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Vancouver Early Music Festival - 5:Venice and the Chapel of the DogeWind Band Music at San Marco in the late Renaissance & early BaroqueThe Whole Noyse: Stephen Escher cornetto with the participation of 
Tickets for this performance at $35 (students & seniors $3 discount) can be ordered on-line via our secure connection. They can also be ordered by phone (604 732-1610) from the office of Early Music Vancouver. Tickets are also available at Sikora’s Classical Records. Rush Seats for Students with valid ID on sale for $10, at the door only, from 7:00 pm on the evening of the performance. This concert is included in our “Bring a Youth for Free” programme.
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– programme subject to changes
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In this, the 400th anniversary of the printing of Monteverdi’s Vespro della Beata Vergine, it is as appropriate to celebrate Venice, the city of its publication, as Mantua, the composer’s then city of residence. Without the contribution of Venice as a centre of music publishing we would have nothing like the music of the 1610 Vespers to perform, this year or any other, since none of Monteverdi’s other sacred works written during his twenty-two years of employment by the Gonzagas seem to have survived. Certainly of equal importance is Venice’s impact on the dissemination and influence of Monteverdi’s secular output, for all of his books of madrigals had been—and would continue to be—published there. And we can be sure that without Venice’s leadership in matters of musical style and performance the nature of Monteverdi’s own music, not to mention the history of European music as a whole, would have been very different. When we hear the word “chapel”, we do not usually associate it with a building as imposing as the Basilica of San Marco, perhaps Venice’s most universally recognized icon. But until the year 1807 San Marco was in fact not the city’s cathedral, but the chapel of the doge; up to that point the cathedral—the seat of ecclesiastical power—was the church of San Pietro di Castello, located on an island at the far eastern end of the city. Nevertheless, the direct association of San Marco with the temporal rulers of the Republic of Venice ensured not only visibilty but a certain level of protection from the control of Rome; as a result the musicians of San Marco enjoyed considerable freedom from reactionary constraints, fostering creativity and encouraging musical innovations that became models for imitation far outside of Italy. Tonight’s concert presents a survey of instrumental music associated, in one way or another, with Venice, ranging from the century or so preceding Monteverdi’s employment as maestro di cappella (chapel master) to the doge in 1613 to a few years after his death in 1645. Our programme begins at the end, chronologically speaking, with a canzona by Pier Francesco Caletti-Bruni, who affected the name Cavalli after his noble Venetian patron, Federico Cavalli. Francesco Cavalli, as the composer is generally known, served as both singer and organist at San Marco during Monteverdi’s tenure there and became his second successor as maestro di cappella (the first having been Giovanni Rovetta); he is best known today, however, as the composer of over forty operas. Tucked in at the end of his Musiche sacre (Venice, 1656) are a few instrumental pieces, including this energetic work, full of contrasts of metre and style. We then move backwards in time by more than a century and a half. The first two pieces in the second set are taken from the Odhecaton of Ottaviano Petrucci, who with its publication in 1501 founded the industry of music printing in Venice. The mostly vocal repertory of the Odhecaton is that of the fifteenth-century Franco-Flemish masters of polyphony; the pieces as presented by Petrucci, however, are bereft of text and thus seem intended for a clientele of instrumentalists. Northerners continued to dominate the field of complex polyphonic composition long into the sixteenth century, but gradually indigenous Italians—many of them organists by training—began to overtake the Northerners, eventually supplanting them; the resultant sea change in compositional demographics can be seen clearly in the list of composers’ names in our programme, for the names of all of them from Bassano onwards are obviously purely Italian. Obviously non-Italian is the name of Jacques Arcadelt, who hailed most probably from near Liège or Namur; he worked both in Rome and in France, achieving success in writing both madrigals and chansons; his Primo libro di madrigali (Venice, 1539), from which our piece is taken, went through forty-five editions—something of a record for the time. Adrian Willaert, a fellow Northerner, probably from Bruges, was perhaps Monteverdi’s most celebrated predecessor as maestro di cappella at San Marco. He was credited by his student, lionizing biographer, and eventual successor as maestro di cappella Gioseffo Zarlino with inventing the effect of cori spezzati—divided choirs. While recent research has shown that this effect did have its precedents in the work of other composers, it is still true that Willaert developed the antiphonal choral style and made it a hallmark of the music of San Marco. Zarlino also leaves us an amusing anecdote regarding his mentor’s life before coming to Venice. It seems that Willaert, during a visit to Rome as a young man, found his own motet Verbum bonum being performed by the papal choir, who were under the assumption that it was by the venerable Josquin des Prez. Informed by Willaert of its true provenance, the choir promptly refused to sing it ever again! Willaert’s mastery of counterpoint is beautifully demonstrated by his chanson “Jouissance vous donneray”, which is a reworking in five parts of one of the most famous four-part chansons of the era, written by Claudin de Sermissy. The success of Willaert’s parody (the technical term for this kind of reworking) is shown by its appearance in a collection of pieces intended for instruments, published in Venice by Giacomo Vincenti in 1588 (and thus several decades after its original publication in Antwerp in 1545). Hiding behind the name Girolamo Cavazzoni—apparently the only native Italian listed in this set—is none other than Josquin des Prez himself, who was the composer of the original setting of “Faulte d’argent” that forms the basis of Cavazzoni’s keyboard arrangement. Cavazzoni, however, has reduced Josquin’s five voices to four and has changed some of the points of imitation and the timing of their entries (besides adding ornamentation). Also included in Vincenti’s 1588 publication is Crecquillon’s “Onques amour”, the first piece in the next set; again this appearance attests to the abiding popularity of the original chanson (also first published in Antwerp, but a year earlier than Willaert’s “Jouissance”). Giovanni Bassano’s divisions—ornaments—on the top voice of this chanson are contained in his treatise Ricercate, passagi et cadentie (Venice, 1585), an invaluable guide to performance practice and record of his own achievements as a virtuoso cornettist. Bassano served in a number of capacities in Venice: as both a performer and maestro de’ concerti (director of instrumental music) at San Marco, as a piffaro (wind player) to the doge, and as a music teacher at the seminary associated with San Marco. He was also a composer of considerable skill. Besides collections of madrigals and chansons, one of the richest resources for instrumental performance is the huge repertory of motets published throughout the era. Our concert includes a number of these, beginning with the next set (number IV). While not all the composers here represented worked in Venice (Corfini worked in Ferrara and Lucca; Trombetti, in Bologna and Monte), their compositions were nevertheless published in Venice. The instrumental performance of chansons in particular led to the production of dedicated instrumental pieces in imitation of the chanson style; the result was the form known as the canzona (often shortened to canzon), one example of which we have met at the opening of our concert. Much ink has been spilt in trying to define the difference between the canzona and the early sonata—another name applied to polyphonic ensemble works of the era. While the canzona tends to remain truer to its roots in the chanson, and the sonata often tends to be a little freer and more overtly “expressive, “ there are enough exceptions, even among composers who seem to be making a distinction in their own output, that one has to conclude that the distinction is often arbitrary. Most of the canzonas and sonatas on our programme are conceived as for a single “choir” of instruments, with from four to six voices. Two, however, stand out as exceptions, reflecting the cori spezzati vocal style; these are the sonatas by Guami and Buonamente. Our programme includes a short suite of dances, culled from Fabritio Caroso’s dance treatise Il Ballarino (Venice, 1581). Since this is a manual for dancing, the emphasis is on the dance steps, and thus the music itself is transmitted in the most condensed form possible—in a tablature version for lute (sometimes including the top voice in staff notation). For our performance Richard Hessel has expanded the condensed versions to four melodic parts (a common texture for dance ensembles at the time), also adding a chordal accompaniment for the gittern. All of Caroso’s dances are dedicated to important women: “Le bellezze d’Olimpia” is in honour of his benefactress, Olimpia Orsina Cesi, Marchesa di Monticelli; “Este Gonzaga”, of Signora Margarita Gonzaga d’Este, Duchessa di Ferrara; and the “Barriera”, of his patroness Beatrice Caetana Cesi. The final set consists of motets by three maestri di cappella of San Marco, including Monteverdi himself. Donato, who succeeded Zarlino, was maestro from 1590 to 1603; Croce served from 1603 to 1609. (Between Croce and Monteverdi came Giulio Cesare Martinengo, maestro from 1609 to 1613, who is not represented on our programme.) Monteverdi’s “Cantate Domino” was published in Giulio Cesare Bianchi’s Mottetti, Libro primo (Venice, 1620). Bianchi had worked with Monteverdi at Mantua; he invited his more renowned colleague to contribute to his collection, and Monteverdi complied, supplying four examples in all. They help fill out the picture of Monteverdi’s sacred output in the period between the 1610 collection and his next major collection of sacred music, the Selva morale e spirituale of 1640-41. Herbert Myers
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The Whole Noyse Performances by The Whole Noyse throughout Europe and North America have been enthusiastically received. The group has collaborated with some of North America’s most respected early music ensembles, including Magnificat, The King’s Noyse, The Newberry Consort, and Sex Chordae Consort of Viols, as well as a number of choirs, including the Vancouver Cantata Singers, Pro Coro Canada, San Francisco Choral Artists, and AVE. This year, the 400th anniversary of Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610, they are scheduled to participate in more than a dozen performances of the work in cities all over the US and Canada, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Vancouver, Calgary, and Boulder. They participated in a staged performance of Monteverdi’s Orfeo in Edmonton and premiered a composition, “Marina” , written exclusively for them with the San Francisco Choral Artists by local composer Ted Allen. The Whole Noyse has a solo recording, Lo Splendore d’Italia, and can be heard on recordings by Magnificat, the San Francisco Bach Choir, and the Vancouver Cantata Singers. The Vancouver Cantata Singers’ CD Venetian Vespers of 1640 was nominated for a Juno award and won the “Outstanding Choral Award” from the Association of Canadian Choral Conductors. Stephen Escher After receiving a B.A. degree at Luther College, Stephen Escher did post-graduate work at the University of Iowa and studied in Bologna with cornettist Bruce Dickey. He moved to the San Francisco area and in 1986 became a founding member of The Whole Noyse. Mr. Escher has performed with numerous ensembles in Europe, North America and Mexico; among them The Taverner Players, Le Studio pour Musique Ancienne de Montreal, Magnificat, The Spiritus Collective, Chanticleer, American Bach Soloists, the Toronto Chamber Choir and Apollo's Fire. Stephen has made two recordings in London with Andrew Parrott and the Taverner Players for EMI and can also be heard on recordings with Angelicum de Puebla on Urtext.
Richard Van Hessel Richard Van Hessel is a founding member of the Whole Noyse. He studied trombone at S.U.N.Y. Purchase with Roger Smith and John Swallow, and has performed at Shakespeare festivals in California, Utah and Oregon, where he also served as director of the musicians. Mr. Hessel has a special interest in the English Ballad literature of the 16th through 18th centuries, and has published a collection of ballads, "A Reveller's Jovial Companion". Mr. Hessel has performed with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, the American Bach Soloists, the American Classical Soloists, and at the Aston Magna Festival. He can be heard on recordings with The Whole Noyse, Magnificat, Shira Kammen, the American Bach Soloists, and the Vancouver Cantata Singers.
Sanford Stadtfeld Sanford Stadtfeld is a native of San Francisco and has performed with a wide range of ensembles over a period of more than thirty years. California public schools provided Sandy with musical training and appreciation that have led to a lifelong enjoyment of ensemble playing, and that continue to keep Sandy off the street. A member of The Whole Noyse since 1988, Sandy specializes in sackbut and historical trombone, and has performed with such ensembles as Magnificat, the American Bach Soloists, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Chanticleer, and the Vancouver Cantata Singers. He holds a B.S. degree from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and a M.Eng. from the University of California, Berkeley.
Herbert Myers Herbert Myers is Lecturer in Early Winds at Stanford University, from which he holds BA, MA, and DMA degrees; he is also curator of Stanford's collections of musical instruments. As a member of the Concert Ensemble of the New York Pro Musica from 1970 to 1973 he toured extensively throughout North and South America, performing on a variety of early winds and strings; currently he performs with The Whole Noyse and Jubilate. As an expert in the history and construction of musical instruments, he is well known through numerous published articles and reviews. AND GUESTS: Kiri Tollaksen Kiri Tollaksen enjoys a varied career as a performer and teacher. Kiri has performed extensively throughout North America and Europe with numerous groups such as Apollo's Fire, Piffaro, Toronto Consort, Concerto Palatino, La Fenice, Tafelmusik and the Whole Noyse. Kiri is a founding member of the ensembles Anaphantasia and Chiaroscuro. As a professional trumpet player, Kiri performs with the River Raisin Ragtime Revue and freelances throughout Michigan. In addition to being on faculty at the Early Music Institute at Indiana University, Kiri maintains a teaching studio in Ann Arbor, and has taught cornetto at the Amherst Early Music Festival. Kiri holds performing degrees in trumpet from Eastman, Yale, and a Doctorate in Musical Arts from the University of Michigan. Kiri resides in Ann Arbor, Michigan with her husband Ron and three cats. For upcoming concerts, please visit KiriTollaksen.com.
Mack Ramsey Mack Ramsey has had a lifelong fascination with the performance of 15th to 18th century repertoires. He is equally at home playing a number of different instruments and is especially interested in the role of the municipal wind bands of the 16th century and the special skills and performance practices that help us interpret this music. He is a founding member of the Boston Shawm and Sackbut Ensemble. He has also performed on the sackbut, cornetto, slide trumpet, flute and recorder with other wind bands, such as Piffaro, Concerto Palatino and Les Sonneurs de Montreal. Overseas, Mr. Ramsey has performed and recorded with the Taverner Players, directed by Andrew Parrot and the Gabrieli Consort, directed by Paul McCreesh. Mack has appeared with many North American ensembles, including Spiritus Collective, Tafelmusik, Blue Heron, the New York Collegium, Aston Magna, the Folger Consort, The Toronto Consort, Boston Camerata, Apollo's Fire, Boston Baroque, and the Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra.
Michael Jarvis Michael Jarvis has been acclaimed as one of Canada’s finest harpsichordists, fortepianists and continuo players. He has performed with many of Canada’s leading orchestras and chamber ensembles, was a guest conductor of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, and was for 15 years Artistic Director of the Southern Ontario period instrument ensemble ‘The Baroque Players’. In addition to performing across Canada, he has performed as soloist and continuo player throughout the USA, England, Italy and Bermuda. He has accompanied or conducted many of Canada’s finest singers from Maureen Forrester to Russell Braun and is in demand across the country as a continuo player on both harpsichord and fortepiano. He is regularly featured as soloist or continuo player at many Canadian music festivals, including The Elora Festival, the Guelph Spring Festival, The Grand River Baroque Festival, The Festival of the Sound, and Music at Westben. Michael has been recorded on the Hungaroton, ATMA, Naxos, Solitudes and Avalon CD labels, and has many times broadcast nationally and regionally for the CBC, as well as across the U.S. on NPR. His performing editions of 17th and 18th century choral and organ music are published by GIA, Chicago. Michael has taught fortepiano at the University of British Columbia and harpsichord, continuo, and baroque vocal ornamentation at the University of Toronto. He has also taught harpsichord performance at Wilfred Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario and at Havergal College, Toronto. He was co-host and performer (with soprano Carolyn Sinclair) on the national 13-part television series on 19th-century music ‘Come into the Parlour’ broadcast on Bravo and Vision TV. He has just returned from performing with Bernard Labadie and Les Violons du Roy (Palais Montcalm, Quebec City; Eglise St-Jean-Baptiste, Montreal; Carnegie Hall, New York City; The Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles) on their 25th Anniversary North American tour. |
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Carlo Grubacs: “Basilica San Marco” (1845)
The Whole Noyse is celebrating its 25th year as one of the country’s leading early brass ensembles. The group, based in the San Francisco Bay area, plays European instrumental music from the 15th through 17th centuries, and in their concerts can be heard performing on cornetts, sackbuts, curtal, recorders, flutes, crumhorns, shawms, slide trumpet, gittern, violin, and viola.