Category: Podcast

This month’s program (8 minutes and 45 seconds) celebrates the life of Franz Joseph Haydn, who passed from this earth 200 years ago this month. Though he never had children, the composer is often referred to as “Papa” Haydn, and his fatherly guidance was essential in the development of the
symphony and string quartet. We’ll hear first a cassation, a form that was usually part of wedding entertainment. In this Cassation in G, one can hear many of the elements that Haydn would incorporate into his symphonies.

From a little later in Haydn’s life, we’ll then hear a menuetto from an early symphonic masterpiece of Haydn, subtitled “the Night,” or “Le Soir.”

Our program “Marche Madness” ( 8 minutes and 16 seconds) features five festive marches for baroque orchestra:

• “Marche en Rondeau” by Jean-Joseph Mouret (1628-1728)
• “Te Deum Prelude Marche” by Marc-Antoine Charpantier (1643-1704)
• “March from The Island Princess” by Jeremiah Clarke (1674-1742)
• “March” by Jan Brentner (1689-1742)
• “Marche pour Le Grand Ceremonie des Turcs” by Jean Baptiste Lully (1632-1687)

In our program “De Profundis” (9 minutes and 5 seconds), Ars Antigua celebrates its lower range with performances of:

• The “Passamezzo Antico” by Diego Ortiz (1510-1570) performed by Jerry Fuller, violone; Neal Richardson, virginal and Jeff Noonan, theorbo; and
• “Balleto et Corrento per il violoncello agionta la spinetta” performed by Marina Nielsen, violoncino; Jim Lambert, violone; Jim Oxyer, virginal and David Dolata, harpsichord

Spanish composer Diego Ortiz worked form 1555 to 1570 at the vice-regal court of the Duke of Alba in Naples. His treatise on viol playing is an astounding source of Renaissance ornamentation and improvisational practice. His techniques led to the English ‘divisions on a ground’ and the improvisatory viola bastarda style.

The cello in 17th century Venice came in two sizes–the violoncello, was rather larger than today’s standard cello and was used to play the more static bass lines of polyphonic music while the violoncino, being smaller was given to rapid virtuosic solo music. Marieta Prioli’s Balletto et Corrento is for this smaller instrument, and contains a rather acrobatic Corrento.

Our program, Music from Jeremiah Clarke’s “The Island Princess” (12 minutes and 9 seconds), features eight selections from this dramatic opera or semi-opera. Semi-operas developed in England between 1673 and 1710 and were performed with singing, speaking and dancing roles. When music was written, it was usually for moments in the play immediately following either love scenes or those concerning the supernatural. Jeremiah Clarke (1674-1707) was an English baroque composer and associate of Henry Purcell. Clarke was a pupil of John Blow at St Paul’s Cathedral. In “The Island Princess”, a group of Euopean voyagers travel to the Spice Islands and are astounded by the alien culture they encounter. The music, written in 1699, contains the first appearance of what has become known to us as the “Trumpet Tune” of wedding and graduation fame.

The incidental music for “The Island Princess ” includes:

• First Musick/Jig
• Minuet
• Second Act Tune
• Third Act Tune
• Winter Dance with a stove, a Dutchman and an old miser
• Spring Dance for Girles with Nosegaus
• Summer Dance by Blacks
• Autumn Dance by a French Clowne and a Country Woman in Wooden Shoe

Our program this month features three Baroque compositions by women composers, performed by the Ars Femina ensemble.

The first work on our program is Componimento for violin and continuo, composed in Venice in 1622 by Lucrezia Vizana. Vizana entered the convent of St Christine in 1598 at the age of 8, where she was trained in music. Her compositions are characterized by virtuosic ornamentation, as we’ll hear in this performance by violin soloist Katie Whiteside.

Next on our program are Two Dutch Carols by Anna Ovena Hoijer. Both carols were composed in Rotterdam, the first in 1617, and the second in 1622. Although Hoijer was Dutch, she wrote in German to reach a wider audience. In this performance, the mezzo-soprano soloist Julie Hartwein sings in German, and the chorus is sung in English.

The final pieces on this program are Two canzonas for duo violins, composed in Regensberg , Germany in 1600. These instrumental pieces were discovered in the bindings of a set of choirbooks used at the Regensberg Cathedral, with the composer only identified as “La Contessa.” Thanks to recent scholarship, the mysterious composer has finally been identified as Maria Paterina.

Our program (10 minutes and 4 seconds) features “Singet Dem Herrn”, for soprano with violin obbligato by Dietrich Buxtehude (c. 1637-1707). The organist viagra generic Dietrich Buxtehude is widely considered the most important German composer of the mid Baroque period and “Singet Dem Herrn” is one of his most beautiful works. His style strongly influenced many composers, including Johann Sebastian Bach.

The motet “Singet Dem Herrn” by Dietrich Buxtehude with soprano soloist Tamara Miller-Campbell; William Bauer, violin; and Neal Richardson, harpsichord.

Our program “The Virtuous viola d’amore” (12 minutes and 19 seconds) features the Overture in 8 movements for two violas d’amore and harpsichord by Johann Caspar Ganspeck (1637-1741). The viola d’amore shares many features of the viol family – a flat back and intricately carved head at the top of the peg box but, unlike the viols, it is unfretted and played much like a violin, being held horizontally under the chin. It has seven bowed strings and seven resonator strings (which are not played directly but vibrate in sympathy with the notes played). Thanks largely to this sympathetic strings, the viola d’amore ahas a particulary seet and warm sound. Mozart’s father said the instrument sounded “especially charming in the stillness of the evening”.

This performance by Ars Antigua, directed by Jerry Fuller features violists d’amore William Bauer and Rachel Gries.

The Overture for 2 violas d’amore and harpsichord by Johann Caspar Ganspeck in 8 movements:

• Overture
• Presto
• Passepied
• Bouree
• Menuet
• Gavott
• Hornpipe
• Chaconne

Our program (11 minutes and 21 examples of evaluation essays seconds) features a program of “Bawdy Songs and Fythel Tunes” including “Hit her on the Bum” by Robert Bremner (1713-1789) and “Watkins Ale”, an anonymous work from an English Broadside.

Robert Bremner was a Scottish violinist and composer who wrote sonatas and variations based on popular tunes of this day. Watkin’s Ale comes from an old English broadside, which was sort of a newspaper in its day. It is a cautionary tale for young women with a moral at the end.

This performance by Ars Antigua directed by Jerry Fuller, features Nancy Bristol, soprano.

Our program this month (13 minutes and 29 seconds) features Amy Pikler, winner of the 2008 Ars Antigua–Midwest Young Artists National Early Music competition, generously sponsored by Walgreens. Fifteen year old Amy Pikler began her musical studies at the age of five and currently studies violin with Desiree Ruhstrat and recorder with Patrick O’Malley. Amy has appeared as soloist with the Sewanee Summer Music Festival Orchestra, the Chicago Chamber Orchestra and the North Suburban Symphony. In 2006 Amy won the junior division of the Ars Antigua–Midwest Young Artists Early Music competition, in addition to winning the senior division this year. Amy also plays violin and is a member of the symphony orchestra and chamber music program at Midwest Young Artists.

This month’s program includes three short pieces:

Concerto in F Major movement three by Giuseppe Sammartini (1695 – 1750)

Siciliana from Sonata in E-flat Major by Johan Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

Concerto for Sopranino Recorder movement one by Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Midwest Young Artists, located in Highwood, Illinois , is the largest and most comprehensive youth ensemble music program in the Midwest . Founded in 1993 with one orchestra, MYA has grown to include 5 youth orchestras, more than 60 chamber music ensembles, 3 choral groups, an all-inclusive jazz program, and classes in music theory and history.