Name: Alessandro Grandi 1630 Vespers: Lecture and musical examples, Jeffrey Kurtzman (Voices of Music) @VoicesofMusic
Uploaded: 2024-10-19T08:17:00-05:00
Duration: 8 min 17 s
Description: Alessandro Grandi 1630 Vespers: Lecture and musical examples, Jeffrey Kurtzman (Voices of Music)

Alessandro Grandi 1630 Vespers: Lecture and musical examples, Jeffrey Kurtzman (Voices of Music)

Voices of Music 2024-10-19 | Alessandro Grandi 1630 Vespers: Lecture and musical examples, Jeffrey Kurtzman (Voices of Music)

Mozart: Exsultate Jubilate, complete. Nola Richardson & Voices of Music, original instruments 8K

Voices of Music 2024-10-12 | Mozart's motet Exsultate Jubilate, performed on original instruments by the award winning Early Music ensemble Voices of Music. Nola Richardson, soprano. The complete is work presented here for the first time in 8K video on period instruments.
Reconstruction of the recitative: directors Hanneke van Proosdij and David Tayler reconstructed the _recitativo accompagnato_ string parts from Mozart's continuo part, and this receives its world premiere here.
Months after completing the Divertimento in D Major, Leopold and Wolfgang Mozart left for their third tour of Italy, with a first stop in Milan. There they met the soprano castrato, composer, and harpsichordist Venanzio Rauzzini, who was cast as one of the leads in Wolfgang Mozart’s new opera Lucio Silla opposite the prima donna Anna Lucia de Amicis. Clearly, Mozart was impressed by Rauzzini’s talent, because he composed this motet a month later to showcase the singer’s abilities. Its premiere took place in a Milan church on January 17, 1773. While the work has a religious text, it could be understood as a concerto for soprano voice: its fast-slow-fast structure certainly echoes that of an instrumental concerto, with the addition of a recitative between the first and second sections. Dazzling runs and flourishes in the outer sections to exhortations of “Rejoice, oh blessed souls!” and “Alleluia!” bookend a lovely, lilting heart, in which a prayer for peace and relief from grief is cast in gentle shade (Sophie Benn).
Soprano Nola Richardson makes her Voices of Music debut as an “especially impressive” soprano (The New York Times), Australian-American Nola Richardson’s repertory ranges from medieval to contemporary works, including several world premieres. She has been particularly noted for her performances of Bach, Handel and Mozart and has won First Prize in all three major American competitions focused on the music of J.S. Bach. Recent seasons have featured her debuts with the Atlanta, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Colorado, Helena, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, and Seattle Symphonies as well as with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, American Bach Soloists, American Classical Orchestra, Musica Angelica, and with Musica Sacra in her acclaimed Carnegie Hall solo debut.
Ms. Richardson is represented by Schwalbe & Partners schwalbeandpartners.com/nola-richardson-soprano
Text and translation
I. Exsultate, jubilate,
O vos animae beatae,
Dulcia cantica canendo,
Cantui vestro respondendo,
Psallant aethera cum me.
II. Recit: Fulget amica dies,
Jam fugere et nubila et procellae;
Exorta est
Inexspectata quies.
Undique obscura regnabat nox,
Surgite tandem laeti
Qui timuistis adhuc,
Et jucundi aurorae fortunatae
Frondes dextera plena et lilia date.
III. Aria: Tu virginum corona,
Tu nobis pacem dona,
Tu consolare affectus,
Unde suspirat cor.
IV. Alleluia.
Rejoice, rejoice
O you blessed souls,
Sing sweet songs,
And in response to your singing
Let the heavens sing with me.
The day shines as our friend
The clouds and storms have fled away
Revealing
An unexpected calm.
Dark night has ruled everywhere
Rise up, happy
Those who were afraid
And joyful for the dawn,
Hand out give garlands and lilies
You, the crown of virgins,
Give us peace,
Console our feelings,
From our sighing hearts.
*Voices of Music Classical Orchestra*
Hanneke van Proosdij, director & harpsichord
First violins
Elizabeth Blumenstock, Aniela Eddy,
Augusta McKay Lodge** & Shelby Yamin
Second violins
Lisa Grodin, Kati Kyme* & Linda Quan
Violas
Maria Caswell* Mitso Floor & Anthony Martin
Violoncelli: William Skeen* & Elisabeth Reed
Viennese double bass: Farley Pearce*
Horns: Elisabeth Axtell & Sadie Glass*
Oboes: Pablo O’Connell & Marc Schachman*
**concertmaster *principal
performed on period instruments
#Amadeus
Boby Borisov, audio engineer and ambisonics design
Video: Lloyd Hryciw
8K technology: David Tayler
Post production: David Tayler, Andrew Levy & Boby Borisov
All copyright 2023 Voices of Music
0:00 I. Exsultate Jubilate
5:00 II. Recit: Fulget amica dies
6:04 III. Aria: Tu Virginum Corona
13:11 IV. Alleluia
16:05 Credits

Buonamente: Sonata for 3 violins in D Minor, Voices of Music; Lodge, Blumenstock & Freivogel 8K

Voices of Music 2024-10-07 | The Sonata a tre violini of Buonamente. Live, 8K video from our award winning Musica Transalpina concert, February, 2023.
From Sonate et canzoni a due, tre, quattro, cinque, et a sei voci, libro sesto (Venice1636) No. 2. This work is here presented for the first time in 8K on period instruments.
Voices of Music
Hanneke van Proosdij & David Tayler, directors
Augusta McKay Lodge, Elizabeth Blumenstock & Cynthia Miller Freivogel,
baroque violins (left to right)
Elisabeth Reed, baroque cello
Hanneke van Proosdij, harpsichord
David Tayler, archlute
Special thanks to our amazing crew:
Audio engineer & ambisonics: Boby Borisov
Video director: Lloyd Hryciw
Video: Rob Clevenger
Post Production: David Tayler & Andrew Levy
#buonamente

Bach: Violin Concerto in E Major BWV 1042, III. Allegro assai. Elizabeth Blumenstock, baroque violin

Voices of Music 2024-10-02 | The Allegro assai from Bach's Violin Concerto in E Major. 8K video from our December 2022 concert, by the award-winning Early Music ensemble Voices of Music. This work is here presented for the first time on period instruments in 8K resolution.
The fleet and vibrant third movement ingeniously combined elements of rondeau and ritornello, and the triadic themes echo the opening movement.
Voices of Music
Hanneke van Proosdij and David Tayler, directors
Audio engineer: Boby Borisov
Video: Lloyd Hryciw & Rob Clevenger
Post production: David Tayler & Andrew Levy
#Bach

Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 1 in B Flat Major K.207 Augusta McKay Lodge & Voices of Music 8K

Voices of Music 2024-09-28 | The opening Allegro Moderato of Mozart's Violin Concerto in B Flat Major, performed on original instruments by the award winning Early Music ensemble Voices of Music. Augusta McKay Lodge, classical violin. This work is here presented in 8K video for the for the first time.
Because Mozart is rightly regarded of as one of the great keyboard virtuosi of his generation, it can be easy to forget that in many of his first prominent positions and opportunities, he worked as a violinist. In 1772, he was hired as a salaried concertmaster in Salzburg, a position he had already been holding on an honorary basis for three years. It is possibly for himself, in this position, that he wrote his first violin concerto. While it was previously thought that all five of Mozart’s violin concerti were composed in 1775, more recent evidence suggests that this one dates to two years prior, during a period when the teenage composer was seeking greater stability and exhibiting increased maturity in his compositions.
Here, Mozart displays his comfort with standard concerto practices of the period, although all three movements are in sonata forms—an unusually serious choice for a genre that often served as a vehicle for facile showmanship. The opening movement provides no shortage of delight and variety, including a moody shift to C minor at the opening to the development section, marked by octaves for the solo violin. --Sophie Benn, PhD.
Historical performance of Mozart
Although Mozart and his contemporaries are mainstays of modern concert repertory, historical performances, using the instruments, bows, strings, styles and techniques of the time are relatively rare.
Of the above, the most important was the direction of the orchestra and the skills of the musicians. In the late 18th century, as in the baroque, the orchestra was not conducted, but led from the keyboard or the violin. In addition, audiences came to see virtuosi perform, and the leader of the orchestra was invariably a world-class composer and performer. Mozart was highly skilled both as a violinist and a keyboard player, and at an early age wrote to his father requesting permission to effect a major change in the way his music was performed: that the son lead the orchestra from his preferred instrument, the keyboard, as opposed to the instrument of his father, the violin. In our performances the violin concertos are led from the violin, and the symphonies are led from the keyboard.
Directing the orchestra with an instrument has a unique advantage: the leader is able to speak and spark continuously to the ensemble and audience through the language of music. On the keyboard, the music is completely improvised from the score, just as in the baroque: this creates a unique layer and texture of music which is completely absent in a modern performance.
Period instruments give Mozart a unique sound and unparalleled transparency. Notably, the bass line is supported by the Viennese bass, with a different tuning and resonance than the double bass or violone.
*Voices of Music Classical Orchestra*
Hanneke van Proosdij, director & keyboard
Augusta McKay Lodge, soloist
First violins
Elizabeth Blumenstock,** Aniela Eddy & Shelby Yamin
Second violins
Lisa Grodin, Kati Kyme* & Linda Quan
Violas
Maria Caswell* Mitso Floor & Anthony Martin
Violoncelli: William Skeen* & Elisabeth Reed
Viennese double bass: Farley Pearce*
Horns: Elisabeth Axtell & Sadie Glass*
Oboes: Pablo O’Connell & Marc Schachman*
**concertmaster *principal
Performed on period instruments
Augusta McKay Lodge is a historically informed violinist, globally established at a
young age as leader, chamber musician, and soloist. As a soloist in demand both in
the U.S. and abroad, Augusta has appeared with Voices of Music, Les Musiciens de
Saint-Julien, the American Classical Orchestra, Juilliard415, Jupiter Ensemble, the
Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra, Les Arts Florissants, and more.
American tour of Purcell’s Fairy Queen.
Augusta has been awarded many prizes, including the Juilliard Historical Performance Concerto Competition, the San Francisco Classical Voice (SFCV) Audience Choice Awards.
Augusta is director of Voices of Music’s Emerging Artists Program, which
brings video educational courses and masterclasses to conservatories around the
United States.
A native of Oberlin, Ohio currently residing in Paris, Augusta holds degrees from
Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Indiana University Jacobs School, and the Juilliard
School (Kovner Fellow, English Concert American Fellow, Mercury-Juilliard Fellow).
She performs on a Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume violin (1867) and a baroque-copy Jason
Viseltear violin (2014). Bookings: Suòno Artist Management.

#Amadeus
Boby Borisov, audio engineer and ambisonics design
Video: Lloyd Hryciw & David Tayler
8K technology: David Tayler
Post production: David Tayler
All copyright 2023 Voices of Music

Matteis - Aria Amorosa. Voices of Music, original instruments 8K

Voices of Music 2024-09-21 | The "Aria Amorosa" of Nicola Matteis, performed on period instruments by the award winning Early Music ensemble Voices of Music. Live, 8K video from our Music Transalpina concert, February, 2023. Matteis skillfully combines melody and harmony to create a rich, intense and dense musical treat :)
Voices of Music
Hanneke van Proosdij & David Tayler, directors
Augusta McKay Lodge & Cynthia Miller Freivogel,
baroque violins (left to right)
Elisabeth Reed, baroque cello
Hanneke van Proosdij, harpsichord
David Tayler, archlute
Special thanks to our amazing crew:
Audio engineer & ambisonics: Boby Borisov
Video director: Lloyd Hryciw
Video: Rob Clevenger
Post Production: David Tayler & Augusta McKay Lodge

Mozart: Tu Virginum Corona (Exsultate K165). Nola Richardson, soprano, Voices of Music. Original 8K

Voices of Music 2024-09-19 | Tu Virginum Corona, from Mozart's Exsultate Jubilate, Nola Richardson, soprano. performed on original instruments by the award winning Early Music ensemble Voices of Music. Nola Richardson, soprano. This work presented here for the first time in 8K video on period instruments.
Months after completing the Divertimento in D Major, Leopold and Wolfgang Mozart left for their third tour of Italy, with a first stop in Milan. There they met the soprano castrato, composer, and harpsichordist Venanzio Rauzzini, who was cast as one of the leads in Wolfgang Mozart’s new opera Lucio Silla opposite the prima donna Anna Lucia de Amicis. Clearly, Mozart was impressed by Rauzzini’s talent, because he composed this motet a month later to showcase the singer’s abilities. Its premiere took place in a Milan church on January 17, 1773. While the work has a religious text, it could be understood as a concerto for soprano voice: its fast-slow-fast structure certainly echoes that of an instrumental concerto, with the addition of a recitative between the first and second sections. Dazzling runs and flourishes in the outer sections to exhortations of “Rejoice, oh blessed souls!” and “Alleluia!” bookend a lovely, lilting heart, in which a prayer for peace and relief from grief is cast in gentle shade (Sophie Benn).
Soprano Nola Richardson makes her Voices of Music debut as an “especially impressive” soprano (The New York Times), Australian-American Nola Richardson’s repertory ranges from medieval to contemporary works, including several world premieres. She has been particularly noted for her performances of Bach, Handel and Mozart and has won First Prize in all three major American competitions focused on the music of J.S. Bach. Recent seasons have featured her debuts with the Atlanta, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Colorado, Helena, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, and Seattle Symphonies as well as with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, American Bach Soloists, American Classical Orchestra, Musica Angelica, and with Musica Sacra in her acclaimed Carnegie Hall solo debut.
Ms. Richardson is represented by Schwalbe & Partners https://schwalbeandpartners.com/nola-...
Text
Tu virginum corona,
Tu nobis pacem dona,
Tu consolare affectus,
Unde suspirat cor.
You, the crown of virgins,
Give us peace,
Console our feelings,
From our sighing. hearts
Voices of Music Classical Orchestra
Hanneke van Proosdij, leader & keyboard
First violins
Elizabeth Blumenstock, Aniela Eddy,
Augusta McKay Lodge** & Shelby Yamin
Second violins
Lisa Grodin, Kati Kyme* & Linda Quan
Violas
Maria Caswell* Mitso Floor & Anthony Martin
Violoncelli: William Skeen* & Elisabeth Reed
Viennese double bass: Farley Pearce*
Horns: Elisabeth Axtell & Sadie Glass*
Oboes: Pablo O’Connell & Marc Schachman*
**concertmaster *principal
performed on period instruments
#Amadeus
Boby Borisov, audio engineer and ambisonics design
Video: Lloyd Hryciw
8K technology: David Tayler
Post production: David Tayler, Andrew Levy & Boby Borisov
Copyright 2023 Voices of Music

Dowland: His golden locks, Molly Netter, voice; The Voice of the Viol consort

Voices of Music 2024-09-03 | John Dowland's song, _His golden locks time hath to silver turned,_ Molly Netter with The Voice of the Viol; Wendy Gillespie, Elisabeth Reed & Farley Pearce, Elizabethan viols. The Voice of the Viol, directed by Elisabeth Reed, is a program of Voices of Music.
One of Dowland's earliest works, it was performed before the Queen, November 17, 1590, during the Accession Day Tilts for the retirement of Sir Henry Lee, who was the the Queen's Champion and Armourer of Elizabeth I.
The striking _parlando_ opening reflects Dowland's familiarity with the new Italian styles; Dowland acknowledges the influence of the composer Marenzio in his preface to the publication of the work in his First Book of Songs (London, 1597).
Text
His golden locks Time hath to silver turned.
O Time too swift! Oh swiftness never ceasing!
His youth ’gainst Time and Age hath ever spurned,
But spurned in vain, youth waneth by increasing.
Beauty, strength, youth are flowers but fading seen;
Duty, faith, love are roots and ever green.

His helmet now shall make a hive for bees,
And lover’s sonnets turn to holy psalms.
A man-at-arms must now serve on his knees,
And feed on prayers which are Age’s alms.
But though from Court to cottage he depart,
His Saint is sure of his unspotted heart.

And when he saddest sits in homely cell,
He’ll teach his swains this carol for a song:
"Blest be the hearts that wish my Sovereign well.
Curst be the soul that think her any wrong."
Goddess, allow this aged man his right
To be your bedesman now that was your knight.

The poem, attributed on sparse evidence to George Peele, is remarkable for the change of focus, first general, then becoming a direct address as a closing couplet to Elizabeth I, leavened with a quotation in the form of a song within a song. As with many of Dowland's songs and instrumental music, the focus of the printed version is the consort, which can also be sung as a madrigal or performed as a lute song, as the string parts are texted.

*Elizabethan viols* Voices of Music is developing programs for two consorts of viols, one from the Elizabethan period and earlier (in this video), as well as an early renaissance consort from around the year 1500 to perform works published by Petrucci, the first music publisher, and his contemporaries.
The renaissance Elizabethan viols are primarily based on the work of John Rose, who was famous by the 1550s for his “vyalls” and other instruments. Although these instruments were from the middle of the century, only the later instruments survive, and it is not known if Rose’s style changed over the years, so these instruments either reflect the practice as early as the 1550s or, more likely, as late as the 1590s, although the changes may have been minor over the years. Notably, the design of the Amati violins from roughly the same time period changed very little. The Rose workshop parallels Elizabeth’s reign as queen, and so these instruments are an excellent choice for this repertory.
The English court imported a great many Italian instruments beginning with the reign of Henry VIII, but the Rose instruments were considered preeminent for the viols, even as the lutes and recorders were mainly sourced from Italy and Germany. For the renaissance ideal, the consort was conceived of as a matched set, and all the instruments played tonight were made by one builder, Wesley Brandt, using similar patterns, techniques and timbers based closely on historical models. The close matching gives the ensemble a unique sound and is essential for consort music.
Entrenched in a multitude of styles from an early age, Canadian-American soprano *Molly Netter* enlivens complex and beautiful music both old and new. Noted for her “natural warmth” (LA Times) and “clear, beautiful tone” (NY Times), Molly’s voice can be heard on five Grammy nominated albums since 2017.
#Dowland
8K Video: Lloyd Hryciw and Rob Clevenger
Audio engineer: David Tayler
Post Production: David Tayler and Andrew Levy
Produced by David Tayler
Score transcribed and arranged by Voices of Music
Special thanks to Margaret Cohen.
Copyright Voices of Music 2023.

Mozart: Exsultate Jubilate, Nola Richardson & Voices of Music. I. Exsultate. Original, K. 165 8K

Voices of Music 2024-08-27 | The opening movement of Mozart's motet Exsultate Jubilate, performed on original instruments by the award winning Early Music ensemble Voices of Music. Nola Richardson, soprano. This work presented here for the first time in 8K video on period instruments.
Months after completing the Divertimento in D Major, Leopold and Wolfgang Mozart left for their third tour of Italy, with a first stop in Milan. There they met the soprano castrato, composer, and harpsichordist Venanzio Rauzzini, who was cast as one of the leads in Wolfgang Mozart’s new opera Lucio Silla opposite the prima donna Anna Lucia de Amicis. Clearly, Mozart was impressed by Rauzzini’s talent, because he composed this motet a month later to showcase the singer’s abilities. Its premiere took place in a Milan church on January 17, 1773. While the work has a religious text, it could be understood as a concerto for soprano voice: its fast-slow-fast structure certainly echoes that of an instrumental concerto, with the addition of a recitative between the first and second sections. Dazzling runs and flourishes in the outer sections to exhortations of “Rejoice, oh blessed souls!” and “Alleluia!” bookend a lovely, lilting heart, in which a prayer for peace and relief from grief is cast in gentle shade (Sophie Benn).
Soprano Nola Richardson makes her Voices of Music debut as an “especially impressive” soprano (The New York Times), Australian-American Nola Richardson’s repertory ranges from medieval to contemporary works, including several world premieres. She has been particularly noted for her performances of Bach, Handel and Mozart and has won First Prize in all three major American competitions focused on the music of J.S. Bach. Recent seasons have featured her debuts with the Atlanta, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Colorado, Helena, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, and Seattle Symphonies as well as with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, American Bach Soloists, American Classical Orchestra, Musica Angelica, and with Musica Sacra in her acclaimed Carnegie Hall solo debut.
Ms. Richardson is represented by Schwalbe & Partners schwalbeandpartners.com/nola-richardson-soprano
Text and translation
Exsultate, jubilate,
O vos animae beatae,
Dulcia cantica canendo,
Cantui vestro respondendo,
Psallant aethera cum me.
Rejoice, rejoice
O you blessed souls,
Sing sweet songs,
And in response to your singing
Let the heavens sing with me.

*Voices of Music Classical Orchestra*
Hanneke van Proosdij, director & harpsichord
First violins
Elizabeth Blumenstock, Aniela Eddy,
Augusta McKay Lodge** & Shelby Yamin
Second violins
Lisa Grodin, Kati Kyme* & Linda Quan
Violas
Maria Caswell* Mitso Floor & Anthony Martin
Violoncelli: William Skeen* & Elisabeth Reed
Viennese double bass: Farley Pearce*
Horns: Elisabeth Axtell & Sadie Glass*
Oboes: Pablo O’Connell & Marc Schachman*
**concertmaster *principal
performed on period instruments
#Amadeus
Boby Borisov, audio engineer and ambisonics design
Video: Lloyd Hryciw
8K technology: David Tayler
Post production: David Tayler, Andrew Levy & Boby Borisov
All copyright 2023 Voices of Music

Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in E Minor Il Favorito RV 277 III. Allegro. Chloe Kim, Voices of Music 8K

Voices of Music 2024-08-22 | The final Allegro of Vivaldi's violin concerto "Il Favorito" (The Favourite), performed on original instruments, Chloe Kim, baroque violin solo; video from our March, 2022 concert. This work is presented here for the first time in 8K UHD video. "Il Favorito" was originally part of a manuscript set presented to Charles VI and shortly thereafter, with revisions, published in Opus 11 in 1729.
The title "Il Favorito" is clearly present in Vivaldi's elegant 1729 engraving, which is the best source for our edition of this concerto, as the presentation manuscript is missing the solo part. Although is it unknown who had a special place for the work, was it a response to Vivaldi's gift? It is certainly a favorite today.
Voices of Music
Hanneke van Proosdij & David Tayler, directors
Video: Lloyd Hryciw and Rob Clevenger
Audio & ambisonics: Boby Borisov
Post Production: David Tayler & Andrew Levy
#vivaldi

If ye love me - Tallis - Molly Netter, soprano. The Voice of the Viol gamba consort 8K video

Voices of Music 2024-08-20 | If ye love me, keep my commandments, sung by Molly Netter, with the Voice of the Viol viola da gamba consort.
Wendy Gillespie, Elisabeth Reed & Farley Pearce, Elizabethan viols.
The Voice of the Viol, directed by Elisabeth Reed, is a program of Voices of Music.
One of the finest works of the renaissance; Tallis writes a perfect miniature.
This work is presented here for the first time in 8K UHD video.
The text is from the Gospel of John (14:15-17):
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
And I will pray the Father,
and he shall give you another comforter,
that he may 'bide with you forever;
E'en the sp'rit of truth.
The source of the text is usually given as the Tyndale Bible; however, it likely that Tallis, ever aware of his position, used Henry VIII's Great Bible of 1539 which has several small changes from Tyndale that align with Tallis' earliest manuscripts.
A lifelong Catholic, like William Byrd, Tallis could write in any musical style in several languages, and his plain English settings, composed in plain style, are as accomplished as his Latin works, or any renaissance works.
*Elizabethan viols* Voices of Music is developing programs for two consorts of viols, one from the Elizabethan period and earlier (in this video), as well as an early renaissance consort from around the year 1500 to perform works published by Petrucci, the first music publisher, and his contemporaries.
The renaissance Elizabethan viols are primarily based on the work of John Rose, who was famous by the 1550s for his “vyalls” and other instruments. Although these instruments were from the middle of the century, only the later instruments survive, and it is not known if Rose’s style changed over the years, so these instruments either reflect the practice as early as the 1550s or, more likely, as late as the 1590s, although the changes may have been minor over the years. Notably, the design of the Amati violins from roughly the same time period changed very little. The Rose workshop parallels Elizabeth’s reign as queen, and so these instruments are an excellent choice for this repertory.
The English court imported a great many Italian instruments beginning with the reign of Henry VIII, but the Rose instruments were considered preeminent for the viols, even as the lutes and recorders were mainly sourced from Italy and Germany. For the renaissance ideal, the consort was conceived of as a matched set, and all the instruments played tonight were made by one builder, Wesley Brandt, using similar patterns, techniques and timbers based closely on historical models. The close matching gives the ensemble a unique sound and is essential for consort music.
Another major difference to the baroque instruments is the strings: wire-wound strings emerged circa 1660 and were unknown to the musicians of the renaissance and early 17th century. Without the “overspun” strings the sound of the instrument and its overtones are markedly different, especially in terms of greater transparency, and this enables each individual part in the early English viols to be heard clearly. Importantly, with wire wound strings, bowed instruments are louder in the bass register, but unwound strings have the opposite, softer sound. In addition, there is no register change as the player crosses strings with the bow: all the strings are the same. Lastly, the early English viols had soundboards that were made of very thin, parallel strips of wood that were heated and bent under tension, so they are similar to a drum: this process of tempering and tensioning the soundboard changes the harmonics of the viol.
Entrenched in a multitude of styles from an early age, Canadian-American soprano *Molly Netter* enlivens complex and beautiful music both old and new. Noted for her “natural warmth” (LA Times) and “clear, beautiful tone” (NY Times), Molly’s voice can be heard on five Grammy nominated albums since 2017.
#Tallis
8K Video: Lloyd Hryciw and Rob Clevenger
Audio engineer: David Tayler
Post Production: David Tayler and Andrew Levy
Produced by David Tayler
Score transcribed and arranged by Voices of Music
Special thanks to Margaret Cohen.

Bach: Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Minor BWV 1001 (Adagio). YuEun Gemma Kim, baroque violin 8K video.

Voices of Music 2024-08-14 | Virtuoso violinist YuEun Kim performs the opening Adagio from Bach's Violin Sonata in G Minor. Live, 8K video from the Voices of Music March 2022 Concertos Concert. In his first violin sonata, Bach transforms the landscape of the repertory for the unaccompanied violin. This work is presented here for the first time in 8K.
Originally from South Korea, YuEun Gemma Kim began playing piano at age five and violin at age seven, although she enjoyed singing Korean and American pop songs from the 80s with her father the most. She also used to play organ every Wednesday at 6 am at church services.
She moved to the United States in 2013 to study at the University of Southern California with violinist Midori Goto. In competitions, YuEun won first place in USC’s Solo Bach Competition and the Strings Concerto Competition, and she was a semifinalist at the Qingdao International Violin Competition (China), the Michael Hill International Violin Competition (New Zealand) and the Buenos Aires International Competition. Notably, she won she won second prize in 2018 at the Boulder International Competition: Art of Duo, and she recently received the Jeffrey Thomas Award from American Bach Soloists.
YuEun is a core member of Delirium Musicum, a self-conducted chamber orchestra based in Los Angeles. During the pandemic, Delirium Musicum created MusiKaravan that took YuEun and Artistic Director Etienne Gara on the road in a vintage Volkswagen bus to perform socially-distanced concerts for farm workers, winemakers, random passersby, and even the occasional ostrich. MusiKaravan won the Audience Choice Award of the San Francisco Classical Voice for "Best Streaming Series." Highlights of this musical journey may be found on the "MusiKaravan" YouTube Channel. As a member of Delirium Musicum, she recently took part in the debut album for the Warner Classics label.
Her Chopin Nocturne video on her YouTube channel has over 19 million views, and the funniest moment in her performing career was when she noticed Itzhak Perlman was in the audience: she couldn’t manage her page turns for her music and ended up playing the whole Haydn string quartet by heart. For more information, visit linktr.ee/GemmaViolin
Voices of Music
Hanneke van Proosdij & David Tayler, directors
Video: Lloyd Hryciw and Rob Clevenger
Audio & ambisonics: Boby Borisov
Post Production: David Tayler
#bach

Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in E Minor Il Favorito RV 277 Chloe Kim & Voices of Music II. Andante 8K

Voices of Music 2024-08-12 | The Andante from Vivaldi's renowned concerto "Il Favorito" (The Favourite), performed on original instruments, Chloe Kim, baroque violin solo; video from our March, 2022 concert. This work is presented here for the first time in 8K UHD video.
"Il Favorito" was originally part of a manuscript set presented to Charles VI and shortly thereafter, with revisions, published in Opus 11 in 1729.The title "Il Favorito" is clearly present in Vivaldi's elegant 1729 engraving, which is the best source for our edition of this concerto, as the presentation manuscript is missing the solo part. Although is it unknown who had a special place for the work, was it a response to Vivaldi's gift? It is certainly a favorite today.
Voices of Music
Hanneke van Proosdij & David Tayler, directors
Video: Lloyd Hryciw and Rob Clevenger
Audio & ambisonics: Boby Borisov
Post Production: David Tayler & Andrew Levy

SFCV Audience Choice Awards 2024 Voices of Music

Voices of Music 2024-08-06 | Update: Winners will be announced on SFCV.org
Hi everyone: we really need your help. Please vote us for the SFCV Audience Choice awards. It's absolutely free and super easy! surveymonkey.com/r/BKSJHSJ Thanks so much, Hanneke and David, Voices of Music. Also vote for Amanda Forsythe (opera singer), Hanneke van Proosdij (conductor) and Augusta McKay Lodge (soloist)

In this Video:
Handel "Da Tempeste" from Julius Caesar
Anthony Holborne: The New Year's Gift
Mozart: Divertimento in D Major
Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 1 in B Flat Major
Clara Schumann: Romance No. 3
Vivaldi: Concerto for two violins in A Minor
Anon: When Daphne from fair Phoebus did fly

Audio: Boby Borisov
Video: Lloyd Hryciw & Rob Clevenger

Schubert: Die Forelle (The Trout) D.550. Thomas Cooley, tenor; Eric Zivian, fortepiano (original) 8K

Voices of Music 2024-08-03 | Franz Schubert's epic tale of the trout, sung by Thomas Cooley, tenor, with Eric Zivian on an original 19th-century fortepiano. 8K video from our "Evening in Vienna" concert, February 18, 2024.
In the celebrated “Die Forelle” (“The Trout”), listen for the quicksilver piano at the opening, which reflects both the elegance of the fish’s movements and the narrator’s joy at seeing such a beautiful creature. Of course, the episodes depicted in Romantic poetry are never uniformly happy, and the fish’s fortune turns when an angler arrives on the scene.
This work is presented here for the first time in 8K UHD video.
Text and translation
In einem Bächlein helle,
Da schoß in froher Eil’
Die launische Forelle
Vorüber wie ein Pfeil.
Ich stand an dem Gestade
Und sah in süßer Ruh
Des muntern Fischleins Bade
Im klaren Bächlein zu.
Ein Fischer mit der Rute
Wohl an dem Ufer stand,
Und sah’s mit kaltem Blute,
Wie sich das Fischlein wand.
So lang dem Wasser Helle,
So dacht ich, nicht gebricht,
So fängt er die Forelle
Mit seiner Angel nicht.
Doch endlich ward dem Diebe
Die Zeit zu lang. Er macht
Das Bächlein tückisch trübe,
Und eh ich es gedacht,
So zuckte seine Rute,
Das Fischlein zappelt dran,
Und ich mit regem Blute
Sah die Betrogene an. --Christian Schubart

In a clear brooklet
there shot by in joyous haste
the capricious trout
like an arrow.
I stood on the bank
in blissful peace, watching
the lively fish swim in the clear brook.
A fisherman with his rod
stood on the bank
cold-bloodedly watching
the fish’s twists and turns.
As long as the water
remains so clear, I thought,
he won’t catch the trout
with his rod.
But at last the thief
grew impatient. Cunningly
he made the brook cloudy,
and before I realized it
his rod twitched,
and the fish struggled on it.
And I, my blood boiling,
looked on at the deceived creature.

Translation by Hanneke van Proosdij and David Tayler
Voices of Music
Hanneke van Proosdij and David Tayler, directors
www.voicesofmusic.org
Produced by Hanneke van Proosdij and David Tayler
Video: Lloyd Hryciw and David Tayler
Audio and ambisonics: Boby Borisov
Post Production: David Tayler
Notes: Sophie Benn
Lied by Franz Schubert
Fortepiano by Franz Rausch, Vienna (Wien) 1841
#trout

SFCV Audience Choice Awards Nominations: Voices of Music 2023-2024

Voices of Music 2024-07-28 | Update: Winners will be announced on SFCV.org

Hi everyone: we really need your help. Please vote us for the SFCV Audience Choice awards. It's absolutely free and super easy! Thanks so much, Hanneke and David, Voices of Music link: https://surveymonkey.com/r/BKSJHSJ

Telemann: Oboe Concerto in E Minor 2. Allegro molto. Marc Schachman, baroque oboe, Voices of Music

Voices of Music 2024-07-14 | The Allegro molto from the concerto for oboe and strings by Georg Philipp Telemann TWV 51:e1, Marc Schachman, baroque oboe. Performed on original instruments by the award winning Early Music ensemble Voices of Music, December, 2022.
This work presented for the first time in 8K video.
Telemann borrows from both the Da Capo aria and the Pastorale for the structure of this movement, combining fleet outer movements with a sumptuous accompagnato middle section. Traces of French "brouderie" (embroidered style) grace the figuration of the oboe solos.
George Philip Telemann was a skilled performer on the oboe and writes brilliantly for its rich, dark timbre and clarity of articulation. The Concerto in E Minor is the most often performed of his ten oboe concertos.
Voices of Music
Hanneke van Proosdij and David Tayler, directors
Audio engineer: Boby Borisov
Video: Lloyd Hryciw & Rob Clevenger
Post production: David Tayler & Marc Schachman
#Telemann

Matteis: Ground after the Scotch Humour. Voices of Music, original instruments, filmed in 8K

Voices of Music 2024-07-08 | The Ground after the Scotch Humour, by Nicola Matteis, performed on original instruments. 8K video from our Music Transalpina concert, February, 2023.
Voices of Music
Hanneke van Proosdij & David Tayler, directors
Elizabeth Blumenstock & Augusta McKay Lodge,
baroque violins (left to right)
Elisabeth Reed, baroque cello
Hanneke van Proosdij, harpsichord
David Tayler, baroque guitar
Special thanks to our amazing crew:
Audio engineer & ambisonics: Boby Borisov
Video director: Lloyd Hryciw
Video: Rob Clevenger
Post Production: David Tayler & Augusta McKay Lodge

Pachelbel Canon in D Major. Voices of Music, original version, filmed in 8K video

Voices of Music 2024-07-04 | Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D Major, performed on original instruments.
Voices of Music
Hanneke van Proosdij & David Tayler, directors
Cynthia Miller Freivogel, Elizabeth Blumenstock & Augusta McKay Lodge,
baroque violins (left to right)
Elisabeth Reed, baroque cello
Hanneke van Proosdij, baroque organ
David Tayler, archlute
About the performance: the canon is played using not only the instruments but also the bowing techniques from the time of Pachelbel. A new edition for the music was made from the earliest manuscript source. As you can see from the video, especially if you look at the high definition version, the string instruments are not only baroque, but they are in baroque setup: this means that the strings, fingerboard, bridge and other parts of the violin appear just as they did in Pachelbel's time. No metal hardware such as chinrests, clamps or fine tuners are used on the violins, allowing the violins to vibrate freely.
A good example of baroque bowing can be seen in the extended passage of repeated notes: the musicians play these notes on one bow—the shorter & lighter baroque bow—to created a gliding effect. The players also hold the bow very differently which affects the balance and touch. Both the style and the amount of vibrato are based on baroque treatises which describe the methods for playing, bowing & articulation in the late 17th century. The narrow, shimmering vibrato blends with the baroque organ.
The organ used is made entirely of wood, based on German baroque instruments, and the pipes are voiced to provide a smooth accompaniment to the strings, instead of a more soloistic sound. Another feature of the video is the subtle differences in not only the sound and color of the instruments, but also the different techniques of the players. All three are playing baroque violins with baroque bows, yet each person has her own distinct sound and bowing style—each bow has a different shape and balance. If you look at paintings of 17th century players you will see that they are all different, because that individuality of sound and technique was highly valued. This allows the players and the listeners to hear and appreciate the "Voices of Music."
Pitch is A=415.3 Hz. We chose a baroque pitch and temperament from the time of Pachelbel.
The present video is from our "Musica Transalpina" concerts, February, 2023.
Sixteen years ago, we filmed this work on what was then "cutting edge" 1080p, before it was even supported on YouTube. That video is at 18 million views! The camera we used back then recorded onto tiny tape cassettes, which then had to be specially processed with custom software to extract 24p/1080 video.
We always thought it would be fun to return to this work, and here we are with a different interpretation & tempo :)
You will notice Cynthia in the first video, and she triumphantly returns!
We hope you enjoy both versions, and the Gigue is on the way --H&D

Special thanks to our amazing crew:
Audio engineer & ambisonics: Boby Borisov
Video director: Lloyd Hryciw
Video: Rob Clevenger
Post Production: David Tayler & Augusta McKay Lodge
Produced by Hanneke van Proosdij & David Tayler
Copyright 2023 Voices of Music
#PachelbelCanon

Handel: Rompo i lacci (Flavio), Christopher Lowrey, countertenor, Voices of Music (HWV 16) 8K

Voices of Music 2024-07-02 | The aria "Rompo i lacci" from Handel's opera Flavio, Christopher Lowrey, countertenor. Performed on original instruments by the award-winning Early Music ensemble Voices of Music in collaboration with Gotham Early Music Scene (GEMS). 8K video from our concert in NYC, October 6, 2022. Baroque oboe solo by David Dickey.
Text and translation:
Rompo i lacci, e frango i dardi (Flavio)
Che al mio seno amor scagliò;
Ma poi senza l’idol mio
Come, O Dio ! viver potrò?

I break the bonds, I smash the darts
That love hurled at my chest.
But…without my idol,
O God, how will I be able to live?

The fast and furious “Rompi lacci” from Flavio uses a formula that Handel employed to great effect on dozens of arias: an introduction with contrasting textures sets the affect, then a punctuated “topic” statement by the singer is followed by a slightly longer statement which transitions to a series of long, virtuosic melismas.
The origin and development of the Da Capo aria (“Da Capo” simply means “take it from the top”) is traditionally assigned to Alessandro Scarlatti, and it is certainly true that he developed the form. However, digging into the scores of the most famous opera composers of the 17th century, we find many examples from around the year 1650 in the works of Cavalli, Carissimi and Cesti, and Luigi Rossi may well have started the trend in the 1640s. By 1690, Da Capo arias began to supersede other forms, and the 1685 composers—Handel, Bach and Domenico Scarlatti—all wrote masterpieces.
Voices of Music is a pioneer in digital technology for the arts, and more than 80,000 people watch concerts and programming from our ensemble each day—more than thirty million viewers a year. In addition to our acclaimed Concert Series in the San Francisco Bay Area, Voices of Music sponsors the Emerging Artists Program, the Junior Recorder Society and the Barbary Coast Recorder Orchestra.
Voices of Music
Hanneke van Proosdij & David Tayler ~ directors
Christopher Lowrey ~ countertenor
David Dickey ~ baroque oboe
Aniela Eddy, Kati Kyme,
Isabelle Seula Lee, Augusta McKay Lodge* &
Shelby Yamin ~ baroque violin
Kyle Miller & Maureen Murchie ~ baroque viola
Ana Kim & William Skeen** ~ baroque violoncello
Doug Balliett ~ baroque bass
Dongsok Shin ~ organ
Hanneke van Proosdij ~ harpsichord
David Tayler ~ archlute
*concertmaster **continuo
Producer: John Thiessen
Video director: Murat Eyuboglu
Audio Engineer: David Tayler
Harpsichord courtesy of Gwendolyn Toth, made by John Phillips, Berkeley, CA, 2014, after Johann Heinrich Gräbner Jr, 1739, preserved in the Kunstgewerbemuseum, Dresden, at Schloss Pillnitz.
Chinoiserie by Janine Johnson.
Filmed in 8K with Sony A1 cameras and Sony lenses. Microphones by Sennheiser and Schoeps.
Live from the Church of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Manhattan.
The Rev’d Dr Andrew C. Blume, Rector

Mozart: Divertimento in D Major K. 136, 2. Andante. Voices of Music original version 8K video

Voices of Music 2024-06-20 | The Andante from the the Divertimento in D Major, performed on original instruments by the award-winning ensemble Voices of Music.
K. 136 is one of three divertimenti that Mozart wrote in Salzburg in early 1772, when he was only sixteen years old. He was at home in Salzburg during this period, recovering for a few months between two lucrative tours to Italy that he undertook with his father, Leopold Mozart. While the genre of “divertimento” is flexible in terms of form, movement scheme, and instrumentation, these works are generally intended as lighthearted entertainment. Mozart’s 1772 divertimenti are more formally complex than many of their type, but their brevity and transparent textures reveal their purpose as elegant amusements. Here, we also see Mozart’s penchant for active inner voices in full bloom. While performing on the violin was perhaps more lucrative and marketable, Mozart famously preferred playing the viola, and this work offers particularly interesting and fulfilling writing for the viola and second violin (notes by Sophie Benn).
Historical performance of Mozart
Although Mozart and his contemporaries are mainstays of modern concert repertory, historical performances, using the instruments, bows, strings, styles and techniques of the time are relatively rare.
Of the above, the most important was the direction of the orchestra and the skills of the musicians. In the late 18th century, as in the baroque, the orchestra was not conducted, but led from the keyboard or the violin. In addition, audiences came to see virtuosi perform, and the leader of the orchestra was invariably a world-class composer and performer. Mozart was highly skilled both as a violinist and a keyboard player, and at an early age wrote to his father requesting permission to effect a major change in the way his music was performed: that the son lead the orchestra from his preferred instrument, the keyboard, as opposed to the instrument of his father, the violin. In our performances the violin concertos are led from the violin, and the symphonies are led from the keyboard.
Directing the orchestra with an instrument has a unique advantage: the leader is able to speak and spark continuously to the ensemble and audience through the language of music. On the keyboard, the music is completely improvised from the score, just as in the baroque: this creates a unique layer and texture of music which is completely absent in a modern performance.
Period instruments give Mozart a unique sound and unparalleled transparency. Notably, the bass line is supported by the Viennese bass, with five strings, frets, and a different tuning and resonance than the double bass or violone.
Voices of Music Classical Orchestra
Hanneke van Proosdij, leader & keyboard
First violins
Elizabeth Blumenstock, Aniela Eddy,
Augusta McKay Lodge** & Shelby Yamin
Second violins
Lisa Grodin, Kati Kyme* & Linda Quan
Violas
Maria Caswell* Mitso Floor & Anthony Martin
Violoncelli: William Skeen* & Elisabeth Reed
Viennese double bass: Farley Pearce*
**concertmaster *principal
performed on period instruments
#Amadeus

Producer: David Tayler
Audio engineer and ambisonics design: Boby Borisov
Video: Lloyd Hryciw
8K technology: David Tayler
Post production: David Tayler & Andrew Levy

Holborne: Pavan Posthuma. The Voice of the Viol viola da gamba consort, 8K UHD video.

Voices of Music 2024-06-09 | Anthony Holborne's sumptuous pavan "Posthuma," performed on renaissance recorder and Elizabethan viols. Holborne's music was published in "Pavans, Galliards, Almains and other Short Aeirs" (London, 1599). Presented for the first time in 8K video.
The Voice of the Viol
Elisabeth Reed, director
Musicians: (left to right)
Hanneke van Proosdij, renaissance recorder
Wendy Gillespie, Elisabeth Reed, Farley Pearce & William Skeen,
Elizabethan viols.
*about Elizabethan viols*
Voices of Music is developing programs for two consorts of viols, one from the Elizabethan period (in this video) and also an early renaissance consort from around the year 1500 to perform works published by Petrucci, the first music publisher, and his contemporaries.The late renaissance Elizabethan viols are primarily based on the work of John Rose, who was famous by the 1550s for his “vyalls” and other instruments. Although these instruments were from the middle of the century, only the later instruments survive, and it is not known if Rose’s style changed over the years, so these instruments either reflect the practice as early as the 1550s or, more likely, as late as the 1590s, although the changes may have been minor over the years. Notably, the design of the Amati violins from roughly the same time period changed very little. The Rose workshop parallels Elizabeth’s reign as queen, and so these instruments are an excellent choice for this repertory. The English court imported a great many Italian instruments beginning with the reign of Henry VIII, but the Rose instruments were considered preeminent for the viols, even as the lutes and recorders were mainly sourced from Italy and Germany. For the renaissance ideal, the consort was conceived of as a matched set, and all the instruments played tonight were made by one builder, Wesley Brandt, using similar patterns, techniques and timbers based closely on historical models. The close matching gives the ensemble a unique sound and is essential for consort music.Another major difference to the baroque instruments is the strings: wire-wound strings emerged circa 1660 and were unknown to the musicians of the renaissance and early 17th century. Without the “overspun” strings the sound of the instrument and its overtones are markedly different, especially in terms of greater transparency, and this enables each individual part in the early English viols to be heard clearly. Importantly, with wire wound strings, bowed instruments are louder in the bass register, but unwound strings have the opposite, softer sound. In addition, there is no register change as the player crosses strings with the bow: all the strings are the same. Lastly, the early English viols had soundboards that were made of very thin, parallel strips of wood that were heated and bent under tension, so they are similar to a drum: this process of tempering and tensioning the soundboard changes the harmonics of the viol.
#Holborne
8K Video: Lloyd Hryciw and Rob Clevenger
Produced by David Tayler
Post Production: David Tayler and Andrew Levy
Special thanks to Margaret Cohen.

Holborne: Galliard Nec Invidio. The Voice of the Viol, Hanneke van Proosdij, recorder. 8K video.

Voices of Music 2024-06-06 | Anthony Holborne's five part setting of "Nec Invideo," performed on renaissance recorder and Elizabethan viols. Holborne's music was published in "Pavans, Galliards, Almains and other Short Aeirs" (London, 1599). Presented for the first time in 8K video.
The title of the work comes from Ovid, "Parve—nec invideo—sine me, liber, ibis in urbem", where the poet describes being unable to go to Rome, as he has been exiled, and so sends his book instead "nec invideo" (without envy).
The Voice of the Viol
Elisabeth Reed, director
Musicians: (left to right)
Hanneke van Proosdij, renaissance recorder
Wendy Gillespie, Elisabeth Reed,
Farley Pearce & William Skeen, Elizabethan viols.
*about Elizabethan viols*
Voices of Music is developing programs for two consorts of viols, one from the Elizabethan period (in this video) and also an early renaissance consort from around the year 1500 to perform works published by Petrucci, the first music publisher, and his contemporaries.The late renaissance Elizabethan viols are primarily based on the work of John Rose, who was famous by the 1550s for his “vyalls” and other instruments. Although these instruments were from the middle of the century, only the later instruments survive, and it is not known if Rose’s style changed over the years, so these instruments either reflect the practice as early as the 1550s or, more likely, as late as the 1590s, although the changes may have been minor over the years. Notably, the design of the Amati violins from roughly the same time period changed very little. The Rose workshop parallels Elizabeth’s reign as queen, and so these instruments are an excellent choice for this repertory. The English court imported a great many Italian instruments beginning with the reign of Henry VIII, but the Rose instruments were considered preeminent for the viols, even as the lutes and recorders were mainly sourced from Italy and Germany. For the renaissance ideal, the consort was conceived of as a matched set, and all the instruments played tonight were made by one builder, Wesley Brandt, using similar patterns, techniques and timbers based closely on historical models. The close matching gives the ensemble a unique sound and is essential for consort music.Another major difference to the baroque instruments is the strings: wire-wound strings emerged circa 1660 and were unknown to the musicians of the renaissance and early 17th century. Without the “overspun” strings the sound of the instrument and its overtones are markedly different, especially in terms of greater transparency, and this enables each individual part in the early English viols to be heard clearly. Importantly, with wire wound strings, bowed instruments are louder in the bass register, but unwound strings have the opposite, softer sound. In addition, there is no register change as the player crosses strings with the bow: all the strings are the same. Lastly, the early English viols had soundboards that were made of very thin, parallel strips of wood that were heated and bent under tension, so they are similar to a drum: this process of tempering and tensioning the soundboard changes the harmonics of the viol.
#Holborne
8K Video: Lloyd Hryciw and Rob Clevenger
Produced by David Tayler
Post Production: David Tayler and Andrew Levy
Special thanks to Margaret Cohen.

BFX 2024: Voices of Music & Amanda Forsythe, Handel & Vivaldi, Lee, McKay Lodge, Skeen, van Proosdij

Voices of Music 2024-06-02 | Join us for fabulous concerts at the Berkeley Early Music Festival & Exhibition. Our Handel & Vivaldi program will be June 14th, 2024.
Soloists: Amanda Forsythe, Isabelle Seula Lee, Augusta McKay Lodge, William Skeen, Hanneke van Proosdij and the amazing musicians of Voices of Music.
Tickets to this concert and information on all the events:
berkeleyfestival.org
See you there!
Hanneke & David
Directors
Voices of Music

Convey me to some peaceful shore: Music of Vivaldi and Handel
Amanda Forsythe, soprano

Program
I. Concerto in G Major “La Rustica” RV 151 Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)

II. Cello concerto in D Minor RV 407 Vivaldi
William Skeen, baroque cello

III. Il volo così fido (Riccardo Primo HWV 23) George Frideric Handel (1685-1749)
Amanda Forsythe, soprano; Hanneke van Proosdij, sopranino recorder

IV. Violin concerto in D Major “Grosso Mogul” RV 208 Vivaldi
Augusta McKay Lodge, baroque violin
Allegro  Grave recitativo  Allegro

V. Sarabande in D Minor HWV 437 Handel
William Skeen, baroque cello

Convey me to some peaceful shore (Alexander Balus HWV 65)
Prophetic Raptures (Joseph and His Brethren HWV 59)
Amanda Forsythe, soprano

VI. Recorder concerto in C Major RV 444 Vivaldi
Hanneke van Proosdij, sopranino recorder

VII. Piangerò la sorte mia (Giulio Cesare HWV 17)
Da Tempeste (Giulio Cesare)
Amanda Forsythe, soprano

VIII. Concerto for two violins in A Minor RV 522 Vivaldi
Augusta McKay Lodge and Isabelle Seula Lee, baroque violins

Voices of Music
Aniela Eddy, Kati Kyme, Isabelle Seula Lee, Augusta McKay Lodge,* Maxine Nemerovski & Linda Quan
baroque violin
Maria Caswell & Lisa Grodin, baroque viola
Elisabeth Reed & William Skeen,** baroque cello
Farley Pearce, violone
Katherine Heater, organ & harpsichord
Hanneke van Proosdij, harpsichord & recorder
David Tayler, archlute
*concertmaster **continuo

Full videos for these works:
youtu.be/t38KhMXo7zc
youtu.be/gs8s_6Ex04Y
youtu.be/f0bt2xgv6k8
youtu.be/USUnFayR1vY
#vivaldi

Mozart: Divertimento in D Major K. 136 Voices of Music original version 8K video

Voices of Music 2024-05-25 | The opening Allegro from the the Divertimento in D Major, performed on original instruments by the award-winning ensemble Voices of Music.
K. 136 is one of three divertimenti that Mozart wrote in Salzburg in early 1772, when he was only sixteen years old. He was at home in Salzburg during this period, recovering for a few months between two lucrative tours to Italy that he undertook with his father, Leopold Mozart. While the genre of “divertimento” is flexible in terms of form, movement scheme, and instrumentation, these works are generally intended as lighthearted entertainment. Mozart’s 1772 divertimenti are more formally complex than many of their type, but their brevity and transparent textures reveal their purpose as elegant amusements. Here, we also see Mozart’s penchant for active inner voices in full bloom. While performing on the violin was perhaps more lucrative and marketable, Mozart famously preferred playing the viola, and this work offers particularly interesting and fulfilling writing for the viola and second violin (notes by Sophie Benn).
Historical performance of Mozart
Although Mozart and his contemporaries are mainstays of modern concert repertory, historical performances, using the instruments, bows, strings, styles and techniques of the time are relatively rare.
Of the above, the most important was the direction of the orchestra and the skills of the musicians. In the late 18th century, as in the baroque, the orchestra was not conducted, but led from the keyboard or the violin. In addition, audiences came to see virtuosi perform, and the leader of the orchestra was invariably a world-class composer and performer. Mozart was highly skilled both as a violinist and a keyboard player, and at an early age wrote to his father requesting permission to effect a major change in the way his music was performed: that the son lead the orchestra from his preferred instrument, the keyboard, as opposed to the instrument of his father, the violin. In our performances the violin concertos are led from the violin, and the symphonies are led from the keyboard.
Directing the orchestra with an instrument has a unique advantage: the leader is able to speak and spark continuously to the ensemble and audience through the language of music. On the keyboard, the music is completely improvised from the score, just as in the baroque: this creates a unique layer and texture of music which is completely absent in a modern performance.
Period instruments give Mozart a unique sound and unparalleled transparency. Notably, the bass line is supported by the Viennese bass, with five strings, frets, and a different tuning and resonance than the double bass or violone.
Voices of Music Classical Orchestra
Hanneke van Proosdij, leader & keyboard
First violins
Elizabeth Blumenstock, Aniela Eddy,
Augusta McKay Lodge** & Shelby Yamin
Second violins
Lisa Grodin, Kati Kyme* & Linda Quan
Violas
Maria Caswell* Mitso Floor & Anthony Martin
Violoncelli: William Skeen* & Elisabeth Reed
Viennese double bass: Farley Pearce*
Domonkos Gellert, after Johann Josef Stadlmann, Vienna, c1770
**concertmaster *principal
performed on period instruments
#Amadeus

Producer: David Tayler
Audio engineer and ambisonics design: Boby Borisov
Video: Lloyd Hryciw
8K technology: David Tayler
Post production: David Tayler & Andrew Levy

Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in E Minor Il Favorito RV 277 Chloe Kim & Voices of Music I. Allegro 8K

Voices of Music 2024-04-20 | One of Vivaldi's finest concertos, "Il Favorito" (The Favourite), performed on original instruments, Chloe Kim, baroque violin solo; video from our March, 2022 concert. This work is presented here for the first time in 8K UHD video. "Il Favorito" was originally part of a manuscript set presented to Charles VI and shortly thereafter, with revisions, published in Opus 11 in 1729.
The title "Il Favorito" is clearly present in Vivaldi's elegant 1729 engraving, which is the best source for our edition of this concerto, as the presentation manuscript is missing the solo part. Although is it unknown who had a special place for the work, was it a response to Vivaldi's gift? It is certainly a favorite today.
Voices of Music
Hanneke van Proosdij & David Tayler, directors
Video: Lloyd Hryciw and Rob Clevenger
Audio & ambisonics: Boby Borisov
Post Production: David Tayler & Andrew Levy

Corelli: La Follia (arr. Geminiani), complete. Voices of Music, original instruments | 8K UHD video

Voices of Music 2024-04-06 | Geminiani's arrangement of Corelli's variations on La Folia. Live, 8K video from our December 2021 concerto program.
Geminiani's variations adds ingenious second violin and viola parts to Corelli's work for solo violin, and draws on Vivaldi's setting as well. Solo and tutti sections add a textural contrast in the style of Corelli's own concertos. This work is recorded and presented here for the first time in 8K UHD video.
Soloists: Elizabeth Blumenstock & Kati Kyme, baroque violin
Lisa Grodin, baroque viola, William Skeen, baroque cello
Voices of Music directed by Hanneke van Proosdij & David Tayler
Producers: David Tayler & Hanneke van Proosdij
Post production: David Tayler, Andrew Levy & Boby Borisov
Audio engineer: Boby Borisov
Video: Lloyd Hryciw and Rob Clevenger
#follia
00:00 1. La Follia
00:43 2. Variation I
01:26 3. Allegro
01:53 4. Soli
2:15 5. Soli
2:39 6. Tutti
3:01 7. Soli
3:23 8. (Soli)
3:50 9. Adagio
4:41 10. Allegro
5:02 11. Soli
5:14 12. Andante
5:51 13. Allegro
6:11 14. Soli
6:33 15. Adagio
7:28 16. (Soli)
8:18 17. Allegro
8:42 18. Soli
9:05 19. Soli
9:29 20. Adagio
10:24 21. Allegro
10:45 22. (Allegro)
11:04 23. (Allegro)
11:26 24. (Allegro)
12:28 Credits

Holborne: Almaine The Night Watch. The Voice of the Viol viola da gamba consort. 8K UHD video

Voices of Music 2024-03-02 | Anthony Holborne's five part setting of The Night Watch, performed on renaissance recorder and Elizabethan viols.
The Voice of the Viol
Elisabeth Reed, director
Musicians: (left to right)
Hanneke van Proosdij, renaissance recorder
Wendy Gillespie, Elisabeth Reed, Farley Pearce & William Skeen,
Elizabethan viols.
*about Elizabethan viols*
Voices of Music is developing programs for two consorts of viols, one from the Elizabethan period (in this video) and also an early renaissance consort from around the year 1500 to perform works published by Petrucci, the first music publisher, and his contemporaries.
The late renaissance Elizabethan viols are primarily based on the work of John Rose, who was famous by the 1550s for his “vyalls” and other instruments. Although these instruments were from the middle of the century, only the later instruments survive, and it is not known if Rose’s style changed over the years, so these instruments either reflect the practice as early as the 1550s or, more likely, as late as the 1590s, although the changes may have been minor over the years. Notably, the design of the Amati violins from roughly the same time period changed very little. The Rose workshop parallels Elizabeth’s reign as queen, and so these instruments are an excellent choice for this repertory. The English court imported a great many Italian instruments beginning with the reign of Henry VIII, but the Rose instruments were considered preeminent for the viols, even as the lutes and recorders were mainly sourced from Italy and Germany.
For the renaissance ideal, the consort was conceived of as a matched set, and all the instruments played tonight were made by one builder, Wesley Brandt, using similar patterns, techniques and timbers based closely on historical models. The close matching gives the ensemble a unique sound and is essential for consort music.
Another major difference to the baroque instruments is the strings: wire-wound strings emerged circa 1660 and were unknown to the musicians of the renaissance and early 17th century. Without the “overspun” strings the sound of the instrument and its overtones are markedly different, especially in terms of greater transparency, and this enables each individual part in the early English viols to be heard clearly. Importantly, with wire wound strings, bowed instruments are louder in the bass register, but unwound strings have the opposite, softer sound. In addition, there is no register change as the player crosses strings with the bow: all the strings are the same. Lastly, the early English viols had soundboards that were made of very thin, parallel strips of wood that were heated and bent under tension, so they are similar to a drum: this process of tempering and tensioning the soundboard changes the harmonics of the viol.

#Holborne
8K Video: Lloyd Hryciw and Rob Clevenger
Post Production: David Tayler and Andrew Levy
Special thanks to Margaret Cohen.

Telemann: Oboe Concerto in E Minor TWV 51:e1 Voices of Music, Marc Schachman, baroque oboe 8K

Voices of Music 2024-01-23 | The opening Andante of the concerto for oboe and strings by Georg Philipp Telemann, Marc Schachman, baroque oboe. Performed on original instruments by the award winning Early Music ensemble Voices of Music, December, 2022.
This work presented for the first time in 8K video.
George Philip Telemann was a skilled performer on the oboe and writes brilliantly for its rich, dark timbre and clarity of articulation. Probably the most often performed of his ten oboe concertos, the Concerto in E Minor begins with a reflective slow movement, with the orchestral violins and the soloist exchanging melodies in courteous conversation.

Voices of Music
Hanneke van Proosdij and David Tayler, directors
Audio engineer: Boby Borisov
Video: Lloyd Hryciw & Rob Clevenger
Post production: David Tayler & Marc Schachman

Ravenscroft: The Three Ravens | Molly Netter, soprano, the Voice of the Viol 8K

Voices of Music 2024-01-14 | The traditional ballad, "There were three ravens," Molly Netter, soprano, accompanied by the Voice of the Viol viola da gamba consort.
Wendy Gillespie, Elisabeth Reed & Farley Pearce, Elizabethan viols, left to right; David Tayler, renaissance lute.
The Voice of the Viol is a program of Voices of Music, directed by Elisabeth Reed.
A song in the form of a story, the "Three Ravens" was arranged and published by Thomas Ravenscroft in 1611. The song featured prominently in the Early Music revival of the 1950s with recordings by Alfred Deller and Richard Dyer-Bennet, among many others. The text shows some similarities to "Twa Corbies."
Text
There were three ravens sat on a tree,
Down a down hey down hey down.
They were as black as they might be,
With a down.
Then one of them said to his mate:
“Where shall we our breakfast take?”
With a down derry derry derry down down.

Down in yonder greenfield,
Down a down hey down hey down.
There lies a knight slain under his shield;
With a down.
His hounds they lie down at his feet,
So well they their master keep.
With a down derry derry derry down down.

His hawks they fly so eagerly,
Down a down hey down hey down.
There is no fowl dare him come nigh
With a down.
Down there comes a fallow doe,
As great with young as she might go.
With a down derry derry derry down down.

She lift up his bloody head,
Down a down hey down hey down.
And kissed his wounds that were so red.
With a down.
She got him up upon her back
And carried him to earthen lake.
With a down derry derry derry down down.

She buried him before the prime,
Down a down hey down hey down.
She was dead herself ere evensong time.
With a down.
God send every gentleman
Such hawks, such hounds and such a leman.
With a down derry derry derry down down.

*Elizabethan viols*
Voices of Music is developing programs for two consorts of viols, one from the Elizabethan period (in this video) and also an early renaissance consort from around the year 1500 to perform works published by Petrucci, the first music publisher, and his contemporaries.
The late renaissance Elizabethan viols are primarily based on the work of John Rose, who was famous by the 1550s for his “vyalls” and other instruments. Although these instruments were from the middle of the century, only the later instruments survive, and it is not known if Rose’s style changed over the years, so these instruments either reflect the practice as early as the 1550s or, more likely, as late as the 1590s, although the changes may have been minor over the years. Notably, the design of the Amati violins from roughly the same time period changed very little. The Rose workshop parallels Elizabeth’s reign as queen, and so these instruments are an excellent choice for this repertory. The English court imported a great many Italian instruments beginning with the reign of Henry VIII, but the Rose instruments were considered preeminent for the viols, even as the lutes and recorders were mainly sourced from Italy and Germany.
For the renaissance ideal, the consort was conceived of as a matched set, and all the instruments played tonight were made by one builder, Wesley Brandt, using similar patterns, techniques and timbers based closely on historical models. The close matching gives the ensemble a unique sound and is essential for consort music.
Another major difference to the baroque instruments is the strings: wire-wound strings emerged circa 1660 and were unknown to the musicians of the renaissance and early 17th century. Without the “overspun” strings the sound of the instrument and its overtones are markedly different, especially in terms of greater transparency, and this enables each individual part in the early English viols to be heard clearly. Importantly, with wire wound strings, bowed instruments are louder in the bass register, but unwound strings have the opposite, softer sound. In addition, there is no register change as the player crosses strings with the bow: all the strings are the same. Lastly, the early English viols had soundboards that were made of very thin, parallel strips of wood that were heated and bent under tension, so they are similar to a drum: this process of tempering and tensioning the soundboard changes the harmonics of the viol.
Entrenched in a multitude of styles from an early age, Canadian-American soprano Molly Netter enlivens complex and beautiful music both old and new. Noted for her “natural warmth” (LA Times) and “clear, beautiful tone” (NY Times), Molly’s voice can be heard on five Grammy nominated albums since 2017.
#ravens
8K Video: Lloyd Hryciw and Rob Clevenger
Post Production: David Tayler and Andrew Levy
Special thanks to Margaret Cohen.
Link to Wikipedia article on the text: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Three_Ravens

Bach - Violin Concerto in A minor BWV 1041 - full. Rachell Ellen Wong | Voices of Music 8K original

Voices of Music 2023-12-10 | The violin concerto in A Minor, performed by virtuoso violinist Rachell Ellen Wong. This work is presented here for the first time in 8K UHD video on original instruments. Voices of Music is recording the complete concertos of JS Bach in 8K. To support this project, please consider a donation: voicesofmusic.org/donate.html
With its elegant ritornello structure, Bach's concerto is Vivaldian in style but infused with layers of counterpoint. A brilliant work, the date of composition is unknown, but it was possibly composed for Bach's Collegium in Leipzig.
Violinist Rachell Ellen Wong made history in 2020 when she was awarded the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, becoming the only baroque artist in the program's history to receive the honor. A star on both the modern and historical performance violin stages, she is also the Grand Prize winner of the inaugural Lillian and Maurice Barbash J.S. Bach Competition. With performances across five continents, Rachell has established herself as one of the leading historical performers of her generation, collaborating with esteemed ensembles such as the Academy of Ancient Music, Jupiter Ensemble led by lutenist Thomas Dunford, Bach Collegium and Les Arts Florissants, among others. Equally accomplished on the modern violin, Rachell made her first public appearance with Philharmonia Northwest at age eleven and has since performed as a soloist with orchestras such as Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Panamá, Orquesta Sinfónica de Costa Rica, and the Seattle Symphony. Currently, she serves as concertmaster of the Seattle Baroque Orchestra.
Voices of Music directed by Hanneke van Proosdij & David Tayler
www.voicesofmusic.org 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
High Definition Audio: Boby Borisov #Bach
0:00 (Allegro moderato)
3:38 Andante
9:54 Allegro

Mozart: Alleluia from Exsultate Jubilate, Nola Richardson & Voices of Music. Original, K. 165 8K

Voices of Music 2023-12-03 | The Alleluia from Mozart's motet Exsultate Jubilate, performed on original instruments by the award winning Early Music ensemble Voices of Music. Nola Richardson, soprano. This work presented here for the first time in 8K video on period instruments.
Months after completing the Divertimento in D Major, Leopold and Wolfgang Mozart left for their third tour of Italy, with a first stop in Milan. There they met the soprano castrato, composer, and harpsichordist Venanzio Rauzzini, who was cast as one of the leads in Wolfgang Mozart’s new opera Lucio Silla opposite the prima donna Anna Lucia de Amicis. Clearly, Mozart was impressed by Rauzzini’s talent, because he composed this motet a month later to showcase the singer’s abilities. Its premiere took place in a Milan church on January 17, 1773. While the work has a religious text, it could be understood as a concerto for soprano voice: its fast-slow-fast structure certainly echoes that of an instrumental concerto, with the addition of a recitative between the first and second sections. Dazzling runs and flourishes in the outer sections to exhortations of “Rejoice, oh blessed souls!” and “Alleluia!” bookend a lovely, lilting heart, in which a prayer for peace and relief from grief is cast in gentle shade (Sophie Benn).
Soprano Nola Richardson makes her Voices of Music debut as an “especially impressive” soprano (The New York Times), Australian-American Nola Richardson’s repertory ranges from medieval to contemporary works, including several world premieres. She has been particularly noted for her performances of Bach, Handel and Mozart and has won First Prize in all three major American competitions focused on the music of J.S. Bach. Recent seasons have featured her debuts with the Atlanta, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Colorado, Helena, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, and Seattle Symphonies as well as with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, American Bach Soloists, American Classical Orchestra, Musica Angelica, and with Musica Sacra in her acclaimed Carnegie Hall solo debut.
Ms. Richardson is represented by Schwalbe & Partners schwalbeandpartners.com/nola-richardson-soprano
*Voices of Music Classical Orchestra*
Hanneke van Proosdij, leader & keyboard
First violins
Elizabeth Blumenstock, Aniela Eddy,
Augusta McKay Lodge** & Shelby Yamin
Second violins
Lisa Grodin, Kati Kyme* & Linda Quan
Violas
Maria Caswell* Mitso Floor & Anthony Martin
Violoncelli: William Skeen* & Elisabeth Reed
Viennese double bass: Farley Pearce*
Horns: Elisabeth Axtell & Sadie Glass*
Oboes: Pablo O’Connell & Marc Schachman*
**concertmaster *principal
performed on period instruments
#Amadeus
Boby Borisov, audio engineer and ambisonics design
Video: Lloyd Hryciw
8K technology: David Tayler
Post production: David Tayler & Andrew Levy

William Byrd: Fantasia a 4 No. 1, The Voice of the Viol renaissance viola da gamba consort 8K

Voices of Music 2023-09-30 | The Fantasia No. 1 by William Byrd, in honor of his 400th anniversary, performed on Elizabethan viols by The Voice of the Viol viola da gamba consort.
Wendy Gillespie, Elisabeth Reed, Farley Pearce and William Skeen, viols.
The Voice of the Viol, a program of Voices of Music, is directed by Elisabeth Reed.
In his Fantasia, Byrd demonstrates his extraordinary command of counterpoint and texture. The initial countersubject, sounded only once in the piece, is a simple, bell-like four note pattern which was also used for Anne Boleyn's lament "O Death, rock me asleep." A lively and engaging musical conversation based on points of imitation resonates throughout.
William Byrd was one of the most important composers at the English court, writing in a wide variety of sacred and secular styles during his long career from the 1560's until his death in 1623.
The Fantasia was published in Psalmes, Songs and Sonnets … fit for Voyces or Viols (London, 1611), presumably composed earlier. This work is presented here for the first time in 8K video.
*Elizabethan viols*
Voices of Music is developing programs for two consorts of viols, one from the Elizabethan period (which you will hear tonight) and an early renaissance consort from around the year 1500 to perform works published by Petrucci, the first music publisher, and his contemporaries.
The late renaissance Elizabethan viols are primarily based on the work of John Rose, who was famous by the 1550s for his “vyalls” and other instruments. Although these instruments were from the middle of the century, only the later instruments survive, and it is not known if Rose’s style changed over the years, so these instruments either reflect the practice as early as the 1550s or, more likely, as late as the 1590s, although the changes may have been minor over the years. Notably, the design of the Amati violins from roughly the same time period changed very little. The Rose workshop parallels Elizabeth’s reign as queen, and so these instruments are an excellent choice for this repertory. The English court imported a great many Italian instruments beginning with the reign of Henry VIII, but the Rose instruments were considered preeminent for the viols, even as the lutes and recorders were mainly sourced from Italy and Germany.
For the renaissance ideal, the consort was conceived of as a matched set, and all the instruments played tonight were made by one builder, Wesley Brandt, using similar patterns, techniques and timbers based closely on historical models. The close matching gives the ensemble a unique sound and is essential for consort music.
Another major difference to the baroque instruments is the strings: wire-wound strings emerged circa 1660 and were unknown to the musicians of the renaissance and early 17th century. Without the “overspun” strings the sound of the instrument and its overtones are markedly different, especially in terms of greater transparency, and this enables each individual part in the early English viols to be heard clearly. Importantly, with wire wound strings, bowed instruments are louder in the bass register, but unwound strings have the opposite, softer sound. In addition, there is no register change as the player crosses strings with the bow: all the strings are the same. Lastly, the early English viols had soundboards that were made of very thin, parallel strips of wood that were heated and bent under tension, so they are similar to a drum: this process of tempering and tensioning the soundboard changes the harmonics of the viol.

Fun fact: Voices of Music's CoDirector David Tayler's Ph.D. advisor in musicology was Philip Brett, the editor of the Byrd edition, and author of "William Byrd and his Contemporaries," and David also studied with Joe Kerman, who wrote the Byrd article in the Grove dictionary of music and the book "The Masses and Motets of William Byrd."
#Byrd
Producer: Hanneke van Proosdij
Audio engineer: David Tayler
8K Video: Lloyd Hryciw and Rob Clevenger
Post Production: David Tayler and Andrew Levy
Special thanks to Margaret Cohen.

Greensleeves, Molly Netter, soprano, & the Voice of the Viol consort. Original version, 8K

Voices of Music 2023-09-23 | The traditional song Greensleeves, reconstructed from the earliest renaissance lute manuscripts, Molly Netter, soprano. Accompanied by the Voice of the Viol viola da gamba consort.
Elisabeth Reed, Farley Pearce and William Skeen, Elizabethan viols, & David Tayler, lute.
The Voice of the Viol is a program of Voices of Music, directed by Elisabeth Reed.
*Elizabethan viols*
Voices of Music is developing programs for two consorts of viols, one from the Elizabethan period (which you will hear tonight) and an early renaissance consort from around the year 1500 to perform works published by Petrucci, the first music publisher, and his contemporaries.
The late renaissance Elizabethan viols are primarily based on the work of John Rose, who was famous by the 1550s for his “vyalls” and other instruments. Although these instruments were from the middle of the century, only the later instruments survive, and it is not known if Rose’s style changed over the years, so these instruments either reflect the practice as early as the 1550s or, more likely, as late as the 1590s, although the changes may have been minor over the years. Notably, the design of the Amati violins from roughly the same time period changed very little. The Rose workshop parallels Elizabeth’s reign as queen, and so these instruments are an excellent choice for this repertory. The English court imported a great many Italian instruments beginning with the reign of Henry VIII, but the Rose instruments were considered preeminent for the viols, even as the lutes and recorders were mainly sourced from Italy and Germany.
For the renaissance ideal, the consort was conceived of as a matched set, and all the instruments played tonight were made by one builder, Wesley Brandt, using similar patterns, techniques and timbers based closely on historical models. The close matching gives the ensemble a unique sound and is essential for consort music.
Another major difference to the baroque instruments is the strings: wire-wound strings emerged circa 1660 and were unknown to the musicians of the renaissance and early 17th century. Without the “overspun” strings the sound of the instrument and its overtones are markedly different, especially in terms of greater transparency, and this enables each individual part in the early English viols to be heard clearly. Importantly, with wire wound strings, bowed instruments are louder in the bass register, but unwound strings have the opposite, softer sound. In addition, there is no register change as the player crosses strings with the bow: all the strings are the same. Lastly, the early English viols had soundboards that were made of very thin, parallel strips of wood that were heated and bent under tension, so they are similar to a drum: this process of tempering and tensioning the soundboard changes the harmonics of the viol.

Entrenched in a multitude of styles from an early age, Canadian-American soprano Molly Netter enlivens complex and beautiful music both old and new. Noted for her “natural warmth” (LA Times) and “clear, beautiful tone” (NY Times), Molly’s voice can be heard on five Grammy nominated albums since 2017.
#greensleeves
8K Video: Lloyd Hryciw and Rob Clevenger
Post Production: David Tayler and Andrew Levy
Special thanks to Margaret Cohen.

Telemann Don Quixote Suite (Burlesque de Quixotte) Windmill Battle Voices of Music TWV 55:G10 8K

Voices of Music 2023-09-17 | The famous Windmill Battle "Son Attaque des Moulins a Vent" from Telemann's Don Quixote Suite, performed on original instruments by the Early Music ensemble Voices of Music. Live, 8K video from our December 2021 concerto program.
Published in the early 17th century, Don Quixote is a novel by Miguel de Cervantes. One of the most famous scenes in the book is the Windmill Battle. Don Quixote believes the windmills are really giants who are attacking the local village, and when trying to fight the windmills he is knocked from his horse, despite Sancho Panza's warnings. The story has become a metaphor for imaginary enemies.
Voices of Music directed & produced by Hanneke van Proosdij and David Tayler

#telemann
HD Audio and Ambisonics: Boby Borisov
8K Video: Lloyd Hryciw and Rob Clevenger
Post Production: David Tayler and Andrew Levy

Biber Passacaglia - Augusta McKay Lodge, baroque violin The Guardian Angel (Mystery Sonatas) 8K

Voices of Music 2023-08-24 | The Passacaglia in G Minor "Guardian Angel" for unaccompanied violin by Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber, performed on the baroque violin by Augusta McKay Lodge. 8K, UHD video from award winning Voices of Music "Musica Transalpina" concerts, February, 2023.
Biber's passacaglia is acknowledged as one of the finest works for violin of the 17th century: Biber spins a dazzling array of variations--in many different styles--over a simple, four-note bass line. The passacaglia is the crown jewel of the collection of sonatas known as the Rosary Sonatas; these works come down to us from the single surviving copy of a manuscript in Munich. Each work in the source known as the "Rosary" or "Mystery" sonatas has a unique, engraved emblem; the Passacaglia has the guardian angel.
The violin, bow and strings are of the baroque type, in particular the 17th century style "Biber" bow which is shorter and stouter than the bow used for Bach and Handel.
Baroque violin by Jason Viseltear, 2014, after Guarneri del Gesù. 17th c. "Biber" bow by Eduardo Gorr.
This concert won the San Francisco Classical Voice "Best Chamber Performance" award in 2023.
This work is presented for the first time in 8K UHD video.
#biber

Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in D Major (Grosso Mogul), complete | Augusta McKay Lodge RV 208 8K

Voices of Music 2023-08-12 | A special collaboration with Gotham Early Music Scene (GEMS) and Voices of Music: Vivaldi's "Emperor" Concerto in D Major, performed on original instruments. Augusta McKay Lodge, baroque violin.
Live, 8K video from our concert in NYC, October 6, 2022.
GEMS is a non-profit corporation that supports and promotes the artists and organizations in New York devoted to Early Music— the music of the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and early Classical periods. Visit them on the web at gemsny.org
Voices of Music is filming in 8K! To support our work, visit us at voicesofmusic.org
Vivaldi’s Concerto in D Major “Grosso Mogul” is one of only a handful of concertos to survive with the original cadenzas. These extended unaccompanied passages, presumably by Vivaldi, give a vivid impression of virtuoso violin playing in the baroque. Vivaldi’s ”display” concertos—and also Locatelli’s—often set the stage with a series of forceful scales establishing a clear tonality, followed by dramatic episodes by the soloist. As impressive as the outer movements are, from a compositional point of view the highlight is the plangent middle movement: a tonal wilderness of harmony underpinning an extended, highly melismatic violin solo.
Of the many Mughal emperors, the greatest was arguably Aurangzeb, who ruled until 1707, although the title could refer to a number of his successors. Known as the "Conqueror of the World," Aurangzeb expanded the Mughal empire to the edges of the Indian subcontinent. Niccolao Manucci, a Venetian traveler, brought back first hand stories of the Mughal court and enjoyed a moment of fame as a sort of Marco Polo character. His stories ("Storia do Mogor") may have circulated in manuscript before being pirated and published in France in 1715 by François Catrou. Musicologist Michael Talbot connects the theme of the Mogul to Domenico Lalli's libretto "Il gran Mogol" which received several performances in different versions around the time of Vivaldi's concerto. A lively and ingenious keyboard version of the concerto by Johann Sebastian Bach comes down to us arranged for organ (BWV 594).
Voices of Music
Hanneke van Proosdij & David Tayler, directors
Aniela Eddy, Kati Kyme, Isabelle Seula Lee, Augusta McKay Lodge and Shelby Yamin, baroque violin
Kyle Miller and Maureen Murchie, baroque viola
Ana Kim and William Skeen, baroque cello
Doug Balliett, baroque bass
Dongsok Shin, baroque organ
Hanneke van Proosdij, harpsichord
David Tayler, archlute

Producer: John Thiessen
Video director: Murat Eyuboglu
Audio Engineer: David Tayler
Harpsichord courtesy of Gwendolyn Toth, made by John Phillips, Berkeley, CA, 2014, after Johann Heinrich Gräbner Jr, 1739, preserved in the Kunstgewerbemuseum, Dresden, at Schloss Pillnitz. Chinoiserie by Janine Johnson.
Filmed in 8K with Sony A1 cameras and Sony lenses. Microphones by Sennheiser and Schoeps.
Live from the Church of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Manhattan.
The Rev’d Dr Andrew C. Blume, Rector

0:00 I. Allegro
5:11 II. Grave recitativo
7:42 III. Allegro
#vivaldi

Voices of Music: Please vote in the SFCV Audience Choice Awards 2023

Voices of Music 2023-08-09 | Thanks to everyone who voted!

Debussy: Syrinx for solo flute, Emi Ferguson, historical flute 8K

Voices of Music 2023-08-08 | Claude Debussy's masterpiece for solo flute, Syrinx, performed by world renowned flutist Emi Ferguson on a historical flute made by Louis Lot in Paris in 1879. The design of the original flute lends the work a unique and transparent sound. Syrinx is filmed for the first time in 8K video, on a period instrument, with an ambisonics microphone.
Debussy dedicated the piece to the flutist Louis Fleury, for him to play during the interval of one of Debussy's ballets. Syrinx is the first significant piece for solo flute after the Sonata in A minor composed by C. P. E. Bach over 150 years before (1747), and it is the first such solo composition for the modern Böhm flute, developed in 1847. Syrinx was written as part of incidental music to the play Psyché by Gabriel Mourey, and was originally called "Flûte de Pan". It was given its final name in reference to the myth of the amorous pursuit of the nymph Syrinx by the god Pan, in which Pan falls in love with Syrinx. Syrinx, however, does not return the love to Pan; she turns herself into a water reed and hides in the marshes.
(Wikipedia).
Flute maker Louis Lot was the official supplier of flutes to the Paris Conservatoire from 1860, and the basic design was used by players of the French flute school for generations. Lot may have used a special kind of silver for the instruments, known as "958" and, in addition, the silver is worked from a flat sheet instead of drawn in a tube (source: Michael Botha). It's also possible that the silver was sourced from readily available French Standard Silver "Minerve 1°titre." The combination of the subtle imperfections in the material and the type of silver gives the flute its unique sound .
Emi Ferguson and Voices of Music would like to gratefully acknowledge the generous assistance of David Ross for the use of the historical flute in this video, as well as Julian Rose and Emily Andenmatten of the Flute Center of New York.
Thanks also to Michael Lynn for his knowledge of all flutes great and small.
Audio Engineer: Boby Borisov
Produced by Hanneke van Proosdij
8K video: Llyoyd Hryciw and Rob Clevenger
Post Production: Emi Ferguson and David Tayler
#Syrinx

Corelli Christmas Concerto: Pastorale | Voices of Music (original instruments) 8K

Voices of Music 2023-08-05 | The Pastorale from Corelli's Christmas Concerto (Op. 8 No. 6) performed on original instruments by the Early Music ensemble Voices of Music. Elizabeth Blumenstock, Kati Kyme & William Skeen, soloists. Voices of Music directed by Hanneke van Proosdij & David Tayler. Live, 8K video from our December, 2021 concert in San Francisco.
Visit us on the web at www.voicesofmusic.org
With its epic drone notes, the Pastorale invokes the tradition of the Italian _Zampogna_ (bagpipe) players who would come into Rome on Christmas eve.
Voices of Music
Hanneke van Proosdij & David Tayler, directors
Elizabeth Blumenstock, baroque violin solo
Kati Kyme, baroque violin solo
Isabelle Seula Lee, baroque violin
Maxine Nemerovski, baroque violin
Linda Quan, baroque violin
Rachell Ellen Wong, baroque violin
Maria Caswell, baroque viola
Lisa Grodin, baroque viola
Eva Lymenstull, baroque cello
William Skeen, baroque cello solo
Farley Pearce, violone
Katherine Heater, baroque organ
Hanneke van Proosdij, harpsichord
David Tayler, archlute

HD Audio and ambisonics: Boby Borisov
8K Video: Lloyd Hryciw, Rob Clevenger & David Tayler
Post Production: David Tayler & Andrew Levy
#corelli

Bach: Violin Concerto in A Minor BWV 1041, 3. Allegro assai. Rachell Ellen Wong & Voices of Music 8K

Voices of Music 2023-07-28 | The final _allegro assai_ from the Violin Concerto in A Minor, Rachell Ellen Wong, baroque violin. This work is presented here for the first time in 8K UHD video on original instruments. Live concert video from 2021.
Voices of Music is recording the complete concertos of JS Bach in 8K. To support this project, please consider a donation: voicesofmusic.org/donate.html
Bach leavens a fast and furious ritornello with fiery, angular episodes for the conclusion of his concerto in a rollicking, triple time meter.
A brilliant work, the date of composition for Bach's A Minor violin concerto is unknown, but it was possibly composed for his Collegium Musicum in Leipzig.
High Definition Audio by Boby Borisov
#Bach

Wu Song and the Tiger: Tiger Dance and Tiger Battle Voices of Music & BALAM Dance Theatre 8K

Voices of Music 2023-07-03 | The tiger dance and the battle scene from the world premiere of Hanneke van Proosdij's composition "Wu Song and the Tiger." Live, 8K video March, 2023.
BALAM Dance Theatre:
Guest artist: Kaili Chen as Wu Song, dance and choreography
Carlos Fittante, director & choreography, as the tiger
Voices of Music:
Hanneke van Proosdij & David Tayler, directors
Hanneke van Proosdij, composer & conductor
Guest artist: Yihan Chen, pipa
Isabelle Seula Lee, baroque violin & concertmaster
Aniela Eddy, Linda Quan & Shelby Yamin, baroque violin
Mitso Floor and Gail Hernandez, baroque viola
Eva Lymenstull, baroque cello
Farley Pearce, violone
Peter Maund, percussion
David Tayler, archlute

March 31–April 2, 2023
The Water Margin (水滸後傳) is one of the earliest Chinese works written in Mandarin, and is attributed to Shi Nai’an. Wu Song is the legendary hero, and one of the characters in the Water Margin. During his travels, Wu Song passes by a tavern in Yanggu County with a banner that reads “After Three Bowls, Do Not Climb the Mountain”. The bartender explains that the wine is so strong that customers would get drunk after having three bowls and could not cross the mountain ahead. Wu Song argues with the bartender and drinks eighteen bowls of wine. Wu Song climbs the ridge, falls asleep and then battles the tiger.
Audio engineer and ambisonics: Boby Borisov
8K Video: Lloyd Hryciw, Rob Clevenger, Mitso Floor, Didier LeGall
Post production: Hanneke van Proosdij & David Tayler
Historical research and tavern poster design: Eiko Jin
#WuSong

Die Katzenpfote (The Cats Paw, Glogauer Liederbuch), renaissance recorders Voices of Music

Voices of Music 2023-06-26 | The playful and yet treacherous Katzenpfote from the Glogauer Liederbuch (c1480) performed on renaissance recorders. Saskia Coolen, Andrew Levy and Hanneke van Proosdij. Recorders by Peter van der Poel. 4K Video from the 2018 archives.
#renaissance

Thomas Morley: Joyne hands (See mine own sweet jewel) Voices of Music 8K video

Voices of Music 2023-06-22 | The canzonet "Joyne hands" performed by Voices of Music. 8K video from our Music Transalpina concert, February, 2023.
Voices of Music
Hanneke van Proosdij and David Tayler, directors
Elizabeth Blumenstock, Augusta McKay Lodge & Cynthia Miller Freivogel, baroque violins (left to right).
Special thanks to our amazing crew:
Audio engineer & ambisonics: Boby Borisov
Video director: Lloyd Hryciw
Video: Rob Clevenger
Production assistant: Theodore Prompichai
Post Production: David Tayler & Augusta McKay Lodge

Bach - Violin Concerto in A Minor BWV 1041, Andante – Rachell Ellen Wong & Voices of Music 8K

Voices of Music 2023-05-12 | The Andante from the Violin Concerto in A Minor, Rachell Ellen Wong, baroque violin. This work is presented here for the first time in 8K UHD video on original instruments.
Voices of Music is recording the complete concertos of JS Bach in 8K. To support this project, please consider a donation: voicesofmusic.org/donate.html
To create a unique backdrop for the slow movement, Bach places the ritonello tune in the bass to take the place of an accompanying ostinato. The first note of each motive is repeated to create a pedal point which intensifies the harmony. The transcendent melodic line shimmers above the bass, giving the impression of an extended variation set. A similar structure was employed by Vivaldi in his Cello Concerto in D Minor RV 407.
A brilliant work, the date of composition for Bach's A Minor violin concerto is unknown, but it was possibly composed for his Collegium Musicum in Leipzig.
High Definition Audio: Boby Borisov
Final audio and video master: David Tayler
#Bach

Wu Song and the Tiger: Tavern scene (Hanneke van Proosdij) Voices of Music & BALAM Dance Theatre 8K

Voices of Music 2023-04-30 | The tavern scene from the world premiere of Hanneke van Proosdij's composition "Wu Song and the Tiger." Live, 8K video March, 2023.
BALAM Dance Theatre
Guest artist: Kaili Chen as Wu Song, dance and choreography
Carlos Fittante, director & choreography, barkeep
Voices of Music
Hanneke van Proosdij & David Tayler, directors
Guest artist: Yihan Chen, pipa
Isabelle Seula Lee, baroque violin & concertmaster
Shelby Yamin, baroque violin & fiddler
Aniela Eddy & Linda Quan, baroque violin
Mitso Floor and Gail Hernandez, baroque viola
Eva Lymenstull, baroque cello
Farley Pearce, violone
Peter Maund, percussion
David Tayler, archlute
Hanneke van Proosdij, composer & recorder
March 31–April 2, 2023
The Water Margin (水滸後傳) is one of the earliest Chinese works written in Mandarin, and is attributed to Shi Nai’an. Wu Song is the legendary hero, and one of the characters in the Water Margin. During his travels, Wu Song passes by a tavern in Yanggu County with a banner that reads “After Three Bowls, Do Not Climb the Mountain”. The bartender explains that the wine is so strong that customers would get drunk after having three bowls and could not cross the mountain ahead. Wu Song argues with the bartender and drinks eighteen bowls of wine.
Audio: Boby Borisov
8K Video: Lloyd Hryciw, Rob Clevenger, Mitso Floor, Didier LeGall
Post production: David Tayler
Historical research and tavern poster design: Eiko Jin
#WuSong

Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in D Major (Grosso Mogul), 3. Allegro | Augusta McKay Lodge RV 208 8K

Voices of Music 2023-04-29 | A special collaboration with Gotham Early Music Scene (GEMS) and Voices of Music: the final allegro of Vivaldi's "Emperor" Concerto in D Major, performed on original instruments. Augusta McKay Lodge, baroque violin.
Vivaldi saves the grandest cadenza for the concluding movement of the concerto.
Live, 8K video from our concert in NYC, October 6, 2022.
GEMS is a non-profit corporation that supports and promotes the artists and organizations in New York devoted to Early Music— the music of the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and early Classical periods. Visit them on the web at gemsny.org
Voices of Music is filming in 8K! To support our work, visit us at voicesofmusic.org
Voices of Music
Hanneke van Proosdij & David Tayler, directors
Aniela Eddy, Kati Kyme, Isabelle Seula Lee, Augusta McKay Lodge and Shelby Yamin, baroque violin
Kyle Miller and Maureen Murchie, baroque viola
Ana Kim and William Skeen, baroque cello
Doug Balliett, baroque bass
Dongsok Shin, baroque organ
Hanneke van Proosdij, harpsichord
David Tayler, archlute

Producer: John Thiessen
Video director: Murat Eyuboglu
Audio Engineer: David Tayler
Harpsichord courtesy of Gwendolyn Toth, made by John Phillips, Berkeley, CA, 2014, after Johann Heinrich Gräbner Jr, 1739, preserved in the Kunstgewerbemuseum, Dresden, at Schloss Pillnitz. Chinoiserie by Janine Johnson.
Filmed in 8K with Sony A1 cameras and Sony lenses. Microphones by Sennheiser and Schoeps.
Live from the Church of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Manhattan.
The Rev’d Dr Andrew C. Blume, Rector
#vivaldi

Playford: John come kiss me now (Mell & Baltzar), Augusta McKay Lodge, baroque violin 8K

Voices of Music 2023-04-19 | From Playford's *Division Violin* (1684), variations on the popular song "John come kiss me now," arranged & performed by Augusta McKay Lodge.
Both Davis Mell and Thomas Baltzar composed variations on the tune, and Augusta has made a mashup of the best ones and added some ornaments of her own. This work, performed at our Musica Transalpina concerts in February of 2023 is presented for the first time in our new 8K video format.
Voices of Music
Hanneke van Proosdij and David Tayler, directors
Augusta McKay Lodge, baroque violin
Elisabeth Reed, baroque cello
Hanneke van Proosdij, harpsichord
David Tayler, baroque guitar
High Definition Audio: Boby Borisov
Post production Augusta McKay Lodge and David Tayler
Final audio and video master: David Tayler
#Playford

Bach - Violin Concerto in A minor BWV 1041 - 1st mvt Allegro Rachell Ellen Wong | Voices of Music 8K

Voices of Music 2023-03-11 | The opening Allegro of the Violin Concerto in A Minor, Rachell Ellen Wong, baroque violin. This work is presented here for the first time in 8K UHD video on original instruments.
Voices of Music is recording the complete concertos of JS Bach in 8K. To support this project, please consider a donation: voicesofmusic.org/donate.html
With its elegant ritornello structure, Bach's concerto is Vivaldian in style but infused with layers of counterpoint. A brilliant work, the date of composition is unknown, but it was possibly composed for Bach's Collegium in Leipzig.
High Definition Audio: Boby Borisov
Final audio and video master: David Tayler
#Bach

Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in D Major (Grosso Mogul) Grave Recitativo, Augusta McKay Lodge, RV 208 8K

Voices of Music 2023-01-02 | A special collaboration with Gotham Early Music Scene (GEMS) and Voices of Music: Vivaldi's "Emperor" Concerto in D Major, performed on original instruments. Augusta McKay Lodge, baroque violin.
The rhapsodic slow movement, with carefully written-out ornaments spun over a sparse accompaniment, highlights the extraordinary breadth of Vivaldi's compositional abilities.
Live, 8K video from our concert in NYC, October 6, 2022.
GEMS is a non-profit corporation that supports and promotes the artists and organizations in New York devoted to Early Music— the music of the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and early Classical periods. Visit them on the web at gemsny.org
Voices of Music is filming in 8K! To support our work, visit us at voicesofmusic.org
Voices of Music
Hanneke van Proosdij & David Tayler, directors
Augusta McKay Lodge, baroque violin
Dongsok Shin, baroque organ
William Skeen, baroque cello

Live from Saint Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church, Manhattan.
Producer: John Thiessen
Video director: Murat Eyuboglu
Audio Engineer: David Tayler
#vivaldi #mogul

Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in D Major (Grosso Mogul), Augusta McKay Lodge, Voices of Music RV 208 8K

Voices of Music 2022-11-30 | A special collaboration with Gotham Early Music Scene (GEMS) and Voices of Music: Vivaldi's "Emperor" Concerto in D Major, performed on original instruments. Augusta McKay Lodge, baroque violin. Full version now online in 8K youtu.be/gs8s_6Ex04Y
The opening Allegro combines grand scales with trumpet like flourishes, and includes one of the original cadenzas from the time of Vivaldi. This concerto is one of the ones Bach selected to transcribe for organ as BWV 594.
Live, 8K video from our concert in NYC, October 6, 2022.
GEMS is a non-profit corporation that supports and promotes the artists and organizations in New York devoted to Early Music— the music of the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and early Classical periods. Visit them on the web at gemsny.org
Voices of Music is filming in 8K! To support our work, visit us at voicesofmusic.org
Voices of Music
Hanneke van Proosdij & David Tayler, directors
Aniela Eddy, Kati Kyme, Isabelle Seula Lee, Augusta McKay Lodge and Shelby Yamin, baroque violin
Kyle Miller and Maureen Murchie, baroque viola
Ana Kim and William Skeen, baroque cello
Doug Balliett, baroque bass
Dongsok Shin, baroque organ
Hanneke van Proosdij, harpsichord
David Tayler, archlute

Producer: John Thiessen
Video director: Murat Eyuboglu
Audio Engineer: David Tayler
Filmed in 8K with Sony A1 cameras and Sony lenses. Microphones by Sennheiser and Schoeps.
Harpsichord courtesy of Gwendolyn Toth, made by John Phillips, Berkeley, CA, 2014, after Johann Heinrich Gräbner Jr, 1739, preserved in the Kunstgewerbemuseum, Dresden, at Schloss Pillnitz. Chinoiserie by Janine Johnson.
Live from the Church of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Manhattan.
The Rev’d Dr Andrew C. Blume, Rector
#vivaldi