Jean Mouton and his 'Nesciens Mater Virgo virum'

With such a variety of music on our programme for A Luminous New Year's Eve every year, the event is fast becoming a hot ticket in Calgary. Tickets are still available but going fast so reserve yours today - and remember: for the first time, we perform our New Year's Eve concert at the Bella Concert Hall at Mount Royal University!

For a number of our Luminous Voices, one of the biggest thrills in singing with the ensemble is an opportunity to tackle beautiful music from the Renaissance. That tradition continues on New Year's Eve, with Jean Mouton's Nesciens Mater Virgo virum on the programme.

Jean Mouton
(c. 1459-1522)

About Jean Mouton

Jean Mouton was a highly influential French composer and teacher of the Renaissance. A principal composer of the French court, one of his students was Adriaan Willaert, the Flemish composer who contributed greatly to the development of the Italian madrigal, and established Venice as an influential musical centre in the 16th century.

"Mouton was clearly an important figure," says Timothy Shantz, founding director of Luminous Voices. "His music appears in all the standard music history books. His music is known for its refinement and beauty."

Because he was a principal composer for the French court, many of Mouton's works survive. He often composed music for state occasions such as weddings, coronations, papal elections, births, and deaths. His catalogue of work includes:

- 100+ motets, including the Nesciens Mater Virgo virum
- 15 Masses
- Nine settings of the Magnificat
- 20 chansons 

Compositional style

There are two aspects of Mouton's compositional language that perhaps sets himself apart from his contemporaries of the Renaissance.

1. A continuous flow of vocal lines. The 'older style' of Renaissance composition placed music into clearly defined sections. Instead, Mouton emphasized a continuous flow of vocal lines from beginning to end.
2. The use of canon. Mouton was a master of canon. His Nesciens Mater Virgo virum demonstrates his prowess at the art of canon; the work is a quadruple canon at an interval of the fifth, proceeding a space of two measures.

Nesciens Mater Virgo virum

LATIN:

Nesciens Mater Virgo virum,
peperit sine dolore Salvatorem saeculorum,
ipsum Regem angelorum.
Sola Virgo lactabat,
ubere de caelo pleno.

TRANSLATION:

Not knowing a man, the Virgin Mary has brought forth without pain the Saviour of the centuries, Him, the King of the angels.
The only Virgin gave milk, her breasts full by heavenly act.

In the Roman Catholic liturgical year, the season of Christmas begins on Christmas Day and continues to the Feast of the Epiphany. The text of Nesciens Mater Virgo virum is an antiphon for the Nativity.

"I first heard this motet sung by The Tallis Scholars but also heard it recently on CBC Radio on Choral Concert," says Shantz.  "It was perfect timing for adding to this concert. The stunning sound of the eight-part counterpoint is spellbinding."

Come hear Luminous Voices perform this masterwork at the Bella Concert Hall on New Year's Eve! Like our performances of Renaissance masterworks such as Tallis' Spem in alium and Ockaghem's Deo Gratia, this will be a performance you, your family and friends will want to experience in person!

Tickets for A Luminous New Year's Eve: http://luminousnye3.bpt.me

Contact us for a two-concert season subscription, which includes tickets for both A Luminous New Year's Eve AND Leap of Faith!

The world-renowned Tallis Scholars perform 'Nesciens mater virgo virum' by Jean Nesciens at the Auditorium di Santo Stefano al Ponte, Firenze (2014).

Warming up the New Year with Bob Chilcott

We're only a few weeks away from A Luminous New Year's Eve! Tickets are going quickly, so reserve them now!

Our program will have two works composed by Bob Chilcott. The British composer has a large catalogue of works, especially of choral repertoire. Born in 1955, Chilcott sang in the famous Choir of King's College, Cambridge, as well as the King's Singers, a popular ensemble with whom he sang from 1985 to 1997.

Bob Chilcott (BBC Music Magazine)

Chilcott started composing more prolifically in 1997. Today, he is regarded as "one of the finest choral composers at work in Britain today" (Gramophone Magazine) and "a contemporary hero of British Choral Music" (The Observer). His works continue to be widely programmed by choirs of all ages around the world.

"I write music I think people will be able to sing and that they might enjoy," Chilcott said in an interview in 2015. "I’ve gained a lot of practical experience of what people are able to do and how to transport that feeling into writing something that will motivate them to sing. It’s important to be very encouraging to others and really enable people to do things."

We asked a few of our Luminous Voices about what makes Chilcott's music so popular to program.

“I write music I think people will be able to sing and that they might enjoy. I’ve gained a lot of practical experience of what people are able to do and how to transport that feeling into writing something that will motivate them to sing. It’s important to be very encouraging to others and really enable people to do things.”

— Bob Chilcott (2015, BBC Music Magazine)

"Chilcott's compositions are tuneful, imaginative, accessible and effective," says Paul Grindlay, Artistic Director of the Calgary Boys' Choir and a bass-baritone with Luminous Voices. "There is usually enough spirituality or pathos in his music to make it thoughtful, but enough humour to keep it light and playful, so it appeals to many. You often find yourself wanting to snap your fingers in a lot his music!"

"Chilcott’s music is just *fun* to conduct," says Fabiana Katz, a Vancouver-based conductor and mezzo-soprano who will sing in her first production with Luminous Voices at A Luminous New Year's Eve. "It is rhythmic, and full of variety. He gives the conductor a lot of opportunity for calling out interpretive expression and articulation in the music, which is fun and engaging for the conductor, the singers and the audience!"

For Timothy Shantz, founding artistic director of Luminous Voices, Bob Chilcott is a "singer's composer".

"Chilcott knows how to write for singers and it feels natural to sing his melodic lines," says Shantz. "I think of Chilcott as almost like a natural heir to John Rutter, because of his tuneful and approachable style."

Luminous Voices audiences may remember the song Sun, Moon, Sea and Stars from our Love's Joy Awakened concert in June 2017. We loved it so much that we're bringing it back for New Year's Eve! Listen to that June 2017 performance, which features baritone Jordan Van Biert and soprano Benila Ninan

A few of Tim's favourite things

“This concert could be titled “Some of my favourite choral music”.”

— Tim Shantz

When you're as experienced a musician as Timothy Shantz, there's a lot of music you can put into a concert. So why did he choose these four pieces specifically -- works by Johannes Brahms, Frank Martin, Arvo Pärt and Tarik O'Regan -- to open Luminous Voices' fifth-anniversary season?

Tickets -- http://berlinermesse.bpt.me
Season subscriptions -- http://luminousvoices1718.bpt.me

Frank Martin's "Mass" appeal

“I felt that a personal expression of religious belief should remain secret and hidden from public opinion. ”

— Frank Martin (1890-1974)

Of all the works in Swiss composer Frank Martin's catalogue, one of the most celebrated and performed is his unaccompanied Mass for Double Choir. Completed in 1926, the composer would not allow the work to be performed until 1963; he considered the work to be a 'matter between God and myself'. Since its premiere, the work has gained a tremendous following, and has become a staple of contemporary choral repertoire.

Frank Martin (1890-1974)

So what makes the Mass for Double Choir so special? Three conductors of Alberta-based, award-winning choirs -- Leonard Ratzlaff, Jordan Van Biert and Timothy Shantz -- offer their scholarly insights and experience on the work, and why it deserves such praise.

Leonard Ratzlaff and Jordan Van Biert sing the Mass with us this weekend, conducted by Timothy Shantz, to kick off our fifth-anniversary season. Tickets are still available: http://berlinermesse.bpt.me

Enlightenment on a sacred Brahms motet

One of the a cappella works we will feature at our season-opening concert on Sunday 15 October is the sacred Johannes Brahms motet "Warum ist Licht gegeben dem Muhseligen", from his Opus 74. The motet, which translates as "Why is light given to him that is in misery", uses Biblical texts with added text from Martin Luther. If you are familiar with and enjoy Brahms' German Requiem, you will love this motet.

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) is widely regarded as one of the preeminent German composers of the 19th century.

Background

Brahms wrote this motet in 1877, during what has been described as a period of "high maturity". After 15 years, Brahms felt inspired to compose unaccompanied sacred choral music, and the "Warum" motet from his Opus 74 is a real standout.

Brahms describes the motet as “A little essay about the great ‘Why’, especially in stark contrast to his sunnier Symphony No. 2. The "Warum" motet as a whole has a great emotional impact, whether it be the anguished cries of “Warum?” in the first section or the joyous six-voice counterpoint in the second and third sections.

The motet has four distinct sections.

1. The opening section is severe and imposing in the key of D minor, the key often used during the 19th century to characterize melancholy. Listen to how Brahms sets the Biblical texts from the Book of Job, particularly for the anguished cries of "Warum" throughout.
    
2. A canonic setting in six parts in the key of F major, the key of complaisance and calm. Here, Brahms sets text from the Book of Lamentations by the prophet Jeremiah, Lasset uns unser Herz samt den Händen aufheben zu Gott im Himmel (Let us lift up our heart
   with our hands unto God in the heavens).
    
3. The third section (Siehe, wir) is in two parts, set to words from the Letter of St. James in the New Testament. The second part of this section begins with the words Die Geduld Hiob (The Patience of Job), which echoes back to the text of the first section. Melodically, this second part also develops into a recap of the second section (Lasset uns).
    
4. The final section is a chorale that sets the words of the Lutheran Nunc Dimittis by Martin Luther. In it, death is seen not as something to be feared, but rather as a will of God and the fulfillment of a promise. Perhaps it's fitting that Brahms sets this section in the key D major, which is the key of Handel's "Glory to God", "Worthy is the Lamb" and "Hallelujah" movements from Messiah, and the triumphant conclusion to Beethoven's Symphony No. 9.

Forming musical roots

For Timothy Shantz, founder and artistic director of Luminous Voices, the "Warum" motet is a beloved choral work. "It is music that seemingly forms my own musical roots in counterpoint and romanticism," says Shantz. "He was a composer who carried the great German musical and choral traditions of Schütz and Bach deep into the 19th century yet with his own rhythmic style and personal sense of expression. Those musical ideas are encapsulated in this motet." Indeed, Bach's influence is strong in this motet, such as the use of counterpoint and the structure of the motet, right down to its concluding harmonized chorale.

YOUTUBE: Watch and listen to the La Maîtrise de l'Académie Vocale de Paris, directed by Iain Simcock, perform the motet in 2011.

Translations:

Accessed 06 October 2017, http://www.kellydeanhansen.com/opus74.html

From Job 3:20-23

Warum ist das Licht gegeben dem Mühseligen,
und das Leben den betrübten Herzen,
Die des Todes warten und kommt nicht,
und grüben ihn wohl aus dem Verborgenen,
Die sich fast freuen und sind fröhlich,
daß sie das Grab bekommen,
Und dem Manne, deß Weg verborgen ist,
und Gott vor ihm denselben bedecket?

Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery,
and life unto the bitter in soul;
Which long for death, but it cometh not;
and dig for it more than for hid treasures;
Which rejoice exceedingly, and are glad,
when they can find the grave?
Why is light given to a man whose way is hid,
and whom God hath hedged in?
 

From Lamentations 3:41

Lasset uns unser Herz
samt den Händen aufheben
zu Gott im Himmel.

Let us lift up our heart
with our hands
unto God in the heavens.

From James 5:11

Siehe, wir preisen selig,
die erduldet haben.
Die Geduld Hiob habt ihr gehöret,
und das Ende des Herrn habt ihr gesehen;
denn der Herr ist barmherzig,
und ein Erbarmer.

Behold, we count them happy
which endure.
Ye have heard of the patience of Job,
and have seen the end of the Lord;
that the Lord is very pitiful,
and of tender mercy.

From Martin Luther

Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin,
in Gottes Willen,
getrost ist mir mein Herz und Sinn,
sanft und stille.
Wie Gott mir verheissen hat:
der Tod ist mir Schlaf worden.

With peace and joy I travel to that place,
according to God's will;
my heart and soul are comforted,
gently and quietly.
As god has promised me,
death has become sleep to me.