The Arbor Consort

Madrigal Monday, February 20 2012

saraschropp — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:37:42 +0000

“Donne, venete al ballo”

I know nothing about this song, save that it was composed byFrancesco Patavino, and it’s recorded by the Hilliard Ensemble. I bought this mp3 on Amazon and just love it. I’m glad I found it on youtube so I can share it here for Madrigal Monday!

Madrigal Monday, February 6th, 2012

saraschropp — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:03:21 +0000

Madrigal Monday- Thule the Period of Cosmographie and The Andalusian Merchant
Thule the Period of Cosmographie

Lyrics:

Thule, the period of cosmography,
Doth vaunt of Hecla, whose sulphureous fire
Doth melt the frozen clime and thaw the sky;
Trinacrian Etna’s flames ascend not higher
These things seem wondrous, yet more wondrous I,
Whose heart with fear doth freeze, with love doth fry.

Thule is, in classical European literature and maps, a region in the far north. Wikipedia states that in the late Middle Ages and Renaissance Greenland and Iceland were referred to as Thule. (source: Wikipedia)

Hekla is a volcano in Iceland.
Trinacria is the Latin name for Sicily, and Etna is a volcano in Sicily.

So Thule is a frozen place with an active volcano, both freezing and frying, like Weelke’s heart, I suppose.

The Andalusian Merchant (the second part)

The Andalusian merchant,
that returns laden with Cochineal and China dishes,
reports in Spain how strangely Fogo burns,
amidst an ocean full of flying fishes!
These things seem wond’rous, yet more wond’rous I,
whose heart with fear doth freeze, with love doth fry.

Fogo, is apparently Portuguese for fire, and also the name of a Volcanic island in the Atlantic Ocean.

And that, madrigal fans concludes our geography lesson for the day. ^_^

This two-part madrigal is sung by 6 voices. You can find the scores in The Oxford Book of English madrigals, and also on CPDL (Part 1, Part 2). Lots of cool word painting, with my personal favorite part being on the “how strangely Fogo burns” when it gets all chromatic to emphasize the strangeness.

I found this recording on youtube by an ensemble called Novem Altare:

Gleaners Donation!

saraschropp — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 15:03:07 +0000

The Arbor Consort’s charitable effort for the holiday season resulted in us dropping off 222 lbs of food to Gleaners Food Bank in Detroit, and donating enough money online to provide 225 meals to hungry individuals, families and children. With our food and fund totals, we surpassed our goal of providing 400 meals!

Thanks to everyone who contributed, and everyone who helped out!

The Arbor Consort on AnnArbor.com

saraschropp — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 13:37:07 +0000

Yesterday, we had our annual trip to the University Hospital to carol for its patients. This is our most rewarding and memorable gig of the holiday season. This year, AnnArbor.com sent photographer Chris Asadian to document our trip. While these photos tell only a fraction of the story, they capture the feeling and spirit of the experience perfectly.

Link to AnnArbor.com photo gallery.

Protected: Calendar of Events

saraschropp — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:14:25 +0000

This post is password protected. You must visit the website and enter the password to continue reading.

Help Us Become Hunger Heroes!

saraschropp — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 18:43:18 +0000

The Arbor Consort is pleased to announce our involvement in Gleaners Community Food Bank’s “Give a Hand for the Holidays” Food Drive. We will be collecting non-perishable food, and monetary donations for Gleaners at each of our remaining Holiday Season rehearsals.

Our team’s goal is to provide 400 meals to hungry people in Southeastern Michigan. If you are interested in donating, please see one of our members, or you can donate online here. Select The Arbor Consort as your Food/Fund Drive Team from the pull down menu.

Let’s see how much good we can do together!

Holiday Performances Confirmed so far:

tacboard — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 22:33:03 +0000

For the State Street Area Association in Ann Arbor, MI: Friday evenings 7-9 PM on the street, December 2, 9, 16.
For UM Hospital in Ann Arbor: Sunday December 18, 1:30-4 PM. Mandatory attendance for all TAC singers. Afterglow at Cottage Inn.
For Kerrytown Market and Shops in Ann Arbor, MI: Friday December 2, 7-9 PM, Saturday December 17, 11 AM-1 PM
For Tyme Well Spent Tearoom in Hartland, MI: Sunday December 4 & 11, 12:30-2:30 PM

We’re still open for gigs on Weekday nights, and Saturdays not yet booked in December. Please consider using Arbor Consort for your Holiday party/festivities/meeting or event this season!

Showtimes and Places for Italian Carnivale Weekend at Michigan Renaissance Festival

saraschropp — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 16:45:47 +0000

10:30- Outside the Front Gate
11:30- Vow Renewal on the Field of Honor
1:00- Artisan Square (just inside the front gate)
2:45- Queen’s Gazebo (across from the Ice Cream Shop on the Mystical Causeway)
4:30- Queen’s Tea*
5:45- Igor’s Roost Stage

*An additional ticket must be purchased for this event.

Call For Singers: Victorian Holiday Season 2011

tacboard — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 13:22:56 +0000

The Holiday Season rehearsals with The Arbor Consort will begin on Wednesday, October 5, 2011 at Calvary United Methodist Church,
1415 Miller Ave., Ann Arbor, MI from 7:30-9:30 PM.

All current, past, and prospective new members are invited to join us for this very rewarding season! All voice parts welcome, SATB! Joining the group is as simple as sitting in with us for a rehearsal, singing with us, and having a vocal assessment/placement audition with our Director, Sarah J. Rau.

During this season we learn and polish our ensemble sound to perform, in quartets or larger, in costume, Victorian era and earlier carols for, to name a few: The State and Main Street Area Associations, Kerrytown Market and Shops, UM Hospital, Ypsilanti Historical Museum, and the Tyme Well Spent Tearoom. Our gigs are generally 1/2 to 3/4 hour sets for up to 3 hours/with appropriate breaks, performed both on the street and in indoor venues.

The Arbor Consort is a volunteer organization dedicated to the promotion and performance of early a capella music. Compensation is not provided, but expense reimbursement may be made available at the discretion of the Board of Directors. Our repertoire will consist of up to 35-40 Victorian era and earlier seasonal favorites (SATB) that current and past singers know and love, as well as new music to challenge us as vocalists. Memorization is not required, but having your head up and being engaged with the audience is!

Please join us and Director Sarah Rau, or please pass the invitation on to other interested singers you may know. If you will be joining us, or have someone who may be interested in doing so, please direct them to repond to this email address, or to thearborconsort@gmail.com, or direct them to visit us here on the web.

The Board of The Arbor Consort looks forward to seeing you!

Thank You, and Best Regards,
Kurt Buker
President, The Arbor Consort

Show times and places for Wonders of the World

saraschropp — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 13:11:12 +0000

10:30 Outside the front gate
11:30 The Vow renewal on the Field of Honor
1:00 Artisan Square
4:30 Queens Tea*
5:45 Igor’s Roost

* Requires an additional ticket purchase