Medieval melodies Medieval melodies (December 02, 2005)

Holiday choral concerts hark back to the old language and mystical sounds of the Middle Ages

by Suman Mudamula

The passage of time has not dimmed the magic of medieval music, especially during the Christmas season.

"A Medieval Christmas," a choral concert held by San Francisco Choral Artists at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Palo Alto, is set to transport listeners to the Middle Ages on Dec. 10. The program will include Benjamin Britten's "A Ceremony of Carols" and other early works, and also feature a medieval-themed reception with mead, nuts and fruit.

Magen Solomon, artistic director of San Francisco Choral Artists, said the enduring appeal of "A Ceremony of Carols" is what drove the decision to do a medieval-themed concert.

"The melodies are interesting and the harmonies are unusual," she said of Britten's 1942 composition, a collection of medieval carols.

Another appeal of the work is its quaint language: the words of the carols are in old English. Titles include "As Dew in Aprille," "That Yonge Child," and "Wolcum Yole!"

David Wake, a Menlo Park choir member, said the group usually sings modern music but that he finds the medieval language alluring.

"Though it's English, some words are not recognizable and some are pronounced differently," he said. "Medieval texts were really amazing in terms of their literary value," he added, calling the carols "poetry set to music."

Although written for women, the pieces will be sung by both men and women in the concert, accompanied by a harp. The carols have only three vocal parts, as opposed to the modern four parts of soprano, alto, tenor and bass. This gives the old music "a tighter sound," Solomon said.

Furthermore, she said, a trademark of medieval sacred music is that much of it is homophonic and simpler in form.

In addition to the Britten, much of the music to be played at the concert will be 20th-century music with medieval text, written by five Bay Area composers. Some will feature the full choir, some half of the choir, and some just a few singers.

Pieces by Maia Aprahamian and Henry Mollicone -- the 2005 and 2006 composers-in-residence with the group -- were written especially for the concert and will have their world premieres there, Solomon said.

Aprahamian's "Coventry Carol" has "an ironic text," Solomon said: there are slow lullabies at the beginning and the end, while the middle talks about King Herod killing children.

Mollicone's "Alleluia," on the other hand, is a "gentle, happy piece with interesting harmonies," Solomon said.

"A Ceremony of Carols" can also be heard this weekend in Palo Alto. The San Francisco-based California Bach Society is performing the Britten works on Dec. 3 at All Saints' Episcopal Church, along with other English works from the Middle Ages and early Renaissance. The program also includes selections from "Piae Cantiones," a 1582 pan-European collection.

What: "A Medieval Christmas" concert by San Francisco Choral Artists, and "A Ceremony of Carols" and other works sung by the California Bach Society

Where: SFCA sings at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 600 Colorado Ave., Palo Alto. The Bach Society performs at All Saints' Episcopal Church, 555 Waverley St., Palo Alto.

When: SFCA performs at 8 p.m. on Dec. 10, the Bach Society at 8 p.m. on Dec. 3.

Cost: SFCA: $25 general, $18 students and seniors, $12 for a group of six or more. The Bach Society: $25 general, $18 for seniors, $10 for students.

Info: For SFCA, call (415) 979-5779 or go to www.sfca.org. For the Bach Society, call (415) 262-0272 or go to www.calbach.org.

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