Wednesday 9 October, 8 pm
cor de cambra ad libitum & lucentum xvi
STRELA DO DIA
800 years of women's songs
COR DE CAMBRA AD LIBITUM
20 singers
Francesc Gamón choral direction
LUCENTUM XVI
Pere Saragossa shawms and direction
Gebhard David cornetto
Laia Puig shawm
Elies Hernandis & Ricardo Ortiz sackbuts
Carles Vallès dulcien and flutes
Marc Vall percussion
Adrià Gràcia organ
PROGRAMme
Strela do dia
800 years of women's songs
ليلة رائعة / A wonderful evening, Laylat rayiea, moaxaja, Nuba Garîbat Al-Huseyn [Bitâyhî]
Como gradecer ben feito é cousa que muito val, Cantiga of Alfonso X the wise [CSM 235]
Santa Maria Strela do dia, cantiga of Alfonso X [CSM 100]
Imperayritz de la ciutat joyosa, Llibre vermell of Montserrat (1399)
La Fille Guillemin, anonymous danse from the Montecassino (1480-90) and El Escorial songbooks (1435-1460)
Propinan de Melyor, anonymous vilanella from the La Colombina songbook (1460-1480)
Nina e vina, anonymous vilanella from La Colombina songbook.
Dinos Madre del doncel, Juan de Triana, from La Colombina songbook.
Morir non può il mio cuore, Primo Libro [...] il Desiderio (1566) by Maddalena Casulana (c.1544-d.1583)
Maria dolce Maria, Primo Libro delle Musiche (1618), by Francesca Caccini (1587-d.1641)
Tant lo seny y fantasia, contrafacta* of Un sarao de la Chacona, (1644) by Joan Aranyés (c.1580-c.1650)
Priego ad amore, op.1, (1644) by Barbara Strozzi
Dolcissimi respiri, o Il silentio nocivo, op.1, (1644) by Barbara Strozzi
Assi quen nono gradece faz falssidad e gran mal, motete by Pedro Salinas Robles**
*Text of Sarao d'Amor by Joan Timoneda (València, 1520-1583)
**Commissioned by the Festival de Música Antiga La Vila del Joy.
PROGRAMme notes
Sancta Maria, Strela do dia, is the best known title of the Cantigas a Sancta Maria compiled under the regency of Alfonso X of Castile and León. Through the cantigas, in addition to the praises of the Virgin, we learn about the customs and episodes of women of different status and social class, albeit under the prism of the moralising Christian and macho society prevailing in late medieval Europe. This feminine presence has a point in common with the contrasted musical poetic influence of the Arab-Andalusian Andalusian poetry in the cantigas, a culture in which the qiyan, female slave singers, both Muslim, whom they called sàqalibai, and Christian, rümiyyat, captured in Muslim territory and who were trained in the schools of Mecca, Medina, Córdoba, Seville, Úbeda or Dénia, were lavished with their talents.
This concert, three years after the 800th anniversary of the birth of Alfonso X in 1221, highlights songs with women as protagonists throughout the 13th to 17th centuries. After a selection of pieces from important medieval music collections, such as the Cantigas mentioned above together with others from the Llibre Vermell de Montserrat, there follows a compilation of Renaissance music books related to the courts of Castile and Naples, where we will hear works from the songbooks of La Colombina, El Escorial and Montecasino. The 16th and 17th centuries are represented by the composers Maddalena Casulana, Francesca Caccini, and Barbara Strozzi, as well as a contrafacta (adaptation) of Un sarao de la Chacona by Joan Aranyés from Lleida with texts from a poem by the Valencian writer Joan Timoneda.
On the other hand, one of the cantigas that opens the concert, Como gradecer bem feito é cousa que muito val (CSM 235), narrates the stay of Alfonso X in the city, today Valencian and until the 19th century Castilian, of Requena. The monarch fell ill and it was Santa María who saved him from death. During this visit, the wise man met with his father-in-law James I the Conqueror to negotiate over the territories taken from the Taifas of Al-Andalus. And it is this cantiga 235 that inspired Pedro Salinas Robles' composition Assi quen nono gradece faz falssidad e gran daño, a motet for 2 sopranos, alto, 2 tenors, bass, cornetto, 2 shawms, 2 sackbuts, bass, organ and percussion.
cor de cambra ad libitum vocal ensemble
Ad Libitum is the chamber choir of the Escola Coral Veus Juntes (Quart de Poblet, Valencia), made up of young people with a solid musical and vocal training. Its repertoire ranges from classical polyphony to 21st century creations, both a cappella and with instrumental accompaniment. It has performed Handel's Messiah in its complete version on several occasions, as well as other great works such as Bach's St. Matthew Passion, Confessore's Vesperae solennes and Mozart's Requiem, Rutter's Magnificat and Poulenc's ballet Les Biches.
It made its debut as an opera chorus in The Magic Flute and has given concerts in important auditoriums and historical venues, such as the Castle of Manzanares El Real (Madrid) or the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome (Italy). It has participated as a resident ensemble in the Early Music Morella festival (2019), conducted by Marco García de Paz, and in the Acadèmia de Capella de Ministrers. In recent years, it has toured in concert performing the Requiem by Tomás Luis de Victoria, in collaboration with Musica Ficta, conducted by Raúl Mallavibarrena, and has participated in the theatrical performance Èdip rei, by the company Bambalina Teatre Practicable, in the context of the 40th edition of the Sagunt a escena festival and under the direction of Jaume Policarpo.
It has won some of the most important prizes on the national scene, including the Gran Premio Nacional de Canto Coral (2017 and 2023), the first prize, the audience prize and the special FIRACOR prize at the Certamen Coral Fira de Tots Sants de Cocentaina (2015 and 2016), the first prize at the Certamen Coral de Ejea de los Caballeros (2022), the second prize at the Certamen Coral de Ejea de los Caballeros (2022), second prize at the Certamen Nacional de Corales Antonio José de Burgos (2015), second prize ‘Lira Marinera de Plata’ at the Certamen de la Canción Marinera de San Vicente de la Barquera (2014 and 2016) and honourable mention at the Certamen Internacional de Habaneras y Polifonía de Torrevieja (2016). Their first album -essència- has been awarded the Audience Award at the Carles Santos Valencian Music Awards 2020.
lucentum xvi, high chapel
A group of minstrels directed by Pere Saragossa, created to perform and disseminate the rich and diverse musical repertoire of the Renaissance. Bands of wind instruments, known as alta capilla, spread throughout the cities and towns of Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries. The main function of the minstrels in the liturgy was to accompany the vocal music, doubling the voices. On a civil level, the alta capilla, as they were known, was in charge of performing dances, popular songs and epic or love pieces of courtly and popular origin.
Among the performances of Lucentum XVI are those in Bari and Molfetta as part of the Anima mea Festival of the Puglia region (Italy), Vespres Musicals del Monestir de Pedralbes in Barcelona, Festival de Música Antiga dels Pirineus, Festival Serenates de la Universitat de València, Festival de Música Antigua de Morella, Clásicos a la Frontera en la Ribagorça, Festival de Músicas Contemplativas de Santiago de Compostela, Festival de Música Sacra de Benicássim, Festival Internacional de Música Antiga i Barroca de Peníscola.
In the year 2021 they published a record entitled ‘El Cantoral del Monestir de Santa Maria de la Murta d'Alzira’, an album of which the specialised critics have said ‘The performance is absolutely exquisite, full of balance in the excellent voices and instruments (...). The disc is a jewel, both for the interpretation and for the unpublished and beautiful polyphony and documentation’. (Manuel de Lara Ruiz, Scherzo Magazine, June 2021).
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.