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, and Spear hopes that after a Dimensions of C12. a system for deriving musical which played its last concert at summer break, OctaVivo! will Two composers have written pitches, or “mapping,” as she the OCTET 2005 Convention make its fi rst public appearance new music for OctaVivo! when calls it, from the different letters Gala, is reorganizing after 18 this fall. it reaches full size again. Sora of the alphabet. Of course, this months of inactivity. Founder Jederan Shpack has composed technique has been used by Robert J. Spear says the group New Recording Projects. a piece called “Dimensions other composers as far back as will emerge from the layoff with The group is already planning of C-12.” Shpack says of the J. S. Bach, but Boel’s system a new name, OctaVivo!, and several ambitious undertakings, piece, “When I began writing, is different. She often takes a a few new faces. Spear says one of which represents moving my thoughts were around the person’s name and converts the that he chose the new name into previously unexplored essence, energy, and vibrations letters to pitches, which she then because the term “consort” in territory. Mezzo violinist William of the note “C.” My intent was uses as the source material for the original name apparently Hurley has agreed to record the to carry that through the piece her compositions. She calls her caused people to think the complete Telemann Fantasias and explore what that means style of writing “Name Music,” ensemble was a period for unaccompanied violin. These to me, although more on a and has written a number of ensemble playing Baroque 12 selections are rarely played subliminal level. As I wrote, I compositions this way. music on early instruments. and seldom did feel a strange connection recorded, with C and how it might create When R. J. Spear learned of Two of the Albert Consort’s d e s p i t e specifi c dimensions as it relates Boel’s compositions, he listened founding members, soprano their great with other vibrations. Even the to a couple of pieces and liked violinist Carrie Reuning-Hummel beauty, and fi nal E major chord was there what he heard. As it happened, and baritone violinist Lizzy Evett, the planned as a relationship, a joyous Boel had heard of the octet and are still with the group, and CD will completion of C. already had been thinking of mezzo violinist Bill Hurley, who e n h a n c e writing a piece for the group. Bill Hurley played in Tallis Orchestra at the both the “The number 12 comes from All that gala concert, also remains with standard repertoire and expand the number of half steps to remained the ensemble. Hummel’s 17- the offerings of the mezzo violin the octave, although I wasn’t was to year-old daughter, Sarah, is the available to the public. thinking that I had to relate C pick a group’s new tenor violinist for the to each different note. There n a m e , 2007-08 season. She replaces H u r l e y was a sense that I would be which, as founding member Sera Smolen, and Carrie passing through them and Spear ad- who is on sabbatical. Patrick R e u n i n g - settling on those that had an mits, was Mer Boel Tobin takes over the alto violin H u m m e l inviting relationship with C-- of not hard position from Jaime Kibelsbeck, are also course, the F-sharp tri-tone was to do: Carleen. Boel later wrote who has returned to school for planning to an obvious favorite. I suppose a coda for the piece based on graduate studies. Tobin played record the the same thing could have been the word “octet,” so the compo- in the Tallis Orchestra at the 44 Bartok accomplished with any other sition is not only for Carleen’s convention and later moved D u e t s Carrie Hummel note, but I chose C, and there octet, but about it as well. The from Oregon to New York State for future it stands.” piece has the unexpected and to play with the Albert Consort. release in CD format. The duo delightful rhythmic and pitch will play these short, delightful Carleen’s Name Music. shifts that occur with this system The most recent addition is pieces utilizing two mezzo Mer Bole’s approach to writing of composition. It is scored for Shannon Cockbill, who will play violins. The Bartok duets also a piece for the octet was almost full octet with the contrabass in the small bass, while Spear will have not been recorded often completely different, to say the low B tuning. There are places move from the small bass to the by other artists and should also least. Boel is the “Mama Bear” for improvised solo for the con- contrabass. The group has been be a welcome addition to the of her folk group, Water Bear, trabass and the tenor violins. rehearsing regularly through NVFA classical music catalog. (www.waterbearmusic.com) and ♫ the winter and the spring, ♫ 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.