Sound the Sackbuts! performed at St. Mary’s Cathedral by Camerata Nova, Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Reviewed by John Herbert Cunningham
OK, here’s a riddle: what has been found in the Manitoba Legislature rotunda, the Via Rail rotunda and the rotunda of the Aboriginal Centre, as well as the lobby of the new Manitoba Hydro building and various old stone churches and sings? Give up? The answer— alright, I see all of you jumping up and down with your hands waving in the air— is, of course, Camerata Nova.
Andrew Balfour, a Manitoba Cree, had a vision about twenty years ago now—a vision that was shared by three or four other members of the All Saints Anglican Church choir. They had been singing hymns by William Byrd and Palestrina et al— not your usual Sunday morning fare. They liked it and wanted more. Junkies to this early music fix, they created Camerata as an a capella syringe addicting Winnipeggers to this new mode of dispensing excellence. Winnipeg was hooked. Camerata thrived. And now this.
Peter Christensen, Douglas Kirk and Rachel Moody in rehearsal at St. Mary's Cathedral; Photo by Ian Cameron.
In a brief conversation with Balfour following this performance, Balfour confirmed that it had been part of Camerata’s mandate from the outset to introduce Winnipeggers to the profusion of excellent acoustical spaces that could be found in their city. St. Mary’s Cathedral was no exception.
Although rebuilt over the years, St. Mary’s is one of the most preeminent of Winnipeg historical landmarks. First established in what is now the St. Boniface area in 1869, it moved to its present location in 1874 which site was blessed by none other than Archbishop Taché, one of Manitoba’s most prominent theologians, if you remember your history (Google helps). It recovered well following the 1919 fire that destroyed its sanctuary and remains one of Winnipeg’s architectural marvels. Inside, light shines through several majestic stained glass windows. The recital began early enough that this coloured light shone down upon the performers as if blessing their endeavour (this from an atheist who does not mind messing with theological mysteries provided they shed light on the subject at hand).
In the early days, Camerata Nova was strictly a capella. However, in more recent times, they began to explore collaborations with musical instruments and with other Winnipeg artistic groups. An example of this was a couple of years ago when, during their performance at the Aboriginal Centre, they entered into a collaboration with Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers in a well-regarded performance. This time, they expanded their horizons with a collaboration with some of Canada’s best performers on early music instruments, hence the title which incorporates the name ‘sackbut,’ the ancestor of the modern-day trombone.
The evening began with an excellent presentation on Orlando de Lassus. Beginning with an oral presentation on Lassus’ position within the renaissance hierarchy of composers, it morphed into a slide show of Munich that included a statue of Lassus and various landmarks that would have been familiar to him as he strolled through this city. Included were shots of the modest four story house awarded to him by Emperor Maximilian II while conferring nobility upon him. We were then ushered into the chapel where the performance proper was to begin.
Marat stabat ad monumentum, a composition by the Italian madrigalist Andrea Gabrieli, began the program a capella with just the vocalists of Camerata Nova assembled at the back of the church. Lassus was familiar with the music of both Andrea and Andrea’s nephew Giovanni as there was considerable musical interchange between the Venetian school of composers represented by these two and the Franco-Flemish school of which Lassus was one of the chief exponents (Palestrina being another).
This was followed by a Lassus compostion, La nuict froide et sombre. The musicians assembled at the front giving time for four of the vocalists— Karine Baudette, Angela Neufeld, Brock McEwan and Mike McKay— to move to the front to join them. Period instruments are the perfect accompaniment for renaissance voices that sing with a minimum of vibrato and so need something soft and muted against which to be best heard. The sackbut, of which two tenors, an alto and a bass were used, is an excellent example. While resembling the contemporary trombone, its bells are fluted rather than flared reducing the blare of today. This was accompanied by two cornetto, somewhat resembling curved piccolos, that were instruments consisting of two carved wooden pieces glued together and then wrapped with black leather. Also involved were two violins that, as Ross Brownlee, conductor, explained to the audience, had been modified through replacement of today’s normal metal strings with gut strings to provide a softer sound.
Although compositions by Lassus and the two Gabrielis were well represented, there were others as well— one by Palestrina as well as two lesser known composers, Philippe de Monte and Alessandro Striggio.
One of the highlights of the performance was Lassus’ Chi chilichi a 6 where soloists Michael McKay and Bethany Paetkau were accompanied by the sackbuts and cornettos. Paetkau has a flare for the dramatic, her animated, flirtatious facial expressions and body language adding immensely to the overall effect. McKay responded in a manly, less dramatic manner that was an excellent foil for Paetkau. Paetkau was less effective in Lassus In omnibus requiem quaesivi where she continued to use her dramatic style against the vocal ensemble which didn’t. Whether this was intentional is difficult to say as she was an excellent soloist in later ensemble pieces when she dispensed with the dramatics.
A couple of the compositions were strictly instrumental which Brownlee explained, in a later private conversation, was probably the most prevalent of compositions during the later Renaissance.
The period instrument with the most unusual appearance was the bass sackbut capably played by Peter Collins. This instrument had a long handle extending from its body that Collins explained to me was necessary in order to reach the deeper notes. In fact, he explained, there were certain notes that even he could not reach. If this were the case then there must have been Renaissance musicians whose knuckles scraped the ground as they walked.
Used as well were Renaissance recorders which Brownlee explained to the audience had wider bores than today thereby providing a softer sound.
The concert was well constructed with a good variety between a cappella, vocal with instrumental accompaniment, and strictly instrumental compositions. Afterwards, the audience was invited to come up to the front and talk to the musicians regarding the instruments used and to examine them.
Sackbuts and Song
Columns
Sound the Sackbuts! performed at St. Mary’s Cathedral by Camerata Nova, Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Reviewed by John Herbert Cunningham
OK, here’s a riddle: what has been found in the Manitoba Legislature rotunda, the Via Rail rotunda and the rotunda of the Aboriginal Centre, as well as the lobby of the new Manitoba Hydro building and various old stone churches and sings? Give up? The answer— alright, I see all of you jumping up and down with your hands waving in the air— is, of course, Camerata Nova.
Andrew Balfour, a Manitoba Cree, had a vision about twenty years ago now—a vision that was shared by three or four other members of the All Saints Anglican Church choir. They had been singing hymns by William Byrd and Palestrina et al— not your usual Sunday morning fare. They liked it and wanted more. Junkies to this early music fix, they created Camerata as an a capella syringe addicting Winnipeggers to this new mode of dispensing excellence. Winnipeg was hooked. Camerata thrived. And now this.
Peter Christensen, Douglas Kirk and Rachel Moody in rehearsal at St. Mary's Cathedral; Photo by Ian Cameron.
In a brief conversation with Balfour following this performance, Balfour confirmed that it had been part of Camerata’s mandate from the outset to introduce Winnipeggers to the profusion of excellent acoustical spaces that could be found in their city. St. Mary’s Cathedral was no exception.
Although rebuilt over the years, St. Mary’s is one of the most preeminent of Winnipeg historical landmarks. First established in what is now the St. Boniface area in 1869, it moved to its present location in 1874 which site was blessed by none other than Archbishop Taché, one of Manitoba’s most prominent theologians, if you remember your history (Google helps). It recovered well following the 1919 fire that destroyed its sanctuary and remains one of Winnipeg’s architectural marvels. Inside, light shines through several majestic stained glass windows. The recital began early enough that this coloured light shone down upon the performers as if blessing their endeavour (this from an atheist who does not mind messing with theological mysteries provided they shed light on the subject at hand).
In the early days, Camerata Nova was strictly a capella. However, in more recent times, they began to explore collaborations with musical instruments and with other Winnipeg artistic groups. An example of this was a couple of years ago when, during their performance at the Aboriginal Centre, they entered into a collaboration with Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers in a well-regarded performance. This time, they expanded their horizons with a collaboration with some of Canada’s best performers on early music instruments, hence the title which incorporates the name ‘sackbut,’ the ancestor of the modern-day trombone.
The evening began with an excellent presentation on Orlando de Lassus. Beginning with an oral presentation on Lassus’ position within the renaissance hierarchy of composers, it morphed into a slide show of Munich that included a statue of Lassus and various landmarks that would have been familiar to him as he strolled through this city. Included were shots of the modest four story house awarded to him by Emperor Maximilian II while conferring nobility upon him. We were then ushered into the chapel where the performance proper was to begin.
Marat stabat ad monumentum, a composition by the Italian madrigalist Andrea Gabrieli, began the program a capella with just the vocalists of Camerata Nova assembled at the back of the church. Lassus was familiar with the music of both Andrea and Andrea’s nephew Giovanni as there was considerable musical interchange between the Venetian school of composers represented by these two and the Franco-Flemish school of which Lassus was one of the chief exponents (Palestrina being another).
This was followed by a Lassus compostion, La nuict froide et sombre. The musicians assembled at the front giving time for four of the vocalists— Karine Baudette, Angela Neufeld, Brock McEwan and Mike McKay— to move to the front to join them. Period instruments are the perfect accompaniment for renaissance voices that sing with a minimum of vibrato and so need something soft and muted against which to be best heard. The sackbut, of which two tenors, an alto and a bass were used, is an excellent example. While resembling the contemporary trombone, its bells are fluted rather than flared reducing the blare of today. This was accompanied by two cornetto, somewhat resembling curved piccolos, that were instruments consisting of two carved wooden pieces glued together and then wrapped with black leather. Also involved were two violins that, as Ross Brownlee, conductor, explained to the audience, had been modified through replacement of today’s normal metal strings with gut strings to provide a softer sound.
Although compositions by Lassus and the two Gabrielis were well represented, there were others as well— one by Palestrina as well as two lesser known composers, Philippe de Monte and Alessandro Striggio.
One of the highlights of the performance was Lassus’ Chi chilichi a 6 where soloists Michael McKay and Bethany Paetkau were accompanied by the sackbuts and cornettos. Paetkau has a flare for the dramatic, her animated, flirtatious facial expressions and body language adding immensely to the overall effect. McKay responded in a manly, less dramatic manner that was an excellent foil for Paetkau. Paetkau was less effective in Lassus In omnibus requiem quaesivi where she continued to use her dramatic style against the vocal ensemble which didn’t. Whether this was intentional is difficult to say as she was an excellent soloist in later ensemble pieces when she dispensed with the dramatics.
A couple of the compositions were strictly instrumental which Brownlee explained, in a later private conversation, was probably the most prevalent of compositions during the later Renaissance.
The period instrument with the most unusual appearance was the bass sackbut capably played by Peter Collins. This instrument had a long handle extending from its body that Collins explained to me was necessary in order to reach the deeper notes. In fact, he explained, there were certain notes that even he could not reach. If this were the case then there must have been Renaissance musicians whose knuckles scraped the ground as they walked.
Used as well were Renaissance recorders which Brownlee explained to the audience had wider bores than today thereby providing a softer sound.
The concert was well constructed with a good variety between a cappella, vocal with instrumental accompaniment, and strictly instrumental compositions. Afterwards, the audience was invited to come up to the front and talk to the musicians regarding the instruments used and to examine them.