MONTEVERDI: Innovator and Dramatist Program

voce CONCITATO

presents

MONTEVERDI: Innovator and Dramatist

Concert Series at SS. Cyril and Methodius

Saturdays at 5:15 | 63 Popieluszko Court, Hartford, CT

voce CONCITATO is…

Alice Matteson, soprano Sara O’Bryan, soprano

Meredith Neumann, alto Jordan Strybos, tenor Matthew Cramer, bass

voce CONCITATO is an early music vocal ensemble based in Hartford, CT. The ensemble began taking shape in 2013 when a group of friends who shared a mutual love of early music yearned to explore the genre more thoroughly. Meeting in churches and living rooms, they rehearsed for their own enjoyment but soon realized they had something special to offer the community of Hartford. From this desire to share music, Voce Concitato was born. Combining precise tuning and intimate vocal blend with a commitment to the emotional expression of the text, the group aims to bring awareness and vitality to the music of the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods. Through the use of dramatic vocal color, passionate expression, and a keen eye towards historical scholarship, voce CONCITATO hopes to energize a new generation of early music lovers in Hartford and throughout the world. Special thanks to Adrian Sylveen, Gabriel Lofvall, Matthew Burry, and the parish of SS. Cyril and Methodius.



Program Christe Adoramus Te (1620) Messa a Quattro Voci da Cappella (1650)

I. Kyrie II. Gloria III. Credo IV. Sanctus V. Agnus Dei

Intermission

Lamento d’Arianna (1610)

Prima parte: Lasciatemi morire Seconda parte: O Teseo, o Teseo mio Terza parte: Dove è la fede Quarta parte: Ahi, che non pur risponde!

Selections from Il Quarto libro dei madrigali (1603)

Si, ch’io vorrei morire Sfogava con le stelle Cor mio, non mori? e mori! Piagn’e sospira Io mi son giovinetta



Texts and Translations

Christe, Adoramus Te

Christe, adoramus te, et benedicimus tibi,

quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.

Domine, miserere nobis.

Christ, we adore you, and we bless you,

because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Lord, have mercy on us.

Messa a Quattro Voci da Cappella (1650)

I. Kyrie

Kyrie eleison. Lord have mercy.

II. Gloria

Gloria in excelsis Deo et in terra pax hominibus

bonae voluntatis.

Laudamus te, benedicimus te, adoramus te, glorificamus te, gratias agimus tibi propter

magnam gloriam tuam, Domine Deus, Rex caelestis,

Deus Pater omnipotens.

Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe, Domine Deus, Agnus Dei,

Filius Patris;

qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis;

qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram;

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people

of good will.

We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for

your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, God, almighty Father.

Lord Jesus Christ, only begotten Son,

Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father;

who takes away the sins of the world,

have mercy on us; who takes away the sins of the world,

receive our prayer;



qui sedes ad dexteram Patris,

miserere nobis.

Quoniam tu solus Sanctus, Tu solus Dominus, Tu solus Altissimus,

Jesu Christe, cum Sancto Spiritu in gloria Dei Patris.

Amen.

who sits at the right hand of the Father,

have mercy on us.

For you alone are the Holy One, You alone are the Lord,

You alone are the most high, Jesus Christ,

with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father.

Amen.

III. Credo

Credo in unum Deum, Patrem omnipotentem, factorem caeli et terrae,

visibilium omnium et invisibilium.

Et in unum Dominum Jesum Christum, Filium Dei unigenitum,

et ex Patre natum ante omnia saecula Deum de Deo, lumen de lumine,

Deum verum de Deo vero, genitum, non factum, consubstantialem Patri:

per quem omnia facta sunt. Qui propter nos homines et propter nostram salutem descendit de caelis.

Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto

ex Maria Virgine, et homo factus est.

Crucifixus etiam pro nobis

sub Pontio Pilato; passus et sepultus est, et resurrexit tertia die secundum Scripturas, et ascendit in caelum,

sedet ad dexteram Patris.

I believe in one God, the Father almighty,

maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God,

and born of the Father before all ages. God from God, light from light,

true God from true God, begotten, not made,

consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation he descended from heaven.

And by the Holy Spirit was incarnate

of the Virgin Mary, and became man.

For our sake he was crucified

under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day

in accordance with the Scriptures, he ascended into heaven,

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.



Et iterum venturus est cum gloria, iudicare vivos et mortuos, cuius regni non erit finis.

Et in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum et vivificantem:

qui ex Patre Filioque procedit. Qui cum Patre et Filio simul adoratur et conglorificatur: qui locutus est per prophetas.

Et unam, sanctam, catholicam,

et apostolicam Ecclesiam. Confiteor unum baptisma in remissionem peccatorum. Et expecto resurrectionem

mortuorum, et vitam venturi saeculi.

Amen.

And he will come again in glory, to judge the living and the dead, his kingdom will have no end.

And in the Holy Spirit,

the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and Son.

Who with the Father and Son is adored and glorified:

who has spoken through the prophets.

And in one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. I confess one baptism

for the forgiveness of sins. And I look forward to the resurrection

of the dead, and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

IV. Sanctus

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth.

Pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua. Hosanna in excelsis.

Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Hosanna in excelsis.

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts,

Heaven and Earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.



V. Agnus Dei

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi;

miserere nobis.


miserere nobis.


dona nobis pacem.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world;

have mercy on us.


have mercy on us.


give us peace.

Lamento d’Arianna

Prima parte: Lasciatemi morire

Lasciatemi morire, Lasciatemi morire;

E che volete voi, che mi conforte In così dura sorte,

In così gran martire? Lasciatemi morire.

Let me die, Let me die;

And whom do you wish to comfort me In so harsh a fate,

In such a great suffering? Let me die.

Seconda parte: O Teseo mio

O Teseo, o Teseo mio, sì, che mio ti vo dir che mio pur sei

benche t'involi, hai crudo, a gl'occhi miei. Volgiti, Teseo mio, volgiti, Teseo, o Dio,

volgiti in dietro a rimirar colei che lasciato per te la patria e'l regno

e'n quest' arene ancora cibo di fere dispietate e crude,

lasciera l'ossa ignude.

Oh Theseus, oh my Theseus, yes, I call you mine, for mine you still are,

although you fly, cruel one, far from my eyes. Turn back, my Theseus, turn back, Theseus, o God,

turn back to see again the one, who for you has left

her fatherland and kingdom, and who, staying on these shores, a prey to cruel and pitiless beasts, will leave her bones exposed.



O Teseo, o Teseo mio, se tu sapessi, o Dio!

se tu sapessi, ohime, come s'affanna la povera Arianna, forse, forse pentito

rivolgeresti ancor la prora lito. Ma con l'aure serene tu te ne vai felice, ed io qui piango:

A te prepara Attene liete pompe superbe, ed io rimango

cibo di fere in solitarie arene. Tu l'un el'altro tuo vecchio parente

Stringerai lieto ed io più non vedrovi o madre o padre mio.

Oh Theseus, oh my Theseus,

if you knew, oh God, if you only knew how much labors

poor Arianna; perhaps, perhaps remorseful,

you would return your prow shorewards again.

But with serene winds you sail on happily,

while I remain here weeping. Athens prepares to greet you

with joyful and superb feasts and I remain, a prey to wild beasts on these solitary shores.

You will be happily embraced by your old parents

and I will not see you again, oh mother, oh my father.

Terza parte: Dove è la fede

Dove è la fede che tanto mi giuravi? Così ne'l alta sede

tu mi ripon de gl'avi? Son queste le corone

onde m'adorni il crine? Questi li scetri sono?

Queste le gemme e gl'ori? Lasciarmi in abandono

a fere che mi stracci e mi divori? Ah Teseo, ah Teseo mio,

lascierai tu morire in van piangendo, in van gridando aita

la misera Arianna ch'a te fidossi e ti die'

gloria e vita?

Where is the faith you swore me so much?

Is this how you place me on my ancestors' throne? Are these the crowns

with which you adorn my hair? Are these the sceptres,

the diamonds and the gold? To leave me abandoned

for the beast to tear up and devour? Ah Theseus, ah my Theseus,

would you let me die, weeping in vain, crying for aid

the wretched Arianna, who trusted you and gave you

glory and life?



Quarta parte: Ahi, che non pur risponde!

Ahi, che non pur risponde! Ahi, che piu d'aspe è sord' a miei lamenti!

O nembi, o turbi, o venti sommergetelo voi dentro a quell' onde!

Correte, orchi e balene, e de le membra immonde

empiete le voragini profonde! Che parlo,

ahi, che vaneggio? Misera, ohime! che chieggio?

O Teseo, o Teseo mio, non son quell' io

che i feri detti sciolse, parlò l'affanno mio, parlò il dolore, parlò la lingua, sì, ma non gia il core.

Ah, that you do not even reply! Ah that you are deaf to my laments! Oh clouds, oh storms, oh winds, submerge him in those waves.

Fly, whales and orcas, and fill up the profound gulfs with these unworldly limbs!

What am I saying? Ah, what am I raving about?

Wretched that I am, what am I asking? Oh Theseus, oh my Theseus,

that is not I, who hurled these curses,

my anguish spoke, my pain spoke, it was my tongue, but not my heart.

Selections from the Quarto libro dei madrigali (1603)

Si, ch’io vorrei morire

Si, ch’io vorrei morire ora ch’io bacio, Amore,

la bella bocca del mio amato core. Ahi, cara e dolce lingue,

datemi tant’umore, che di dolcezz’in questo sen m’estingua!

Ahi, vita mia, a questo bianco seno, deh, stringetemi fin ch’io venga meno!

Ahi bocca, ahi baci, ahi lingua, torn’a dire:

Si, ch’io vorrei morire.

Yes, I would like to die now that I kiss, Love,

the beautiful mouth of my beloved. Ah, dear and sweet tongue,

give me such a feeling that from sweetness I expire on this breast!

Ah, my life, on this white bosom, oh, press me until I swoon!

Ah mouth, ah kisses, ah tongue, I say again:

Yes, I would like to die.



Sfogava con le stelle

Sfogava con le stelle un infermo d’amore

sotto notturno cielo il suo dolore. E dicea fisso in loro:

“O imagini belle de l’idol mio ch’adoro, sì com’a me mostrate mentre così splendete la sua rara beltate, così mostraste a lei i vivi ardori miei:

la fareste col vostr’aureo sembiante pietosa

sì come me fate amante.”

Crying to the stars a lovesick man

beneath the night sky spoke of his grief, and said, whilst gazing at them:

“Oh, lovely images of the idol I adore, if only, as you show me

when you shine her rare beauty,

you could show her my ardent flames,

You would make her, with your golden look, compassionate,

just as you make me affectionate.”

Cor mio, non mori? E mori!

Cor mio, non mori? E mori! L'idolo tuo, ch'e tolto a te,

Sia tosto in altrui braccia accolto. Deh, spezzati mio core!

Lascia, lascia con I'aura anco l’ardore; ch'esser non puo che ti riserbi in vita

senza speme e aita. Su, mio cor, mori. Io mora, io vado;

a Dio, dolcissimo ben mio.

My heart, do you not die? Die! Your idol is taken from you

And will soon be in the arms of another. Ah, break my heart!

Leave, leave both the life and the ardour, because you cannot stay alive

without hope and help. Come, my heart, die. I’m dying, I’m leaving,

Farewell my sweetest love.



Piagn’e sospira

Piagn’e sospira, e quand’i caldi raggi

fuggon le greggi a la dolce ombr’assise, ne la scorza de’ pini o pur de’ faggi segno l’amato nome in mille guise; e de la sua fortuna i gravi oltraggi

e i vari casi in dura scorza incise,

e in rileggendo poi le proprie note spargea di pianto le vermiglie gote.

She wept and sighed, and when the sun’s hot rays

put the flock to flight for the sweet shade, into the bark of the pines or beeches

she wrote her lover’s name a thousand ways; And of her fate the cruel offences

and various misfortunes she carved in tough bark,

and in rereading what she had written covered her blushing cheeks with tears.

Io mi son giovinetta

“Io mi son giovinetta E rido e canto alla stagion novella.” Cantava la mia dolce pastorella,

Quando subitamente A quel canto il cor mio

canto quasi augellin vago e ridente: “Son giovinetto anch’io E rido e canto alla gentil e bella primavera d’amore

Che ne’begl’occhi tuoi fiorisce.” Ed ella: “Fuggi, se saggio sei,” disse,

“l’ardore; Fuggi, ch’in questi rai

Primavera per te non sara mai.”

“I am a young woman and I laugh and sing in the new season.”

Thus sang my sweet shepherdess, when suddenly

in response to that song my heart sang like a charming and happy bird:

“I am young, too, and I laugh and sing in the gentle and

beautiful springtime of love that in your beautiful eyes blossoms.”

She replied: “Flee, if you are wise,” she said, “from the fire;

Flee, for in these beaming eyes there will never be springtime for you.”



Notes Messa a Quattro Voci da Capella (1650)

The 1650 Mass for four voices is one of the lesserperformed works of Monteverdi a compact piece that sits in stark contrast to the grandiose air of the wellknown Vespers of 1610. Little is known about this Mass. It was published posthumously in 1650 in a collection compiled by publisher Alessandro Vincenti. It is seems utilitarian in nature; scored for only four voices and written primarily in the older style, or stile antico, it sounds fairly conservative. It’s rhythmic energy and emphasis on the text, however, is undeniably Baroque. In construction, the master composer is frugal with his resources. The basis for the entire work can be found in the opening Kyrie. The first theme is stated in the tenor at the very beginning: a descending fournote scale followed by a series of rising thirds. This is countered by a second, more robust and rhythmic figure introduced by the bass in the “Christe eleison.” These two elements show up again and again throughout the remainder of the work, giving it a strong continuity.

While the work is rooted in the stile antico, it exhibitsMonteverdi’s trademark dramatic flair, particularly in the longer Gloria and Credo movements where his careful choices clearly accentuate the text. Homophonic passages reflect the fashionable desire to emulate the Chorus of the ancient greeks clarity of text was of paramount importance. Of additional note is the contrapuntal, almost instrumental writing for the voices. Monteverdi makes clear that this is not the stile antico of Palestrina, and this piece shows a strong push towards the ornate writing that would come to characterize the Baroque period.

Lamento d’Arianna

Claudio Monteverdi originally composed his operaArianna at age 40 in 1607, which was a huge success upon its premiere in 1608. Later, after heavy revision, the work was revived in 1640, also to large acclaim. Despite its popularity and importance, the Lamento d'Arianna for soprano and basso continuo, as well as the following recitative, are the only surviving fragments of this opera. The large number of publications and contrafacta of this work, as well as similar ‘lamentos' found in later Italian operas, testify to the popularity of this piece during its time. It was so popular, in fact, that Monteverdi arranged the first four sections of the Lamento as a 5 voice madrigal in 1610, and later included it in his sixth book of madrigals. Unlike many works of the time, which were normally dedicated to a monarch or priest (otherwise known as a future employer), the dedication of Monteverdi's sixth book of madrigals is to his wife, who had died seven years previous.



Arianna laments because her supposed lover, Theseus, has just abandoned her on a deserted island, and she is left to watch him sail away and bewail her fate. With more voices comes more opportunity to further explore her emotions with very dense harmonies and dissonances, as well as with furiously rhythmic passages to heighten Arianna's anger over Theseus' abandonment. The four movements are structured differently, some with very quick passages detailing all of the curses Arianna bestows uponTheseus; other passages are a series of questions about why Theseus has done this to her. The final movement concludes, however, not with Arianna's grief or anger, but with an outpouring of love, as she states, “That is not I who hurled these curses; my anguish spoke, the pain spoke; it was my tongue, but not my heart.”

Il Quarto libro dei madrigali

We end our program with a set of songs is taken from Monteverdi’s fourth book of

madrigals. The world of his madrigals is a familiar one, full of flirting, heartbreak, and yes, even sex. At first glance, our first selection, Si, ch’io vorrei morire, seems to dwell on pain and death. However, this is not an emotional death, but a metaphorical death by physical pleasure! Perhaps the only modern remnant of this antiquated expression is the French idiom, petit mort, or “little death.” In what may very well be Monteverdi’s own text, little is left to the imagination. The writing is incredibly evocative and conveys scintillating images of sexual ecstasy. From the clusters of notes that emerge with “Ahi, cara e dolce lingua” to the push and pull of “Deh, stringetemi fin ch’io venga meno!”, this madrigal is a testament to Monteverdi’s incredible talent and progressive style.

Sfogava con le stelle is equally theatrical, with the singers acting as narrator. This madrigal features free, unmeasured passages similar in style to recitative. This technique allows those sections to be delivered as they would be spoken, clearly communicating a story to the audience. Note the rising figure in the soprani on “O, imagini belle...”where our lovesick young man is crying out. Monteverdi raises both sopranos high above the ensemble, trying to reach the distant stars.

The next selection, Cor mio, non mori? E mori!, depicts the aftermath of infidelity. The narrator’s heart is broken “Deh, spezza ti mio core!” delivered emphatically and homophonically by the ensemble. These cries give way to solos, asking the unfaithful to leave “Lascia, lascia con l’aura”. The most pained section of the madrigal comes near the end when the narrator himself finally departs. Biting suspensions in the top two voices evoke the text “Io moro” I die. Perhaps the most touching writing is at the very end of the piece. “ADio” is set in minor, as farewells are wont to be sad, yet “dolcissimo ben mio” (my sweetest) is delicately set with surprising major chords. This subtle change ends the piece with a bittersweet sadness, not colored by the infidelity, but by the fond memories the narrator had of their partner.



The next madrigal is the final madrigal of the fourth book. It was customary that the final song within a collection of madrigals should be the most adventurous and innovative. It was an opportunity for the composer to show his prowess and craft. In later books, Monteverdi would go so far as to write for double choir or for voices with full string accompaniment. With Piagn’e sospira, he doesn’t go bigger, but he does becomemore technical. Piagn’e sospira is really fugal in nature, which is quite a novel concept for the highly emotional madrigal. Monteverdi brilliantly manages to express the poetry within this more technical atmosphere. From the inverted crying figure of the opening “Piagne” and the builtin sigh on “sospira” to the colorful melisma on “fuggon”, Monteverdi communicates dramatically with the audience. The closing of this madrigal is marvelous: after cadencing on an open fifth, the ensemble moves in consort, as though speaking with bated breath. Suspensions hidden within the middle voices give a deeper bite to the final phrase, “Spargea di pianto vermiglie gote.”

Our final offering, Io mi son giovinetta, tells the playful tale of a young man who comes across a shepherdess in the spring unfortunately for him, the shepherdess isn’t interested! In the music, the roles of the girl and boy are made obvious by the voice parts singing: the lines of the shepherdess are sung by two sopranos and an alto; the young man’s lines are sung by the low voices (alto, tenor, and bass). Watch as the alto plays the dual role of shepherd and shepherdess. Throughout, Monteverdi uses fast, florid melismas to paint the text of the shepherdess’s insistent command to flee Fuggi!

Notes by Matthew Cramer and Sara O’Bryan



voce CONCITATO

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Upcoming Events

Advent Meditation Concert

Saturday, December 6, 6:30pm Featured on this program is Orlando de Lassus' mysterious “Prophetiae Sibyllarum" an adventurous setting of the prophecies of the twelve ancient sibyls. They foretell the coming, life, and mission of Christ through imaginative and sometimes cryptic poetry. A selection of Christmas motets will round out the program.

St. Thomas the Apostle Church

872 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford, CT

Suggested Donation: $10 Adults/$5 Students

Arts in the Center presents: voce CONCITATO

Sunday, January 25, 4:00pm

First Church of Christ Congregational presents voce CONCITATO as part of their “Arts in the Center" concert series. Enjoy a late afternoon of early music in this beautiful historic space!

First Church of Christ Congregational

17 South Main Street, West Hartford, CT

Admission: $10 Adults; children under 12 free with a donation for the West Hartford food pantry.



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MONTEVERDI: Innovator and Dramatist Program

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