A Thousand Beautiful Things, June 2019
Under the direction of Dr. Anne J. Matlack
Harmonium Choral Society
Grace Episcopal Church, Madison, New Jersey
Harpsichord: Helen Raymaker
Recorder #quartet: John Lamb, Mariam Bora, Susan Pilshaw, David Thomson
Solo: Laura Quinn
The Renaissance dance manual Orchésographie, by Jehan Tabourot, 16th-century priest, was published in 1589 under his anagrammatic pseudonym, Thoinot Arbeau. In it, he sought to preserve the social dances he remembered from his youth (the 1530s) by recording their choreography and #music. Belle qui tiens ma vie, on a tune by Spanish keyboard composer Cabezón, was the example for the #pavane. In addition to the steps, all four parts (SATB), words, and a drum part were included. The book was presented as a Socratic dialogue between pupil, dance novice Capriol, and master dance teacher Monsieur Arbeau. Of this dance form, Arbeau states that on “solemn feast days the pavan is employed by kings, princes and great noblemen to display themselves in their fine mantles and ceremonial robes … And it is the said pavans, played by hautbois and sackbuts, that announce the grand ball and are arranged to last until the dancers have circled the hall two or three times…unless they prefer to dance it by advancing and retreating.”
Program notes: www.harmonium.org/s/A-1000-Bea...
Video production: www.frsprod.com/home/
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