Consortium Aurora Borealis is thrilled to revive a long-standing musical tradition, presenting “An Elizabethan Garland”, a costumed, courtly evening of ayres and dance music from the time of Queen Elizabeth I and William Shakespeare! Recorder player Rob Van Wyck, violinist Madonna Lee, harpsichordist Elizabeth Ganiatsos, and soprano Krista Hansen will perform works for instruments and voice by key Elizabethan composers: Thomas Morley, the foremost composer of secular music of that age; the great William Byrd; renowned lutenist John Dowland, noted for his melancholy musical moods; and Thomas Campion, poet, composer and physician, as well as by several other representatives.
Delight in the most popular “hit” tunes of the day, including “Greensleeves”, and in lively country dance tunes such as “The Friar and the Nun”, published in John Playford‘s instructive manual The English Dancing Master, which was reprinted and revised a great many times. The Queen, great patron of the arts, skilled musician, and spirited dancer, was famous for her lavish entertainments, and reigned from 1558 to 1603. Our musicians, performing in striking Elizabethan costumes, will recreate something of the spirit of that age.
Our concert title, “An Elizabethan Garland”, harks back to names of early collections of music. For example, Hubert Parry, composer of “Jerusalem”, England’s most popular patriotic song, brought out his Opus 21 as “A Garland of Shakespearean and other Old-Fashioned Songs”, which actually included his version of a Thomas Morley ayre which Krista Hansen will sing for us.
For years Consortium was noted for its historic productions of early music, chiefly English. We performed 14 full-scale concerts of Elizabethan music between 1981 and 2010. Probably Consortium’s most dramatic and memorable productions were our five lavish Tudor Court Spectacles, staged in the Lakehead University Agora to crowds of 500, with props, processions, dances, banners, and 21 appropriately-costumed participants.
Instrumentalists, madrigal singers, vocal soloists, dancers, and readers were presided over by Professor Emil Dolphin as a King Henry VIII look-alike (1984 & 1985) and by a very regal Jenny Phillips as Queen Elizabeth I (1986-1988), along with numerous members of their Royal Court. The use of velvets, brocades, satin, gold trim, and authentic instruments, all produced a glorious effect, a wonder to behold! The Elizabethan production was joyously revived at St. Paul’s United in 2000 and 2002.
Looking back to those historic performances, we now bring you some of our favourite tunes. We’ve recently witnessed the end of the second Elizabethan Age; it’s time to celebrate the first! Our nine composers’ dates stretch from 1540 to 1638. Most popular was Thomas Morley, with his light-hearted, appealing music. We include two of his best-loved songs, “Now is the month of Maying” and “It was a lover and his lass”, the latter from Shakespeare’s comedy As You Like It. Morley lived for a while in the same London parish as Shakespeare. A prolific composer, theorist, organist, singer, and poet, Morley was born one year before Elizabeth I ascended the throne, and died one year before her. After his death he was hailed by a fellow composer as “he who did shine as the sun in our firmament.”
In 1588, the year of the Spanish Armada, the collection Musica Transalpina appeared, containing 46 Italian madrigals, with their lyrics given in English translation. This publication brought the madrigal into vogue in England; Morley, thus inspired, wrote nine books of them. His collection The Triumphs of Oriana (1601) of 25 madrigals by 23 composers was a tribute to the Queen. All ended with “Then sang the shepherds and nymphs of Diana ‘Long live fair Oriana!’” Elizabeth was often called ‘Gloriana’. From 1598 until his death Morley held a monopoly on music printing.
Morley’s musical mentor was William Byrd, one of the greatest Renaissance composers. Upon his death, he was referred to as “a Father of Musick”, and was ranked with Henry Purcell in importance as an early English composer. Byrd lived through Elizabethan times but also into the Jacobean era. His 470 works included Anglican and Catholic service music in English and Latin, keyboard music (as in My Ladye Nevells Booke of 1591), instrumental ensemble pieces, part songs, and consort songs for solo voice and viols. Byrd wrote: “The exercise of singing is delightful to nature, and good to preserve the health of man.”
Organist and master of the choristers at Lincoln Cathedral, his home town, he was then appointed for life to the Chapel Royal in 1572, England’s largest and best choir, with connections to aristocratic lords and the Queen’s court. Along with the composer Thomas Tallis, he dedicated a collection of Latin motets to Queen Elizabeth I. He composed elaborate liturgical polyphony. But on the secular music side, we have examples of simpler, secular music.
We’ll perform seven delightful dances by William Byrd, mostly from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book, a significant Elizabethan keyboard collection, adding recorder and violin. The titles are characterful: “Monsieur’s Almaine”, “The Carman’s Whistle”, “Wolsey’s Wilde”, “The Queen’s Alman”, “Sellinger’s Round”, and a spirited “La Volta”. The spirit of dance pervades, be it in courtly almaines or rollicking country dance tunes such as “Hey boys up we go”.
The concert’s tone is varied, both elegant and joyous. The lyricism of the soprano solo lullaby “Rest, sweet nymphs, let golden sleep” contrasts with the humour of “Fain would I wed a fair young man that night and day could please me.” Other songs that will be are included are “When Laura Smiles”, “With my love was life was nestled”, and “Farewell, dear love”.
Harpsichord solos from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book and solo virtuosic recorder variations on Greensleeves will be followed by the vivacious 16th-century ensemble tunes “Watkins Ale”, “Jog on, jog on”, and “Kemp’s Jig”, which will rousingly round off the evening.
I am very excited to be back performing in our costumed Elizabethan Garland concert; it brings back so many fond memories! When Consortium Aurora Borealis was first formed, we were exclusively a Mediaeval, Renaissance, Early Baroque music group! Even before launching our concert series, an ad-hoc group of four or five of us performed an informal concert of Mediaeval music with authentic copies of early instruments, our first ever. We put this together for a gathering of Unitarians at the invitation of Ken Morrison, who some years later went on to be our Consortium Chairman. It was this impromptu event which put it into my mind to continue performing along this line.
From 1976 onwards, it was my joy to teach the Mediaeval, Renaissance, Baroque Music History course at Lakehead University, and thought it would be a splendid idea to have live examples of the music my students were studying in class. There were several professional musicians in town who were able to pick up and perform on appropriate instruments, and who were interested in learning more about the style. I was delighted that soprano Monica Whicher joined our group singing Elizabethan repertoire while she was only seventeen and still in high school! Hers was a quick introduction to the repertoire because her father, Jim Whicher, who was slated to perform, suddenly became ill. But he assured me that his daughter could step in at the last minute to fill the bill, which she did, admirably! She went on to become a versatile, award-winning professional vocalist, appearing as recitalist and soloist throughout North America and Europe.
We moved on to performing music of the Renaissance period. Wonder-Woman Marianne Wahl stepped in to sew a great many Elizabethan costumes for us. I created the banners with which we decorated the LU Agora for our Tudor Spectacles. My Lakehead University music history students were pressed into action to assist with the set and production. A few Lakehead University professors were included as part of the Court, one as King Henry VIII, another as an archbishop, one as a court poet, and a special gentleman as Queen Elizabeth I’s favourite (and dance partner).
Antique rugs and other props were borrowed, and the Elephant and Castle at Intercity loaned us a great many velvet-seated chairs that had the proper Tudor look, as seating for the members of the Court. For our royalty, St. Paul’s United loaned us their great wooden throne-like chairs, which are still to be found in the church’s sanctuary.
Immediately after our Tudor Court Spectacle performances, the musicians, the Crown, and the entire Court would repair to the Elephant and Castle, in full costume, to eat, drink and be merry, and to hold court. Our vocalists would sing madrigals around the table, and people would pass by, bowing or curtseying to our Queen.
That’s it for now, but perhaps in future off-season blogs I might dip into more memories of past Consortium history.
A word about our Elizabethan soprano, Krista Hansen, of eleven-seventeen.com. She’s the gifted graphic designer who created our gorgeous 46th Season Brochure for us, for which we thank her. Please pick up a copy and share our musical offerings with others, or click on the link below to view a digital copy.
I invite you to return for our next concert on January 11, 2025, as the Martin Blanchet Jazz Quintet returns by popular demand, to warm your hearts with Café Paris.
As ever, many thanks to everyone for their great support!
Warmly,
Elizabeth
https://consortiumab.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/ConsortiumAB-Season-Brochure-Digital.pdf