SPIRITUS COLLECTIVE

Concert Program
Program Notes
Biographies

A 17th Century Christmastide
Saturday, December 10, 2005
8 PM, Synod Hall

Robert Mealy & Julie Andrijeski — violins
Stephen Escher & Kris Ingles — cornetto
Greg Ingles, Erik Schmalz, Mack Ramsey & Lisa Albrecht — sackbut
Daniel Swenberg — theorbo
Mahan Esfahani — organ

I. The Annunciation
"In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, 'Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.' But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.'"

Intonazioni noni toni Beata es virgo Maria Toccata del secondo tono Rorate coeli desuper Sonata "La Fontana" Joseph, du Sohn David The Annunciation

Giovanni Gabrieli (c. 1554-7 — 1612) Gabrieli Gabrieli Heinrich Schütz (1585 — 1672) Cesario Gussago (1599 — 1612) Schütz Heinrich Biber (1644 — 1704)

II. Pastorale
"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."

Sonata a 3 Pastorale Sonata XV Sonata Pastorale Canzon noni toni

Johann Schmelzer (c. 1620-23 — 1680) Anonymous Biber Gabrieli

INTERMISSION

III. The Nativity
"And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn."

Es ist ein Ros entsprungen O Jesu mi dulcissime O Magnum Mysterium Puer natus in Bethlehem Canzon septimi toni

Michael Praetorius (1571 — 1621) Gabrieli Gabrieli Praetorius Gabrieli

IV. The Jubilation
"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

Jubilate Deo En natus est Emmanuel In dulci Jubilo (a2, ad equalis a4, a3, a8, a4)

Gabrieli Praetorius Praetorius

Program Notes

How does one tell the greatest story ever told without saying a word? The Christmas story is so well known and its music so much a part of our holiday traditions, we often take for granted how well we actually know these festive tunes. Who doesn't know at least a dozen traditional Christmas carols, eagerly awaiting their favorites during the holiday season? Whether you hear Silent Night on a church organ, sung by a choir or passing carolers, played by a string quartet or an ensemble of tubas, you still know the melody, and consequently, you still imagine the text along with the melody. The festive sacred songs of the 17th century that depict the account of the nativity are often relatively unknown to our modern ears but the melodies are just as enjoyable and memorable. Although the compositional style might be different from the carols we are typically fond of today, it is the story of Christ's birth that unites them.

Because music based on a text illustrates the meaning so clearly, one vast resource for instrumental ensembles is vocal music. Since the Christmas story has inspired poets, painters and musicians for hundreds of years, it is not surprising that a wealth of vocal music with a Christmas theme is easily accessible. It was common practice for instrumentalists to borrow vocal music during the 16th and 17th centuries, not to mention the fact that an instrumentalist's greatest aspiration is to achieve the sound and character of the human voice. When adapting vocal music of Giovanni Gabrieli for instruments, for instance, one can deduce which instruments he might have used by consulting contemporary church documents of employed musicians and by analyzing the instruments he favored in his famous canzoni. Through this sort of research, we discover that Gabrieli preferred either the violin or cornetto on the highest melodic lines of his compositions, with either violas or trombones supporting them underneath, something we keep in mind when choosing appropriate repertoire for our particular ensemble. Michael Praetorius, in his highly useful theoretical text Syntagnum Musicum, codifies the placement of instruments within vocal works dependent on their corresponding clef relationships. Praetorius' writings are especially useful as they meticulously catalogue the instruments in contemporaneous use, providing modern musicians valuable documentary evidence of performance practices of his time.

With the Rosary or Mystery Sonatas of Heinrich Biber, we are fortunate to have a collection of instrumental pieces specifically written for each of the fifteen mysteries of the rosary, of which The Annunciation is the first. The mysteries as a whole reflect important milestones in Christ's life and each mystery is devised as a separate solo violin sonata, most of which employ scordatura, an alternate method of tuning the strings on a violin. Writer and music enthusiast Charles Burney wrote: 'of all the violin players of the last century Biber seems to have been the best, and his solos are the most difficult and most fanciful of any music I have seen of the same period.' But it is not only Biber's display of electrifying virtuosity that sets his music apart. During The Annunciation Sonata Biber's gift for melodic brilliance is expressed as an aural representation of the angel Gabriel's wings.

Other instrumental pieces wordlessly contribute to setting the scene of the Christmas story because of their ability to transport the listener to another atmosphere; in this case we are taken to the pastoral setting of the shepherds as they are surprised by the appearance of an angel. Bearing the title Pastorale, two pieces on tonight's program evoke the folk influence of the sort of songs heard amongst the flock. Johann Schmelzer, primarily known as a composer of instrumental music in the Hapsburg court in Vienna between 1655-1680 often relied on the influence of folk idioms in his compositions. In his Pastorale for two violins and trombone, a lilting rhythmic motive and the imitation of sounds of the primitive wind instruments contribute to a setting where the listener can imagine the shepherds abiding in the fields. Gabrieli's Canzon noni toni contains echo passages, passed back and forth between the cornetts, much like the shepherds themselves as they spread the profound news of Jesus' birth from hillside to hillside.

Biographies

A native of Upstate New York, Lisa Albrecht graduated from the Eastman School of Music where she studied with John Marcellus and earned the Performer's Certificate. In 1986 she joined the San Antonio Symphony and embarked on an orchestral career. She has subsequently performed and toured with orchestras around the world, including the St. Louis Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic (Russia), and the London Sinfonietta. She has also held positions with the New York Philharmonic and the Minnesota Orchestra. Now based in New York as a freelance artist, she performs regularly at Lincoln Center, on Broadway, and in chamber music. In addition to Spiritus Collective, her early music interests have included performances with the New York Collegium, Early Music New York and the Eastman-Rochester Collegium Musicum. A frequent recitalist and clinician, Ms. Albrecht has been a soloist at the International Trombone Festival, Eastern Trombone Workshop, and the New York Brass Conference.

Many of you may recognize violinist Julie Andrijeski as a member of Pittsburgh's own Chatham Baroque. In addition to Chatham Baroque's copious projects including concerts, tours, recordings, and educational programs, Ms. Andrijeski often serves as concertmaster or principal player with other ensembles including the Wolf Trap Orchestra, the Washington Bach Consort, Folger Consort, Apollo's Fire, and Cecilia's Circle. Ms. Andrijeski is also an accomplished historical dancer and choreographer and often combines her skills as teacher, dancer and violinist in concerts and workshops across the country. She has taught baroque violin at Peabody Conservatory and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, is on the summer faculty of the Baroque Performance Institute, and has led the Baroque orchestra and taught Baroque dance at Case Western Reserve University where she is pursuing her DMA in Historical Performance.

After receiving a B.A. degree at Luther College, Stephen Escher did post-graduate work at the University of Iowa and studied in Bologna with cornettist Bruce Dickey. Stephen is a founding member of the San Francisco area wind band The Whole Noyse. Mr. Escher has performed with numerous ensembles in Europe, North America and Mexico; among them The Taverner Players, Le Studio pour Musique Ancienne de Montreal, Magnificat, Chanticleer, American Bach Soloists, the Toronto Chamber Choir and the Carmel Bach Festival. Stephen has made two recordings in London with Andrew Parrott and the Taverner Players for EMI and can also be heard on recordings with the Vancouver Cantata Singers on Skylark, with ABS and Magnificat on Koch, with Angelicum de Puebla on Urtext and with The Whole Noyse on Helicon.

Mahan Esfahani, a native of Tehran, Iran, finished a B.A. with honors and distinction in Musicology at Stanford University in June of 2005. His thesis focused on aesthetic issues connected with the opera Ginevra di Scozia (1801) by Johann Simon Mayr. Mahan is active as a solo performer and continuo player on harpsichord, organ, fortepiano, and clavichord with a variety of ensembles performing repertoire from the Middle Ages through the Classical period. He has performed at the Berkeley, Amherst, Washington D.C., New York, Oberlin BPI, and Bloomington Festivals with Ciaramella, A Due Canti, Cappella Romana, the Catacoustic Consort, the Suspicious Cheese Lords, and as an "Idiom Idiot" with jazz pianist and composer Mark Applebaum; he has recorded as a solo organist with Ciaramella for an upcoming release on the Naxos label. Awards have included an Early Music America scholarship and the Sudler Prize in the Creative and Performing Arts. He has recently been awarded a two-year fellowship to study early keyboards in Boston with Peter Sykes.

Greg Ingles, Music Director, is in demand as a free-lance sackbut player performing with such period instrument ensembles as Tafelmusik, New York Collegium, Concerto Palatino, Ensemble Rebel, Trinity Consort, Aston Magna, the Orchestra of the Renaissance and American Bach Soloists. Greg is a member of Piffaro: the Renaissance Band which performs throughout the US and Europe and with them, he has recorded on the Dorian early music label. He is also a member of the early wind band, Ciaramella, with whom he recorded their debut CD on the Naxos label. Greg received his Bachelor of Music degree in trombone performance from Oberlin Conservatory and in addition to his performing schedule, he is currently a doctoral candidate at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and is professor of trombone at Hofstra University.

Kris Ingles, Artistic Director, plays baroque trumpet with several period instrument ensembles including Tempesta di Mare, Foundling Baroque Orchestra, NY State Baroque, Rebel, Tafelmusik and New York Collegium. Kris can be heard on the Kleos label with the New York Collegium under the direction of Andrew Parrott and on the Naxos label with early wind band Ciaramella. Kris often performs as a guest of Piffaro: the Renaissance Band and appears on their latest recording on the Dorian label. She lectures on early brass performance practice and trumpet history, including recent appearances at the University of Wyoming and Rutgers University. On cornetto, Kris has performed with New York Collegium, Santa Fe Pro Musica, Arcadia Players, New England Waits and Brown University among others. She holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in trumpet performance from the University of Michigan and recently completed a doctorate in early music performance at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. When not performing, Kris enjoys teaching dedicated students as professor of trumpet at Hofstra University.

One of America's leading historical string players, Robert Mealy has been praised for his “imagination, taste, subtlety, and daring” (Boston Globe); The New Yorker called him "New York's world-class early-music violinist." He has recorded over 50 cds of early music on most major labels, ranging from Hildegard of Bingen with Sequentia, to Renaissance consorts with the Boston Camerata, to Rameau operas with Les Arts Florissants. Mr. Mealy has appeared at music festivals from Berkeley to Belgrade, and from Melbourne to Versailles. He serves as the concertmaster of the acclaimed Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra. In New York he is a frequent leader and soloist with the New York Collegium, ARTEK, and Early Music New York. A devoted chamber musician, he is a member of the medieval ensemble Fortune's Wheel and the renaissance violin band The King’s Noyse as well as Spiritus. Mr. Mealy recently received Early Music America’s Binkley Award for distinguished teaching in his work directing the Yale Collegium Players and the Harvard Baroque Chamber Orchestra.

For the past 30 years, Mack Ramsey has specialized in the performance of repertoires ranging from the 14th to the 18th centuries. He is equally at home on a number of different instruments and is especially fascinated with the role of the municipal wind bands of the 16th century and the special skills and performance practices that help us interpret this music. He is a founding member of the Boston Shawm and Sackbut Ensemble and New England Waites. He has also performed on the sackbut, cornett, slide trumpet, flute and recorder with other wind bands in North America, such as Piffaro, Les Sonneurs de Montreal and The Whole Noyse. In 2003 he appeared with Concerto Palatino as part of the Boston Early Music Festival. Overseas, Mr. Ramsey has performed and recorded with the Taverner Players, directed by Andrew Parrot and the Gabrieli Consort, directed by Paul McCreesh. At home, in the US, he has appeared with many larger ensembles, including Blue Heron, the New York Collegium, the Folger Consort, Boston Camerata, Early Music New York, Apollo's Fire, Boston Baroque, the Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra, the Handel and Haydn Society Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Old Fairfield Academy.

Erik Schmalz holds degrees in trombone performance from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Shortly after graduating, he was introduced to early music and began studying sackbut. In addition to Spiritus Collective, Erik has performed with The New York Collegium, Early Music New York, Piffaro: The Renaissance Band, San Francisco Bach Choir, Long Island Baroque, Chicago Chorale and Ciaramella in the U.S. and Europe. He can also be heard on the Naxos, Kleos, and Ex cathedra record labels.

Lutenist Daniel Swenberg concentrates on Renaissance and Baroque performance practices--with special devotion to the role of basso-continuo playing and the instruments central to its practice: the theorbo/chitaronne, renaissance and baroque lutes, early guitars, and the gallizona/callichon. He works regularly with ensembles: ARTEK, Rebel, Visceral Reaction, The New York Collegium, The Metropolitan Opera, Staatstheater Stuttgart, New York City Opera, the Mark Morris Dance Group, Stadtstheater Klagenfurt,Tafelmusik, Opera Atelier, Les Violons du Roy, Piffaro, Spiritus Collective, Les Voix Baroques, and Lizzy and the Theorboys. Recently, he has accompanied Renee Fleming at the MET, Carnegie Hall, and on Live from Lincoln Center, with the Mostly Mozart festival, and was on staff at the inauguration of the Aspen Music Festival's baroque mini-festival. He has received awards from the Belgian American Educational Foundation (2000) for a study of 18th-century chamber music for the lute, and a Fulbright Scholarship (1997) to study in Bremen, Germany with Stephen Stubbs and Andrew Lawrence King, at the Hochschule fuer Kuenste. He studied previously with Pat O'Brien at Mannes College of Music (New York City), receiving a Masters Degree in Historical Performance-Lute. Prior to his concentration on lutes, he studied Musicology at Washington University (St. Louis) and received a B.M. in classical guitar from the North Carolina School of the Arts.