Houston Early Music presenting the world’s finest period ensembles and soloists … bringing to life music from the Middle Ages through the Renaissance to the Baroque and Classical periods. Experience with us early music played on original instruments, by musicians reviving performances of the past.

Fretwork, with Clare Wilkinson 8:00 PM Saturday, January 17, 2009 Christ Church Cathedral 1117 Texas Ave. 7:00 PM Pre-concert lecture by Dr. Matthew Dirst Tickets:  713-432-1744 HOUSTON EARLY MUSIC AND FRETWORK CELEBRATE PURCELL’S 350TH BIRTHDAY see also Program Notes During 2009 the musical world will be celebrating the 350th anniversary of the birth of Henry Purcell (1659–1695), one of the most strikingly original and individual musical voices. Houston Early Music joins in the celebration by presenting the acclaimed British viol consort Fretwork in a program of the composer’s instrumental and vocal works. English mezzo-soprano Clare Wilkinson, whose ravishing voice has won her international critical acclaim, joins the consort in the program entitled Happy Birthday, Henry! The performance will be 8:00PM, Saturday, January 17, 2009 at Christ Church Cathedral, 1117 Texas Avenue. In 2006, Fretwork celebrated 20 years of performing music old and new, and looks forward to a challenging and exciting future as the world’s leading consort of viols. In these last two decades, the ensemble has explored the core repertory of great English consort music, from Taverner to Purcell, and made classic recordings against which others are judged. In addition, Fretwork has become known as pioneers of contemporary music for viols, having commissioned over 30 new works. The list of composers is like the roll call of the most prominent writers of our time, including George Benjamin, Michael Nyman, Sir John Tavener, Elvis Costello, Alexander Goehr, John Woolrich, Peter Sculthorpe, Sally Beamish and Simon Bainbridge. Prior to the concert at 7:00PM, there will be a lecture by Dr. Matthew Dirst, Moores School of Music, University of Houston. Tickets are $30 for general admission, $25 for seniors, $10 for students, under 15 free. Tickets may be purchased at the door or by calling 713-432-1744. Our full season schedule is at http://www.houstonearlymusic.org/front/season

Contact Houston Early Music P.O. Box 271193 Houston TX 77277-1193 Phone 713-432-1744 email info@HoustonEarlyMusic.org Web http://www.HoustonEarlyMusic.org

Houston Early Music is funded in part by grants from the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, the Texas Commission on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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PROGRAM

Henry Purcell (1659 – 1695)

Fantazia 4 in G minor 10^th June 1680

Fantazia 5 in B flat major 11^th June 1680

Music for a while

Fantazia 6 in F major 14^th June 1680

Fantazia 7 in C minor 19^th June 1680

Sweeter than Roses

3 Fantazias in three parts

No.1 in D minor

No.2 in F major

No.3 in G minor

O Solitude

In Nomine in 6 parts

INTERVAL

The Evening Hymn

Fantazia 8 in D minor, 22^nd June 1680

Fantazia 9 in A minor, 23^rd June 1680

Fantazia 10 in E minor, 30^th June 1680

Fantazia 11 in G major, 19^th August 1680

If Love’s a sweet passion

Fantazia 12 in D minor, 31^st August 1680

Fantazia ‘upon one note’ for five viols

The Lament from ‘Dido & Aeneas’

In Nomine in seven parts

PROGRAM NOTES

Purcell was a chorister at the Chapel Royal until his voice broke in 1673, when he was 14; he had been taught by Henry Cooke and Pelham Humphrey, and now became assistant to John Hingeston, keeper of the Royal Instruments. He later studied with Blow, who resigned his post as organist of Westminster Abbey in favour of this exceptional pupil in 1680, when Purcell was just 21. And in this glorious summer he undertook an investigation of music by previous English masters, notably Gibbons and Byrd, then, on the 10^th June, he started a series of extraordinary compositions, completing the works sometimes in one day, while others might take a couple of days. He clearly had other things to do during July and rounded the group off with two masterpieces at the end of August. Interestingly, 18 months later, he started another Fantazia, but, clearly the mood had passed, and he abandoned it after the first section.

After the 3 & 4 part Fantazias, Purcell’s manuscript reads: “Here Begineth ye 6, 7, & 8 part Fantazias”, though after the 7-part In Nomine there is no more. This manuscript is all that survives of the 4-part Fantazias and the works in 5, 6 & 7 viols, which makes it very likely that the works were not performed during his lifetime. Perhaps he regarded the works as mere exercises to work out and explore ‘old’ contrapuntal techniques; perhaps the viols were too old fashioned for him after that summer. It has recently been established that Purcell wrote all his purely instrumental music during this period in his life: the sonatas of three parts, which he himself published in 1683 and the sonatas of four parts, which his wife published after his death, and all the various overtures and other miscellaneous music.

Having completed his thoughts on purely instrumental music, he moved on to the theatre and it is here that many of his most famous songs were written and performed. “Music for a while” is a single song drawn from Dryden’s Oedipus ; it’s function is merely to distract the audience from the tragedy, asking them to let music beguile all their cares.

“Sweeter than Roses” comes from Richard Norton’s Pausanius, Betrayer of his Country, another tragedy and it is sung by the courtesan Pandora as a song of steamy seduction. “O Solitude,” on the other hand, is not from a play. The text is by Katherine Phillips, based on ‘La Solitude” by Antoine Girard de Saint-Amant, and Purcell employs one of his favourite devices, the ground-bass, where the same base theme is repeated unchanged. Over this rigid structure a melodic line of extreme fluidity is spun, expressive and plastic, moulded to suit the demands of the text.

“The Evening Hymn’ is also constructed upon a ground bass, though in this case the bass-theme changes keys a few times. And the song lets us glimpse the sacred element in Purcell’s work. It was printed as the first song in the first book of Harmonia Sacra, published by Henry Playford in 1688.

In great contrast to the serene majesty and seriousness of the hymn, “If Love’s a Sweet Passion,” from The Faery Queen of 1692, is a delightful confection telling of the pain and pleasure to be had from carnal love.

Finally, Purcell’s only complete opera, Dido & Aeneas, was composed in the early 1680’s and probably performed at court; it was later revived at Josiah Priest’s Girl’s School in Chelsea in 1689. The libretto is by Nahum Tate and deals with Dido, Queen of Carthage and her lover Aeneas, who leaves her and goes on to found Rome. The rejected Dido, after her final encounter with her faithless lover, calls for Belinda, her servant, to steady her before her great dying lament: “Remember me,” she says, “but ah, forget my fate.”

All these songs, except for the last, were written for voice and continuo—i.e. the base line ‘figured’ with numbers indicating the chords to be improvised by the keyboard of lute player. In order to be able to perform these songs with viols, this chordal accompaniment has had to be realized. Silas Standage made the arrangement of “The Evening Hymn” which inspired me to realize the rest.

Richard Boothby, 2008

A fitting birthday tribute for England’s greatest baroque composer – England’s finest performing his songs and instrumental works. Fretwork, the viol consort, is joined by the radiant voice of mezzo-soprano Clare Wilkinson.

• Fretwork.co.uk

We are located at 1117 Texas Avenue in Downtown Houston.

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The Cathedral Parking Garage on San Jacinto between Texas and Prairie provides free parking when you are attending events or meetings at the Cathedral. Please inform the parking attendant. Click here for a map. Free street parking is also available on Sundays.

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