Cançonièr
Program Five, 43rd Indianapolis Early Music Festival
Friday, July 23, 2010, 7:30 p.m.
Frank & Katrina Basile Theater at the Indiana History Center on the Downtown Canal, 450 West Ohio Street Tickets
The Black Dragon: Music from the Time of Vlad Dracula
Cançonièr presents 15th-century music from the time of the infamous Vlad the Impaler, whose tyrannical rule of Wallachia (Southern Romania) shocked Europe. Featuring Michel Beheim’s German poem about Vlad’s deeds, Italian dances and German songs, music of the Byzantine court, Balkan folk songs, Turkish classical music, the Lamentation for the Fall of Constantinople by Guillaume Dufay, and other works.
Cançonièr Facebook page with performance videos.
Music from the Time of Vlad Dracula
Annette Bauer: recorders, voice, percussion, bells
Phoebe Jevtovic: voice, bells
Shira Kammen: vielle, harp, voice
Tim Rayborn: voice, psaltery, percussion, ‘ud,
Von ainem wutrich der hies Trakle waida von der Walachei
(“Story of a Bloodthirsty Madman Called Dracula of Wallachia”),
Michel Beheim (1416 - 1479), 1463; contrafact by Tim
from Wol auf, wir wellen salfen, by Oswald Von Wolkenstein
Mit ganzem Willen, Conrad Paumann (c. 1410-73)
Wol auf wir wellen slafen, Oswald Von Wolkenstein (1376/7 - 1445)
Volek sirolmtudotlon, 13th-c. Hungarian Marian lament, contrafact from Planctus ante nescia, by Godefroy of St. Victor (ca. 1125 - ca. 1194)
Azt gondoltam, esö esik, Hungarian/Transylvanian folk song
Bucara - te, soacra mare, traditional Romanian dance
Dragaicuta, traditional Transylvanian
Estéli imádság, late medieval Moldavian lament
Ugrcinska Ruchenitsa, traditional Bulgarian dance
- Intermission -
Lamentio Sanctae Matris Ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae,
Guillaume Dufay (1397-1474)
La danse du cleves, 15th-c. French dance
Amoroso, 15th-c. Italian dance
Voulgarikon, Ioannis Koukouzelis (late 14th c.),
Byzantine kratima (secular court music)
Už vy golubi, medieval Russian pilgrim song, arr. Juliana Graffagna
Kyrie echechraxa, Byzantine sticheron chant for Vespers
Taksim, makam ussak, Ottoman Turkish
Salvator Noster, 14th-c. Hungarian polyphony, arr. Cançonièr
Von ainem wutrich der hies Trakle waida von der Walachei,
Michel Beheim
Program Notes
The fifteenth century was a time of remarkable change in music, as musical conventions and practices evolved from medieval to early Renaissance styles. It also was a time of major transitions in art, religion, politics, and technology. During this century, Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks, the printing press was invented, the Tudors took the crown of England, the Moors were expelled from southern Spain, Christopher Columbus sailed, Leonardo da Vinci was born and began to work, the Renaissance in Italy bloomed in full, and for a few years, a man who would become infamous ruled a small country called Wallachia in what is now southern Romania.
He was called Vlad Dracula (c.1431 - 1476). His father, Vlad II, adopted the name Dracul (“Dragon”) when he joined the Order of the Dragon, a chivalric order dedicated to crusading against the Turks in the Balkans. His son took the name Dracula, or “Son of the Dragon.” Dracula was, of course, partially the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s iconic anti-hero, though he was no vampire.
Rather, Vlad’s primary goal was the resistance of the Ottoman presence in his nation. The Turks generally left conquered countries relatively autonomous, forcing them instead to pay monetary tribute and supply young men for the sultan’s elite Janissary guard. Vlad refused to do this, and became a rallying figure for Balkan resistance. He resorted to acts of remarkable cruelty to achieve his aims, the most famous of which was impalement on wooden stakes (which, ironically, had first been practiced by the Turks), but he used other tortures as well, against those that he believed had collaborated or sold out to the Ottomans, or who violated the moral order he sought to establish in his realm.
Vlad reigned from 1456-62, and was then removed from power by the treachery of his brother, Radu. He spent some years under house arrest in Hungarian territory, before returning to power in Wallachia briefly in 1476, and being killed in a battle against Ottoman forces. Rumors of his deeds began to circulate in central Europe, and it was said that tens of thousands had died horribly under his rule, though he was also lauded in some circles as a Christian champion. For many in Romania today, he is still revered as a national hero.
In 1463, a German poet named Michel Beheim wrote a poem based on information he had collected from monastic sources. Vlad was still alive when it was written. Entitled the “Story of a Bloodthirsty Madman Called Dracula of Wallachia,” it was performed with music for the court of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor, which was shocked and titillated by its scenes of graphic horror. This was how the story of Dracula began to circulate farther afield. The poem was reprinted several times, and became a kind of 15th-century bestseller, an early horror novel that ascribed to Vlad all manner of unspeakable acts of torture and mass murder.
Vlad was indeed a brutal man, but it is doubtful if he committed many of the more appalling deeds detailed in Beheim’s narrative. The German nobility and royalty were the mortal enemies of their Hungarian and Romanian counterparts, so it was in their best interests to have their rivals portrayed as negatively as possible, and this work was certainly a piece of political propaganda, the first of many.
It is Beheim’s lurid poem around which we structure our program, offering excerpts from it as book-ends to the concert. We present music of the German composer and soldier Oswald Von Wolkenstein (1376/77 - 1445). Interestingly, he was also a member of the Order of the Dragon. We also perform a piece by his younger contemporary, Conrad Paumann (1410-73), a blind organist who invented lute tablature.
We offer a variety of traditional Balkan folk songs from Hungary, Transylvania (then a part of Hungary), Moldavia, and Bulgaria, all regions closely connected with Vlad’s time and place. The age of these pieces often cannot be verified with certainty, but many are likely survivals from oral tradition, and their melodic structures contain modal elements reminiscent of medieval songs. If these songs did not exist in the 15th century, ones similar to them likely did.
Medieval music from Eastern Europe does survive in some manuscripts, and we include examples of these from Hungary and Russia. In addition, the Western-leaning cosmopolitan courts of Hungary were appreciative of new art and music, and would have enjoyed fashionable French and Italian dances such as those we perform.
The Byzantine Empire was at the end of its life by the 15th-century, a 1,000-year-old entity (and heir to ancient Rome) that had once ruled the entire eastern Mediterranean. The last holdout was the fortified capital city of Constantinople itself, but it was only a matter of time before it fell to the Ottoman Turks. We present two pieces from its musical legacy, one a religious chant in Greek, of the type still sung in the Eastern Orthodox church today, and the other, secular court music from a manuscript discovered only in the last two decades.
A turning point in the history of the 15th century was the fall of Constantinople in 1453 to Mehmet the Conqueror, Ottoman sultan and enemy of Vlad. Western nations reacted with shock and horror to this event, calling for new crusades (undoubtedly, Vlad was eager to be a part of such a venture). In response, the great Franco-Flemish composer Guillaume Dufay wrote a moving vernacular lament for the fall of the city.
We also present an example of music from the Ottoman court, which had developed a sophisticated and cultured outlook of its own, even more so after the taking of Constantinople.
Vlad’s world was one of remarkable change and historic events which have echoed down the centuries. For a brief time, he stood up to the Ottoman juggernaut with remarkable tenacity, and succeeded in slowing its advance. Praised by many in the Hungarian court, and even by the Pope in Rome for his efforts, his darker and crueler deeds have tainted the heroism attributed to him in his own day.
It is our hope that this program will convey some of the essence of that time and region, overshadowed always by a man whose very name has become a synonym for horror.
Cançonièr is a Bay Area-based early music group devoted to medieval repertoire from the 12th to the 15th centuries, and some traditional music from related regions (Scandinavia, the Balkans, and the Middle East).
Created by multi-instrumentalist Tim Rayborn and recorder virtuoso Annette Bauer, the group appears both as a duo, and in an expanded form, featuring the talents of Bay Area favorite Shira Kammen on bowed strings, and the remarkable voice of Phoebe Jevtovic. Founded in the summer of 2008, the group has quickly gained the attention of the early music community, and received acclaim for its musicianship, unusual and exciting concert programs, and its debut CD. Utilizing voices and instruments, including a range of historical recorders, medieval harp, lute, citole, psaltery, percussion, symphonie, vielle, and others, Cançonièr brings to life the vibrant musical cultures of medieval Europe, through a combination of scholarly research, improvisational techniques, and impeccable musicianship.
Cançonièr is an Occitan word (medieval southern French), meaning “songbook.” Its equivalent in northern France was the chansonnier. These books were medieval collections of songs, with both secular and sacred works being included. Thus, the group is a kind of modern “medieval songbook,” bringing to life the medieval musical treasures of Europe in fresh ways that nevertheless respect their traditions and historical context. Cançonièr seeks to inform as well as entertain, and the group’s concerts are spiced with fascinating historical anecdotes, and a healthy dash of humor!
The group has performed in the Bay Area, Davis, the Oregon coast, and Portland. In July 2009, Phoebe and Tim performed at the Giornate Medioevale in the medieval hill town of Poggio in Umbria, Italy.
Cançonièr is the Ensemble-in-Residence at Music Sources, Center for Historically Informed Performances, Inc. Based in Berkeley, CA, this organization is a non-profit resource institution, a facility, and an educational center. Its annual concert series features distinguished local and international artists.
Annette Bauer, a native of Germany, studied medieval and Renaissance music at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Basel, Switzerland, specializing in recorder techniques with Conrad Steinmann (2001). She holds an M.A. in music from UC Santa Cruz (2004), and has been a student at the Ali Akbar College of Music in California since 1998, where she studies North Indian classical music on sarode, a stringed instrument.
Annette regularly performs with Baroque ensemble Les grâces and the Farallon Recorder Consort, and has appeared at the Santa Cruz Baroque and the Carmel Bach Festivals, as well as with Texas Early Music Project, Chamber Music San Francisco, the Catacoustic Consort, and the California Bach Society. She has served on the recorder faculty for the San Francisco Early Music Society summer workshops, Amherst Early Music Festival, as well as for the Texas Fall Toot, and the San Francisco Orff Certification Course. Annette teaches in Oakland, CA, and conducts recorder workshops and classes in medieval notation in the Bay Area. She plays Brazilian percussion with Maracatu Luta, and is the co-founder of Magic Carpet, a duo dedicated to the art of improvisation.
www.annettebauer.com
Phoebe Jevtovic performs chamber music, early opera, and experimental music in the United States and abroad. She has appeared as a soloist with the Waverly Consort, American Bach Soloists, Musica Angelica, Magnificat, and North Holland Opera. She is the featured soloist of the baroque ensemble La Monica, with whom she has appeared in international concert series such as New York’s Music Before 1800, Pittsburgh’s Renaissance and Baroque Society, Houston Early Music, and San Francisco Early Music Society. Also with La Monica, she has given acclaimed performances at the Amherst, Berkeley, and Boston Early Music Festivals. She has performed the roles of Despina in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Amphitrite in Locke’s Tempest, Cupid in Purcell’s Timon of Athens, and the title role in Rossi’s Orfeo.
Among Phoebe’s other projects are an art song collaboration with celebrated pianist Robert Thies; touring the US and Indonesia with Gamelan X (a Balinese-inspired hybrid world music ensemble); and singing in Kitka, a Balkan women’s vocal ensemble. She has also recorded a wide range of repertoire for Dorian, Nonesuch, Wave, and Gothic Records. Phoebe completed her M.A. degree in Early Music Performance at USC, and has edited a book of solo songs by Tarquinio Merula that is due to be published by A&R Editions.
www.phoebej.com
Shira Kammen has spent well over half her life exploring the worlds of early and traditional music. A member for many years of Ensembles Alcatraz, Project Ars Nova, and Medieval Strings, she has also worked with Sequentia, Hesperion XX, the Boston Camerata, Teatro Bacchino, Kitka, and is the founder of Class V Music, an ensemble dedicated to performance on river rafting trips. She has performed and taught in the US, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Israel, Morocco, and Japan, and on the Colorado and Rogue Rivers.
Shira happily collaborated with singer/storyteller John Fleagle for fifteen years, and performs now with several groups: a medieval ensemble, Fortune's Wheel; a contemporary music group, Ephemeros; an eclectic ethnic band, Panacea; as well as collaborations with performers such as Anne Azema, Patrick Ball, and Margriet Tindemans. Some of her original music can be heard in a documentary film about the fans of J.R.R. Tolkien.
www.shirakammen.com
Tim Rayborn, an acclaimed multi-instrumentalist, plays dozens of musical instruments from medieval Europe, the Middle East, and the Balkans, including: lutes, plucked strings, flutes, and percussion. He has recorded to date on nearly 30 CDs for a number of labels, including Gaudeamus, Wild Boar, EMP, and Magnatune.
Tim lived in the UK for seven years, taking his Ph.D. in medieval studies at the University of Leeds, and working as a musician. He has toured the U.S. and Europe extensively (from Ireland to Turkey), performing with the medieval groups Tintagel and Ensemble Florata (including concerts at both the York and Beverley Early Music Festivals, Alden Biesen Castle in Belgium, Bunyloa in Majorca, and the Spitalfields Festival in London). He has given a number of performances for BBC in the UK and Channel Islands, toured in Canada and Australia, and worked with folk musicians in Marrakech and Istanbul. He has taught at the SFEMS Medieval/Renaissance summer workshop, and has appeared with many early music performers, including Ensemble Alcatraz, Anne Azema, Susan Rode Morris, Peter Maund, Kit Higginson, Tom Zajac, Sinfonye, Wyrewood, and members of the Harp Consort. In addition to his solo work, he currently performs with Patrick Ball, and collaborates regularly with Shira Kammen.
www.timrayborn.com
Program Five, 43rd Indianapolis Early Music Festival
Friday, July 23, 2010, 7:30 p.m.
Frank & Katrina Basile Theater at the Indiana History Center on the Downtown Canal, 450 West Ohio Street Tickets
The Black Dragon: Music from the Time of Vlad Dracula
Cançonièr presents 15th-century music from the time of the infamous Vlad the Impaler, whose tyrannical rule of Wallachia (Southern Romania) shocked Europe. Featuring Michel Beheim’s German poem about Vlad’s deeds, Italian dances and German songs, music of the Byzantine court, Balkan folk songs, Turkish classical music, the Lamentation for the Fall of Constantinople by Guillaume Dufay, and other works.
Cançonièr Facebook page with performance videos.
Music from the Time of Vlad Dracula
Annette Bauer: recorders, voice, percussion, bells
Phoebe Jevtovic: voice, bells
Shira Kammen: vielle, harp, voice
Tim Rayborn: voice, psaltery, percussion, ‘ud,
Von ainem wutrich der hies Trakle waida von der Walachei
(“Story of a Bloodthirsty Madman Called Dracula of Wallachia”),
Michel Beheim (1416 - 1479), 1463; contrafact by Tim
from Wol auf, wir wellen salfen, by Oswald Von Wolkenstein
Mit ganzem Willen, Conrad Paumann (c. 1410-73)
Wol auf wir wellen slafen, Oswald Von Wolkenstein (1376/7 - 1445)
Volek sirolmtudotlon, 13th-c. Hungarian Marian lament, contrafact from Planctus ante nescia, by Godefroy of St. Victor (ca. 1125 - ca. 1194)
Azt gondoltam, esö esik, Hungarian/Transylvanian folk song
Bucara - te, soacra mare, traditional Romanian dance
Dragaicuta, traditional Transylvanian
Estéli imádság, late medieval Moldavian lament
Ugrcinska Ruchenitsa, traditional Bulgarian dance
- Intermission -
Lamentio Sanctae Matris Ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae,
Guillaume Dufay (1397-1474)
La danse du cleves, 15th-c. French dance
Amoroso, 15th-c. Italian dance
Voulgarikon, Ioannis Koukouzelis (late 14th c.),
Byzantine kratima (secular court music)
Už vy golubi, medieval Russian pilgrim song, arr. Juliana Graffagna
Kyrie echechraxa, Byzantine sticheron chant for Vespers
Taksim, makam ussak, Ottoman Turkish
Salvator Noster, 14th-c. Hungarian polyphony, arr. Cançonièr
Von ainem wutrich der hies Trakle waida von der Walachei,
Michel Beheim
Program Notes
The fifteenth century was a time of remarkable change in music, as musical conventions and practices evolved from medieval to early Renaissance styles. It also was a time of major transitions in art, religion, politics, and technology. During this century, Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks, the printing press was invented, the Tudors took the crown of England, the Moors were expelled from southern Spain, Christopher Columbus sailed, Leonardo da Vinci was born and began to work, the Renaissance in Italy bloomed in full, and for a few years, a man who would become infamous ruled a small country called Wallachia in what is now southern Romania.
He was called Vlad Dracula (c.1431 - 1476). His father, Vlad II, adopted the name Dracul (“Dragon”) when he joined the Order of the Dragon, a chivalric order dedicated to crusading against the Turks in the Balkans. His son took the name Dracula, or “Son of the Dragon.” Dracula was, of course, partially the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s iconic anti-hero, though he was no vampire.
Rather, Vlad’s primary goal was the resistance of the Ottoman presence in his nation. The Turks generally left conquered countries relatively autonomous, forcing them instead to pay monetary tribute and supply young men for the sultan’s elite Janissary guard. Vlad refused to do this, and became a rallying figure for Balkan resistance. He resorted to acts of remarkable cruelty to achieve his aims, the most famous of which was impalement on wooden stakes (which, ironically, had first been practiced by the Turks), but he used other tortures as well, against those that he believed had collaborated or sold out to the Ottomans, or who violated the moral order he sought to establish in his realm.
Vlad reigned from 1456-62, and was then removed from power by the treachery of his brother, Radu. He spent some years under house arrest in Hungarian territory, before returning to power in Wallachia briefly in 1476, and being killed in a battle against Ottoman forces. Rumors of his deeds began to circulate in central Europe, and it was said that tens of thousands had died horribly under his rule, though he was also lauded in some circles as a Christian champion. For many in Romania today, he is still revered as a national hero.
In 1463, a German poet named Michel Beheim wrote a poem based on information he had collected from monastic sources. Vlad was still alive when it was written. Entitled the “Story of a Bloodthirsty Madman Called Dracula of Wallachia,” it was performed with music for the court of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor, which was shocked and titillated by its scenes of graphic horror. This was how the story of Dracula began to circulate farther afield. The poem was reprinted several times, and became a kind of 15th-century bestseller, an early horror novel that ascribed to Vlad all manner of unspeakable acts of torture and mass murder.
Vlad was indeed a brutal man, but it is doubtful if he committed many of the more appalling deeds detailed in Beheim’s narrative. The German nobility and royalty were the mortal enemies of their Hungarian and Romanian counterparts, so it was in their best interests to have their rivals portrayed as negatively as possible, and this work was certainly a piece of political propaganda, the first of many.
It is Beheim’s lurid poem around which we structure our program, offering excerpts from it as book-ends to the concert. We present music of the German composer and soldier Oswald Von Wolkenstein (1376/77 - 1445). Interestingly, he was also a member of the Order of the Dragon. We also perform a piece by his younger contemporary, Conrad Paumann (1410-73), a blind organist who invented lute tablature.
We offer a variety of traditional Balkan folk songs from Hungary, Transylvania (then a part of Hungary), Moldavia, and Bulgaria, all regions closely connected with Vlad’s time and place. The age of these pieces often cannot be verified with certainty, but many are likely survivals from oral tradition, and their melodic structures contain modal elements reminiscent of medieval songs. If these songs did not exist in the 15th century, ones similar to them likely did.
Medieval music from Eastern Europe does survive in some manuscripts, and we include examples of these from Hungary and Russia. In addition, the Western-leaning cosmopolitan courts of Hungary were appreciative of new art and music, and would have enjoyed fashionable French and Italian dances such as those we perform.
The Byzantine Empire was at the end of its life by the 15th-century, a 1,000-year-old entity (and heir to ancient Rome) that had once ruled the entire eastern Mediterranean. The last holdout was the fortified capital city of Constantinople itself, but it was only a matter of time before it fell to the Ottoman Turks. We present two pieces from its musical legacy, one a religious chant in Greek, of the type still sung in the Eastern Orthodox church today, and the other, secular court music from a manuscript discovered only in the last two decades.
A turning point in the history of the 15th century was the fall of Constantinople in 1453 to Mehmet the Conqueror, Ottoman sultan and enemy of Vlad. Western nations reacted with shock and horror to this event, calling for new crusades (undoubtedly, Vlad was eager to be a part of such a venture). In response, the great Franco-Flemish composer Guillaume Dufay wrote a moving vernacular lament for the fall of the city.
We also present an example of music from the Ottoman court, which had developed a sophisticated and cultured outlook of its own, even more so after the taking of Constantinople.
Vlad’s world was one of remarkable change and historic events which have echoed down the centuries. For a brief time, he stood up to the Ottoman juggernaut with remarkable tenacity, and succeeded in slowing its advance. Praised by many in the Hungarian court, and even by the Pope in Rome for his efforts, his darker and crueler deeds have tainted the heroism attributed to him in his own day.
It is our hope that this program will convey some of the essence of that time and region, overshadowed always by a man whose very name has become a synonym for horror.
Cançonièr is a Bay Area-based early music group devoted to medieval repertoire from the 12th to the 15th centuries, and some traditional music from related regions (Scandinavia, the Balkans, and the Middle East).
Created by multi-instrumentalist Tim Rayborn and recorder virtuoso Annette Bauer, the group appears both as a duo, and in an expanded form, featuring the talents of Bay Area favorite Shira Kammen on bowed strings, and the remarkable voice of Phoebe Jevtovic. Founded in the summer of 2008, the group has quickly gained the attention of the early music community, and received acclaim for its musicianship, unusual and exciting concert programs, and its debut CD. Utilizing voices and instruments, including a range of historical recorders, medieval harp, lute, citole, psaltery, percussion, symphonie, vielle, and others, Cançonièr brings to life the vibrant musical cultures of medieval Europe, through a combination of scholarly research, improvisational techniques, and impeccable musicianship.
Cançonièr is an Occitan word (medieval southern French), meaning “songbook.” Its equivalent in northern France was the chansonnier. These books were medieval collections of songs, with both secular and sacred works being included. Thus, the group is a kind of modern “medieval songbook,” bringing to life the medieval musical treasures of Europe in fresh ways that nevertheless respect their traditions and historical context. Cançonièr seeks to inform as well as entertain, and the group’s concerts are spiced with fascinating historical anecdotes, and a healthy dash of humor!
The group has performed in the Bay Area, Davis, the Oregon coast, and Portland. In July 2009, Phoebe and Tim performed at the Giornate Medioevale in the medieval hill town of Poggio in Umbria, Italy.
Cançonièr is the Ensemble-in-Residence at Music Sources, Center for Historically Informed Performances, Inc. Based in Berkeley, CA, this organization is a non-profit resource institution, a facility, and an educational center. Its annual concert series features distinguished local and international artists.
Annette Bauer, a native of Germany, studied medieval and Renaissance music at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Basel, Switzerland, specializing in recorder techniques with Conrad Steinmann (2001). She holds an M.A. in music from UC Santa Cruz (2004), and has been a student at the Ali Akbar College of Music in California since 1998, where she studies North Indian classical music on sarode, a stringed instrument.
Annette regularly performs with Baroque ensemble Les grâces and the Farallon Recorder Consort, and has appeared at the Santa Cruz Baroque and the Carmel Bach Festivals, as well as with Texas Early Music Project, Chamber Music San Francisco, the Catacoustic Consort, and the California Bach Society. She has served on the recorder faculty for the San Francisco Early Music Society summer workshops, Amherst Early Music Festival, as well as for the Texas Fall Toot, and the San Francisco Orff Certification Course. Annette teaches in Oakland, CA, and conducts recorder workshops and classes in medieval notation in the Bay Area. She plays Brazilian percussion with Maracatu Luta, and is the co-founder of Magic Carpet, a duo dedicated to the art of improvisation.
www.annettebauer.com
Phoebe Jevtovic performs chamber music, early opera, and experimental music in the United States and abroad. She has appeared as a soloist with the Waverly Consort, American Bach Soloists, Musica Angelica, Magnificat, and North Holland Opera. She is the featured soloist of the baroque ensemble La Monica, with whom she has appeared in international concert series such as New York’s Music Before 1800, Pittsburgh’s Renaissance and Baroque Society, Houston Early Music, and San Francisco Early Music Society. Also with La Monica, she has given acclaimed performances at the Amherst, Berkeley, and Boston Early Music Festivals. She has performed the roles of Despina in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Amphitrite in Locke’s Tempest, Cupid in Purcell’s Timon of Athens, and the title role in Rossi’s Orfeo.
Among Phoebe’s other projects are an art song collaboration with celebrated pianist Robert Thies; touring the US and Indonesia with Gamelan X (a Balinese-inspired hybrid world music ensemble); and singing in Kitka, a Balkan women’s vocal ensemble. She has also recorded a wide range of repertoire for Dorian, Nonesuch, Wave, and Gothic Records. Phoebe completed her M.A. degree in Early Music Performance at USC, and has edited a book of solo songs by Tarquinio Merula that is due to be published by A&R Editions.
www.phoebej.com
Shira Kammen has spent well over half her life exploring the worlds of early and traditional music. A member for many years of Ensembles Alcatraz, Project Ars Nova, and Medieval Strings, she has also worked with Sequentia, Hesperion XX, the Boston Camerata, Teatro Bacchino, Kitka, and is the founder of Class V Music, an ensemble dedicated to performance on river rafting trips. She has performed and taught in the US, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Israel, Morocco, and Japan, and on the Colorado and Rogue Rivers.
Shira happily collaborated with singer/storyteller John Fleagle for fifteen years, and performs now with several groups: a medieval ensemble, Fortune's Wheel; a contemporary music group, Ephemeros; an eclectic ethnic band, Panacea; as well as collaborations with performers such as Anne Azema, Patrick Ball, and Margriet Tindemans. Some of her original music can be heard in a documentary film about the fans of J.R.R. Tolkien.
www.shirakammen.com
Tim Rayborn, an acclaimed multi-instrumentalist, plays dozens of musical instruments from medieval Europe, the Middle East, and the Balkans, including: lutes, plucked strings, flutes, and percussion. He has recorded to date on nearly 30 CDs for a number of labels, including Gaudeamus, Wild Boar, EMP, and Magnatune.
Tim lived in the UK for seven years, taking his Ph.D. in medieval studies at the University of Leeds, and working as a musician. He has toured the U.S. and Europe extensively (from Ireland to Turkey), performing with the medieval groups Tintagel and Ensemble Florata (including concerts at both the York and Beverley Early Music Festivals, Alden Biesen Castle in Belgium, Bunyloa in Majorca, and the Spitalfields Festival in London). He has given a number of performances for BBC in the UK and Channel Islands, toured in Canada and Australia, and worked with folk musicians in Marrakech and Istanbul. He has taught at the SFEMS Medieval/Renaissance summer workshop, and has appeared with many early music performers, including Ensemble Alcatraz, Anne Azema, Susan Rode Morris, Peter Maund, Kit Higginson, Tom Zajac, Sinfonye, Wyrewood, and members of the Harp Consort. In addition to his solo work, he currently performs with Patrick Ball, and collaborates regularly with Shira Kammen.
www.timrayborn.com
Cançonièr proudly presents its new recording, featuring 15th-century music from the time of the infamous Vlad the Impaler, whose tyrannical rule of Wallachia (Southern Romania) shocked Europe. Featuring Michel Beheim’s German poem about Vlad’s deeds, French and Italian dance music, German songs, music of the Byzantine court, Balkan folk songs, Turkish classical music, the Lamentation for the Fall of Constantinople by Guillaume Dufay, and more!
Annette Bauer: recorders, bells, voice, percussion, lute
Phoebe Jevtovic: voice
Shira Kammen: vielle, harp, voice
Tim Rayborn: voice, percussion, citole, lauta,
tromba marina, ‘ud, psaltery
Listen to sound clips, read more information and purchase at CD Baby, the world's largest retailer of independent music.
Cançonièr's debut CD features Tim and Annette performing a wide variety of medieval instrumental music on a multitude of instruments, including: recorders, percussion, harp, lute, psaltery, and symphonie (medieval hurdy gurdy).
Annette Bauer: recorders, bells, voice, percussion, lute
Phoebe Jevtovic: voice
Shira Kammen: vielle, harp, voice
Tim Rayborn: voice, percussion, citole, lauta,
tromba marina, ‘ud, psaltery
Listen to sound clips, read more information and purchase at CD Baby, the world's largest retailer of independent music.
Cançonièr's debut CD features Tim and Annette performing a wide variety of medieval instrumental music on a multitude of instruments, including: recorders, percussion, harp, lute, psaltery, and symphonie (medieval hurdy gurdy).
