House Program: A Medieval Christmas - Music by Hildegard of Bingen and Anna of Cologne

December 9–11, 2016

2016-2017 Season Sponsor Jeanne Lamon Hall, Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. West

With sincere appreciation and gratitude

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Magi videntes stellam Nova stella apparita Salutiam divotamente

Chant for the Feast of the Epiphany Florence Laudario, ca 1325 Cortona Laudario, ca 1260

Ave regina caelorum Gabriel fram hevene-King Estampie Gabriel fram hevene-King

Walter Frye (d. 1474) England, late mid-14th century arr. Toronto Consort

Veni veni Emanuel O frondens virga Nicolaus pontifex Nicolai sollempnia

France, ca 1300 Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179) Paris, ca 1250 Das Glogauer Liederbuch, ca 1480

Wynter Deh tristo mi topinello Farwel Advent

Tours, 14th century northern Italy, ca 1400 Selden MS, England, ca 1450

INTERMISSION Please join us for refreshments and the CD Boutique in the Gymnasium.

Hodie aperuit nobis Nowel! Owt of your slepe aryse and wake In dulci jubilo

Hildegard von Bingen Selden MS Liederbuch Anna van Coeln, ca 1500

Gloria Micinella Verbum caro factum est

Antonio Zacara da Teramo (ca 1350 - ca 1413) Tuscany, ca 1400

Lullay lullay Ther is no rose Puer natus in Bethlehem

England, mid-14th century Cambridge, ca 1400 Liederbuch Anna van Coeln

Miri it is while sumer ilast La vida de Culin

Rawlinson MS, England, ca 1225 Cancionero de Montecassino, ca 1480

Gloria in cielo Hodie Christus natus est

Cortona Laudario Chant for Christmas Day

TONIGHT’S PERFORMERS ARE:

STAFF & ADMINISTRATION

Michele DeBoer, voice

David Fallis, Artistic Director Michelle Knight, Managing Director Adam Thomas Smith, Marketing Director Nellie Austin, Bookkeeper Kiran Hacker, Graphic Designer Yara Jakymiw, Season Brochure Graphic Designer Martin Reis, Derek Haukenfreres & Ruth Denton, Box Office Peter Smurlick, Database Consultant Gordon Baker, Stage Manager Cecilia Booth, Front of House & Volunteer Coordinator Gordon Peck, Technical Director Sam Elliott, Intermissions & Receptions Margaret Matian, CD Sales and Event Assistant Heather Engli, Touring

David Fallis, voice, percussion Ben Grossman, hurdy-gurdy, percussion, laouto Katherine Hill, voice, nyckelharpa, fiddle Paul Jenkins, voice, harp Alison Melville, flute, recorder, voice John Pepper, voice WITH

Kirk Elliott, harp, bagpipes, fiddle, psaltery Jessica Wright, voice Laura Warren, Presentation Designer & Projectionist

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ABOUT US

Top Row: David Fallis, Alison Melville, Michele DeBoer, John Pepper, Paul Jenkins Bottom Row: Katherine Hill, Terry McKenna, Laura Pudwell, Ben Grossman Photo Credit: Paul Orenstein

Since its founding in 1972, The Toronto Consort has become internationally recognized for its excellence in the performance of medieval, renaissance and early baroque music.

Led by Artistic Director David Fallis, nine of Canada’s leading early music specialists have come together to form The Toronto Consort, whose members include both singers and instrumentalists (lute, recorder, guitar, flute, early keyboards and percussion).

Each year The Toronto Consort offers a subscription series in Toronto, presented in the beautiful acoustic of the recently-renovated 700seat Jeanne Lamon Hall, at the Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre in downtown Toronto. The ensemble also tours regularly, having been to Europe and Great Britain four times, and frequently across Canada and into the US.

The Toronto Consort has made recordings for the CBC Collection, Berandol, SRI, Dorian, and currently Marquis Classics, with 10 CDs to its credit, two of which have been nominated for Juno awards. The most recent recording (Navidad) was released in 2012; in 2014, the group re-released its popular Christmas recording The Little Barley-Corne.

Recently, the ensemble has been called upon to produce music for historical-drama TV series, including The Tudors, The Borgias and The Vikings, all produced by the cable network, Showtime. The Toronto Consort recorded the soundtrack for Atom Egoyan’s award-winning film The Sweet Hereafter.

PROGRAM NOTES Medieval Music for Midwinter and Christmas

by Katherine Hill, Guest Artistic Director As winter weather and decreasing daylight hours are setting in, we know that we are experiencing the approach of midwinter just as the people of western Europe did in the middle ages: we lament the early setting of the sun, we look forward to the brightness of a holiday celebration, and we bundle up against the cold.

The passage of time and the turning of the seasons in the middle ages would have been viewed through overlapping lenses, related to the natural world (the agricultural cycle, weather, daylight hours), vestiges of the pre-Christian year (most notably the winter solstice, or the shortest day of the year), and the church calendar (tracing events in the life of Christ, as well as the sequence of saints’ feast days). This evening’s programme draws together texts, music and images from western Europe that reflect just a few of the artistic, recreational and ritual responses of medieval people to the approach of midwinter and Christmas.

We begin with the star in the east, the supernatural sign foretelling the birth of Christ. The lauda (praise song) Nova stella apparita from 14th-century Florence tells the story of the Magi, reflecting a virtuosic and “pop” style of singing from the time.

We will also hear music relating to the story

of the Annunciation, a feast taking place on March 25th (i.e., nine months before Christmas Day), but re-told at Christmas time, featuring Gabriel fram hevene-King (also known as Angelus ad Virginem), a song still sung in carol services in the present day. The popularity of this melody in 14th-century England means we have the luxury of mixing and matching from among several extant versions of this enduringly appealing song.

The rest of the music in the first half of the programme traces the season of Advent itself, the four weeks leading up to Christmas. While we experience the month of December now as a time of concertgoing, parties and get-togethers (and timesensitive shopping!), in the middle ages these weeks formed a penitential season that required strict fasting. The last two pieces in the first half of the programme, the 14thcentury Italian Deh tristo mi topinello (Ah, sad little mouse that I am) and the English Farwel Advent, highlight the sad state of affairs at the dinner table during this season.

We will also acknowledge the feast day of St Nicholas (also known as Sinterklaas and Santa Claus) on December 6th by including two pieces in his honour: one solemn melody from 13th-century Paris, featuring the hurdy-gurdy, and a jaunty three-part setting from the Glogau Songbook, a German manuscript compiled in Głogów, Poland, around the year 1480.

No collection of Advent music would be complete without referencing the mystical “O Antiphons”, sung at Vespers for the seven days leading up to Christmas. Each piece invokes a longed-for aspect of Christ, missing from the world but soon to appear.

Many of these attributes are listed in the familiar carol Veni veni Emanuel (O come, O come, Emmanuel), sung here in a 13thcentury setting for two voices. The Advent mood of expectation is also expressed in 12th-century abbess Hildegard of Bingen’s antiphon O frondens virga, which describes Mary as the leafy branch bearing the flower of Christ, bending down to offer help and comfort to a fallen world.

While a significant majority of extant medieval music was generated and recorded by the church, secular material for midwinter has survived to our time, sometimes hidden away in sacred musical works. One such example is the lively English dance “Wynter”, surviving as one line of a 13th-century three-voice sacred French motet from Tours. From the Aragonese court of Alfonso V at Naples, the 15th-century song La vida de Culin describes a trip to the tavern for a warming drink, complete with nonsensical syllables and a “pop” refrain, the text of which is simply “O, o, o, o”; easy enough to join in on, even after a wee dram… or two.

Far from the tavern, the midnight birth of Christ is marked by the song of the angelic host to the shepherds in the field, Gloria in excelsis deo (Glory be to God on high), here a sumptuous four-part setting by northernItalian composer Antonio Zacara da Teramo

(ca 1350 - ca 1413). The English Nowel!

Owt of your slepe aryse and wake describes the same moment; the glorious and tuneful English carol repertoire is further represented by another beloved Christmas piece, Ther is no rose of swych vertu.

Although we cannot understand every word of middle English at first hearing, these texts (and their music) allow us, a little more directly, to find that human connection with the people who first created and enjoyed them.

The latest source for this programme is the songbook of Beguine nun Anna of Cologne, compiled around the year 1500. The Beguines lived in communities within urban centres, and many of the songs from Anna’s pocket-sized book display this contact with the secular world in their popular character, including a charming refrain-song Puer natus in Bethlehem (A Child is born in Bethlehem) and an early, two-part setting of In dulci jubilo (In sweet rejoicing).

We end our programme with another Italian lauda, Gloria in cielo, echoing the Angels’ cry of “peace on earth, and good will towards men”, as well as a mesmerizing chant for Christmas Day, as we return to the image of single star in a winter night sky. Thank you for joining us to experience the sounds and sights gifted to us by people of the past, who like us were enduring the darkness of December, but hopefully also enjoying the delights of good company and the brightness of holiday cheer.

NOTES ON THE IMAGES The images that accompany and illuminate “A Medieval Christmas” have been selected from a number of different sources. We wanted to display some of the many facets of Medieval art, and so have ensured that there are examples of paintings, illuminated manuscripts (including music manuscripts), stained glass, carving (in wood, ivory and stone), tapestry, and mosaics. Scenes naturally group themselves around the episodes of the Christmas story which were most important for Medieval artists and their patrons: the Annunciation by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary; the appearance of the Christmas angels to the shepherds; scenes at the manger, with either the shepherds or the three magi; the journey of the three magi.

For the stained glass and some of the carvings, we do not know who the artists were, but many of the paintings come from famous medieval painters, including Robert Campin, Bartolo di Fredi, Sassetta, Giotto, Marcellus Coffermans and Gerard David. As a nod to one of our upcoming concerts, we have included a wonderful Adoration of the Magi by Hieronymus Bosch. The famous book illuminators the Limbourg brothers are represented, as is the 12th-century sculptor Ghislebertus, and the mosaic artist Pietro Cavallini. During the singing of music by Hildegard of Bingen, we have included some of the magnificent illustrations from the manuscripts containing her music, illustrations which Hildegard herself oversaw.

We have also included secular scenes, depicting feasting and drinking, the hardships of winter, and the joys of winter (like snowball fights). Indeed one of the great pleasures of Medieval art is the combination of a deep and serene timelessness with details and features of everyday life. We hope that the two art forms present in “A Medieval Christmas” will complement each other, so that the listener/viewer will appreciate this combination in a way which perhaps each medium on its own would not achieve.

– David Fallis

PRESENTATION DESIGNER & PROJECTIONIST Laura Warren Laura is a Saskatchewan-raised, Toronto-based projection, lighting and set designer. Select credits include: Projection Design: Secrets of a Black Boy (PLAYINGwithCR AYONS/Theatre Passe Muraille), No Strings (Attached) (Pink Pluto/Eventual Ashes/Buddies in Bad Times), Love’s Labour’s Lost, Guys and Dolls (Nightwood Theatre); Lighting & Projection Design: Situational Anarchy (Pressgang Theatre/Pandemic Theatre); Assistant Projection Design: Alice in Wonderland (Shaw Festival), Niagara: A Pan-American Story (Panamania/Propeller Arts Projects); Tricks, Hocus Pocus (Magicana/Soulpepper), Squawk and Sidewalk Chalk (Geordie Theatre); Collaborator/Designer: Mars One (Ghost River Theatre’s Devised Production Intensive). Laura is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada’s production program.

GUEST ARTISTIC DIRECTOR & ENSEMBLE MEMBER Katherine Hill Singer Katherine Hill first developed a love for old European text and music here in her native Toronto. With support from the Canada Council for the Arts she moved to the Netherlands in 2000, studying, appearing in concerts, radio broadcasts and at festivals throughout Europe over many years. Her particular interest in music from medieval women’s communities has led to her developing and directing her own projects in Amsterdam, Toronto and Calgary, and she currently directs a women’s group, Vinea (The Vineyard). In 2010, she completed an M.A. in Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto’s world-renowned Centre for Medieval Studies, and in 2012, with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, Katherine received a diploma from the Eric Sahlström Institute in Sweden, where she studied the nyckelharpa (a Swedish keyed fiddle with origins in the middle ages). Katherine is the Director of Music at St Bartholomew’s Anglican Church, an Anglo-Catholic parish in Regent Park, Toronto. She performs and records frequently with early, traditional and new music groups here in Toronto and abroad.

GUEST PERFORMERS Kirk Elliott Kirk Elliott is a musician, arranger and composer from Toronto. He has travelled throughout Canada and the United States for over 25 years performing with family entertainers Sharon, Lois & Bram, appearing at such venues as Carnegie Hall and the Palace Theatre on Broadway.

He works in his recording studio with over 60 musical instruments, and has created scores for CBC, CTV, YTV, the National Film Board, the National Ballet, Toronto Dance Theatre, and Oscar-winning animated film director Chris Landreth. Kirk performs frequently with Ensemble Polaris, for whom he composes and plays fiddle, bass, mandolin, bouzouki, Celtic harp, accordion, balalaika and an assortment of bagpipes. On his latest CD, Solstice Spirit, the Musical Visions of Sister Gildaherd the Benign, Kirk plays over 25 instruments, offering “wonderful entertainment … Peter Schickele’s PDQ Bach has a long-lost brother in arms” (The WholeNote).

Jessica Wright Based in Toronto, Jessica Wright is an alto with a vested interest in the performance and study of early music and historical performance practices. Jessica has been fortunate to have performed with many early music ensembles as both a chorister and a soloist, including Tafelmusik, the Theatre of Early Music, Toronto Masque Theatre, and Opera Atelier. She has sung as a soloist in performances of Bach cantatas with the Theatre of Early Music, the Toronto Chamber Choir and the Talisker Players, as well as in performances of major concert works including Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, the Vivaldi Gloria, and the Duruflé Requiem.

THANK YOU The Toronto Consort gratefully acknowledges the generous ongoing support of Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, our sponsor and foundation partners, our long-time government funders and our many wonderful dedicated volunteers.

CORPORATE & COMMUNITY SUPPORTERS

FOUNDATION SUPPORTERS The J.P. Bickell Foundation, The Lloyd Carr-Harris Foundation, The McLean Foundation, The Keith Foundation at the Strategic Charitable Giving Foundation, The F.K. Morrow Foundation, The Catherine & Maxwell Meighen Foundation, The Ed Mirvish Family Foundation, Audrey S. Hellyer Charitable Foundation, The Mary Margaret Webb Foundation

SPECIAL THANKS Many thanks to Peter Drobac; Walter Hannam; Sarah Benson; Sebastian Moreno; the staff of the library at the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto; Alice Degan and Johanna Pak; Grieg Dunn and Anne-Louise Lanteigne.

2016–17 DONORS GOLD RENAISSANCE CIRCLE ($5,000 and above) Ann H. Atkinson Tom Bogart & Kathy Tamaki Greig Dunn & Robert Maclennan Jane & Al Forest Estate of Patricia Hosack John & Maire Percy Vivian E. Pilar Joan E. Robinson ($2,500 – $4,999) Estate of Norman John Cornack Fred & Ursula Franklin Tiit Kodar, in memory of Jean Kodar ($1,000 – $2,499) C. Bergeron Marie Campbell Jane Couchman & Bill Found Jean Edwards David Fallis Kevin Finora Chester & Camilla Gryski A. L. Guthrie Glen Hutzul John Ison William & Hiroko Keith Gerhard & Louise Klaassen Oleg Kuzin, in memory of Betty Kuzin Marion Lane & Bill Irvine Dr. Margaret Ann Mackay Ann F. Posen Ted Sharp Heather Turnbull Guy Upjohn Jane Witherspoon & Brian Stewart Berta Zaccardi & Craig Robertson

IN MEMORY OF URSULA & FRED FRANKLIN

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IN CONVERSATION with Paul Jenkins TC: When did you get into music?

PJ: It must have been quite early in life. My mother tells me I would sing with her on long car trips as a toddler and be able to hold the tune while she harmonized. It was a fairly musical home with my parents involved in choral and musical theatre productions.

We had a piano and a huge, old pump organ. I don’t remember whether it was I or my sister who coloured in the white stop knobs with bright colours. I remember being carried away in transports of delight by great music making. Once the legendary French organist Pierre Cochereau appeared in my home town on tour and after a challenging recital programme improvised a symphony on themes given to him by audience members. That was quite an ear-opener.

TC: How about early music?

PJ: I was always drawn to the early composers in church choir—Tallis, Byrd, Gibbons, Purcell. Later at university I got acquainted with a wider variety of periods and styles. My first harpsichord summer course and lessons with Colin Tilney were very enjoyable and illuminating. Through him I met the late Christopher Hogwood whose breadth of knowledge was truly encyclopedic. I visited him in Cambridge and greatly appreciated the advice he gave to a young musician. He told me it is essential to be able to improvise in whatever style of music one is performing and to be ready for anything on stage, always in the moment.

TC: What was your first “professional” performance?

PJ: I was briefly interim organist and choir master at age 18 although I’m not sure how much of a performance that was. Honestly I don’t remember the first time I was paid to perform. It was probably a wedding.

TC: When did you join The Toronto Consort?

PJ: I joined the group in 1990. Hard to believe it’s been a quarter-century plus.

TC: Do you have a memorable performance or moment?

PJ: There have been many memorable times with the Consort on and off stage; I would scarcely know where to begin. Memories to recover... a haunted theatre in Fort McLeod, Alberta, a haunted church sacristy on Isle d’Orleans where I had hiccups before the show. They didn’t cease until the minute we walked on stage. Maybe it’s the time of year that brings to mind ghosts.

TC: What do you like to do before a show to get ready? After a show?

PJ: Before a performance it’s not uncommon that I will lie down in a corner and nap. Usually I’m up in good time for the backstage huddle but sometimes the words “Where’s Paul?” have been uttered in my absence, I’m told. Afterwards I’ll meet and greet, attend a reception, or unwind with a frosty beverage.

If it’s an early start the next day after an evening show, I like to retire before the witching hour.

TC: Where can we find you next, outside of The Consort?

PJ: Next Sunday before 5:00 p.m. I’m playing at St. Michael’s Cathedral on the new Casavant organ. It’s quite a thrill.

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COMING UP NEXT IN 2017

February 3 & 4 at 8pm With special guests, native performers Marilyn George, Shirley Hay, Jeremy Dutcher and Wendat Traditional Knowledge Keeper Georges Sioui

March 3 & 4 at 8pm Canadian debut of world-renowned Belgian vocal ensemble Cappella Pratensis

OPER A IN CONCERT

May 12 & 13 at 8pm, 14 at 3:30pm

Box Office: 416-964-6337 Online: TorontoConsort.org Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W.