Music Travels: The Grand Tour
A man who has not been to Italy is always aware of his inferiority.
- Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)
Educated English gentlemen and even musicians and artists, if they could possibly afford to spend the time and the money, would make a grand tour of European countries. In our commentary, we accompany these travelers to Italy, France, Germany, and Holland. We perform music they might have heard during their travels and include quotations by such writers as Burney. Pope and Rousseau. Our duos include Vivaldi, Handel, Bach, Gabrielli and Couperin.
The Voice of Music
Music hath charms to soothe a savage breast,
To soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak.
- William Congreve, (1670-1729)
Music of the 17th and early 18th centuries aimed to move the emotions of the listeners using all the technical and creative skills of the orator. This concert of duos by such composers as East, Telemann, Boismortier, Vivaldi and Blavet illuminates the speech of instrumental music during the Baroque era.
Arcadian Delights
While the poet goeth hand in hand with nature,
He groweth in effect another nature.
- Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1585)
Arcadia, a mountainous area in Greece celebrated in ancient literature for its rustic simplicity, became an ideal influencing writings, music, paintings and ways of life from the 15th to the 18th centuries. Renaissance artists portrayed it in its perfect symmetry and its pure harmony. Baroque artists conceived it as more exuberant and grand. The galant age adorned it with excessive decoration. This concert explores the different Arcadias, including the Arcadia as a symbol for Christ the Good Shepherd and as satire to explore the excesses of society. Music includes a pastoral of Corelli, The Shepherd’s Pipe, a canzonet by Thomas Morley, an Arcadian vignette by the French court composer Philidor and an instrumental extract from Handel’s opera, The Faithful Shepherd.
Music in the Gardens of Europe
True Art is nature to advantage dressed.
- Alexander Pope (1688-1744)
Just as music reflects the aspirations of society so do gardens. The formal , awe-inspiring gardens of the Versailles of the 16th century and the elegantly structured dance suites of Couperin both reflect the glory of the Sun King and his courtiers. The later natural vistas of the English gardens match the sentiment of the rococo with its tuneful, flowing melodies. Included in this program are contemporary descriptions of several famous European gardens. A highlight of the musical selections is the suite “Les Fleurs”, by Delavigne (c. 1731) in which each piece is named after a flower.
