CAPPELLA PRATENSIS

Sunday, October 15, 2017, 4 p.m.
Corpus Christi Church

Stratton Bull, director
Eight-voice men’s choir from the Netherlands

Triptych – The Musical World of Hieronymus Bosch

Hieronymus Bosch, the Dutch painter who famously depicted music as nightmarish, lewd, or a vain pursuit in his Garden of Earthly Delights and Ship of Fools, was a member of Brabant’s singing confraternity at the Church of St. John the Evangelist. Missa Cum jocunditate, by Pierre de la Rue, might well have been in the confraternity’s repertory and is the program’s main work.

3 p.m. pre-concert lecture and Q and A by Professor M. Jennifer Bloxam in the auditorium

“[Cappella Pratensis] sings with an organic appreciation of line and text in a sinuously smooth legato that enfolds the ear in every phrase. Serious scholarship and a commitment to performing from a central music stand … combined creatively with mellifluous singing.” Classical Music

This concert is part of the New York Early Music Celebration [2017]: Holland & Flanderswww.NYEMC.org

Artist Website: Cappella Pratensis

Artist Bios and Program

The vocal ensemble Cappella Pratensis, literally, “Cappella des prés,” champions the music of Josquin des Prez and the polyphonists of the 15th and 16th centuries. Based in the Dutch city of ’s-Hertogenbosch, (also home to Hieronymus Bosch, the painter celebrated in this program), the group combines historically informed performance practice with inventive programs and original interpretations based on scholarly research and artistic insight. As in Josquin’s time, the members of Cappella Pratensis perform from a central music stand, singing from the original mensural notation scored in a large choirbook. This approach, together with attention to such factors as the chant origins of the polyphonic repertory, the modal system on which it is based, the influence of solmization, and the linguistic basis, creates an intense engagement with the music.

Besides regular appearances at concert venues in the Netherlands and Belgium, Cappella Pratensis has performed at leading international festivals and concert series throughout Europe, North America and Japan. The group has been ensemble-in-residence at Harvard University, the Fondation Royaumont (France), and Boston University—giving courses, presenting concerts, and working with distinguished musicians. The group’s CD recordings have met with critical acclaim and distinctions from the press, including the Diapason d’Or and the Prix Choc.

Cappella Pratensis also passes on insights to both professionals and amateurs into vocal polyphony and performance from original notation through masterclasses, multi-media presentations, collaboration with institutions, an annual summer course as part of the Laus Polyphoniae festival in Antwerp, and the training of young singers within the group itself. The ensemble is a partner with the universities of Leuven and Oxford in the digitization and publication of all the brilliant musical sources made in the workshops of the early sixteenth-century music scribe, Petrus Alamire.

Tickets

Individual Tickets
Preferred Center: $50
Center: $42.50
Premium Balcony and Sides: $35
Balcony: $30
Partial View: $15

Season Subscriptions
Regular Subscription: $180-300
Designer Subscription:$195-310
Mini-Designer Subscription: $105-165

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