Bartok Monteverdi Hindemith Byrd Missa Luba
1st Term Concert 28 April 1978
Poster & Programme
Poster | [Transcription | Notes | Acknowledgement] | Programme
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ANU Choral Society presents
BARTOK
MONTEVERDI
HINDEMITH
BYRD
MISSA LUBA
University House
Friday April 28 at 8pm
$3.50 and $2 at the door
Wine and cheese |
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Thanks to Maggie Shapley, ANU Archivist, for providing scans of SCUNA material held in the ANU Archives.
I haven't put the original scan (3 Mb) online, but if you would like a copy please me. |
Page One - Cover
Same as poster above, but A5 in size. I need to check whether the programme cover was in colour.
Page Two
1. MASS FOR FOUR VOICES William Byrd (c.1453-1623)
Kyrie - Gloria - Credo - Sanctus - Benedictus - Agnus Dei.
Byrd, the foremost English composer of his time wrote three masses, one
each for three, four and five voices. At the time they were written,
(1592-1595), it was illegal either to celebrate or to publish the Latin
mass, and although they were published clandestinely, the masses must
represent a conscious avowal of belief. At this time Byrd was a
member of the Chapel Royal, despite his declared Catholicism, and it is
interesting to speculate why he escaped the fate of so many others -
perhaps his stature as a musician was too great.
The mass for four voices was the first of the three to be written.
exemplifies Byrd's writing at its most unrestrained and relaxed,
suggesting at every point the mind of a master who has complete control
over his art. The imitative style of writing adopted from the continental
school is used without any sense of contrivance and each movement is
beautifully structured. A piece of open, if subtle, defiance is, in the
setting of the phrase, Et unam sanctam catholicam et apostolicam
ecclesiam, the very obvious repetition of the word, catholicam, a
pattern which Byrd repeated in his other two masses.
Byrd's three masses are the finest settings by an English composer, and
some of the finest by any composer. They are fit to stand with the
similar works by Byrd's contemporaries di Lasso, Victoria and Palestrina
at the pinnacle of late Renaissance music.
conductor - Bryan Dowling.
2. TWO CANZONAS Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583-1643)
Recorder - Margaret Phillips
'Cello - Nicholas Short
Harpsichord - John Collis
3. THREE MADRIGALS Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
Non si levav' ancor.
O com'è gran martire.
Ahi che non pur risponde
Monteverdi both brought the Italian madrigal to its peak and signalled
its demise. In his eight books of madrigals, spanning nearly fifty years
of composition, he effected a complete transformation in the madrigal,
a form which had already been perfected by such masters as Marenzio and
de Rore.
The unaccompanied madrigal of Italian musical tradition was adopted by
Monteverdi for his first four books, but in the fifth book he
introduced instrumental accompaniment to some of the madrigals, and
by the time of the eighth book, (1638), the form was barely recognisable.
Elements of opera and the new instrumental music had been incorporated
to the extent that essentially a new, more dramatic and immediate form
had appeared, more akin to operatic ensemble than to madrigal.
Of the three madrigals on tonight's programme, the first two are early,
unaccompanied examples, but they show that Monteverdi had already
grasped the essentials of the form and was able to suit his music
to the chosen text with remarkable aptness. The third madrigal is
part of a madrigal setting of the Lamento d'Arianna. The lament is
Page Three
the remaining fragment of Monteverdi's opera Arianna (1608), and
in its madrigal setting it illustrates the intrusion of opera into
the madrigal. The first section contains declamatory passages as
Ariadne curses Theseus for deserting her. Then Monteverdi reverts
to a more madrigalian style as Ariadne sorrowfully pleads
forgiveness for her harsh words.
conductor - Bryan Dowling
harpsichord - John Collis
'cello - Nicholas Short
INTERVAL: Refreshments will be served in the foyer.
4. FOUR SLOVAK FOLK SONGS (1917) Béla Bartók (1881-1945)
Wedding Song from Poniky.
Song of the Hayharvesters from Hiadel.
Dancing Song from Medzibrod.
Dancing Song from Poniky.
For one who spent so much time collecting folk songs, Bartók produced
comparatively few vocal and choral works, and amongst those he did
produce, there are only three works for mixed chorus. The Four
Slovak Folk Songs for mixed chorus and piano illustrate that Bartok's
interest in folk music was not constrained by linguistic boundaries.
He was convinced that all the peoples of the Danube basin shared a
common musical heritage.
The folk tunes which form the basis of the work are reproduced
precisely from Bartok's original ethnomusicological records, the
'creative' element being confined to the addition of harmony and
piano accompaniment. The tunes themselves are characterised by strongly
modal outlines and typically slavonic rhythmic vitality. Bartók shows
his customary distaste for exact repetition in setting each stanza
differently and the piano accompaniment is admirably adapted to the
character of each of the songs.
Tonight's performance will be given in the Slovak language.
conductor - Mark Hyman
piano - Geoffrey Lancaster
5. TWO CHANSONS Paul Hindemith (1895-1963)
La Biche.
En Hiver.
Hindemith wrote for virtually every instrument and combination of
instruments, and was the champion of Gebrauchsmusik, roughly translated
as 'utility music'.
Among his large output are settings of twelve French poems by the German
poet Rainer Maria Rilke. Here Hindemith eschews the somewhat dry,
colourless style of much of his writing and the settings match their
evocative texts with freshness and verve. The two short songs on
tonight's programme reveal more than a hint of Debussy; perhaps the
latter was a good influence, for Hindemith was rarely lighter or more
directly enjoyable than in these little pieces.
conductor - Steven Carnie
Page Four
6. MISSA LUBA arranged by Guido Haazen
Kyrie - Gloria - Credo - Sanctus - Agnus Dei.
The Missa Luba is an adaptation of traditional Congolese music to
the Latin liturgy. It was originally performed by Congolese
musicians, and later popularised, by performances and recordings
throughout the Western world.
The work makes use of many of the elements of African music. Over
the unvarying percussion ostinati, soloist and chorus sing repeated
call-and-response patterns. The choral parts, and particularly that
of the tenor soloist, are phrased in loose rhythmic groupings
against the firm beat of the percussion parts. Elements of
improvisation appear through the work - indeed Father Haazen emphasises
in the forward to the work that each performance can be considered
a 'new creation' of the original, depending both on the forces
available and the inclination of singers and conductor.
conductor - John Collis
gourd and tom-toms - Sue Baldwin
Mark Hyman
tenor soloist - David Gibson
Programme Notes: Mark Hyman
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Burgmann College
University House
Mr Robert Wills
Mr Bruce George
Mr Stephen Cole
Ms Sue Baldwin, rehearsal pianist
Mr Mark Hyman, assistant conductor
Rehearsals for SCUNA's next concert will commence at
Burgmann College on Tuesday, 23 May at 7.30 p.m.
New members are always welcome. For information about
SCUNA, phone Michael Ryan on 52.2607 or 48.6954(A.H.).
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