TS · YALE · U EN M
· INSTR CAL U SI U
of the Yale University Collection of Musical Instruments
Number 33
v Forty-third Annual Concert Series
ION · OF · M CT LE
N EW S L ETT E R
ITY · C OL ERS IV N
Fall 2010
vThe Smithsonian Chamber Players will make their debut on Once again this season the series of concerts at the Yale Collection of the Collection’s series on January 23. Comprised of Mark Schachman, Musical Instruments will feature an international roster of artists who oboe; Eric Hoeprich, clarinet, Andrew Schwartz, bassoon, and Kenneth specialize in the performance of music in its historical context. The lonSlowik, piano. The ensemble will be joined by the Collection’s Interim gest-running series of its kind in the country, this series offers music lovDirector William Purvis playing the natural horn for the performance ers in the New Haven community a unique experience in hearing these of a program of chamber music for piano and wind instruments. Their critically acclaimed musicians in an intimate acoustical surrounding program will include quintets by Mozart and Beethoven. ideally suited to music from earlier repertories. Directed by Kenneth Slowik, The Smithsonian Chamber Players Under the artistic direction of flute consists of a select group of virtuosi and recorder virtuosi Matthias Maute and dedicated to exploring the sonic and culSophie Larivière, Ensemble Caprice tural-historical worlds of the historical will open the series on October 10. The instruments found in the Collection of group, which also includes David Jacques, Musical Instruments at the Smithsonian. baroque guitar; Elinor Frey, baroque cello; With many best-selling recordings to its and Ziya Tabassian, percussion, is renowned credit—covering repertoire from Bach, for its innovative interpretations of baMarais, and Corelli through Schönberg, roque music. Formed in Germany in 1989 Mahler, and Samuel Barber—the Smithand now well established in Montreal, the sonian Chamber Players enjoys a broad ensemble regularly performs in Europe, audience based on concert tours and participating in such early music festivals as nationwide radio broadcasts, and fills a those in Bruges and Utrecht, and in Gercore function in the Smithsonian Chammany at the Händel Festival in Halle and ber Music Program, the most extensive the Recorder Festival in Stockstadt. Since museum-resident period-instrument zproits debut at the 2005 Boston Early Music gram in the world. Festival concert series, Ensemble Caprice vThe acclaimed Italian viola da gamba has appeared widely in the US. The envirtuoso Paolo Pandolfo will return semble presents an annual concert series to the Collection to perform a program in Montreal and organizes a festival as well Montreal-based Ensemble Caprice will open the concert series at the Collection with the Norwegian lutenist Thomas with a program entitled “Bach and the Baroque Gypsies” on October 10. as a competition for young professionals. Boysen on February 27. The ensemble’s cd Gloria! Vivaldi’s Angels (Analekta) won a prestigious Paolo Pandolfo began his career in early music in 1979 with violinJuno Award in 2009. Their cd Vivaldi and the Baroque Gypsies (Analekta) ist Enrico Gatti and harpsicordist Rinaldo Alessandrini. In 1982 he bewas nominated for a 2009 Echo Klassik award in Germany. Their new recame a member of Jordi Savall’s ensemble Hesperion XX, with which cording, Salsa Baroque, will be released on the Analekta label in October. he played and recorded until 1990, when he was appointed professor of Ensemble Caprice’s Yale program, Bach and the Baroque Gypsies, exviola da gamba at his alma mater, the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in plores the possible influence on Bach of Eastern European and gypsy Basel. He performs all over the world, and regularly collaborates with melodies contained in the Uhrovsa Manuscript (dated 1730). artists such as Emma Kirkby, Rolf Lislevand, Rinaldo Alessandrini, José vHarpsichordist Adam Pearl will make his New Haven debut at the Miguel Moreno and many others. Since 1992 he has directed Labyrinto, Collection on November 7. An alumnus of the Peabody Conservatory, an ensemble of viols performing the vast “consort music” repertoire. from which he received the Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, and Paolo Pandolfo has recorded extensively for the Astree, EMI, Philips, Doctor of Musical Arts degrees, he performs regularly in the Baltimore, Erato, Harmonia Mundi, Tactus, and Simphonia labels. His recordings Washington, and Philadelphia areas, as well as around the country, with have received laudatory reviews as well as many awards by the most imensembles such as Tempesta di Mare, Opera Lafayette, the Richmond portant musical magazines (Gramophone, Le Monde de la musique, Goldberg Symphony, and American Bach Soloists. etc.). The cd “The Drexel Manuscript” is presently running for the Best As Music Director for American Opera Theater (formerly Ignoti Dei Year’s recording in the category “Instrumental” for BBC Music Magazine. Opera) Mr. Pearl has conducted performances of Purcell’s Dido and Ae Thomas C. Boysen was born in Oslo, Norway in 1970 into a family neas, Cavalli’s La Calisto, Charpentier’s David et Jonathas, and Handel’s of musicians. He studied guitar and lute at the Norwegian State AcadAcis and Galatea. His recent recording of Handel with Tempesta di Mare emy of Music. Receiving his diploma in 1995 he went to Germany to and Julianne Baird on the Chandos label was released in 2007. Mr. Pearl study with Rolf Lislevand at the State Academy of Music in Trossingen. was one of five harpsichordists invited to perform and record the comThomas Boysen is widely in demand as a lutenist, guitarist, and conplete Bach harpsichord concertos on antique instruments at the Flinttinuo player and has appeared with such groups as the Balthasar-Neuwoods estate for Plectra Music. In August 2004 he won third prize at the mann Ensemble, the Oman Consort, the Freiburg Baroque Orchesprestigious international harpsichord competition in Brugge, Belgium. tra and Armonico Tributo Austria. He has participated in concerts, Mr. Pearl’s program will include works by the English virginalists, Frorecordings, and radio productions with some of the most important berger, and C. P. E. Bach, and will feature the use of the newly restored musicians on the European early music scene. Since 2001 he also has single-manual harpsichord by Andreas Ruckers (Antwerp, 1640). been on the faculty of the State Academy of Music in Trossingen.
vDorothy and Nicholas Renouf will conclude the series with a performance of music for piano, four-hands on May 1. Their program will include works from the duet repertory by Mozart, Schubert, Dvorak, and Fauré and will feature the use of the 1883 Erard piano in the Collection. Dorothy Renouf received the B.A. degree from the University of Wisconsin, where she studied the piano under Gunnar Johansen and Paul Badura Skoda, and the Master of Music degree from the New England Conservatory, where she studied under Veronica Jochum. She teaches piano privately at her studio in Guilford. Nicholas Renouf received the Bachelor of Music degree from the New England Conservatory, where he studied with Miklos Schwalb, and the Master of Musical Arts degree from the Yale School of Music, where he studied the piano under Donald Currier and the harpsichord with Richard Rephann. He is Associate Curator of the Collection and is the Director of Music at St. Mary’s Church, New Haven.
vFrom the Director’s Desk
The past year has seen a whirlwind of activity at the Collection that will continue into the next year and beyond. This has included an exciting concert series and an expanded master class series in cooperation with Robert Mealy and his program at Yale School of Music. It has also included important upgrades to the museum’s facilities both at 15 Hillhouse, and off-campus as noted below. We are excited about the concert series and master classes for the upcoming year, which will conclude with piano duet recital by our own Nicholas Renouf and his wife Dorothy. The upcoming season will also see special events at the Collection including Robert Mealy’s Yale Baroque Ensemble in its inaugural concert as Ensemble in Residence at the Collection as well as a special harpsichord recital by the renowned Masaaki Suzuki. The past season has seen significant new programmatic initiatives as well. An ambitious program of acquiring replica instruments to be owned and maintained by the vHarpsichord restored Collection but for use by School of Music students is described below. Last spring Conservator Frank Rutkowski The ongoing assessment of the Colleccompleted restoration and conservation The single-manual harpsichord made by Andreas Ruckers in Antwerp in tions’s holdings continues (the assessment work on the single-manual Flemish harp- 1640 was restored last season by Conservator Frank Rutkowski of the bowed strings was completed by Ansichord made by Andreas Ruckers in Antdrew Dipper in May). The work includes valuation as well as appraisal werp in 1640. This instrument is a fine example of the Flemish school of of the instruments’ condition with regard to maintenance, conservation harpsichord making at its height. The Ruckers dynasty was a dominant and restoration. The results have bearing on such concerns as storage force in harpsichord making from the late 16th to the end of the 17th and display, but also project beyond to issues of the status of the museum century. Ruckers harpsichords and virginals were exported throughout holdings in general—with special regard to future acquisitions and estabEurope and even to Spanish America. Indeed, in late 17th- and early lishing policies for the use of the Collection. 18th-century France, so highly prized were these older Flemish instruWhen I was asked to accept this interim position at the Collection, ments that they commanded double the price or more when rebuilt to Dean Blocker promised that an additional staff member would be hired. contemporary standards than did the new product of a native maker. Unfortunately the constraints of the economy have delayed this. HavThe current project included the restringing, requilling and voicing of ing experienced the inner workings of the Collection first hand the past the instrument as well as the strengthening of its stand. The result of two years, I now believe that it is essential for the Collection to add the work is an action with greatly improved response to the touch of the two additional clerical/technical staff members as well as a junior curaplayer. The instrument will make its post-restoration debut on 10 Novemtor. This is important not only for maintaining the ongoing functions ber when Adam Pearl uses it in his performance. of the Collection, but also for projecting the invaluable institutional knowledge of the Collection into the next decades. In the meantime vMasaaki Suzuki Concert we have been able to engage two recently graduated YSM students on a Acclaimed harpsichordist Masaaki Suzuki will be presented in a special part-time basis who have been of invaluable assistance. gala concert at the Collection on Wednesday, 27 April, 2010. Equally In the face of a precarious economic climate, the Collection appears renowned as an organist and a conductor, Mr. Suzuki, is a native of Kobe, to be secure, owing to its independent endowments, and Japan. After graduating from Tokyo University of Fine Arts especially to the deep commitment of Dean Blocker and and Music, he pursued harpsichord and organ studies at the Yale School of Music. the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam under Ton As I enter my third and final year as interim director I am Koopman and Piet Kee. Having earned Soloist Diplomas enthusiastic about the future of the Collection and its trein both instruments, he was awarded second prize in the mendous potential. In the midst of these exciting changes, Harpsichord Competition in 1980 and Third Prize in the however, I am ever mindful that it is far preferable to be Organ Competition in 1982 in the Flanders Festival at Bruremembered as too cautious than too ambitious in this ges. From 1981 to 1983 Masaaki Suzuki was a harpsichord role. In the meantime, I am honored to continue the instructor at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Duiseducation I have been receiving from Susan and Nichoburg, Germany. Returning to Japan in 1989, he performed widely all over the country, and organized an acclaimed con- World renowned harpsichordist las, from the Board of Advisors and from the treasures of Masaaki Suzuki will perform cert series at Shoin Women’s University in Kobe. Masaaki a special concert at the Collec- the Collection themselves. I look forward to seeing you at the Collection this Suzuki also has acquired an outstanding reputation as a tion in April year, for one of our many events, or just for a visit. conductor. Since 1990 Suzuki has been the musical director Please feel free to communicate any advice, suggestions, complaints, of the Bach Collegium Japan working, regularly with renowned European etc., to me at any time. soloists and ensembles. He has received special acclaim for his recordings Sincerely, of Bach’s cantatas on BIS, for whom he is recording J. S. Bach’s complete harpsichord works. Mr. Suzuki is currently a professor at Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music and in 2009 he was appointed as Visiting Professor of Choral Conducting at The Yale Institute of Sacred Music William Purvis, Interim Director and the Yale School of Music, and conductor of Yale Schola Cantorum.
vMuseum Storage Facilities Updated
last season in support of the Yale Baroque Ensemble and Robert Mealy’s program. Two Baroque flutes were acquired and were used in several performances, including YSM flute student Chris Matthews’ performance of Bach’s 4th Brandenburg Concerto, which inspired him to continue his studies in the Juilliard Baroque program for the coming year. This season the Collection has ordered replica Baroque and Classical period oboes and bassoons as well as Classical clarinets. Students working on the Baroque wind instruments will eventually participate in Robert Mealy’s program, including performances with the Institute of Sacred Music. The Classical period winds will form the basis of a “Harmonie Ensemble.” There is much interesting repertoire for such an ensemble—pairs of winds from sextets of clariThe shelves and draw- nets, bassoons and horns to octets includers of the new cabinets ing oboes—which forms the cornerstone of make the instruments Classical wind chamber music. We hope to readily accessible. launch this program in January to coincide with the Smithsonian Classical program for winds and forte-piano in which Interim Director William Purvis will participate. Another important acquisition is a Flemish style harpsichord made by Titus Crijnen of Holland after a two-manual Ruckers instrument The sliding-shelf modules on the vNew Yorker Cover Exhibit left and Delta cases on the right from 1624. This harpsichord is intended for regular use in Robert An exhibit of New Yorker covers devoted to musical provide truly suitable storage for the Mealy’s program, but will also see other service such as the recitals subjects opened at the Collection in May. Entitled Collection’s holdings. of Masaaki Suzuki at the Collection and in Carnegie hall. “The Lighter Side of Music: New Yorker Covers (1931-2010),” the show feaThe replica purchase initiative is conceived as a bridge between the Coltures the works of 23 New Yorker artists, including Rose Silver, Abe Birnlection and the School of Music, while at the same time it ensures protecbaum, Perry Barlow, Mary Petty, Robert Tallon, William Steig and Peter tion of the priceless antique instruments in the museum. This program De Seve. Humor is the focus of the helps to provide instruction to students about performance practices exhibit. Among the covers on view are of earlier times, but also educates them in how to better appreciate the Rea Irvin’s depiction of a musician priceless treasures of the Collection. practicing his large double bass within vPostgrad Interns the confines of a small hotel room During the past summer YSM graduate Scott Holben served as an and Paul Degen’s rendering of a soarintern at the Collection. A native of Colorado, Scott attended the ing skyscraper inspired by the shape University of Colorado before coming to study at Yale in the French of a grand piano. Scenes of symphony horn studio of William Purorchestras on-stage, off-stage, or “in vis. Single-handedly Scott rethe pit” have been a frequent subject organized the instruments in of the magazine’s cover illustrators for the newly renovated basement eight decades, as seen in differing instorage area. He went on to terpretations by Abner Dean, Julian record their precise location De Miskey, Roger Duvoisin, Peter in the museum’s database and Arno, Charles Elmer Martin, John measured, photographed, and O’Brien and J. J. Sempé. All of the catalogued a number of instrucovers on display are from the collection of Susan E. Thompson, curator of ments. We wish him well as he the museum. The exhibit will remain on view through the fall semester. departs in September to accept an invReplica Instruments Purchased vitation to perform this season with the In order to forge a stronger connection with the Yale School of Music, Macao Symphony in China. the Collection initiated last season an ambitious program of acquiring A second recent YSM graduate, tubist modern replica Baroque and Classical instruments. In the 2009-10 seaBeth Wiese, has accepted an internson two violins, a viola and a cello, plus a number of bows were acquired ship at the Collection for the coming academic Year. Growing up in DavThis Newsletter is published annually by the enport, Iowa, Beth attended Lawrence YALE UNIVERSITY College in Wisconsin before coming COLLECTION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS 15 Hillhouse Avenue, P.O. Box 208278 to Yale. Beth comes with experience New Haven, CT 06520-8278 gained from working at the Peabody museum and is a driving force in the School of Music intramural soccer team. Beth will continue with Telephone (203) 432-0822; FAX (203) 432-8342 e-mail: musinst@pantheon.yale.edu the work conducted by Scott and will assist in the general running of On the Internet: www.yale.edu/musicalinstruments the museum. The Interim Director and Curators are extremely grateful Public Visiting Hours: Sept.-June, Tues—Fri., 1-4 pm; Sun., 1-5 pm for the intelligence, energy and resourcefulness offered so generously by Closed during University Recesses and during July and August. these two fine young musicians. A thorough renovation of the Collection’s basement storage area was announced in the last issue of this Newsletter. This project, which entailed the sealing of the floor, painting, upgrading of lighting and climate control, has now been completed. With the advice of conservation staff in the other Yale museums, a new system of state-of-the-art storage cabinets was ordered from Delta Designs in Nebraska. These were installed early last fall. Storage modules for large objects were designed by Yale architect Joseph Chadwick and assembled under his supervision. This past summer the objects were assigned permanent locations in the new cabinets and modules. It is a tremendous relief to the curatorial staff that the instruments are at last properly stored for their well-being and are far more readily accessible for examination and study. A new project with regard to the storage of the Collection’s holdings is underway this season. Along with the other museums at Yale, the Collection has been assigned space for storage, conservation, and documentation in the University’s new “West Campus” facility in Orange acquired in 2007. This fall a secure room with accurate climate control in the building shared by the other Yale museums, will receive the instruments stored in rented space in Beacon Falls since 2002.
photograph: Susan E.Thompson
A young man at this season’s Morse Summer Music Academy at the Yale School of Music prepares to sound a tuba from the Collection. He was among 42 students in grades 6-10 selected by teachers from the New Haven Public Schools to participate in the Academy. The group enjoyed a presentation at the Collection by the staff in August.
MEMBERSHIP & TICKETS As in previous seasons, memberships and orders for series subscription tickets should be returned to the Collection in the enclosed envelope. The membership will be acknowledged and the tickets sent out in the mail. Single tickets may be ordered by telephone at: 203-432-0825, or online from the Yale School of Music box office at: www.yale.edu/music). Associates are reminded that they are entitled to a substantial discount on the price of tickets (regular price $20 each, Associate’s price $15; special
Associate’s series ticket for five concerts $50). As noted on the membership form, the IRS requires that the amount of the contribution that is tax-deductible must be reduced by the amount of the discount taken on ticket prices. Associates are also given preference as to seating for a series subscription. Seats held in previous years will be reserved for the holder until Sept. 30. Requests from new subscribers will be filled in order of receipt. For further information, please call (203) 432-0825.
YALE UNIVERSITY COLLECTION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS ASSOCIATE MEMBERS: 2009-2010 HONORARY LIFE MEMBER Mr. Elias N. Kulukundis Mr. George P. O’Leary Mr. Andrew Petryn Mr. Hans H. Schambach Mr. Timothy A. Steinert STEINERT FELLOW Yves A. Feder and Linda Skernick BENEFACTOR Ms. Victoria Keator DePalma Mr. and Mrs. Elias N. Kulukundis Mr. Thomas G. MacCracken Mr. David G. Powrie Mr. Miles O. Steinert PATRON Dr. and Mrs. Emile L. Boulpaep Ms. Ute Brinkmann Dr. and Mrs. Robert W. Lyons George and Reba O’Leary Mr. Christopher Reuning Ms. Elizabeth C. Yen SPONSOR Mr. and Mrs. Robert P. Anderson, Jr. Dr. James K. and Peggy F. Baird Mr. Ronald Bell Mrs. Ann Bliss Robert and Serena Blocker
SPONSOR (continued) Ms. Claudine Britton Prof. Ki and Juliet Chon Mrs. Grace A. Clark Ms. Constance Clement Mrs. Phoebe Coleman Dr. Philip J. Conforti Mr. and Mrs. R. Raleigh D’Adamo Mr. John N. Ellyson Dr. and Mrs. Gilbert H. Glaser Joseph F. Hoffman & Eleanor Citkowitz Prof. Francesco Iachello Prof. Boyd M. Jones II Yuliya Kaspler & Eschrat Rahimi-Laridjani Ms. Elizabeth Keitel Samuel H. Kress Foundation Peggy and Ramsay MacMullen Elizabeth D. C. Meyer Mrs. Frances L. Miller Prof. Craig A. Monson Ms Kathleen Moretto Spencer Robert and Carole Morgan Peter and Kathryn Patrikis Mr. Andrew Petryn Prof. Leon Plantinga Gary and Diane Ransom Jack and Leetha Sandweiss Mr. Hans H. Schambach Anne Scheffler Barbara A. Shailor and Harry W. Blair Marlowe and Elise Sigal Kerala and Richard Snyder
SPONSOR (continued) Shepard and Marlene Stone Ms. Sally A. Taylor Hannah and Herbert Winer Earl and Constance Young FAMILY John and Rebecca Arkenberg Mr. and Mrs. Donald Baerman Francis Braunlich and Elizabeth Neuse Anne and Guido Calabresi Ms. Grace A. Feldman Ruth Lambert and Rochelle Lambert Dr. and Mrs. Jerry Lasser Dr. Cornelia Leavitt-Scudder Rodney J. Regier and Shirley Matthews Lynda E. Rosenfeld and Richard M. Weiss Daniel and Susan Rosner Prof.. Koichi Shinohara Bruce and Jean Sielaff Drs. Lorraine Siggins & Braxton McKee Dr. J. W. Streett and Family John and Dorothy Sutton Mrs. Belle Skinner Kilborne Taylor Dr. Hugh H. Young REGULAR Mr Kenneth E. Allen Mr. F. Vining Bigelow Mrs. Sally B. Brown Mr. John H. Burkhalter III Walter Cahn & Brenda Danet
REGULAR (continued) Dr. Paul D. Cienniwa Ms. Adela W. Collins Edith H. Evangeliste Grace A. Feldman Dr. & Mrs. Gerhard H. Giebisch Dr. Lee Goebel Ms. Joyce V. Goldberg Dr. Mary Jewett Greer Mr. Ellsworth Hood Susan Rees Jones Mr. Philip Kass Mr. Kerry Keane Mr. Richard Kingston Dr. Cornelia Leavitt-Scudder Jeane Lind & David Berger Mr. Carleton Loucks Prof. George H. Lucktenberg Dr. Kevin Mack Prof. Susan Marchant Dr. E. Anthony Petrelli Elizabeth Scheffler Ms. Barbara E. Smith Mr. John R. Stieper Ms. Erica Warnock Ms. Sarah Jessica Whitson STUDENT Ms. Tiffany Ng Mr. Jason Stockmann
The Yale University Collection of Musical Instruments, one of the oldest institutions of it kind in the United States, was established in 1900, when New Haven Symphony co-founder Morris Steinert presented the core of his extensive private collection to the University. One of four museums on campus, the Collection preserves, documents, exhibits, and interprets musical instruments as works of art and artifacts of music history. Its holdings of nearly 1000 instruments—including a collection of keyboard instruments unsurpassed in the world—are particularly strong in the area of European art music between 1550 and 1950. Housed in an 1894 Romanesque revival building designed by William H. Allen, the Collection has presented an annual series of concerts since 1967 and contributes in many other ways to the Yale music curriculum and to the cultural life of the University and to the larger community.