40 Years of Early Music: A Tribute to Colin Sterne

After forty years of delivering early music to Pittsburgh, Renaissance & Baroque is the second oldest organization of its kind in the country. Where did it all begin?

It began with the passion of Colin Sterne (Nov. 14, 1921 - July 23, 2008), who taught music at the University of Pittsburgh for 38 years until his retirement in 1986. He was composer, founder and conductor of the Ars Antiqua Players, (an early-music group), and a founder of the Renaissance & Baroque Society.

In typical Renaissance fashion, Sterne and his wife Roberta played several instruments, all of which rounded out the Ars Antiqua musical forces. Sterne played Baroque flute, lute, recorder and krummhorn and his wife Roberta played the recorder, viol, and virginals.

While at Julliard where he studied composition, Sterne became intensely interested in music of the Renaissance. That interest led him from the modern flute to the Baroque flute, and from there, to a lifelong commitment to period instrument performance. Sterne’s knowledge, devotion and passion for “authentic” performance led to the formation of the Antiqua Players, an ensemble which gained an international reputation for the authentic yet vivacious performances of renaissance and baroque music.

“The instruments all came beautifully to life in the hands of the versatile and talented player,” wrote the New York Times of a Town Hall performance of Antiqua Players. The ensemble toured major American cities, and throughout Europe where they performed in London, Paris, Fontainebleau, and Brussels –at the invitation of the State Department.

And so it began; the Renaissance & Baroque Society was created to promote community understanding and appreciation of the music, arts and culture of the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque and Early Classical eras, through performing on period instruments. A fresh, energetic, and authentic way to understand classical music was born of musicians and scholars like Sterne.

Forty years later Pittsburgh has become a legendary stop of the early music performance tour. Synod Hall itself (cherished venue of R&B performers) has been a prescription for success. Among the best acoustics in the world, the hall brings the performers to life – lighting their fires, and in turn, the fires of early music devotees.

It’s time to say thank you to Colin Sterne. May the fire live on!

Obituary: Colin C. Sterne / Influential University of Pittsburgh music professor
Nov. 14, 1921 - July 23, 2008

Friday, July 25, 2008
By Alexa Chu, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
While Colin C. Sterne assembled an impressive career as a professor and researcher in performance practice, it is what he gave back to students that made the biggest impact. Don Franklin, former chairman of the University of Pittsburgh Department of Music, remembers Mr. Sterne, of Verona, as a tall man with a goatee who always had a twinkle in his eye and a wry sense of humor. "Students said he was totally engaged in the topic at hand and conveyed great enthusiasm about music, with the ability to communicate abstract musical concepts in a clear and concise manner," he said.

Mr. Sterne, formerly of Monroeville, died Wednesday of pneumonia. He was 86.
Born in Capetown, South Africa, Mr. Sterne was a prolific musician and composer who held students spellbound.

He went to Miami University in Ohio and served in the Army in World War II. Afterward, Mr. Sterne received a master's degree in composition at the Juilliard School and studied at the Paris Conservatory.

Mr. Sterne taught music at the University of Pittsburgh for 38 years until his retirement in 1986. He was composer, founder and conductor of the Ars Antiqua Players, an early-music group, and a founder of the Renaissance & Baroque Society.

Mr. Sterne also was a member of the American Musicological Society, the American Recorder Society and the Phi Mu Alpha music fraternity. He published his own vocal, instrumental and choral compositions and edited the medieval liturgical drama, "The Son of Getron." He also published numerous articles on medieval and Renaissance performance practice.

Mr. Sterne conducted the Pitt Men's Glee Club and the Collegium Musicum, a small early-music ensemble. He received rave reviews for his music history lectures.

Jean Thomas of Highland Park, who met Mr. Sterne while studying for her Ph.D., said the professor was approachable, genial and the most important influence on her career.

"He was a music inspiration and my most important adviser when I was getting my Ph.D. He had a real sense of drama as a teacher, and that's why he was so inspirational. He played anything from Wagner to Elvis Presley, so he covered the gamut."

Mr. Sterne is survived by his wife, Roberta; daughters Robin Sterne, of Colorado; Hilary Sterne, of New York; and Alison S. Frederick, of Ross; and three grandchildren.


Alexa Chu can be reached at 412-263-1889 or achu@post-gazette.com.
First published on July 25, 2008 at 12:00 am