Patterns and Shapes in Music 12C to 18C Adrian Boynton
In earlier periods, music was mainly an intimate home grown pleasure: unwritten and passed from singer to singer, secular and sacred entwined.
Adrian told the story today of the movement of music from the private to the public ; from the single voice chant to the choir and from the viol onwards to the orchestra and finally the combination of multi instruments and multi voices.
One of the earliest written music was the Gregorian Chant in the 12C sung with a single voice.. The example Adrian played for us was Hymn to the Virgin composed by the German mystic, Abbess Hildegarde.This is the repetition of a single phrase which is compelling in its simplicity.
Over the next 2 centuries, music was written for 2 and 3 voices and then in the 15C, Renaissance counterpoint with 4 voices soprano, alto, tenor and bass4 voices .The music Adrian played for us was Lord have Mercy by the Italian composer ,Palestrina.
In the 17C composers such as da Vittoria composed music for multi voices with many different parts.
Adrian then moved on to the development of instruments. The early trumpet had no valves and the sound was produced by lip pressure only.For his example he played us Giuseppe Torelli~Trumpet Concerto in D,Then were were the great Italian makers of violins (we heard a Vivaldi concerto); the flute developed from the recorder.
We then heard the next stage: the combination of voices and instruments. We listened to Monteverdi's 'Vestments',
Finally the concertos of Bach and Handel.
The morning ended with the triumphant Coronation Anthem by Handel.
You will see in Newsletter a link to Adrian Boynton's Cornerstone Music in Milton Keynes. Adrian warmly invited us all to come to his next concert.
I have found the last piece of music on You tube if you wish to hear it.
Horse Racing and Racehorses Adrian McGlynn
AdrianMcGlynn is a Director at Wetherby's. For those of you, who like me, have no idea what Wetherby's do, Adrian's talk was a revelation. Many of us have a £ each way on the Derby and National and there our interest ends, but for Adrian, Horses and Horse Racing is an all consuming passion.
The racehorse, Adrian told us was designed by men and particularly English gentleman in the 18C.The all purpose English hunter , ideal for country riding and War was crossed with the smaller but faster Arab stallion to produce a horse which went faster and had more stamina.
It was at this point. 1791 that one of the Wetherby's created a book called the General Stud book in which he listed the best 400 horses of the time.This book have been updated and published every year since. The books record the female line together with the name of the stallion and the offspring of the best horses. The breeding of a champion is every owner's dream and much thought is given choosing a sire with a proven track record. Genetics as we know has a habit of not breeding true to type and many owners have paid millions for a foal of a promising union which turns out to be a total racing failure.
A racehorse, believes Adrian, is a magnificent creature: he can run between 40 and 45 mls ph; will lose 1% body weight during a race, has heart rate of 240 beats per minute (30 when resting) and whose lung capacity increases so much during a race that other body organs are pushed aside.
He went on to talk about the naming of a new foal. Names have to be approved by Wetherby's. Names excluded are those of the most famous horses,Red Rum etc, as are names like Winner ,Favourite for obvious reasons. Out to, are the names of famous people unless they give their permission. He gave us some amusing names derived from part of the mare and stallion's names or by association.One example was two horses called 'Royal Infatuation' and Casual Love' their union produced a foal called 'Camilla's Beau'
The richest owners have their own sub book listing the pedigree of all their horses. Wetherby's send the Queen hers every December 12th.
I went expecting a boring morning but could have sat another hour listening to Adrian.His passion for horses is infectious.
Cornerstone Chamber Choir and Orchestra
Address The City Church
300 Saxon Gate West
Central Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
MK9 2ES map
Description A medium-sized choir of 40-60 voices, seeking to perform a wide variety of mainstream repertoire to a high standard. Three or four concerts a year are given, usually accompanied by orchestra. The orchestra also gives concerts in its own right.
Contact : Musical Director Mr Adrian Boynton
A photo of Adrian Boynton and right something about Cornerstone Music MK. Web-site link on Newsletter page.
