Viola da Gamba Society

The Newsletter of the Viola da Gamba Society New England is published quarterly, and contains information about upcoming workshops, concerts, events, and other information useful to the Viola da Gamba player and Early Music enthusiast. Included are often listings of instruments, music, bows etc for sale, as well as opportunities for players to get together and enjoy making the music they love.

Click on the PDF edition of the Newsletter you wish to see, or page down for the web version.

Please submit reviews, previews, listings, articles, stories, poetry, columns to the Newsletter Editor at NewsletterEditor@vdgsne.org

There’s hope: we just went into Daylight Savings Time, and that must mean spring is not too far behind, right? I know that I’d be happy not to have to get out the snow shovel again this year!

Many, many thanks to Roland Hutchinson for a fascinating and inspiring workshop in February. All (myself included) learned a great deal about the kinds of music that were published for viols. There was much happy playing and listening—and sharing going on all day. And absolutely everyone showed up! (That may be a first for a February workshop.)

Our spring workshop will take place on Saturday, May 4, 2013 at the Hancock Church in Lexington and will be led by Laury Gutierrez. Further information about the day will be available soon by post, email, or on our website, vdgsne.org. Sign up early!

The VdGS-NE is now inviting applications for the Silbiger Grant in 2013-2014, which supports New England viol players and vocal ensembles (not just church and synagogue musicians) who would like to present music for viol consort and voices. If you are interested, it’s time to apply—the application deadline is April 15. Information and application form are posted on our website (vdgsne.org), and if your questions aren’t answered there, ask Jane Hershey.

For the Boston Early Music Festival (June 9 to 16, 2013), we will be helping organize the “Gamba Gamut” performances on Friday, June 14 in Gordon Chapel, Old South Church— contact Karen Burciaga or Alastair Thompson for further information. Please contact Anne Legêne to volunteer for staffing the VdGSA booth at the Exhibition and/or to help with the “Gamba Garden”, formerly known as “petting zoo”, which will take place Saturday, June 15 at the Goethe Institute. We need lots of volunteers, so if you think you might have time on any of the days (especially Wednesday through Saturday), please get in touch with any VdGS-NE board member and we’ll put you to work!

On another note, for all of you who have access to computers (most of us by now), please do keep up with the postings on the Viola da Gamba Society-New England website (vdgsne.org), as there are often useful bits of information there. And for those of you on Facebook, if you are not already a Friend of VdGS-NE, you should be!

Happy spring to all. Keep playing!

Carol Lewis - President@vdgsne.org

Young Players Viol Consort Day at Longy School of Music of Bard College 2/24/2013

Longy and the VdGS-NE sponsored a gathering of young viol players, both novice and advanced, at the school on Feb. 24. Longy alums and current students from both the Community Programs and Conservatory divisions, as well as undergrads, graduate students and post-college from the area beat the odds against “winter storm Q.” In spite of the sloppy weather, they assembled in Cambridge, inspired by their love of the viol, the allure of playing consort music, and a free lunch.

The day began with a fascinating lecture on “Viols and Diplomats” by Rebekah Ahrendt, with Hubert le Blanc’s description, from his 1740 ‘Defense de la viole,’ of a dialogue between “Sultan violin” and “Lady Viol” as her point of departure:

(From the B.G. Jackson translation of Defense de la viole....) “Lady Viol responded that that loud voice, very much to be sought for in a clock which was informing people would be very bad in an instrument which a gentleman played to amuse himself and not to divert others. She said that the sound of the Viola da Gamba, drawing on the tone of an ambassador’s voice, which is not loud (and even a little nasal) would be much more suitable.”

Rebekah’s current research seeks to document and clarify the importance of the viol in affairs of state in early modern Europe. With its quiet but authoritative voice and nobility of sound, the viol had become embedded in the culture of Europe’s elites. Rebekah’s lecture sparked discussion about the possible beneficial effects of social consort playing on the atmosphere for the negotiation of delicate issues of succession, the cultivation of powers of persuasion and the wielding of political influence. The role of the viol among diplomats and political operatives in the 17th and early 18th century remains an active area of research for Rebekah, who will leave the Boston area for new position on the Yale Univ. Dept. of Music faculty in the fall.

This event was generously supported by members of the VDGSA through a Workshop Grant. It was a chance for a diverse group of musicians to gather to get to know each other and explore their interest in consort music, playing works of Schop, Byrd, Deering, Victoria, Guami and others. The novice group played dances by Susato, and popular chansons. A session for voices and viols capped the day including ‘Cries’of Gibbons and a verse anthem by John Ward.

Jane Hershey - janelhershey@gmail.com

Partifi

So, have you ever needed to create parts from a score that you had? Sometimes toward the last minute maybe?

Well if that's the case, you have to check out Partifi: www.partifi.org. Partifi is a free online tool that can create parts from a score that you either upload, or find in the IMSLP library.

Here's how it works. You load a score into Partifi. Partifi identifies each staff, and you simply enter the part name for that staff. You go through each page of the score in that manner, and then click the Create Parts button. And voilà your parts are created.

For a more detailed walk-through of using Partifi, google partifi and watch the videos.

What's great about Partifi is that it mimics the process that we all have used to cut and paste paper, but in a much easier fashion.

Special thanks to Alastair Thompson who told me about Partifi.

Ben Torrey

From the Archives: 20th Annivesary Celebration: Jane Hershey, Joan Boorstein,
Julia Griffin

CONCERT ANNOUNCEMENTS

“La Stravaganza: Musical Brilliance in Late Renaissance Italy”

Virtuoso recorder player John Tyson joins El Dorado Ensemble (Carol Lewis, Janet Haas, Paul Johnson, Mai-Lan Broekman & Alice Mroszczyk, viols; Olav Chris Henriksen, lute & theorbo) in a concert of canzonas, madrigals, fantasias and court dances by Bassano, Dalla Casa, Rognoni, Terzi, Kapsberger and others.

Friday, April 12, 2013 at 8:00 pm in Lindsay Chapel, First Church in Cambridge, Congregational, 11 Garden St. (entrance on Mason St.), Cambridge, MA. For information, call (617)776- 0692.

Sunday, April 14, 2013 at 3:00 pm at the Somerville Museum, Central St. at Westwood Rd. (entrance on Westwood Rd.), Somerville, MA. For information, call (617)666-9810.

“La Coquinille: French Music for Solo Viol”

Music by Du Buisson, Ste-Colombe, Hotmann & Marais, performed by Carol Lewis, bass viol. For information, call (617)227-2155.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013 at 12:15 pm at King’s Chapel, 58 Tremont St., Boston MA:

“Concerts Royaux: Instrumental Gems from the French Baroque”

Violinist Lisa Brooke joins Duo Maresienne (Carol Lewis, viola da gamba; Olav Chris Henriksen, theorbo & Baroque guitar) in music by Marais, Couperin, Senaillé & de Visée.

Saturday, May 18, 2013 at 8:00 pm in Lindsay Chapel, First Church in Cambridge, Congregational, 11 Garden St. (entrance on Mason St.), Cambridge, MA. For information, call (617)776-0692.

Sunday, May 19, 2013 at 3:00 pm at the Somerville Museum, Central St. at Westwood Rd. (entrance on Westwood Road), Somerville, MA. For information, call (617)666-9810.

“Shades of Death and Alleluia”

La Donna Musicale, Janet Haas and Laury Gutierrez , viols. Music by Martha Bishop, Raffaella Aleottti and others. Members of the VdGSA get ½ price tickets, but you must reserve at ladonna@ladm.org or call 617-461-6973. For more info visit: www.ladm.org.

Friday, May 17, 2013 at 7:00 pm at First Church, 11 Garden St., Cambridge. Saturday, May 18, 2013 at 7:00 pm at Lindsay Chapel, Emmanuel Church, 15 Newbury St., Boston

Saturday, May 18, 2013 at 7:00 pm at Lindsay Chapel, Emmanuel Church, 15 Newbury St., Boston

VDGS-NE Officers:
Carol Lewis	:	President
Rosalind Brooks Stowe	:	Vice-President
Alastair Thompson	:	Recording Secretary
Martha Davidson	:	Corresponding Secretary
Sybil Kevy	:	Treasurer
Lari Smith and Hannah Davidson	:	Newsletter Editor
Sarah Mead	:	Brandeis Liason
Ed Fleming		Webmaster