ANCIENT STYLE RINGS OUT WITH STILE ANTICO

November 30, Cathedral Concerts at the Saint Louis Basilica

Early music forces us to recondition our ears and our entire approach to listening. The system of tonality that we take for granted today was not yet fully established when this music was written, so the melodies and harmonies may sound strange to us--and, ironically, totally new rather than old. Particularly in the contrapuntal music of the Renaissance, there is no single melody. Rather, a virtual shower of melody, with its resulting harmony, cascades upon listeners' ears. But for those listeners who dive into the ocean of sound, the effect can be mesmerizing. The British a cappella group, Stile Antico (Ancient Style), has devoted itself to recapturing the essence of what music sounded like centuries ago to the awakening minds of the European Renaissance, garnering numerous awards and critical acclaim.

The effect of hearing multiple lines of music simultaneously produces a state remarkably similar to that of the Eastern meditation technique of clearing the mind. Finding oneself unable to focus on single lines of music leaves only the alternative of focusing on the void of the broad canvas that the music creates, or perhaps focusing on nothing at all, thereby allowing the music to work its magic on the soul. The listener becomes much more aware of the overall mood and texture of the music.

Stile Antico consists of twelve singers, male and female. The group does not rely on a conductor; instead, each vocalist is responsible for the careful execution of his or her own part. Singing contrapuntally requires strict independence and complete accuracy. Fortunately, neither was lacking. The group performs with precision and careful balance and blend. Although the acoustics inside the Cathedral Basilica can cloud the sound produced by performers, in this case any blurriness of the sound only added a sheen of mysticism to the group's timbre and further unified their vocal blend.  

Although at first it might seem that an ensemble specializing in music of the Renaissance would have a very narrow focus, on further examination such is not the case. It is important to remember that Europe was--and remains--a very diverse continent, multilingual and multi-ethnic. Perhaps even more significantly, we must bear in mind that the Reformation was still in its infancy, and so Christians of the era (and now also) were markedly split in their allegiances. Moreover, Jewish and Moorish influences, particularly in the music of southern Europe, can also be felt.

That being said, the theme of Stile Antico's performance at the Basilica, "A Wondrous Mystery," revolved primarily around northern European compositions by Lutheran and Catholic composers, set to both German and Latin texts. One of the few compositions from the era that remains rooted in our hymnals today, "Lo, How a Rose Ere Blooming," by Michael Praetorius, opened the program, proving that early music is not forgotten. (In fact, many melodies from the Renaissance remain with us today, such as "A Mighty Fortress.") Selections from a mass by Jacob Clemens non Papa (whose nickname tacked on at the end affirms that he was NOT a Pope Clement) were interspersed throughout the program. That may seem like an odd way to perform a mass setting, but it also afforded an opportunity to contrast the composer's style against that of his contemporaries. Works by such composers as Orlando di Lasso (Orlandus Lassus) and Leo Hassler were also featured on the program. When we consider that Orlando was allegedly kidnapped three times as a boy by rival choirs in order to capture his beautiful voice for their own, we gain an insight into the significance of music to the peoples of this period. 

Following the intermission, the group performed Jacob Handl's "Mirabile misterium" (Miraculous Mystery) in a side aisle of the Basilica. This created a remarkable new effect, demonstrating that the direction of sound does indeed affect the listener. Although that was the only selection performed off the altar area, hopefully the singers will experiment further with such techniques. 

By inviting performers of the caliber of Stile Antico, the Cathedral Basilica continues its longstanding tradition of serving the musical needs of our entire community. Kudos to Scott Kennebeck, the Director of the series, and the leadership of the Basilica, particularly Music Director Horst Buchholz, for providing such a far-reaching and broadly-based array of world class performers.