Bach: The Master of the Baroque
What is Historically Informed Performance? (HIP)
“Going to a concert of classical music today usually means hearing masterworks from bygone eras performed by modern ensembles. The symphonies of Beethoven or Brahms, concertos by Vivaldi, or J. S. Bach’s cantatas sound magnificent performed by professional classical ensembles—but it’s easy to forget that all these composers wrote their music for performing forces, venues, and audiences that are very different from our own. Hearing early music—music composed before the late 1700s—through historically informed performance (HIP) gives us a window into those long-gone musical worlds.
The desire to experience what we call classical music in its “authentic” sound comes from the turn of the 20th century, when musicians such as Arnold Dolmetsch began to research performance practice and musical repertoires of earlier centuries. He and others also experimented with instrument building as a means of reviving types of early musical instruments that had long since fallen out of fashion. Dolmetsch and his contemporaries, such as Nadia Boulanger and Wanda Landowska, were some of the pioneers of early music, reviving both HIP techniques as well as the music itself.”
(Alison DeSimone, PhD; Article Below)
Historical Performance in Canada
There are many early music ensembles across Canada
for decades, Canada has benefited from the leadership of Ivars Taurins and TAFELMUSIK. The singers and players of Toronto’s baroque orchestra, there are many recordings available of most major works.
In Calgary, you will frequently hear historic performances live from professional ensembles like Early Music Voices and Luminous Voices, both often backed by JUNO-winning baroque orchestra Rosa Barocca led by Claude LaPalme!
Vocal Terminology
The Countertenor
Countertenor, in music, adult male alto voice, either natural or falsetto. In England the word generally refers to a falsetto alto rather than a high tenor. Some writers reserve the term countertenor for a naturally produced voice, terming the falsetto voice a male alto.
Derived from the Renaissance contratenor altus, abbreviated to contratenor (countertenor) or altus (alto), the term countertenor was originally applied to an alto part as well as to the voice or the instrument taking this part (see also tenor). Although the falsetto voice lost favour in the rest of Europe during the 18th century, the tradition was preserved in England in the cathedral choirs. In the 20th century the solo countertenor voice was successfully revived and, although it remains associated principally with the performance of Renaissance and Baroque music, several modern composers—notably Benjamin Britten—have written for it.
What exactly is a countertenor and how do countertenors use their voice? Alex Potter discusses the falsetto technique, the use of male voices in Bach's time and the tradition of countertenors with The Netherlands Bach Society in this short documentary for All of Bach.