ka Belfast Music Society Programme

PROGRAMME I FAGIOLINI directed by Robert Hollingworth LUDWIG SENFL (c.1486-c.1543) SEBASTIAN de VIVANCO (c.1550-1622) PHILIPPE de MONTE (1521-1603) CLÉMENT JANEQUIN (c.1485-1558) SIGISMONDO d'INDIA (c. 1582-1629) CLAUDIO MONTEVERDI (1567-1643) WILLIAM BYRD (1539-1623) THOMAS MORLEY (1557-c.1603) ADRIAN WILLIAMS (b.1956) MICHAEL TIPPETT (b.1905) FRANCIS POULENC (1899-1963) FLANDERS & SWANN WILLIAM BROOKS (b.1943) Trad. Arr. HOLST ***** Das G'läut zu Speyer Veni, dilecti me Super flumina Babylonis La Chasse Strana armonia d'amore Si ch'io vorrei morire Plorans ploravit Phillis, I fain would die now A smile and ashes Lullaby for six voices Un soir de neige Pillar to post The Sloth Madrigal No.4 (Nellie was a lady) I love my love Saturday, 22nd November 1997 BT Studio, Waterfront Hall at 7.30pm Presented in association with The Belfast Festival at Queen's

LUDWIG SENFL was a pupil of the great composer, Heinrich Isaac. Although Swiss by birth, he worked mainly in Germany and was the most significant representative of the motet and Lied tradition in that part of Europe during the Reformation. Whereas the great majority of his sacred works are in Latin, most of his secular works are in German. In style they range from courtly love songs to light-hearted comic pieces. Tonight's example, a six- voice Lied published in 1534, paints a vivid picture of pealing bells. SEBASTIAN DE VIVANCO is one of a large number of composers working in Spain, whose music has been overshadowed by that of their contemporary, Victoria. Vivanco, who was actually a fellow citizen of Victoria, in the town of Avila, served as maestro de capilla at the cathedrals of, respectively, Lerida, Segovia, Avila and Salamanca. He was appointed Professor of Music at Salamanca University in 1603. His surviving music is entirely for the church; most of his motets were published in 1610. Most of the roughly 300 sacred pieces (including 40 mass settings) of the leading Flemish composer, PHILIPPE de MONTE, were published in his lifetime (he composed far more secular music, including over 1100 madrigals!) For 35 years until his death, de Monte was Kapellmeister in Vienna, but earlier he had spent a year in England, where he had become friendly with the Byrd family. In 1583, he sent his eight-part setting of part of the Psalm Super flumina Babylon (By the waters of Babylon..) to William Byrd, the verses having been carefully chosen to suggest a parallel with the harassment of Catholics in England (the following year, Byrd responded by setting further verses of the psalm and sending the music to de Monte!) Although he did compose some church music, the vast majority of CLÉMENT JANEQUIN's music is in the form of Chansons, both secular and sacred, though it is the former that are most familiar today, especially those invoking the sounds of 'natural' sounds birds, battles, street cries, and, in the case of La Chasse, hunting. The Italian composer, SIGISMONDO d'INDIA, was perhaps second only to Monteverdi as the most distinguished composer of secular vocal music in early 17th century Italy. Little is known about his life, but his publications state that he was of 'noble Sicilian birth'. Tonight's madrigal was published as part of his 4th collection, in 1616. With its highly expressive language, it is, in the words of d'India's biographer in the New Grove, 'one of his most curious pieces'. Si ch'io vorrei morire, from MONTEVERDI's 5th book of madrigals, published in 1603, provides a good example of the popular passionate, indeed, erotic madrigal. The poet tells us he wishes to die, now that he feels the 'lovely mouth of his beloved', and the music pro- ceeds to describe their kissing, biting (violent stuff, if the discords are anything to go by!), her resisting, then giving in, and his conquering and subsequent 'death'. WILLIAM BYRD was the greatest English composer of Latin church music of his time. Although he was a Roman Catholic, a fact that brought him into frequent conflict with the authorities, he provided music for both the Anglican and Catholic liturgies.

9 ) J He also composed a sizeable body of secular music, as well as a notable collection of music for keyboard. The five part setting of Plorans Ploravit comes from his first collec- tion of Gradualia, published in 1605. INTERVAL ADRIAN WILLIAMS, the English pianist and composer, who now lives in Wales, has written music in many genres, instrumental music (for piano and piano duet), chamber music (including several string quartets), and works for voices and for orchestra. SIR MICHAEL TIPPETT composed his setting of Yeats' Lullaby ('Beloved, may your sleep be found..') for the Deller Consort, and they gave the first performance at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London in November 1960. Stylistically the music is closely related to the opera King Priam, on which Tippett was working at the time, and especially Helen of Troy's aria in that work - Yeats' poem, of course, refers to that same Helen. FRANCIS POULENC's chamber cantata for unaccompanied voices, Un soir de neige (a snowy evening), to words by Paul Eluard, was composed in just three days in December, 1944. It was the second of his wartime cantatas to words by Eluard, one of his favourite poets (it was preceded by the better known Figure Humaine. The mood of its four sections reflects the time at which the cantata was written the peace of Christmas, but also the hardships of a wartime winter, the beauties of the snowy landscape, but also the horrors of night, cold and solitude. MICHAEL FLANDERS and DONALD SWANN began working in the theatre after the second world war, collaborating on a series of revues for Laurier Lister. Their lives changed after 'At the Drop of a Hat' opened at London's New Lindsey Club on the last day of 1956. After it transferred to the West End, it ran for 759 performances. This revue and its successor became immensely popular, and Flanders and Swann became as familiar a 'couple' as Gilbert and Sullivan! WILLIAM BROOKS was born in New York and studied music and maths at University; his teachers included John Cage. His interests include American folk and popular music, and electronic techniques, and this perhaps unexpected partnership is apparent in many of his works. His set of madrigals was composed in 1977/78. I Love my Love is the fifth of GUSTAV HOLST's six folksong arrangements, published in 1916 as opus 36b. Alec Macdonald 1997

TONIGHT'S ARTISTS I FACIOLINI'S roots are at Oxford University where they gave their first concert in 1986. Initially specialising in secular Renaissance repertory, they now enjoy a reputation for tackling all kinds of western vocal music, commissioning new works as well as providing a solo team for oratorio. Their performances of early music are "historically informed" - yet this is only the means to an end of bringing to life whatever music they are singing for today's audience. I Fagiolini's strength lies in the exceptional versatility of its unchanging line-up. They are at home with a dazzling range of styles, from 14th century Machaut and virtuosic Italian early Baroque techniques through to the demands of contemporary music. Promoters and reviewers have consistently praised their lively, passionate and often humorous performing style which, together with imaginative programming and informa- tive but light-hearted introductions, has done much to bring new repertoire to new audi- ences. I Fagiolini first came to national prominence in 1989 by winning the prestigious Early Music Network's Young Artists' Competition and have since made two national tours on the Network. Other awards include selection as Tillett Trust Young Artists and two prizes at Italy's International Marenzio Competition. Their concerts include several by invitation at the Wigmore Hall and Purcell Room. They have visited Italy, Spain, Holland, Belgium, Turkey and South Africa. With Florilegium they have toured the Canary Islands, and with His Majestys Sacbutts and Cornetts have given solo-voice performances of Monteverdi's "Vespers" at the Brighton and Cheltenham Festivals. In 1994 they were in residence at the Dartington Summer School. ".. the musical equivalent of a tasting of rare wines...." Cape Times NEXT CONCERT Saturday, 24th January 1998 THE COULL STRING QUARTET BT Studio, Waterfront Hall - 7.30 pm

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