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Violinoctet Violin First European Quintet Performs ViolinOctetOctet New Voices for the 21st Century Volume 2, Number 6 Spring 2007 First European Quintet Performs says that van Laethem likes to participate in new and unusual concerts and performance set- tings, which gave Wouters the idea that van Laethem might be interested in the octet in- struments, which he was. Van Laethem is also a teacher at the Academie voor Muziek en Woord in Mol, and took it upon himself to fi nd others who would like to play the new instruments in concert. Jan Sciffer, who played the alto, is the cello in- structor at the Academy. All the other performers were stu- dents. The performers were enthusias- tic about the new instruments, and although the performance was planned to be a single event, the payers want to keep on playing them. A quintet of New Violin Family instruments in rehearsal in Belgium. (l to r) Bert van Laethem, soprano; Eveline Debie, mezzo; Jan Sciff er, alto; Jef Kenis, tenor; and Greg Brabers, baritone. The concert took place on February 10, 2007 at to Belgium via email; “Purcell’s Fantasia on One 8:00 p.m. in the Saint Peter and Paul Church in Note,” and the aria from Bach’s Cantata 124. Mol, Belgium, a small city about 40 km east of Antwerp. There were an estimated 200 people Before the ensemble played, the director of the attending, most of whom were local residents of school gave a short introduction. Wouters says it Mol. The quintet, which was made up of teach- was clear that this gentleman (name unavailable ers and students from a local music academy, at press time) had done his homework and had performed only a few selections because their carefully read all the information Wouters had performance was just one part of the music acad- given him. A number of people in the audience emy’s annual concert. responded positively to the New Family instru- ments, and several asked questions of Wouters Unfortunately, the concert was not recorded and after the concert. no pictures were taken. Joris Wouters, who built the quintet, says the picture above was taken dur- Bert van Laethem, who organized the group, and ing a rehearsal. The quintet played two selections Wouters came from the same town and have Joris Wouters, Luthier of the arranged by Robert Spear, who had sent them known each other for quite some time. Wouters Belgian Quintet. NewsJournal of the New Violin Family Association 2 New Violin Family Association NewsJournal Ensembles and Compositions Albert Consort Reorganizes as New Music For Octet Instruments OctaVivo! The Albert Consort of Ithaca, the winter and the spring, Dimensions of C12. a system for deriving musical which played its last concert at and Spear hopes that after a Two composers have written pitches, or “mapping,” as she the OCTET 2005 Convention summer break, OctaVivo! will new music for OctaVivo! when calls it, from the different letters Gala, is reorganizing after 18 make its fi rst public appearance it reaches full size again. Sora of the alphabet. Of course, this months of inactivity. Founder this fall. Jederan Shpack has composed technique has been used by Robert J. Spear says the group a piece called “Dimensions other composers as far back as will emerge from the layoff with New Recording Projects. of C-12.” Shpack says of the J. S. Bach, but Boel’s system a new name, OctaVivo!, and The group is already planning piece, “When I began writing, is different. She often takes a a few new faces. Spear says several ambitious undertakings, my thoughts were around the person’s name and converts the that he chose the new name one of which represents moving essence, energy, and vibrations letters to pitches, which she then because the term “consort” in into previously unexplored of the note “C.” My intent was uses as the source material for the original name apparently territory. Mezzo violinist William to carry that through the piece her compositions. She calls her caused people to think the Hurley has agreed to record the and explore what that means style of writing “Name Music,” ensemble was a period complete Telemann Fantasias to me, although more on a and has written a number of ensemble playing Baroque for unaccompanied violin. subliminal level. As I wrote, I compositions this way. music on early instruments. These 12 did feel a strange connection selections with C and how it might create When R. J. Spear learned of Two of the Albert Consort’s are rarely specifi c dimensions as it relates Boel’s compositions, he listened founding members, soprano played and with other vibrations. Even the to a couple of pieces and liked violinist Carrie Reuning- s e l d o m fi nal E major chord was there what he heard. As it happened, Hummel and baritone violinist recorded, as a relationship, a joyous Boel had heard of the octet and Lizzy Evett, are still with the d e s p i t e completion of C. already had been thinking of group, and mezzo violinist Bill their great writing a piece for the group. Bill Hurley Hurley, who played in the Tallis beauty, and “The number 12 comes from All that Orchestra at the gala concert, the planned CD will enhance the number of half steps to remained also remains with the ensemble. both the standard repertoire the octave, although I wasn’t was to Hummel’s 17-year-old daughter, and expand the offerings of the thinking that I had to relate C pick a Sarah, is the group’s new tenor mezzo violin available to the to each different note. There n a m e , violinist for the 2007-08 season. public. was a sense that I would be which, as She replaces founding member passing through them and Spear ad- Sera Smolen, who is on H u r l e y settling on those that had an mits, was Mer Boel sabbatical. Patrick Tobin takes and Carrie inviting relationship with C-- of not hard over the alto violin position from R e u n i n g - course, the F-sharp tri-tone was to do: Carleen. Boel later wrote Jaime Kibelsbeck, who has H u m m e l an obvious favorite. I suppose a coda for the piece based on returned to school for graduate are also the same thing could have been the word “octet,” so the compo- studies. Tobin played in the Tallis planning to accomplished with any other sition is not only for Carleen’s Orchestra at the convention record the Carrie Hummel note, but I chose C, and there octet, but about it as well. The and later moved from Oregon to 44 Bartok it stands.” piece has the unexpected and New York State to play with the Duets for future release in CD delightful rhythmic and pitch Albert Consort. format. The duo will play these Carleen’s Name Music. shifts that occur with this system short, delightful pieces utilizing Mer Boel’s approach to writing of composition. It is scored for The most recent addition is two mezzo violins. The Bartok a piece for the octet was almost full octet with the contrabass in Shannon Cockbill, who will play duets also have not been completely different, to say the low B tuning. There are places the small bass, while Spear will recorded often by other artists least. Boel is the “Mama Bear” for improvised solo for the con- move from the small bass to the and should be a welcome of her folk group, Water Bear, trabass and the tenor violins. contrabass. The group has been addition to the NVFA classical (www.waterbearmusic.com) and ♫ rehearsing regularly through music catalog. ♫ some time ago she worked out New Violin Family Association NewsJournal 3 Comparing Violin Resonances took his fi ndings harmonic series consists of the names a different note. Fig. 1 onDuane how the Voskuil resonances of a Stradivari- fundamental frequency multi- shows the locations of the fi rst model violin and a Hutchins mezzo are plied by the positive integers, 16 partials of middle C# as one related to present them at a meeting so the fi rst harmonic is the next looks down at the top of the of the Acoustical Society of America in higher octave (fundamental x sphere. Each bowed note will 2), the second harmonic is the set up its own harmonic series Honolulu, Hawaii. It was a tough job, Twelfth (an octave and a Fifth, whose frequencies one can but somebody had to do it! the fundamental x 3), and so on. easily calculate. However, as Carleen fi nally got To this upper Midwesterner, ing less calculus than I. The mu- through to me, a plucked string Next I tried to fi nd as many natu- Hawaii is an exotic place some- sic sessions didn’t completely does not set up an harmonic se- ral body and air mode resonanc- where out there in the Pacifi c, avoid the lengthy derivations or ries, but a bowed string, since es as I could in an octet mezzo so when Carleen Hutchins sug- integrations either. it is constantly driven, does pro- and a typical Strad-model violin. gested I go to Honolulu and duce overtones in an harmonic My equipment began to fail me present my work (fi nding and My fi fteen minutes of ‘fame’ series. above about 1800 Hz, but I was comparing violin resonances began with some elementary able to extrapolate a bit beyond that bowed strings’ upper har- background: Freely vibrating I have devised graphs that show that from some air mode fre- monics match and activate in a strings have a fundamental fre- the 12-tone scale as a spiral on quencies William Allen found mezzo and a Strad-model vio- quency and many overtones, a sphere where each octave and demonstrated at a Catgut lin) at the Acoustical Society of but these higher frequencies do is once around the sphere and Acoustical Society convention America’s convention there, I not set up a natural harmonic the octaves spiral ever tighter in Vermilion, South Dakota.
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