Gotham Early Music Scene (4/13/23)

Cantos y Suspiros: Songs & Dances of 17th Century Spain

Camila Parias ~ soprano; Christa Patton ~ Baroque harp; Hideki Yamaya ~ Baroque guitar

Pajarillo que bien cantas ausente – Cristóbal Galán (1625–1684)

Passacalle de Proporzion por Octabo Tono (1702) – Diego Fernández de Huete (1657–1722)
Corazón que en prisión – José Marin (1619–1699)

Cumbees – Santiago de Murcia (1673–1739)
No te embarques, pensamiento – Juan del Vado (1615–1691)

Tiento (1557) – Anonymous
Rompa el aire en suspiros – Juan Hidalgo (1614–1685)

Folias Gallegas – Santiago de Murcia
La Borrachita de Amor – Sebastian Durón (1660–1716)

¡Al sarao, que el Amor...! – Anonymous
Canzona Francesa – Anonymous (arr. Christa Patton)

Otros Canarios – Santiago de Murcia
Canarios – Diego Fernández de Huete
Canario bona de rufa y fa/Canarios (1704) – Anonymous
Canarios (1674) – Gaspar Sans (1640–1710)

As you can see, there were many pieces on the program, so this will be more like a survey than information on each piece. Many composers were represented, though Anonymous made a pretty strong showing. All three performers were great. I’ve had the good fortune to have worked with Christa Patton, the harpist, in my days performing with New York’s Ensemble for Early Music (since renamed at least one time, if not more). The baroque harp is a smaller version of the harp you’re thinking of, though it is not hand-held and it does not have any pedals. The baroque guitar is lighter in sound and texture than modern guitars, though it did pack a wallop in one work. The soprano also contributed with a few light, hand-held percussion ornamentations.

Let’s start with the last grouping. It’s the only one that had a tune that I recognized, and it was a medley of four works played through as one composition. It opened with solo guitar, rhythmic and dance-like, then solo harp joined by guitar, joined by soprano. Next there was a section alternating back and forth between all three. In addition to me recognizing a tune, this was where the guitar was forceful and fun. It was a great way to end a concert.

The concert opened with all three performers in a lively, rhythmic, enjoyable strophic song. Verse, three mini-verses, repeat of the opening verse.

The third grouping was all instrumental with the guitar at the forefront, added harp, and light percussion (claves—round wooden boards tapped against each other).

The sixth grouping began with guitar and recorder (the harpist, switching gears) then the soprano alternating singing and playing the tambourine. Yes, they multitasked very well. The second of the two works in the grouping was lively though not harsh at all. You may be wondering about the groupings. It is a great way to indicate to the audience where appropriate applause could/would/should occur. I think it worked quite nicely.

ConcertMeister

Gotham Early Music Scene (3/30/23)

La Serenissima: Music from the Republic of Venice (697–1797)

ALBA Consort – Margo Andrea ~ mezzo-soprano, vielle & zills; Carlo Valte ~ oud; Rex Benincasa ~ percussion, tenor & psaltery; Jason Priset ~ lute, guitar & vihuela

Si dolce e’l tormento – Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643)
Ch’amor sia nudo – Francesca Caccini (1587– ca. 1645)
Vella de vos, Villancicos de diversos Autores – Mateo Flecha? (1481–1553)
Dime Robadora, aka Cancionero de Uppsala – Anonymous, Cancionero de Venecia (pub. Venice, 1556)
Bashraf Huseyni – Sultan Korkut of Anatolia (1467–1513)
Cypriot Ballad #64: S’on veult d’Amours – Anonymous, Turino Manuscript (Cyprus, 14th c.)
Bashraf Nawa – Emir iHaj (Egypt, 16th c.)
Se mai per maraveglia (laude) – Anonymous, pub. Franciscus Bossinensis (fl. 1509–1511)
Ostinato vo seguire (pub. Venice, 1511) – Bartoleomeo Tromboncino (1470–1535) with Ricercar by Francesco da Milano (1497–1535)
Dunulá – Sephardic Traditional, Greece

First things, first. The date 697, above, refers to Venice, not the music on this concert. Instruments that may seem weird or new to you include: vielle, which is very similar (to my eye and ear) to a viola; zills that seemed to be a heavyweight version of finger cymbals, not so much ringing as clapping; the oud looked to me like a lute but with a larger sounding chamber and possibly two different ways of plucking/strumming the strings; psaltery which was neither a book nor a piece of furniture, but a fretboard-less box zither, played lying flat across the musician’s thighs; while the vihuela is a 15th-century plucked instrument, similar to a guitar. That said, I did not detect any differences in sound between those specialized instruments and the ones they were/are similar to. Go figure.

With ten pieces on the program, I’ll be commenting on only a few.

The concert opened with a slow piece that had an intro of plucked (as opposed to strummed) strings. Then the mezzo joined and sang three strophic verses that had vocal ornamentation in the third. 

After a quicker second piece with mezzo and instruments, the third was totally instrumental, slower, but it also included light percussion in the form of a single hand-held drum. It was calm without being somber. 

In looking at my notes, the rest of the concert followed along those lines, so I’ll skip to the end. The last work had an instrumental opening, then the tenor entered, followed by the mezzo. There was a very energetic back-and-forth duet leading to a whirling dervish ending. 

Overall, the playing and singing were lots of fun and very interesting. I had a really good time.

ConcertMeister