Volume 24 Issue 3 - November 2018

BOYD GILMOUR
being appointed honorary president for life by London’s Academy of
Ancient Music, he composed the Stabat Mater, a magnificent work for
six voices and orchestra. Between these two sacred compositions will
be a plethora of operatic material from no fewer than nine separate
dramatic works, each of them a Tafelmusik premiere. With such
skilled performers and Ivars Taurins at the helm, this concert will
provide a wealth of delightful and well-done material, much of it new
to many in the audience.
Sound the trumpet! When asked
how he composed his songs, Gustav
Mahler replied: “How do you make
a trumpet? Hammer brass around a
hole.” There may be more to making
a trumpet than Mahler suggests, and
there is certainly great skill required in
mastering the instrument, especially
when that instrument has no valves!
November 21 to 24, Tafelmusik celebrates
the holiday season with instrumental
treasures from France, Italy,
Spain, Germany and England, festive
music by Telemann, Corrette, Fasch,
and Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto
No.2. This concert also features the
Tafelmusik debut of guest trumpeter
David Blackadder, principal trumpet
for the Academy of Ancient Music
David Blackadder
in the United Kingdom. (He also
performed at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.)
Blackadder plays a Baroque trumpet, a valveless trumpet based
on early instruments (his is modelled on a Nuremberg trumpet from
1700), capable of great ranges of expression. According to Blackadder:
“The trumpet is often thought of as being perhaps the most majestic,
powerful instrument of all. However, there is a much more subtle,
lesser-known side to the trumpet which uses the more florid, angelic
quality of its upper register to symbolize the glory of God and the
heavens. This technique of playing developed throughout the 17th
and 18th centuries and became highly prized by composers and their
patrons alike. Court trumpeters were handsomely rewarded for their
prodigious skill and were required to play at the most important ceremonies
and state occasions.” Blackadder will also hold a guest artist
masterclass on November 24 at Jeanne Lamon Hall, providing another
opportunity to experience this renowned musician as he guides the
next generation of skilled performers.
From Villancicos to de Victoria: Christmas has arrived by the end
of November, as the first Messiahs appear on the horizon and dogeared
festive favourites are revived once again. Popular Christmas
songs come in many familiar national varieties: English carols, French
Noëls, and German Weihnachtslieder. Perhaps the least known are the
Spanish Christmas villancicos, popular songs from the countryside
that were developed by court composers of 16th- and 17th-century
Spain into wonderfully rhythmic, danceable carols. Michael Erdman’s
Cantemus Singers explores this lesser-known variety of carol,
November 24 and 25, in their concert “Es Nascido – He is Born,” with
works such as Mateo Flecha’s La Bomba and Joan Brudieu’s Goigs de
Nostra Dona paired with Tomás Luis de Victoria’s strikingly beautiful
motet O Magnum Mysterium and its accompanying parody mass,
Missa “O Magnum Mysterium.“
Rather than being necessarily humorous, parody in music, in its
Renaissance sense, meant any readaptation of existing material in
new and creative ways. Composers could use their own material, as
Victoria does, but they could also take popular chansons (and hide a
naughty folk tune within the polyphonic texture), cantus
firmus style, or use another composer’s sacred work as a
starting point for their own ingenuity and craftsmanship.
Palestrina wrote over 50 parody masses, and Josquin des
Prez composed a number of fine essays in the form.
A popular model throughout the 16th century, the
Council of Trent ultimately banned the use of secular
material as part of their decree to “banish from church all
music which contains, whether in the singing or the organ
playing, things that are lascivious or impure.” Far from
lascivious, Victoria’s motet and mass are profound meditations
on one of the most crucial events in the Christian
year and Cantemus’ engaging and original programming
makes this a concert worth hearing. Come for the villancicos,
stay for the Victoria!
Regardless of whether the music is secular, sacred,
or a combination of the two, there are great concerts
happening throughout November. From the dramatic
excellence of Steffani’s operas to the sacred sounds of the
Spanish Renaissance, there is something for everyone
within the pages of this magazine. As stores begin to assemble this
year’s window displays and the first strains of tin-can carols assault
our ears, another round of seasonal favourites will be upon us
before we know it. To keep up to date on all the Messiahs, oratorios,
concertos, and other Baroque things happening in the city, check
out next month’s column. Until then, drop me a line at earlymusic@
thewholenote.com.
EARLY MUSIC QUICK PICKS
!!
NOV 4, 2PM: Rezonance Baroque Ensemble. “Folk of the Baroque.” St. Barnabas
Anglican Church, 361 Danforth Ave. The title says it all: let your wig down and hear
some music for dancing, dining and play.
!!
NOV 19, 8PM: Against the Grain Theatre. BOUND v.2. The Great Hall, Longboat Hall,
1087 Queen Street West. Something old, Something new. Hear music by G.F. Handel
and Kevin Lau as AGT addresses the big issues that face our society today, inspired by
stories of refugees.
!!
NOV 25, 3PM: Toronto Chamber Choir. “Kaffeemusik: The Bremen Town Musicians.”
Church of the Redeemer, 162 Bloor St. W. A concert of story and song, with humorous
fairy tales about solidarity among musicians paired with madrigals by Lassus,
Dowland and more.
!!
NOV 30, 7:30PM: ChoralWorks Chamber Choir. Messiah. New Life Church, 28
Tracey Lane, Collingwood. Take a trip to cottage country and get in the festive spirit
with one of the first Messiahs of the season.
Matthew Whitfield is a Toronto-based harpsichordist and organist.
Merry & Bright
Dec 8 & 9, 7:30pm
Trinity College Chapel
corunumensemble.com
26 | November 2018 thewholenote.com