Friday 4 October, 8:30 pm
paloma gutiérrez
factum est silentium
Images and sounds of the Apocalypse in the Middle Ages
Paloma Gutiérrez del Arroyo González
singer and creation
Efrén López
guiterna, sinfonia, hurdy-gurdy, anaphyl, shofar and percussion
Manuel Vilas Rodríguez
medieval harpe
PROGRAMA
Factum est silentium
Images and sounds of the Apocalypse in the Middle Ages
Foreword
1) In visione Dei vidi. Responsorio
I. The door, the throne, the book, and the lamb.
2) Ecce ego, Iohannes. Invitatory
3) Ecce vicit Leo de tribu Iuda. Responsory
4) Quattuor animalia et viginti quatuor seniores. Responsory
5) Dignus es, Domine, accipere librum. Responsory
II. The seven seals
6) Audi pontus, audi tellus. Conductus
7) Vidi angelum ascendentem ab ortu solis. Responsorio
8) Dum medium silentium tenerent omnia. Introito
III. The seven trumpets
9) Stetit angelus super aram temple. Offertory
10) Dum sacrum mysterium cerneret Ioannes. Antiphon
IV. The woman, the dragon and Michael
11) Signum resultat in celo. Responsory
12) Concussum est mare et contremuit terra. Alleluia
13) Factum est silentium in caelo. Antiphon
14) Dum preliaretur Michael archangelus cum dracone. Antiphon
V. The heavenly Jerusalem
15) Vidi Ierusalem descendentem de caelo. Responsory
16) Ab oriente porte tres. Antiphon
17) In civitate Domini ibi sonant, iugiter, organa sanctorum. Antiphon.
Translation of sung texts and work on the declamated texts: Xavier Mata Oroval
Translation of declaimed texts: ‘The books of the New Testament’. Edited by Antonio Piñero. Ed. Trotta, Madrid 2021.
Adaptation of the images of the Blessed and preparation of the projections: Alberto Costa Gómez
Projection of translations: Pere Saragossa
Iconographic source: ‘Beato de Fernando I y doña Sancha’. (Madrid, BNE MSS Vitr. 14-2)
Musical sources: A-KN 1012. Antiphonary (s. XII); A-KN 1013. Antiphonary (s. XII); CH-SGs 391. Antiphonary (s. X); CH-E 121. Gradual (ca. 960); CH-E 611. Antiphonary (ca. 1300); CH-P 18. Gradual (s. XII); D-Mbs Clm. 23286. Gradual (ca. 1400); E-BUlh Monasterio de Las Huelgas s/n (s. XIV); E-Mn MSS 678. Roman ceremonial (s. XIV); E-SAu Ms 2637. Misal (s. XII); E-Tc (Toledo) 44.1. Antiphonary (s. X-XI); E-Tc (Toledo) 44.2. Antiphonary (s. XI); F-Pn lat. 776. Gradual (2ª mitad s. XI); F-Pn lat. 1090. Antiphonary (s. XIII); F-Pnm lat. 12044. Antiphonary (1er cuarto s. XII); F-Pn lat. 15181. Antiphonary (s. XIII); PL-PŁsem 36. Antiphonary (s. XV).
PROGRAMME notes
Factum est silentium. A programme that aims to make the public revisit the Apocalypse of St. John through the medieval imaginary. The texts of this book were especially present around the year one thousand (‘the angel chained the dragon, the ancient serpent, for a thousand years’). They had been glossed by Beatus of Liébana in the 8th century and both the Apocalypse and its gloss were represented pictorially in some of the codices we know today as ‘Beatus’. In addition, the texts were set to music and incorporated into the liturgy, and we have evidence of this in the earliest musical manuscripts (9th century).
The projection of the miniatures of the ‘Beatus of Ferdinand I and Sancha’ (11th century), preserved in the BNE, the declamation of certain passages from the Book of Revelation and some monodic musical pieces preserved in liturgical and paraliturgical manuscripts from between the 9th and 15th centuries, all of them with texts taken from the Apocalypse or glossing one of its episodes, will breathe life into five of the visions of that ‘revelation’ (Αποκάλυψη). The supertitles will enable the audience to immediately understand the Latin texts declaimed and sung.
The three performers become the narrators of an extraordinary story, where the music, taken out of its liturgical context and arranged according to the biblical text, becomes the main thread...
Efrén López, Manuel Vilas and Paloma Gutiérrez del Arroyo specialise, among others, in medieval repertoires. This is the first project in which they have united their experiences in three (Manuel and Paloma do work as a duo on a regular basis) and they have done so by confronting the question of how to interpret and accompany medieval monody instrumentally. The answers they find arise from the conjunction of their three musical backgrounds.
*This programme and this concert are dedicated to the great luthier Jesús Reolid and was premiered at the BNE in February 2022, on the occasion of an exhibition on the Beatus of Fernando I and Sancha’ (11th century).
PALOMA GUTIÉRREZ, singer and creation
A singer specialising in vocal repertoires from the 9th to 15th centuries, she trained mainly in Paris and Basel with great performers and researchers. She is co-founder of the ensembles Ensemble Cantaderas (born in 2015 for the dialogue between ancient repertoires and repertoires of oral tradition still alive at the beginning of the 20th century) and Proyecto EVOCA (Exploración de la Vocalidad y la Oralidad del Canto Antiguo, born in 2021 for the research of orality in the transmission of medieval repertoires) with which she performs regularly, as well as with the duo with the harpist Manuel Vilas (since 2017) and with the trio they both form with the multi-instrumentalist Efrén López. In parallel, he has collaborated with actors, has premiered several works of contemporary music, and, since 2011, has been active in the dissemination of medieval repertoires in conservatories, universities, foundations, libraries, radio... mainly in France and Spain. In 2016, he founded the School of Medieval Music and Oral Tradition in Madrid (within the Institución Libre de Enseñanza) (www.palomagutierrezdelarroyo.com).
manuel vilas, medieval harpe
Born in Santiago de Compostela, where he began his musical studies. He studied ancient harps from the 12th to 18th centuries in Madrid with Nuria Llopis and in Milan with Mara Galassi. He has collaborated with numerous groups such as Les Musiciens du Louvre, Al Ayre Español, Musica Ficta, Capela de Ministrers, Ensemble Elyma, Coro de la Comunidad de Madrid, Le Tendre Amour, La Hispanoflamenca, Forma Antiqua, La Galanía, Musica Temprana, Private Musick, La Grande Chapelle, Vandalia, O Bando do Surunyo, Ars Longa de La Habana, La Trulla de Vozes, Qvinta Essençia, Orquesta Barroca de Sevilla, Harmonia del Parnás, Coro Nacional de España, etc. One of his most ambitious research projects is the recovery and recording of several projects related to the tonos humanos, a type of profane song or tonada from the 17th century in Spain. So far, several compact discs have been released on this musical-poetic genre: one for the Naxos label dedicated to the tonadas of Sebastián Durón with the soprano Raquel Andueza, another with the mezzo-soprano Marta Infante entitled ‘Tonos al arpa’ for the Enchiriadis label, a third with the tonos of José Marín together with the tenor Felix Rienth and a fourth dedicated to the Contarini Manuscript of tonos humanos, preserved in the Biblioteca Marciana in Venice.
efrén lópez, multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer and sound engineer, specialising in hurdy-gurdy and medieval plucked string instruments, as well as those of the Eastern Mediterranean, Middle East and Central Asia. For more than 25 years he has been involved as composer, performer or producer in some of the most creative roots music projects from both ends of the Mediterranean. On the other hand, his activity in the field of European early music or influenced by it includes projects with Jordi Savall, Evo, Eloqventia, Capella de Ministrers, Oni Wytars, Al Andalus Project, Maria Laffitte, Via Artis Konsort, Faun, Ex Silentio or Voces Tules. With all these ensembles he has given concerts in some of the most prestigious festivals in Europe, North Africa, North and South America, the Middle East, China and the Indian subcontinent. Efrén López has participated in the recording of more than 70 discographic works as well as a large number of audiovisual recordings.
Saturday, October 9, 7pm
Lucentum XVI
Francesc de Borja
Music for the 450th anniversary of his death
Pere Saragossa, shawms and direction
Quiteria Muñoz, soprano; Carla Sanmartín, alto
Jesus Navarro, tenor; Giorgio Celenza, bass
Carlos García-Bernalt, organ
Xavier Boïls, cornetto; Vicent Osca, sackbut; Antoni Lloret, shawms;
Antoni Llofriw, dulzians; Fernando Fernández, lute; Facundo San Blas, percussion
PROGRAMme
francesc de borja
· La Bataille, by Clément Janequin (c.1485-1558), of the Dixiéme livre (Amberes, 1545) of Tielman Susato
· Rondeau «Ce jour», by Guillaume Dufay (c.1397-1474)
· Ave Maris Stella, by G. Dufay / Booksongs of Montecassino (c.1480)
· Miserere Nostri – Vexilla Regis, C. Montecassino
· El cervel mi fa, anonymous of the Booksong of Palacio (c. 1500)
· Susanne un jour, d’Orlando de Lassus (1532-1594)
· Credo in unum Deum of the Mass about Susanne un jour, by Orlando de Lassus.
· Makam Muhayyer «Kúme» usules Düyek Acemler, Turkish war march.
· Passio Domini nostri Iesu Christi secundum Mattheum*, by Jan Nasco (c.1510–1561) and Joan Baptista Comes (c.1582-1643)
*Named as «Passion de Valencia» by Joan Baptista Comes (Escorial Monastery Archive, c.1607)
ABOUT THE GROUP
lucentum xvi
Group of ministers (instrument players) led by Pere Saragossa , created to interpret and spread the rich and varied musical repertoire of the Renaissance. Bands of wind instruments, with the name alta capella , spread throughout cities and towns in Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries. The main function of the ministers within the liturgy was to accompany the vocal music, dubbing the voices. In the civil sphere, the high chapel was in charge of performing dances, popular songs, and love pieces and epics of courtly and popular origin.
Lucentum XVI's performances include those performed in Bari and Molfetta as part of the Anima mea de la Puglia Festival (Italy), Musical Vespers of the Monastery of Pedralbes, Festival of Ancient Music of the Pyrenees, Serenades Festival of the University of Valencia, Music Festival Antiga de Morella, Clásicos en la Frontera a la Ribagorça, Festival of Contemplative Music of Santiago de Compostela, Festival of Sacred Music of Benicàssim, Festival of Ancient and Baroque Music of Peñíscola.
In 2021 they published their first record work with the title " El Cantoral del Monestir de Santa Maria de la Murta d'Alzira ", a disc of which the specialized critic has said "The execution is absolutely exquisite, full of balance in the excellent voices and the instruments (...). The album is a gem, both for the interpretation and for the unprecedented and beautiful polyphony and for the documentation.» (Manuel de Lara Ruiz, Scherzo Magazine, June 2021).
Programme notes
francesc de borja
This programme comemorates the 450th anniversary of the death of Francesc de Borja i Aragó ( Gandia 1510- Roma 1572) who was Duke of Gandia, Lieutenant of Catalunya, later joining the Jesuit order being proclaimed a Saint in 1671, for which reason the Catholic church is now celebrating the 350th anniversary of this fact.
In this concert we present the premiere in modern times , of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew, a work which Ferran d'Aragó, viceroy of Valencia and Duke of Calabria commisioned from the Flemish composer, Jan Nasco ( 1510-1561) to give as a gift to the Cathedral of Valencia , being known at the time as the Passion of Valencia.
This work is part of the repertoire of the choir of the monastery of Murta d'Alzira, a musical body to which our group has dedicated the first of their albums released earlier this year.
The representation or interpretation of the Passion according to Matthew , where the gospel of this prophet is narrated, took place in the Roman Catholic liturgy during the Mass of Palm Sunday (the following Tuesday was the gospel of Saint Mark, on Wednesday, the gospel of Saint Luke and on Good Friday the gospel of Saint John.).
The main characters of the Passion are Christ, the Evangelist narrator and the crowd, the so-called “mob” played by the whole congregation.
The score for the crowd has not been found in the Monastery of Alzira , so it could have been performed in plain singing or in a now lost poliphony.
But some parts sung by the crowd appear in poliphony for 6 voices originally written by the Valencian Joan Baptista Comes ( chapel master in the Cathedral of Valencia, successor to Josep Prades) which is in the monastery of San Lorenzo d'El Escorial, a Jerónimo monastery, like that of Alzira. And the interventions of the mob, but for 4 voices, appear in a document of 1561 signed by Jan Nasco himself.
Since the Second Vatican Council, held between 1959 and 1962 the singing of the Latin Passion has been replaced in almost all diocese by the reading of the Passion in the vernacular language ( except in our territory where our own language is not used.).
Together with this great work we present among others pieces from the Cancionero de Palacio , the palace of Queen Isabel of Castilla ( the Catholic) and king Ferdinand of Aragón, and the Songbook of Montecasino ( Naples) a collection written in the 1480s which accompanied Alfons and Roderic de Borja to Rome where they became Popes with the names Calixtus lll and Alexander Vl.