Paradisi Porte Hans Memling's Angelic Concert Tiburtina Ensemble · Barbora Kabátková Oltremontano Antwerpen Wim Becu Paradisi Porte Hans Memling's Angelic Concert Friendly supported by the Flemish Community Co-production with AMUZ, KMSKA, CmB Tiburtina Ensemble Barbora Kabátková Recorded at AMUZ, Antwerpen (Belgium), on 8-10 December 2020 Oltremontano Antwerpen Recording producer: Jo Cops Executive producer: Wim Becu (Oltremontano), Michael Sawall (note 1 music gmbh) Wim Becu Cover picture: “God the Father with singing and music making angels” by Hans Memling. Collection Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerpen Belgium Layout & booklet editor: Joachim Berenbold Translations: Joachim Berenbold (Deutsch), Pierre Elie Mamou (français), Anna Moens (Nederlands) Photos (Cover, booklet: cover, p 9, 13, 17): Rik Klein Gotink Artist photo (p 21): Miel Pieters CD made in The Netherlands + © 2021 note 1 music gmbh 1 PROSA Ave Maria gracia plena Graduale Brugge, 1506 4:41 vocal ensemble, harp, psaltery 2 Fuga duo[rum] temp[orum] GUILLAUME DUFAY 1397-1474 2:18 vocal ensemble, claretas (Gloria ad modum tubae – Trent Ms 90) 3 HYMNUS Proles de caelo set by C. Vicens after GUILLAUME DUFAY 2:38 organetto, psaltery, harp [ALK] 4 INTROITUS In excelso throno Graduale Brugge, 1506 1:59 Tiburtina Ensemble solo voice [KB], psaltery Barbora Kabátková, Ivana Bilej Brouková, 5 BASSE DANSE Paradisi porte set by Andrew Lawrence-King 1:02 Hana Blažíková [solo in 8], Daniela Čermáková, harp [ALK] Anna Chadimová Havlíková, Kamila Mazalová chant 6 SEQUENTIA Alma cohors Domini Graduale Brugge, 1506 3:57 Hana Blažíková [HB] harp [12] vocal ensemble, fiddle, organetto, harp, psaltery, lute 7 GRADUALE Tollite portas Graduale Brugge, 1506 4:23 [BK] Barbora Kabátková vocal ensemble chant [solo in 4] & artistic director 8 MOTET Christe sanctorum – Tibi Christe JOHN DUNStapLE 1390-1453 3:48 solo voice [HB], fiddle, trompette des menestrels[WB] 9 IMPROPERIA Popule meus Graduale Sint-Baafsabdij Gent, 1469 6:52 Oltremontano Antwerpen vocal ensemble An Van Laethem fiddle & tromba marina 10 BASSE DANSE Danse de Cleves Brussels Ms 9085, 15th c., set by Andrew Lawrence-King, 2020 4:14 Catalina Vicens organetto fiddle, organetto, shawm, harp[HD] , psaltery, lute, trompettes des menestrels Hannelore Devaere [HD] harp 11 HYMNUS Ad cenam agni providi GUILLAUME DUFAY 4:25 Andrew Lawrence-King [ALK] psaltery & harp vocal ensemble, fiddle, organetto, shawm, harp[HD] , psaltery, lute, trompettes des menestrels Philippe Malfeyt lute 12 CHANSON Den haghel ende die calde snee JACOB OBRECHT 1457/58-1505 2:30 Elisabeth Schollaert shawm harp [HB, HD], psaltery, lute clareta & trompette des menestrels Raphaël Robyns 13 SEQUENS Ave mundi spes Maria Graduale Brugge, 1506 5:24 vocal ensemble, fiddle, tromba marina, harp[HD] , psaltery, lute, buisine Wim Becu [WB] buisine, clareta, trompette des menestrels, 14 MOTET Virgo rosa GILLES BINCHOIS c 1400-1460 1:47 shawm, trompettes des menestrels concept & artistic director 15 ANTIPHONA Paradisi porte Antiphonary Gent, 1522 5:23 vocal ensemble, fiddle, harp[HD] , psaltery 16 »Salve« (Salve Regina) set by Adam Bregman, 2019 1:51 shawm, trompettes des menestrels 17 CANTICUM BMV Magnificat secondi toni JOHN DUNStapLE 8:00 vocal ensemble, fiddle, organetto, shawm, harp[HD] , psaltery, lute, trompettes des menestrels EnglISH EnglISH PARADISI PORTE sheet music. My colleague Barborá Kabatková pagnement of the sequence Ave mundi spes Maria. will talk about the aspects of the vocal music in Dancing was probably the leading social entertain- Hans Memling's Angelic Concert her contribution (see below). ment in the later fifteenth century in both civic and courtly circles (one such court was that of the duke b. The angels forming the "bassa capella": they of Burgundy, frequently in Bruges). In our perfor- play the soft string instruments – the psaltery, mance of the Basse danse “Danse de Cleves” from the Memling’s “God the Father with Singing and Music similar instruments of Memlings’s time, including tromba marina, lute, harp, fiddle and the organ- manuscript held in the Royal Library in Brussels we Making Angels” belongs to the permanent collec- De Inventione et Usu Musicae by Johannes Tinctoris etto. combine both the alta and bassa capella instrumen- tion of the Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten (c.1435-1511) and the Manuscript by Arnout van c. The angels playing the loud wind instruments tations. Attentive listeners may note that we opted in Antwerp (KMSKA), Belgium. The magnificent rep- Zwolle (c.1400-1466) which includes a description (the "alta capella formation"): on the left panel: to perform this music using “Pythagorean tuning”. resentation of this heavenly concert was commis- of the portative organ. trompette de menestrel and shawm, both wind This tuning is based on the stacking of pure fifths, sioned by the Abbey Santa María la Real of Nájera The presentation of the musical instruments on the instruments with melodic function, and on the an interval that is very common in the repertoire we in Spain. The retablo major, painted around 1490, panels of Hans Memling, from left to right: right panel: the buisine (a fairly short straight play here. Such are the wanderings which Mem- formed part of a large altarpiece with the “Assump- trumpet) and the clareta (a folded trumpet with ling’s paintings can engender – leading to a diverse tion of Mary” as the main theme. The restoration of First panel (left): psaltery, tromba marina, lute, almost twice the tube length compared to the repertoire in which, along with the most important the three panels by the team of the KMSKA created trompette de menestrel, shawm buisine), which were used for playing natural instrument of all, the human voice, the sound of the the opportunity to study the painting in detail and Third panel (right): buisine, clareta, organetto, overtones for fanfare-like works. “Memling instrumentation” is richly evoked. inspired me to focus broadly and in depth on both harp, fiddle the “musical content” and on the “music” as such. These three “categories” of angels each basically sang Wim Becu In this context I initiated a multidisciplinary pro- Detailed observations of the musical instruments or played within their own world, although these dif- ject to reconstruct the various musical instruments also brought up questions leading to experimenta- ferent sound worlds might be combined for certain based on the detailed representation of the paint- tion, e. g. how to play the fiddle with a flat crenel- festive church services and processions. Ensemble The programme of this recording is centred around ing. Dirk De Hertogh, who teaches lute-building at ated bridge? How to tune the second row of shorter performances by singers with an alta capella did not the ascension of Jesus Christ to the celestial throne the CmB (Centrum voor Muziekinstrumentenbouw strings on the psaltery? How to hold the tromba become common until the very end of the fifteenth of God the Father and the assumption of the Virgin in Puurs), oversaw the thorough study and execu- marina...? century. Musicologist Keith Polk found references Mary, reflecting the main theme of the Retablo Major. tion of the five stringed instruments, while his col- An important factor when performing fifteenth- in the accounts of the Bruges Confraternity of Our This led to the idea of dividing the programme into league Stijn Dekoninck took charge of the develop- century music is the social hierarchy we find in the Lady of the Snow, the parish Memling belonged to, different parts.Heavenly steps, the celestial gate and ment and construction of the organetto or portative Nájera panels, which derives from existing forms of that “musicians or minstrels of this city” were paid in the throne in excelsis are the three themes around organ. Geert Jan van der Heide agreed to carry out ensemble playing. The angels can be broken down 1470 for accompanying the “vespers” and to perform which the vocal pieces revolve, set between instru- the meticulous reconstruction of the various trum- into three categories : the “salve” (Salve Regina). The sweet sounding “bassa mental pieces chosen by my colleague Wim Becu. pets and Eric Moulder that of a shawm. To prepare capella” instrumentation can heard in several instru- The first chant of the CD, the proseAve Maria gracia the reconstruction of the instruments, the CmB con- a. The singing angels: these flank the deity in mental pieces, such as Jacob Obrecht’s “Den haghel plena, an adoration of the virgin Mary, forms the ducted a thorough study of available literature on groups of three on either side and sing from ende die calde snee” or in the improvised accom- prelude to the story. 6 7 EnglISH The ascension of Jesus Christ to the celestial throne As Wim Becu has already mentioned, we decided to starts with Guillaume Dufay’s Gloria ad modum tu- focus on music in late 15th century Bruges. For this bae, accompanied by two claretas. The scene un- reason I explored manuscripts containing music that folds in the introit In excelso throno, the clarity of can be traced back to this time and place. An im- its single voice and psaltery conjuring up the angelic portant source was the 1506 gradual from Bruges, accompaniment of Christ to heaven. The sequence which contains a wealth of exceptional sequences Alma cohors Domini by an unknown author (some- (or proses). As you will hear, these monophonic times ascribed to Notker) is a unique chant written chants formed the basis for instrumental improvi- in hexameter and composed of the various names of sation. Polyphonic music by English composers was Jesus Christ. The isorythmic motet Christe Sancto- also present in 15th century Bruges, and this led me rum by John Dunstaple is based on a chant melody to include motets by John Dunstaple. of Tibi Christi, a hymn for the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel, and represents the victory of God Barbora Kabátková over the forces of evil.