Celebrate the season with medieval tunes and chants
St. Basil’s Church, Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church to highlight merry music from the era this month
Time to party like it’s 1416.
Dancing, drinking and feasting were how medieval men and women celebrated the Christmas season, say experts in the era’s music, which will be highlighted at two concerts this month.
The University of St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto, offers a free concert Friday featuring the works of Claudio Monteverdi, Thomas Tallis, William Byrd, Orlando Gibbons and many unknown authors of medieval and Renaissance songs.
The Musicians in Ordinary, Ensemble Pneuma and St. Michael’s Schola Cantorum will perform together and alone in the 7:30 p.m. program titled Star of the Sea. While there will be chants dating back to the 10th century and religious songs, the overall approach will be joyous and fun.
“They danced to the carols,” said Tricia Postle, artistic director of Pneuma (from the word “breath”), a three-piece ensemble.
“There’ll be foot tapping in the pews,” added Michael O’Connor, artistic director of Schola Cantorum, a 25-member choir. His search of medieval material has unearthed beautiful works for the program.
“We’re opening up treasures that can still nourish and nurture a person’s emotional and spiritual life,” he said. The program “speaks richly to people of all different faiths and even no faith. Music is a great bridge builder.”
John Edwards, a lute player who is artistic director of the Musicians in Ordinary, has lined up a string band featuring the violins, viola and cello to accompany him and singer Hallie Fishel.
These are early music instruments and look different from the ones in contemporary orchestras.
The music sheets are written so that people sitting around a table can each read their part from the large score, he pointed out, adding that much of the music wasn’t for church but for community cultural activities. The topics of some of the songs include yearning for Christmas to arrive, comments on the animals of winter and praise of motherhood, he said.
This will be the third year a medieval concert has been held at the university. Although it is a free event, donations are welcomed to support a refugee family sponsored by the uni- versity community.
The Toronto Consort’s A Medieval Christmas run Friday to Sunday at Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church.
David Fallis, Toronto Consort artistic director, noted that book and music manuscripts of the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries predate the invention of the printing press. As a result, the hand-drawn manuscripts “are so beautifully illustrated. The Middle Ages really went in for beautiful colour.”
As for the music, songs will be sung in many languages including Latin, French, Italian and German.
Fallis chose songs using cues from the artwork, which include manger scenes with a baby Jesus, the three Wise Men and shepherds with lambs on their shoulders. Even the instruments they play have been inspired by the art, such as the small harps carried by angels. Rudimentary bagpipes and recorders will also reproduce the songs authentically.
Many of the songs celebrate feasting and drinking, Fallis said, adding there is even a drawing of a snowball fight.
The medieval era “was a springboard for a lot of the traditions we take for granted now.” A Medieval Christmas is at Trinity-St. Paul’s, 427 Bloor St. W., Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. See torontoconsort.org for tickets. Star of the Sea is at St. Basil’s Church, 50 St. Joseph St., Friday at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free.