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LISTENERS' BOX
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Responses to Recent Issues
On "Christmas" Music
The Dec. 19 review by SFCV of the Voces Musicales concert [on Dec. 17, 2006] contains a number of errors. ... The review refers to the group as a "vocal quartet." We are an early music ensemble, and definitely not a vocal quartet; in fact, there were five singers, not four. (I was the fifth singer.) The group is formed around a continuo group, as many period ensembles are. There were also solos, duets, trios, and instrumental combinations, typical of an early music ensemble. A minor point: The concert is listed as a "choral" concert in your review. That is inaccurate: We are not a chorus; we do not perform choral repertory. The review continues with a comment on style: "It might have been a fine time to demonstrate some of the virtuosic ornamental 'abuses' to which these pieces were subjected later in their century." The music was drawn from three different "centuries"; there is no “their century” and the ornaments we used were all taken from their respective historical treatises. Why should we perform nonhistorical ornaments? The next mistake in the review has to do with the notes and translations. The review states: "But why Byrd's Passiontide Ave verum corpus (as incongruous as a crucifix in a crèche) appeared on a Christmas concert is anyone's guess; that its gory text was omitted from the program translations suggests that the performers, too, knew that it was out of season." This criticism of the performers can easily be shown to be untrue. It is true that two texts were left out of the booklet, and one of these was the Ave verum; however, the only other text that was omitted was for the companion piece on the program Puer natus, which is specifically for Christmas. So the omission of the text does not in fact reveal a singerly conspiracy of silence. A careful reading of the program would show this. The error derives from referring to our program as a concert of music proper only to the Christmas season, which it definitely is not. As I clearly and unambiguously state in the program notes: "As Mary and Jesus were inextricably linked in the music and poetry of the time, our program features various aspects of the both of them, as well as music from the important manuscripts and prints in which they appear." Indeed, I directly address Ave verum in my notes. I specifically discuss the piece, the liturgical setting, the author, and the style. I quote from the program: "The striking call and response technique of the Ave verum corpus is reminiscent of earlier Lamentation settings, especially that of Byrd’s friend and colleague, Thomas Tallis. The text is attributed to Pope Innocent the VI and was traditionally sung at the Elevation of the Host." The crucifix is universally present during most seasons of the year, and was present in many forms in all of the venues in which we performed. However, there was traditionally a time of year in which the crucifix was veiled, which ironically is the aforementioned passiontide, not Christmas. Just as the crucifix grew to become a universal symbol, so indeed did the text of the "ave verum corpus": The text early on became connected with the "real presence," and that was one of the reasons for its inclusion. Other reasons were discussed in the notes. The fact is that many of the pieces on the program had nothing to do with Christmas, and that there is of course an obvious difference between our program and, for example, a liturgical reconstruction. Many of us have participated in many Messiah performances, which are often done at Christmas, but both musicians and scholars know the work was originally intended for Easter. Furthermore, the review specifically mentions several of the "non-Christmas" pieces, such as Ay! Luna, que reluzes. I can imagine, for what it is worth, the Christmas Bureau complaining that there were not enough Christmas pieces in the program, but that was not my artistic goal in composing the program, as I state clearly in the notes. As I planned the program, two of the themes that were important to me were the universality of spirit and the formal beauty of the poetry. I knew I did not want a program that was exclusively Christmas music, so I included songs with Moorish and pagan themes, as well as poems that reflect the dynamic tension between the Christian and non-Christian ideologies. ... These Christian and non-Christian pieces exist side by side in the manuscripts and prints because they were presumably played together by the people of the time, just as both Christian and non-Christian symbols appear around us at Christmas. This then is an essential feature of historical performance, and historical performance is what we do. — David Tayler, Voces Musicales
Bruce Lamott Responds While a closer reading of David Tayler's notes might have clarified his programming intentions, what he describes is certainly at odds with the sponsor's promotion of "A Renaissance Christmas — Spanish and English Music of the Season. Come celebrate the holidays in an exaltation of carols, villancicos, and sacred music from Spain and England. From the simple songs of the Spanish palacio to the majestic motets of William Byrd, ensemble Voces Musicales brings you Renaissance part-music imbued with holiday cheer" www.sfems.org. While Voces Musicales may well be an early music ensemble, the name itself suggests a vocal ensemble, although lute, organ, and recorder at times added an additional "voice" or two. The program listed only four singers; I noticed and remembered only four singers — soprano, alto, tenor, bass — standing amid the continuo group; that the instrumentalists occasionally sang from their seated position in the band does not, I think, invalidate my description of a "vocal quartet with small instrumental complement." My mention of ornamentation clearly referred only to the 16th century Victoria motets (written for choirs, and hence "choral" music) and was only meant to suggest that these were singers with the technique and stylistic know-how to pull it off. — Bruce Lamott
Editors' Note The review mistakenly included the wrong photo, which we have removed. We also reclassified it as early music.
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