Didsbury Baptist Church, Manchester
Clemens non Papa (in memoriam Jim Marshall)
VOICES
Tutor: Stephen Rice
Location: Didsbury Baptist Church, Manchester
Reviewer: Jane Micklethwaite
I feel privileged to have attended this wonderful workshop, which was enabled by a generous bequest from the late, dedicated NWEMF member Jim Marshall. I did not know Jim personally, but when I heard Jill Mitchell’s eulogy, I appreciated how much he was respected by regular attenders of North West Early Music Forum workshops. Thirty-three singers of a good balance of voice parts attended the workshop directed by Stephen Rice, a Lecturer in Music at the University of Bristol.
It appears little is known about the composer Jacobus Clemens non Papa, whose name (pseudonym) means ‘Not Pope Clemens’. Some humour is suspected here! Other than a few letters to Archduke Maximillian not recommending him for a post, because of his drunkenness and immorality, not much has been recorded. It is rumoured that he died in a brawl. Despite his rather dark reputation, which possibly kept him from high office and resulted in his compositions being comparatively obscure, the music is light and beautiful. The motets are poetically moving. It was a joy to study. Stephen Rice provided historic information and facilitated the sight reading choir through the music in a very relaxed manner. It was easy to learn as the participants sang sections, he went over sticking points, but very quickly got everyone singing beautifully.
There is spiritual depth in the motets, whether they be funeral lamentations or on warm, joyful themes of celebration. Even the miserable pieces had light at the end of the tunnel, [e.g.] Peccantem me quotide, where in the first part, the penitent pleas for mercy saying “I sin every-day and am not sorry [and] fear of death comes over me”, there is always consolation and promise of salvation.
Stephen was flexible and deliberately came with more pieces than there was time to sing. He wanted to balance the dark with the lighter pieces. He also assessed the choir’s abilities to sing beyond the SATB division. Quickly assessed, more challenging, but beautifully uplifting pieces were pulled out of Stephen’s musical magician’s hat. The workshop when given choice, opted for lighter pieces. The Ego flos campi, dividing into seven parts, ‘brought heaven down to earth‘ by the final sing through. Flower of the field. Lily of the valley like a lily amongst thorns concluded the workshop on a poetic high note. A psychologically wounded composer Clemens non Papa may have been, but his soul reached for the light.
To conclude this was a wonderful day. It was well worth travelling from Cumbria to Didsbury to attend. The venue, Didsbury Baptist Church, had superb acoustics and wonderful natural light. It was easily accessible by tram from the Manchester City Centre. Thank you to the volunteers at the Church for their friendly hospitality. There are very few opportunities to explore early music, yet it is essential to our understanding of later Classical works that choral societies regularly perform. Many thanks to NWEMF for keeping early modern music rocking!
An enjoyable and memorable day.
Jane Micklethwaite (Mezzo Soprano)
First published in September 2016 Newsletter
