Munich in a 1493 woodcut from Hartmann Schedel’s Nuremberg Chronicle
The Music of Ludwig Senfl and 16th C South German composers
VOICES & INSTRUMENTS
Tutor: Eileen Silcocks
Location: Friends Meeting House, Lancaster
Reviewer: Ros Flinn
Twenty seven people joined Eileen Silcocks for this thoroughly enjoyable day, seven instrumentalists and a well-balanced choir of twenty. Eileen capably and enthusiastically led us through a variety of music by Senfl (1486-1543), his teacher Heinrich Isaak (1450-1517) and a variety of other composers, contemporaries and followers whom he influenced: Orlando de Lassus (1532-1594), Ivo de Vento (ca 1544-1575) and Leonhard Lechner (553-1606).
The small instrumental band consisted of five recorder players and two violists for whom, sadly, music wasn’t always available in an appropriate clef. However, one happily switched to recorder and the other joined the soprano ranks when this was the case. Often playing one to a part the day’s programme required concentration but Eileen was very complementary about the group’s sound and tuning, as she was about the sound made by the choir. The big challenge for the latter was singing from part sheets – something most singers are not used to!
The first piece, Salve Sancta Parens a 6 by Isaak, was unusual in that the cantus firmus was distributed between three parts. By performing the piece with and without the cantus firmus parts, Eileen illustrated to us the importance of those parts in bringing the music to life. There followed a varied selection of pieces by Senfl himself: the chorale-like Was wird es doch in seven parts, the simple but very beautiful four part Christmas anthem Also heilig ist dieser Tag and the humorous, six part, Das Glaut zu Speyer. The latter, in which singers and instrumentalists tried to imitate the different sounds of various bells as illustrated in the mainly nonsense words was great fun for those who hadn’t met it before.
The afternoon brought the more complex music of those influenced in various ways by Senfl: de Vento’s Illumina occulos meos, Leonhard’s complex, two part Si bona suscepimus a 6 and Lassus’ heart rending Tristis est anima mea in five parts.
In all a thoroughly enjoyable, interesting and satisfying day.
Ros Flinn
First published in November 2015 Newsletter
