{"id":17709,"date":"2014-03-16T14:46:02","date_gmt":"2014-03-16T19:46:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/?p=17709"},"modified":"2014-03-16T15:08:06","modified_gmt":"2014-03-16T20:08:06","slug":"album-review-christopher-jacksons-studio-de-musique-ancienne-evokes-fear-and-trebling-with-selections-from-the-renaissances-more-dire-works","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2014\/03\/16\/album-review-christopher-jacksons-studio-de-musique-ancienne-evokes-fear-and-trebling-with-selections-from-the-renaissances-more-dire-works\/","title":{"rendered":"Album Review: Christopher Jackson’s Studio de Musique Ancienne evokes fear and trebling with selections from the Renaissance\u2019s more dire works"},"content":{"rendered":"
\u00a0There was darkness over all the land [\u2026] Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent [\u2026] Now when [they] saw the earthquake [\u2026] they feared greatly\u2026<\/em><\/address>\n
The Gospel According to Matthew (XXVII, 45, 50, 51, and 54), King James Bible.<\/em><\/address>\n

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\"Hieronymus_Bosch_055\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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Even before the scientific age there was an eternal quest to make sense of the world, and wonder at night if the sun will ever rise again in the morning. We can see this angst in the paintings of Hieronymus Bosch, whose canvases depict the risk of our soul to human weakness once Judgement Day has arrived. Renaissance composers also depicted the same fears in their works, which this disc highlights.<\/p>\n

Judging from the many apocalyptic Hollywood films and television shows being released as of late, we are all becoming fear-haunted.<\/p>\n

Early music pioneer Christopher Jackson and Studio de Musique Ancienne have picked up on the cultural trend, and returned this month with their 3rd<\/sup> CD release titled Terra Tremuit (The Earth Trembled).<\/p>\n

Included is a Mass for 12 voices by Antoine Brumel (1460-1520). Lo, the earth shook is a densely contrapuntal work, and is built upon the first seven notes of the Easter antiphon Et ecce terrae motus. The motif is wrapped and folded into canons, which cross within each voice group, creating a seismic illustration of an earthquake. The choir is hauntingly dark, and engender Brumel\u2019s shaking earth to chilling effect.<\/p>\n

Also present are two works by Palestrina and Byrd, who offer very different settings of the short text from Psalm 75 (Terra Tremuit- The Earth Trembled). Byrd\u2019s version is the darkest with much more homophonic material, while Palestrina is much lighter, due to the prevalence of independent lines.<\/p>\n

The commonly thick, dark textures, with emphasized low voices of Franco-Flemish composers Thomas Crecquillon and Jacobus Vaet, contribute an oddly dusky flavour to the disc that grows darker with each listen.<\/p>\n

Lassus\u2019 Motet for 6 voices \u2013 Timor et Tremor (Fear and trembling) is just that. It describes the terrible fear that seizes a sinner when they come face to face with God and plead for forgiveness. It evokes a mood of anguish, and concludes with a devastating rising and falling gesture that evokes the sinner\u2019s confusion and dread.<\/p>\n

Christopher Jackson has presented a very dark selection of works, which collectively act as the one who peers into the abyss, only to find the abyss is looking directly back at him.<\/p>\n

At once chilling, this disc is beautifully presented by the SMAM, and it shows us that though contemporary life may be over 600 years away from the time these works were composed, we still feel the same fear of catastrophes of every kind.<\/p>\n

The earth still shakes, and the waters still flood.<\/p>\n

The disc is released via ATMA Classique on March 25th<\/sup>, notes, and audio samples are available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\"SMAM\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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Here\u2019s a promo video about the origins of the SMAM with Christopher Jackson its founder and director.<\/p>\n

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