, Alison Crum and Michael Foote are working with others to transcribe and eventually publish the collection in modern notation. The workshop gave us the rare opportunity to preview nine selections from the collection. The workshop setting was the beautiful Sanctuary at St. Mark [United Methodist Church]. Jane Burke assembled a fine group of singers: Lori Beth Johnson, Andrea Winkler, Caroline Nuckolls, Vanessa Little, Kurt Zeller, Beth Bell, Brenda Lloyd and Stephen Morris. Viol players present were Denise Maczura, Pam Woodcock, Brian Bishop, Susan Patterson, Jorg Voss, and Michael Foote. Alison ably guided the voices and viols together in producing the unique sound of strings accompanied by human voices. The nuance of placing accent according to the dictate of the lyric and the phrasing of the music helped instrument and voice to blend forming that lovely “Voices and Viols” sound we all love but so rarely have the opportunity to hear. The evening was enjoyable for all and left us anxious to see more from this very promising treasure trove of musical gems. Pamela Woodcock, Marietta, Ga March 1, 2008 B R O A D S I D E 5 The Alliance: News of and for AEMA People and Communities John Whitt Mr. John Whitt joined Schola Cantorum this past December as its new director, inaugurating their 2007-2008 season. Mr. Whitt has been the director of St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church’s Compline Choir (also called “Schola Cantorum”) since 2000, and often serves as the substitute organist at St. Bartholomews and other Atlanta area churches. He has had extensive training and experience in church music education, organ performance and conducting, having studied at and received advanced degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey. While at Westminster Choir College Mr. Whitt served as organist and choir master of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church and instituted a training program of the Royal School of Church Music (RCSM) for the youth choristers. A move to Winnetka, Illinois allowed him to, not only expand his role and duties as organist and choirmaster at Christ Church, but also gave him opportunity to practice vocal performance as a member of the 20 voice group “His Majestie’s Clerkes”. With this group Mr. Whitt participated in the recording of a CD on the Harmonia Mundi label in 1992. The CD was directed by Paul Hillier and featured the works of William Billings. Mr. Whitt brings to Atlanta Schola Cantorum a new perspective and breadth of knowledge of early music, and has already expanded their repertoire significantly. Schola’s spring concert will focus on a number of Psalm texts with works by William Byrd, Gregorio Allegri, Orlando Gibbons, and William Billings among other early composers. A featured work for the concert will be “O Lord, consider my distress” by Richard Nicolson, a late 16th century English composer particularly championed by Mr. Whitt. The piece is a verse anthem for 5 soloists and choir, set to a metrical text of Psalm 51, in an edition researched and prepared by Mr. Whitt. The spring program will also include some later repertoire by Johannes Brahms and John Tavener. The Atlanta Schola Cantorum’s Spring concert will take place Friday, May 2nd at Holy Trinity Parish in Decatur with a repeat performance on Saturday, May 3rd at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta. Both performances will be at 8:00 PM. The choir will also be appearing as part of the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina over the Memorial Day weekend. Vicki Porter-Fink Francesca Caccini, again Jimmie Dawkins, a long term member of AEMA, sent us this note: “The painting attached to the madrigal in the November issue is a reversed image of a painting called “The Lute Player” by Orazio Gentileschi. The young woman in this painting is generally accepted by scholars as his artist daughter, Artemisia”. Well, we have all been misled by information on the WEB. The picture shown on the left was erroneously named “Francesca Caccini” in WEB information and in the November issue of BROADSIDE . Reversing it was my idea, however. JFV John Mortison transcribed the ”Madrigal” by Francesca Caccini, shown in the November issue, into modern notation. Please turn to page 6. 6 B R O A D S I D E March 1, 2008 March 1, 2008 B R O A D S I D E 7 AEMA Membership Form Thank you for your interest in AEMA! Membership includes a newsletter, the Broadside, member rates at the Midwinter Workshop and other AEMA events, and reduced admission (same as senior admission) to concerts of the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra.