medieval.org
musica-antigua.org
Dorian Discovery DIS-80104
1991
medieval.org
musica-antigua.org
Dorian Discovery DIS-80104
1991
MÚSICA ANTIGUA DE ALBUQUERQUE
"If it's a magic carpet back to
the dark reverence of medieval churches or the drunken revelry of
Renaissance courts that you want, Música Antigua de Albuquerque has just
the right spell to whisk you there." — The New Mexican
Iudicii signum
"A voice was heard in Ramah,
1. Iudicii signum [1:38] Anonymous, Spain, 10th century
ShK CSh AE DDW
2. Gedeonis area [1:13] Anonymous, France, 13th century
CSh ShK · shawm DDW, recorder AE, vielle ASh
3. Cuncti simus concanentes [2:29]
Llibre Vermell, Spain, 14th century
LV 6
ShK CSh DDW · harp CSh, vielle ASh, recorder AE
4. Marvel not, Joseph [4:18] Anonymous, England, 15th century
CSh AE ShK
5. Edi be thu, heven-queene [2:03] Anonymous, England, 13th century
CSh AE · harp ASh
6. Ther is no rose of swych virtu [3:06] Anonymous, England, 15th century
CSh AE ShK
7. Castitatis thalamum [1:32]
Las Huelgas Codex, Spain, 14th century
Hu 145
CSh AE ShK DDW · vielle ASh
8. ¡Qué bonito niño chiquito! [2:11] Anonymous, Spain, 15th century
CSh AE ShK DDW · recorder DDW, viols AE ASh
9. Vom Himmel kommt [2:07] Michael PRAETORIUS (c.1571-1621)
CSh AE ShK DDW
10. Dies est leticie [0:59] Anonymous, Poland, c.1500
recorders AE CSh DDW
11. Puer natus est [2:23] Cristóbal de MORALES (c.1500-1553)
CSh ShK · viol ASh
12. Omnis mundus jucundetur [1:48] Piae Cantiones, Sweden, 1582
CSh · rebec ASh, recorders AE DDW, harp CSh
13. In dulci jubilo [1:31] Michael PRAETORIUS (c.1571-1621)
recorders AE DDW, viol ASh
14. Ach mein herzliebes Jesulein [1:25] Samuel SCHEIDT (1587-1654)
CSh ShK · recorders AE DDW, viol ASh
15. Stantipes [1:45] Anonymous, England, 13th century
vielle ASh, recorders AE CSh, shwam DDW
16. As I out rode [1:08] Anonymous, England, 16th century
CSh ShK DDW
17. Ángeles del zielo [1:18] Anonymous, Spain, 17th century
recorders AE DDW CSh
18. Verbum Patris hodie [2:51] Anonymous, Rouen, 13th century
ShK DDW · harp CSh, flute AE, rebec ASh
19. Tau garçó, la durundena [2:01] CÀRCERES (fl. 16th century)
CSh AE ShK DDW
20. O staris in presepio [1:12] Anonymous, Poland, 15th century
CSh · viols AE ASh
21. Heu, teneri partus [5:14] Fleury Playbook, France, 12th century
CSh ShK DDW · rebec ASh, flute AE, harp DDW
22. Hodie Christus natus est [2:46] Giovanni Maria NANINO (c.1545-1607)
CSh AE ShK DDW
23. Personent hodie [1:49] Piae Cantiones, Sweden, 1582
ShK CSh DDW · vielle ASh, recorder AE
24. Nobre don e muy precado [4:31]
Las Cantigas de Santa María, Spain, 13th century
CSM 417
ShK CSh · harp CSh, rebec ASh, recorder AE
25. Nowell sing we [1:47] Anonymous, England, 15th century
CSh AE ShK · shawm DDW, vielle ASh
26. Verbum patris hodie [1:52]
Las Huelgas Codex, Spain, 14th century
Hu 38
ShK DDW CSh · shawm AE, vielle ASh, recorder CSh
Música Antigua de Albuquerque
Dennis Davies-Wilson — voice, harp, shawm, recorder
Allison Edwards — voice, viol, shawm, recorder, flute
Sheldon Kalberg — voice
Art Sheinberg — vielle, harp, rebec, viol
Colleen Sheinberg — voice, harp, recorder
Program Notes:
Art and Colleen Sheinberg
Song Translations:
Dennis Davies-Wilson (Vom Himmel kommt)
Susan Patrick (Ach mein herzliebes Jesulein)
Neddy Vigil (Nobre don e muy preçado)
Warten Smith (Omnis mundos and advice on many of the Latin texts)
Colleen Sheinberg (Edi be thu, Tau garçó, Spanish and Latin texts)
A ROSE OF SWYCH VIRTU
Reverence from the Renaissance and Middle Ages
CATALOG No. DIS-80104
Recording Engineer & Editor: Eric Larson
Mastering Engineer: Brian C. Peters
Booklet Preparation & Editing: Katherine A. Dory
Graphic Design: Michael P. Chrisner
Cover painting: Stephan Lochner, "Madonna in the Rose Garden" (Muttergottes in der Rosentaube), c. 1440.
From the collection of the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum Köln. Courtesy Rheinisches Bildarchiv, Köln (Cologne, Germany).
Manufactured and distributed by The Dorian Group, Ltd. under license from Música Antigua de Albuquerque.
© 1991 Música Antigua de Albuquerque
℗ 1992 DORIAN DISCOVERY. A division of THE DORIAN GROUP, LTD.
Música
Antigua de Albuquerque was founded in 1978 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
In recognition of New Mexico's rich Hispanic cultural heritage, the
ensemble's first concerts focused on music of medieval and Renaissance
Spain, including songs from the 13th-century Cantigas de Santa María
and from the "Palace Songbook" of Ferdinand and Isabella. Since then,
the group has expanded its repertoire to include music written
throughout Europe during the medieval, Renaissance and Baroque eras.
Música Antigua presents regular series performances in Albuquerque at
Central United Methodist Church and in Santa Fe at historic Loretto
Chapel. The members of the ensemble also give tour performances within
New Mexico, and enjoy giving demonstrations of early music and
instruments both to adult audiences and to students of all ages, from
college level down to pre-school.
In 431 A.D., The ecumenical Council of Ephesus proclaimed Mary to be the
Mother of God, officially establishing her position in the dogma of the
Church. Her prominence grew dramatically in the years which followed,
and by the 13th century, the cult of the Virgin had reached its height.
This was the age of the building of the great cathedrals and many were
the churches, great and small, which were dedicated to her. The
adoration of the secular lady, or donna, of the troubadour tradition gradually became the worship of “Our Lady,” Notre Dame, Madonna.
Religious orders were established in her name, and cloistered monks
poured out a multitude of hymns, poems and prose works extolling her.
With the exception of Christ himself, she was depicted by artists more
often than any other religious subject. The Virgin Mary became the most
honored and beloved of all the saints, the essence of purity, the
celestial image of perfect womanhood.
Foremost among the many
beautiful images associated with Mary was the rose. She is the “rose
without thorns,” free from original sin, a reminder that she is the “new
Eve,” for according to legend the rose grew in the Garden of Eden
without thorns until man’s fall from grace. Mary is the Mystical Rose,
the “rosa caeli,” the Rose of Heaven. She wears a crown of roses,
represented by her Rosary, upon which the red, white and yellow beads or
roses symbolize the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries of her
life. The five petals of the wild rose represent the five letters in her
name Maria. The Christmas rose, a white flower which blooms at
Christmas time, symbolizes the Nativity, and the Rose of Jericho, or
Rose of the Virgin, was believed to have sprung up wherever the Holy
Family stopped during the Flight into Egypt. As the Madonna of the Rose
Garden, the Virgin appears in a bower filled with roses. And she herself
is also often called an enclosed garden, a reference from the Song of
Solomon which reads, “A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse, a
spring shut up, a fountain sealed.”
As devotion to the Virgin
grew during the Middle Ages, the details of her life became more
formalized. There now appear to be references to the Seven Joys of Mary,
which included the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity, the
Presentation in the Temple, the Finding in the Temple, the Assumption
and the Coronation. In music, the most popular of these subjects by far
were those dealing with the Birth of Christ. Throughout the medieval and
Renaissance eras, these themes provided composers with the inspiration
for many of their most joyous melodies and their most fervent
expressions of faith. Composers from all of Europe contributed to a vast
repertory of music in honor of these wondrous events. From Spain we
find songs of praise by Alfonso the Wise, “trobador” of Holy Mary, songs
sung by humble pilgrims in the Middle Ages, and charming villancicos
from the court of Ferdinand and Isabella. In France, music from
religious dramas were first heard reverberating beneath the souring
arches of Gothic cathedrals. Chorale settings from Reformation Germany,
carols from England, motets by Italian masters, songs intended for
school and church from Sweden and Poland—all form part of an incredible
wealth of music which today is largely unknown. To explore this treasury
is to discover not just the history of music, but also the depth of
religious feeling that produced it and the variety of sounds and styles
that existed across the Continent.
During the Early Christian,
Byzantine and Romanesque periods, artists often depicted the Virgin in
stiff formal poses, with conventionalized features. By the Gothic era,
however, we encounter a much warmer treatment with images of a tender
and gentle madonna who smiles and bends gracefully. So too do the
musical settings which follow seem to echo this trend. Compare the
austerity and symbolism of Gedeonis area or Castitatis thalamum with the simplicity and warmth of a mother’s love in Ach mein herzliebes Jesulein. The chattering of busy midwives in ¡Qué bonito niño chiquito! and the childish wonder of the baby Jesus in Tau garçó, la durundena
go hand in hand with a humanistic viewpoint. We present here a
reverence from the past, from the awe and mysticism of the Middle Ages
to the exuberant joy of the Renaissance.
To
the medieval Church, the coming of Christ seemed to be foretold not
only by the Old Testament prophets but also by the ancient Greek sibyls.
The divinations of those pagan oracles are occasionally found in the
liturgy of the early church. With the rebirth of the ideas and forms of
antiquity in the Renaissance, representations of the sibyls occur in
religious art as well, notably in Michelangelo's frescoes on the ceiling
of the Sistine Chapel. This chant setting of a sibylline prophecy
originated in 10th-century Spain, where it was sung as part of the
Christmas Eve service by a priest disguised, appropriately, as an old
woman.
Gedeonis area
The message of the sibyl is echoed in this 13th-century conductus,
or processional song. Its text is filled with Old Testament references
and metaphors for Mary and the Virgin Birth. The "heavenly dew"
mentioned in both works derives from the story of Gideon in the Book of
Judges. Medieval religious thinkers saw Gideon's fleece as a symbol for
the Blessed Virgin, bedewed with heavenly grace when she conceived
Christ. And just as the bush burned without being consumed, so did the
Blessed Virgin conceive yet retain her virginity.
Cuncti simus concanentes
This
recounting of the Angel Gabriel's Annunciation to the Virgin Mary is
found in one of the most important collections of Spanish medieval
music, the 14th-century manuscript known as the Llibre Vermell
("Red Book") which was compiled at the Benedictine monastery at
Montserrat, near Barcelona. Montserrat was renowned for its sacred
mountain shrine of the Virgin, and many were the pilgrims who traveled
to fast and pray to Her there. The Llibre Vermell contains sacred songs
and dances for the diversion of these worshippers during their faithful
vigils at the Virgin's shrine.
Marvel not, Joseph
English
carols characteristically alternated several verses with a "burden," or
repeated refrain. Often the verse was written for two voices, and the
burden for three. Marvel not, Joseph employs an even greater
complexity, making use of both a two-part and a three-part burden, and a
verse within which occur sections of both two- and three-part texture.
The text, derived from St. Matthew's account, is a dialogue between a
doubting Joseph and the angel who appears in a dream to reassure him of
his betrothed's chastity.
Edi be thu, heven-queene
This
strophic hymn to the Virgin is from an Augustinian priory in
Gloucestershire, and is one of the few works in vernacular English to
survive from before the 15th century. Already it displays the English
predilection for harmony in thirds, and the beauty and simplicity of
style which were to captivate composers on the Continent over a hundred
years later.
Ther is no rose of swych virtu
Here
may be found a more typical example of carol-writing. The verse is in
two parts, while the three-voice burden exhibits the chains of six-three
chords which were a hallmark of English harmonic style. Also common in
many carols is the inclusion of Latin phrases within a vernacular text.
Castitatis thalamum
The Monastery of Las Huelgas was founded in the 1180's by King Alfonso VIII of Castile and his wife Leonor of England. The Códice musical del monasterio de Santa Marta la Real de Las Huelgas de Burgos
("Codex of the Monastery of Holy Mary the Royal of Las Huelgas of
Burgos"), copied during the first half of the 14th century, was a
compilation of music which had been performed at the monastery since its
beginning. Castitatis thalamum is an example of the polyphonic note-against-note conductus style, with a melismatic cauda
(literally, "tail") on the penultimate syllable of the text. The first
syllable of the text receives a similar ornamental treatment.
¡Qué bonito niño chiquito!
This delightful depiction of the Nativity is found in the Cancionero musical de la Colombina
from Seville, a collection which was part of the extensive music
library of Fernando Colón, son of Christopher Columbus. Here we are
presented with a scene full of warmth and sweetness as two midwives
assist at Jesus' birth. They exclaim over the beautiful little baby boy,
play with Him to keep him happy, and no doubt help His young and
inexperienced mother as she swaddles her child for the first time.
Vom Himmel kommt
Praetorius was the most versatile German composer of his generation, and surely the most prolific. His Musae Sioniae
("The Muses of Sion"), from which this work is taken, contains over one
thousand compositions, and forms a sort of compendium of the Protestant
chorale in all its various types of settings.
Dies est leticie
Few manuscripts from the repertory of Polish early music still exist, but some sources have survived. Dies est leticie dates from around 1500. A very similar version is found in the Glogauer Liederbuch,
a German song collection from circa 1480. This work was apparently
intended for solo voice accompanied by two instruments; in this
performance we have scored it for three recorders.
Puer natos est
The
most important figure in early 16th-century Spanish sacred music,
Cristóbal de Morales served as choirmaster of several cathedrals in
Spain, including Ávila, Toledo, Plasencia and Málaga, and acquired fame
as a singer in the Papal chapel in Rome. In the dedication of his Second Book of Masses,
he wrote, "All music which does not serve to honor God or to exalt the
thoughts and feelings of men fails completely in its true end." The
depth of his religious feeling is evident in this three-part motet,
which begins with the opening notes of a chant which is sung during the
Third Mass for Christmas Day.
Omnis mundus jucundetur
The collection Piae Cantiones
was compiled by Theodoricus Petri of Finland in 1582. The songs are
from many countries, though the majority are of Swedo-Finnish origin,
and of the seventy-four works, twenty-four are for Christmas. Omnis mundus is a Latin hymn, believed to have been composed in the 14th century.
In dulci jubilo
This hymn is still in the modem Christmas carol repertoire as Good Christian Men, Rejoice and Sing. Although Praetorius intended it to be sung, it loses none of its joyousness in this setting for recorders and treble viol.
Ach mein herzliebes Jesulein
Samuel
Scheidt is considered one of the best of the first generation of German
Baroque composers. During his tenure as court organist in Brandenburg,
he published an extensive collection of keyboard works entitled Tabulatura nova. Included in it are twelve canons, some of which seem intended for voices rather than organ.
Stantipes
Dancing
and merrymaking have long been a part of the celebration of Christmas, a
festival which brought warmth and hope to the long and bleak winter of
medieval times. Our word carol probably comes from carole,
a round dance that was performed at early pagan celebrations of the
winter solstice. These rituals later merged with the Christian
Christmas, and the word carol came to mean dancing in general, or the accompanying music.
The stantipes (estampie, istampitta)
was a very popular type of dance in the 13th and 14th centuries. This
one is from an English manuscript, and its lively rhythms fit the mood
of the festivities associated with the Christmas season.
As I out rode
A
"great companie" of angels appear to the shepherds in this song from a
pageant performed by the Guild of Tailors and Shearmen in Coventry
during the 16th century. The phrase "this enderes night" (also often
spelled "endris") meant "the other night."
Á del zielo
In
the visual arts, the representation of angels playing musical
instruments traditionally denoted felicity in heaven. The words of this
17th-century Spanish song describe to the listener the marvelous
spectacle of a host of rather exuberant angels announcing the birth of
Christ to the shepherds in the field. Since they celebrate with
instruments, so do we.
Verbum Patris hodie
This
monophonic song comes from a medieval church music drama called "The
Shepherds," found in a Rouen Cathedral manuscript of the 13th century.
The play was traditionally performed early Christmas morning following
the pre-dawn service of Matins. The text relates the angel's message to
the shepherds, and likens Christ himself to a Shepherd leading the flock
of Christendom.
Tau garçó, la durundena
Little
is known of the composer Càrceres, who wrote during the middle and
second half of the 16th century. He was evidently from Valencia, for he
composed several Christmas villancicos in Valencian dialect. Tau garçó is from his ensalada (medley) La Trulla, a lengthy work written in the same style as the ensaladas of the Catalonian master Mateo Flecha el Viejo, with whom Càrceres apparently studied. La Trulla
("the crowd," "the multitude") is about the shepherds' adoration of the
newborn Christ in the manger. The text of this song is a mixture of
Valencian, Catalonian and Gascon, and is here paraphrased.
O staris in presepio
From
a Polish manuscript, this three-part work was probably composed in the
early part of the 15th century. Its text, remarkably concise, describes
the gifts from the Three Kings to the Christ child in the stable. To the
ancient Medes and Persians, the magi were members of a priestly caste
who possessed occult powers, and their "triple gift" was at once fitting
for a king and prophetic. Gold, of course, symbolized royalty, and
frankincense was used by priests in religious ceremonies. The "myrrh of
death" refers to the custom in Biblical times of anointing the body of
the dead with fragrant oils for burial.
Heu, teneri partus
As
early as the 10th century, liturgical dramas had become popular,
particularly at Christmas and Easter. These were performed either in the
church itself or on the steps and included spoken dialogue, music,
costumes and scenery. Heu, teneri partus is from a play called "The Slaughter of the Innocents," found in a 12th-century manuscript known as the Fleury Playbook
because its contents were originally performed by the men and boys of
the choir school of the monastic church at Fleury. The play details the
flight of the Holy Family into Egypt and the slaying of the young
children by the evil Herod's soldiers. This song is Rachel's lament, and
the attempts of the other mothers to comfort her. The story of Rachel
came from the words of the prophet Jeremiah which are quoted by Matthew,
Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted, because they were no more."
Hodie Christus natus est
Giovanni
Maria Nanino spent a distinguished career in Rome, serving at various
basilicas and churches, and was the most influential teacher of the
Roman school of composition known now as the Palestrina style. His works
were much admired during his lifetime, but his fame has since been
eclipsed by that of his contemporary Palestrina.
Personent hodie
Found in the Piae Cantiones, this song is apparently modeled on an older work in honor of St. Nicholas.
Nobre don e muy preçado
The Cantigas de Santa María
("Songs of Holy Mary") are a collection of over 400 songs in the
Virgin's honor, assembled during the reign of Alfonso El Sabio, King of
Castile and León from 1252 to 1282). The cantigas are written in a
style directly related to the troubadour tradition of southern France.
The language used here is Galician-Portuguese instead of Provençal, and
the subject matter is now sacred rather than that of courtly love, the
idea of dedicating oneself to an unattainable noble lady now transmuted
into devotion to the Holy Virgin. Nobre don relates how, when the
forty days of her purification were ended, Holy Mary took her Son to
the Temple to offer the prescribed sacrifice of two turtle doves and two
pigeons. There Simeon, who had been promised by the Lord that he would
not die before seeing the Messiah, recognized the infant as the
salvation of Israel.
Nowell sing we
This
particularly energetic English carol from the mid-15th century is
typical in its use of a macaronic text and the alternating two- and
three-voice texture of verse and burden.
Verbum patris hodie
This two-part conductus setting of the Verbum patris
has as its lower voice a variation of the same chant melody as that
which appeared in the play from Rouen Cathedral. This work is a trope (added words and/or music), used to lengthen the Benedicamus Domino chant which customarily ended the Mass during Advent.
