The St. Olaf College Department of Music
presents
Gerald Hoekstra, director
7:30 p.m. · Friday, Nov. 12, 2004 · Urness Recital Hall
PROGRAM
I.
Missa Mille regretz --- Cristobál Morales c. 1500-1553
Kyrie and Gloria
Morales' six-part Missa Mille regretz is based on a chanson by the great Flemish composer Josquin des Prez. The chanson, which appears in a book of lute music by Luys de Narvaez with the heading "Cancion del Emperador," is thought to have been a favorite of Charles V, King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor. Scholars conjecture that Morales may have written this mass for Charles. He employs the melodic phrases of Josquin's plaintive chanson throughout the mass, primarily in the soprano parts but frequently, through imitation, in the others as well. Born and educated in Seville, Morales subsequently served as maestro de capilla in Avila, as singer in the Papal chapel, and maestro de capilla in Toledo, before returning to his native Andalusia. He is considered the foremost Spanish musician of his time.
O Domine, Jesu Christe --- Francisco Guerrero 1528-1599
Missa Mille regretz: Agnus dei --- Cristobál Morales
Early Music Singers
II.
Although polychoral composition is associated most strongly with Giovanni Gabrieli and the Venetians, it was equally popular in Rome and soon spread to other countries as well. Both of the following motets are for eight parts, divided into two contrasting choirs. We perform them here with instruments, as was common in churches of the late sixteenth century. In fact, there is a great deal of evidence for the use of shawms, cornetts, sackbuts, recorders, and various other wind instruments in Spanish churches. Guerrero, a student of Morales, worked most of his life as maestro de capilla of the cathedral of Seville. Victoria, on the other hand, spent much of his life in Rome; in 1587 he returned to Spain, where he served as chaplain to the Dowager Empress Maria, widow of Maximilian II, in Madrid.
Super flumina Babylonis --- Tomás Luis de Victoria c. 1549-1611
voices, cornett, sackbuts, dulcian
Solo choir: Kirstine Wynn, Rachel Vanscoy, David Braasch, Joe Mignano
Ave Maria --- Francisco Guerrero
voices, cornett, sackbuts, dulcian
Early Music Singers & Collegium Musicum
"First, Rojas and Lopez shall always play the treble parts; ordinarily on shawms. They must carefully observe some order when they improvise passages both as to places and to times.... Second, the same Rojas and Lopez when they at appropriate moments play on cornetts must again observe the same moderation in embellishing: the one deferring to the other....As for Juan de Medina, he shall ordinarily play the contralto part, not obscuring the trebles nor disturbing them by exceeding the passages that belong to the contralto. When on the other hand his part becomes the top above the sackbuts, then he is left an open field in which to glory and is free to add to that passages that he desires and knows so well how to execute on his instrument. As for Alvanchez, he shall play tenors and the dulcian." ( From the archives of the Cathedral of Seville, 1586.)
III.
The selections in sections III, IV and V of this program come largely from three important Spanish songbooks, the Cancionero Musical de Palacio, the Cancionero de Colombina, and the Cancionero de Medinaceli. The first two contain music primarily by musicians from the time of Ferdinand and Isabella and the latter contains songs by composers of the mid to later sixteenth century, including Guerrero.
Propiñan de Melyor --- wind band, percussion --- Anonymous, c. 1500
¡Amargas oras de los dulces dias! --- wind band --- Rodrigo de Ceballos c. 1525-1581
Durandarte --- recorders --- Francisco Millan fl. 1500-1520
Como está sola mi vida --- recorders --- Juan Ponce fl. 1500-1520
Mille regretz --- harp --- Josquin des Prez c. 1450-1521
arr. by Luys de Narváez fl. 1526-49
Although Josquin did not visit Spain, as far as we know, his music was popular there. As noted above, his arrangement of his popular chanson appears a book of music for vihuela (Spanish lute) by Narváez from 1538 with the designation "La cancion del Emperador," suggesting that it was a favorite of Charles the V.
La graçia y los ojos bello --- wind band --- Francisco Guerrero
¡O qué nueva! --- wind band --- Francisco Guerrero
Collegium Musicum
IV.
Adios, mi amor --- viols --- Francisco Guerrero
Susana una dia --- viols --- Hernando de Cabezón 1541-1602
Ojos claros, serenos --- recorders --- Francisco Guerrero
O más dura que mármol --- recorders --- Pedro Guerrero b. c. 1520
Diferencias sobre La dame le demanda --- viols --- Antonio de Cabezón 1510-1566
Collegium Musicum
V.
Di, perra mora --- viols, wind band & percussion --- Anonymous, mid 16 th c.
Rodrigo Martines --- basses --- Anonymous, late 15 th c.
Prado verde e floride --- singers, viols, harp --- Francisco Guerrero
Corten espados afiladas --- singers & wind band --- Anonymous, mid-16 th c.
Early Music Singers & Collegium Musicum
* * *
Reception following the concert.
St. Olaf Early Music Singers
Ane Kirstine Wynn
Rachel VanScoy
Megan Drew
Rachel Jenniges
Jenna Landsom
Emmy Kegler
Heather Wood
Kathryn Polyack
Matthias Hunt
Joseph Pesch
David Braasch
Joshua Rundell
Scott Baird
Joseph Mignano
Jacob Leibold
Benjamin Eickhoff
Christopher Schifani
Tyler Beane
St. Olaf Collegium Musicum
Christine Wilkinson, treble viol, Rachel Nesvig, tenor viol
Aria Peters, tenor & treble viol, Gregory Nelson, bass viol, Gerald Hoekstra, bass viol
Leah Abbe, Christine Holmgren, Catherine Wing, James Haas, recorders
Laurie Bardenwerper, cornett, Gerald Hoekstra, cornett
Noelle Pierce, soprano shawm
Phyllip Johnson and Edward Pompeian, tenor sackbut
Stephanie Anderson, bass dulcian
Heather Wood, harp
Additional instrumentalists on Guerrero, Ave Maria:
Grant Randall & Alex Dietz, tenor sackbut
Jonathan Thornton, bass sackbut
Percussionists:
Joshua Rundell, Hailey Hegland, Sean Casey