^
very
The Galway Early
Music Festival
AD BC
An Archaeomusicological Adventure
May 8-11, 2014 ancient, medieval and renaissance music, brought to life by musicians, archaeologists, musicologists & art historians.
Info & Booking www.galwayearlymusic.com 087 930 5506
Galway Early Music would like to thank its sponsors and friends, without whose support the Festival would not happen.
SUPPORTED
BY
Samuel L. Westerman Foundation
MEDIA SPONSOR GOLD PATRONS Adare Guesthouse The Stop
SILVER PATRONS Tom Grealy Seán & Lois Tobin
FRIENDS & FUNDIT SUPPORTERS Michael & Claire Cuddy June Grey Smith Anam Theatre Máire Ní Chionna Ronan Browne Matthew Walsh Seán Ó Meallaigh Gwen Dring Brendan Murray Deirdre Ní Conghaile Máire Greaney Daly
Ann Mallaghan John Rogers Ionia Ní Chróínín Kate Costello Jo Cummins Jacopo Bisagni Birrell Walsh Ruth Frederico Maria Caswell Seven Anonymous Patrons
WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO St Nicholas Collegiate Church Nuns of the Poor Clares, Nuns Island Augustinian Church, Middle St Galway Early Music
@gwy_earlymusic
See our general Festival Promo on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fveRZSI1pi8 or scan this QR code:
Have you ever heard a tibia, or a carnyx or lyre? Wondered what Nero fiddled as Rome burned or what Brian Ború’s harp sounded like? This year’s events follow the development of European Music from ancient to early medieval and renaissance music in a programme guaranteed to delight and astonish. a unique chance to see and hear bronze-age Irish trumpas, the amazing animal-headed carnyx, and latin bucinae, as well as lyres, tibia, early Irish harp, triple pipes, medieval flute, medieval chant & song, renaissance brass and strings, and all sorts of rattles & percussion.
SYMP OSIUM AD/BC: Music Archaeology 0ne-day symposium Thursday, May 8, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm Moore Institute, NUI Galway This symposium of short talks and demonstrations gives an idea of the range of the research background to the concerts and workshops of the 2014 Galway Early Music Festival. This is a free event, aimed at non-specialists and open to the public. session 1: 10:00 am - 11:30 pm
Musical instruments in Etruria and in Ancient Rome Emiliano Li Castro Facts and puzzles about the ancient double pipe Stefan Hagel session 2: 12:00 am - 1:30 pm
Prehistoric soundscapes in Scandinavia: theory and data Cajsa Lunda & Åke Egevad What can we learn from Scotland’s sixteen 4-note pibrochs? Barnaby Brown session 3: 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Medieval music from Paradise. A dream tuning for your medieval instrument Michael Shields Medieval Irish instruments and biblical exegesis: some new perspectives Jacopo Bisagni Deciphering ancient code: Reconstructing medieval musical improvisation and collaboration Norbert Rodenkirchen and Wolodymyr Smishkewych Organised in cooperation with NUI Galway Medieval Studies, and the European Music Archaeology Project (EMAP).
CON CERT ancient songs and music of gaelic scotland Thursday, May 8, 8:00 pm St Nicholas Collegiate Church
CORACLE Griogair Labhruidh, voice Siobhán Armstrong, early Irish harp Barnaby Brown, highland bagpipes and triplepipes
P
lundering treasure troves of Gaelic poetry, bagpipe music and sean nós singing, Coracle is inspired by epic survivals in traditional culture. In Spell Weaving and Spilt Blood, Coracle applies the principles of experimental archaeology to traces of musical magnificence from the 600s to the 1600s. Using early field recordings, these musical adventurers breathe vivid life into texts and notations from a remote past: harmonic cycles possibly established at Glendalough before 1119, Fenian lays collected at various points since 1530, canntaireachd transcriptions of pibroch made in the late 1700s, and Edward Bunting’s transcriptions from the blind harper Dennis O’ Hampsey, who in 1792 was ‘a living fossil’.
C
oracle explores the interaction between oral and written sources and challenges the value judgments on notationless musical culture, re-discovering the richness of what was not written down through experimental music archaeology. This includes looking at the tradition of Caintreachd and music for the piob mor of Scotland, returning the harp music notated in the 17th and 18th centuries for lute or keyboard back to the early Irish harp and exploring the techniques that bring this music to life on its original instrument, and exploring the oral tradition of Gaelic singing, both solo and accompanied by the harp as the sources tell us it once was. This programme was developed with support from ‘Bass Culture in Scottish Musical Traditions’, a 3-year AHRC-funded research project involving the Universities of Glasgow and Cambridge and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
CON CERT hamelin anno 1284 Friday, May 9, 1:00 pm Chapel of the Poor Clares, Nuns Island
NORBERT RODENKIRCHEN medieval transverse flutes
A
concert of solo transverse flute music from medieval Germany and Northern Europe that explores the legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin who spirited away over 100 children from Hamelin in the year 1284. With readings and music, Norbert Rodenkirchen looks at the myth and the historical event behind it. A beautiful and thought-provoking programme of medieval music and story. The historical text sources of the “exitus puerorum� from Hamelin suggest a charismatic musician whose foreign appearance and exotic effect of his music triggered off a wave of fascination among the town’s inhabitants. The flute programme, Hamelin Anno 1284, is based on intensive musicological research focused on the medieval monodies in the minnesinger tradition of the thirteenth century and ancient Slavic music from the Baltic area. This project is however not purely focused on historical performance practice, but also on artistic imagination, evoking the seductive effect of the magical music played by the foreign piper, his hypnotic flute tunes, archaic improvisation, trancelike rhythms and allusions to music from faraway countries - the sounds of foreign lands which have remained irresistible since time immemorial.
N
orbert Rodenkirchen has dedicated himself to the artistic dialogue between old and new sounds, between the middle ages and today. On the one hand he is well in demand as a soloist on historic transverse flute as well as a subtle accompanist in the scene of historically informed performance practice. On the other hand, he is very active as a composer and improviser of an experimental archaic music in the new music scene of Cologne.
CON CERT music on the royal swedish flaghsip kronan (lost 1676) Friday, May 9, 8:00 pm St Nicholas Collegiate Church
ENSEMBLE MARE BALTICUM Ute Goedecke, vocal, baroque violin, recorder; Per Mattsson, baroque violin, folk fiddle; Tommy Johansson, theorbo, percussion instruments; Dario Losciale, viola da gamba Stefan Wikström, natural trumpet, sackbut; Fredrik Persson, reed instruments; Johan Folker, percussion instruments Cajsa S. Lund, Narrator
T
he Swedish Flagship Kronan, the Royal Crown, was in its time one of the world’s largest warships. She capsized, exploded and sank off the island of Öland in the Baltic Sea in 1676. Of the 842 men in the crew only about 40 were saved. The wreck was located in the 1980s and since then is excavated each summer season by underwater archaeologists. Among the more than 30,000 objects that have been found so far are several musical instruments, including strings, winds and percussion. The repertoire of the performance is music that was in vogue in Sweden during the second half of the 17th century. Music and commentaries are accompanied by a slideshow that includes present-day documentary photographs as well as paintings and drawings from the 17th century.
E
nsemble Mare Balticum is one of two full-time ensembles that are part of Music y Syd. Musik i Syd is a regional music institution in Sweden with special competencies that complement an already rich musical life in the south of Sweden. The mission of Musik i Syd is to promote a rich, active and varied music life in Skåne and Kronoberg. Musik I Syd is one of the centres of research for EMAP (European Music Archeology Project), supported by the Culture Programme of the European Union.
CON ROMANS AND CELTS:
Saturday, May 10, 8:00 pm Instruments and music of the Roman world and the Celtic world come together when the Romans and Celts meet in battle. A concert of three parts. Part 1: The Celts: Ancient Music Ireland & Friends he Celtic contribution is created around the great Irish legend ‘Táin Bó Fraích’. The story is enacted through music and song. Ancient horns, trumpets, carnyx, great sea shells, animal horns, bodhrán and flute are combined to celebrate the love story between Fraích and Findabair. Finally two Iron Age trumpet players prepare to join the Celts in their battle against the Romans.
T
Part 2: The Romans: Ludi Scaenici s with the Celts, there is no written Roman music of the period, but a large number of instruments survive, as do texts describing them, their sound, and the events at which they were heard. Music for religious ritual, theatrical spectacle and war are the three areas that Ludi Scaenici explore in their section of the concert.
A
Finale: The Battle: Ludi Scaenici, Ancient Music Ireland, Legion Ireland, Celts, narrators John Rogers and Jacopo Bisagni n one side, the Roman Army with horns used for giving orders, organised, disciplined. They clash their spears and swords against their shields and give the war cry as they march steadily towards the Celts.
O
The Celts fill the air with the sound of their mighty trumpas and carnyx. Their champions stand to the front, challenging the Romans to single combat, but the Romans don't oblige. And so, with trumpas and carnyx blowing, they run forward, giving their war shout and banging their weapons against their shields. And so the Celts meet the Romans in Galway - but what will be the outcome? Come and see!
CERT WAR AND PEACE
St Nicholas Collegiate Church
L
udi Scaenici was founded by Cristina Majnero and Roberto Stanco, who have been doing research on this subject for many years. The ensemble has performed all over the Roman world, in living museums and in ampitheatres and other archaeological sites. Cristina Majnero - Tibiae, Syrinx, Bucina,Tympanum and vocal Roberto Stanco - Tibiae, Lyra, Bucina and Tympanum Gaetano Delfini - Cornu, Bucina, Cymbala and Tympanum Daniele Ercoli - Tuba, Bucina, Obliquum Calamum, Crotala and Tympanum
A
ncient Music Ireland have given public workshops and academic presentations on the earliest Irish music throughout Europe and the United States. They are frequent performers at The Galway Early Music Festival, where their lively and excellent workshops and presentations have fascinated and educated people of all ages and expertise.
John Kenny - Irish horns and carnyx Peter Holmes - Irish horns and carnyx John Mescal - Irish horns; Barnaby Brown - Lyre Derek O’Shea - traditional Irish flute and whistle John Purser – Bronze Age horns, Bronze Age Crotals, conch shell and animal horns; Simon O’Dwyer - Irish horns, vocals Maria O’Dwyer- bodhrán (traditional Irish frame drum)
Also Featuring: Legion Ireland, Roman Re-enactors; John Rogers, Actor; Jacopo Bisagni, Classicist; and Celtic Re-enactors
DAY BY DAY From May 8 and throughout the Festival Two Apps to Carolan’s Lost Tune - Galway Ghost Hunt enjoy whenever & it suits! Medieval Musical Tour of Galway Instruction sheets on-lne & in City Museum. Guides Throughout will be outside the Museum on Saturday to help you Festival and get started. beyond.
Thursday, May 8 10:00 am 4:00 pm
Music Archaeology Symposium Moore Institute, NUI, Galway
6:00 pm
Official Opening of the Festival St Nicholas Collegiate Church
8:00 pm
Ancient Songs and Music of Gaelic Scotland Coracle St Nicholas Collegiate Church €15 / €12 concession / €5 under 16 yrs
Friday, May 9 1:00 pm
Hamelin Anno 1284 On the Trail of the Pied Piper
Norbert Rodenkirchen Chapel of the Poor Clares, Nuns Island
€12 / €10 concession / €5 under 16 yrs
4:00 pm
Pairs of Horns in Antiquity - Male & Female Simon O’Dwyer, John Kenny and Peter Holmes Mechanics Institute, Middle St
8:00 pm
Music on Board the Royal Swedish Flagship Kronan (Lost 1676) Ensemble Mare Balticum St Nicholas Collegiate Church €15 / €12 concession / €5 (under 16 yrs)
TICKET BOOKING Online: www.galwayearlymusic.com From 1 May: Charlie Byrnes Bookshop At door of concerts FESTIVAL TICKET: €56 / €45 concession (includes all concerts)
PROGRAMME Saturday, May 10 12:00 pm
Buile Shuibne - Mad Sweeney Moonfish Theatre & Ancient Music Ireland Upstairs, Kelly’s Pub, O’Brien’s Bridge Free Admission
2:00 4:00 pm
Romans invade Galway! Legion Ireland Galway City Museum, Streets of Galway
2:30 4:00 pm
Medieval Galway Apps: Carolan’s Lost Tune: Galway’s Ghost Hunt & Medieval Musical Tour of Galway Guides to get you started will be at Galway City Museum between 2:30 & 4:00 pm.
3:00 pm
The Sound of Archaeology - Listen & Enjoy! Cajsa Lund and Åke Egevad Mechanics Institute, Middle St
8:00 pm
Romans and Celts: War and Peace Ludi Scaenici & Ancient Music Ireland St Nicholas Collegiate Church €15 / €12 concession / €5 under 16 yrs
Sunday, May 11 12:002:00 pm
Dance Workshop
2:00 pm
Mousike The Ecstatic Cult of Dionysus Procession starting outside Evergreen and proceeding to Mechanics Institute
4:00 pm
Mystical Union: Medieval Songs of Brides & Bridegrooms and ‘Sponsus’, the play of the wise and foolish virgins
Lise Carrel, dance; with Natalie Surina, Jacopo Bisagni and Maura Ó Cróinín Mechanics Institute, Middle St
Lucernarium, dir. by Wolodymyr Smishkewych Augustinian Church, Middle St
€12 / €10 concession / €5 under 16 yrs
CON CERT mystical union: medieval songs of brides and bridegrooms Sunday, May 11, 4:00 pm Augustinian Church, Middle St
s plu
SPONSUS: the play of the wise and foolish virgins LUCERNARIUM Directed by Wolodymyr Smishkewych
I
magery and poetic description of nuptial love permeates the world’s sacred traditions, and in most literary cultures there are allegorical - if not fairly literal - descriptions of sensuality and sacred union present in scriptural or apocryphal sources. Sponsus - the Latin word for ‘Bridegroom’ - is the theme of the concert programme presented by Lucernarium together with special guests, as well as the title of the medieval Aquitanian play that is its centerpiece. From Peter Abelard’s bridal canticle of the Song of Songs, to Biblical parables depicting wise and foolish virgins awaiting the bridegroom, from responsories acclaiming Cecilia - musical patroness and saintly virgin of the early Christian period - to heroic bridegrooms tragically deceived by cunning brides, Sponsus brings alive in sound the medieval theme of sacred union, and reveals that in the so-called ‘dark ages,’ the way in which corporeal and carnal desires were dealt with was not as primitive as we may have imagined.
L
ucernarium is the dedicated ensemble of the MA programme in Chant and Ritual Song, World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick, and is dedicated to exploring the vocal music repertoires of Western chant, medieval monophonic and polyphonic song, and choral song traditions from around the globe. Lucernarium also performs music of the Renaissance as well as contemporary choral music whose aesthetic is oriented towards the early- and world-song sound worlds. Lucernarium performs several times during the Academic year.
FREE EVENT pairs of horns in antiquity: Male and female Friday May 9, 4:00 pm Mechanics Institute, Middle St
A THEORY BY DR PETER HOLMES John Kenny, Simon O’Dwyer and Dr Peter Holmes
T
his very special event will feature Simon O’Dwyer and John Kenny playing pairs of horns including animal horns, Bronze Age cast pairs, Iron Age trumpets and Early Medieval horns. The performance is based on a theory by Dr. Peter Holmes which presents the occurrence of pairs of horns representing ‘male and female’ throughout the musical ages. Musical compositions by Simon and John will be interspersed with information and images discussed by Peter Holmes. This will be the first occasion that the theory of ‘male and female’ musical instruments will be demonstrated as a possibility for the evolution of music and culture in the history of mankind.
S
imon O’Dwyer is the founder of Ancient Music Ireland. His studies, lectures and demonstrations of the music of ancient Ireland, especially the horns, have opened a new area of music research in Ireland and illuminated Ireland’s long forgotten cultural past.
J
ohn Kenny is a professional trombonist and founder of Carnyx & Co., which grew from his research into the musical possibilities of the animal headed horn of Antiquity. From 1994, he has been able to incorporate the instrument into his solo recitals.
P
eter Holmes is a music archaeologist who trained initially as an engineer. He went on to to a PhD in the field of brass instruments, focussing upon instruments prior to 500AD. Peter has made dozens of 3D representations of instruments, using authentic materials to facilitate the study of the manufacturing techniques used to make these in the past and to investigate their acoustic qualities.
FREE EVENT buile shuibhne - mad sweeney a family event Saturday May 10, 12:00 pm Upstairs, Kellys Bar, O’Briens Bridge
MOONFISH THEATRE COMPANY ANCIENT MUSIC IRELAND
S
weeney is a great warrior heading off to do battle. On the way, he treats some Christian monks very badly and is cursed by their leader. The curse causes Sweeney to suddenly go mad during the battle and flee the battlefield. Mad Sweeney takes to the treetops and travels the length and breadth of Ireland & Scotland, flying, speaking poetry lamenting his state, and experiencing dreamlike adventures. His journey through madness is told with wonder and humour by Moonfish Theatre Company and Ancient Music Ireland using shadow puppetry and live music.
M
oonfish Theatre is a Galwaybased, international theatre company, committed to the production of high-quality, accessible theatre on the national and international stage. Past productions include Bonny & Read by Máiréad & Ionia Ní Chróinín, an Irish language production of Ibsen’s En Folkefiende (An Enemy of the People), Dennis Kelly’s After the End, The Secret Garden and their award-winning production of Tromluí Phinocchio. For past Festivals they have devised Noah’s Ark and Aucassin & Nicolette, based on the medieval originals. Moonfish Theatre, in cooperation with An Taibhdhearc, will present the World Premier of Star of the Sea, based on the Joseph O’ Connor book, at the Galway Arts Festival in July, 2014.
FREE EVENT the sound of archaeology listen and enjoy! Saturday May 10, 3:00 pm Mechanics Institute, Middle St
CAJSA LUND & ÅKE EGEVAD
N
owadays – in the modern world – we hear sounds almost continuously. In prehistoric times there was more silence and sounds from nature – man’s environment – predominated. Can we have any understanding of how people listened then?
This programme will focus on Scandinavia’s prehistory from the Sone Age to theViking Age - a period of about 12,000 years or some 360 generations. Cajsa and Åke will demonstrate and perform on a selection of archaeological finds of musical instruments and sound tools in the form of replicas and reconstructions, from Stone Age rattles and bullroarers to a Viking Age lyre, bagpipe and wooden trumpet. They will discuss their possible use and functions in prehistory and will refer to similar medieval finds and to popular as well as traditional present-day sound instruments in a Pan-European perspective. There will also be a chance to have a closer look at the sounding artefacts, try out some of them, discuss various reconstruction procedures, and how to make your own prehistoric or traditional sound instrument.
C
ajsa S. Lund is a Swedish music archaeologist, connected to the University of Lund in Scania. She ranks as one of the international pioneers in this field of research, especially North-European music archaeology.
Å
ke Egevad is a Swedish musician and instrument-builder. He has collaborated with Cajsa S. Lund for many years, both as musician and as reconstructor of archaeological finds of musical instruments and other sound tools, especially those made of bone, horn, wood, and leather.
FREE EVENT roman arms and armour Saturday May 10, 2:00 - 4 pm Outside City Museum and on the streets
T
he Romans have reached Ireland! A small force of Legion Ireland has traveled to Galway in trepidation – how will the natives treat them? Mind you, the Romans are ready for war! Legion Ireland will give demonstrations of Roman Arms and Armour throughout the afternoon. They will then invade St Nicholas Collegiate Church to take part in the finale of the concert Romans and Celts: War and Peace in an amazing recreation of the soundscape of a battle between the Romans and the Gauls.
L
egion Ireland are a living history and re-enactment society dedicated to portraying the Roman Army in the first and second centuries A.D. They portray all aspects of military life including the Legionaries, Auxiliaries, Allies of Rome and even the civilians who were part of the Army and its entourage.They use highly accurate reproductions of the equipment and dress of the first century Imperial Army and drill and display through the use of Latin. Legion Ireland has a formal partnership with Roman Tours. Roman Tours are a UK based professional organisation who run a Roman reenactment and living history group called Deva Victrix, based in Chester, UK.
FREE EVENTS dance workshop medieval & renaissance dance for all Sunday May 11, 12:00 pm Mechanics Institute, Middle St workshop for anyone and everyone. No previous experience needed. Lise Carrel will lead the workshop, teaching some simple line dances and some circle dances. Some of the dances will be medieval, some renaissance, and some traditional French. Musician Jacopo Bisagni (bagpipe) will accompany the dances - and we might learn a song to dance to, as well!
A
MOUSIKE a performance of greek music by the ecstatic cult of dionysus Sunday May 11, 2:00 pm Procession starts at Evergreen, Mainguard St, to Mechanics Institute
T
his exploration of Greek music is the final-year project of NUI Galway Classics student Julie Kavanagh. The performance was just one part of her project - worth repeating! The ancient Greeks were a deeply religious people and the act of mousike often had a religious or ritual context. The cult of Dionysus is the ritual setting of this performance. Dionysus is the god of ritual madness, death and rebirth, revelry, music and wine. Julie says, It is of great importance to note that what I am attempting to do is not to re-create ancient music, but to interpret it. The show is based on the elements that I have considered important to include as a result of my research. I cannot claim that the music you hear is the same music that the ancient Greeks experienced, but what I hope to provide is an insight into the world of ancient Greece.
FREE EVENTS two interactive apps exploring medieval galway Designed by MÁIRÉAD NÍ CHRÓINÍN Guides to help you get started: Saturday May 10, 2:00 - 4 pm Outside the City Museum This year we have two entertaining and informative apps for you to try. Cutting edge interactive experiences, using augmented reality, these apps bring you right into medieval Galway. And they are good fun! These apps are available anytime and are free to download.
carolan’s lost tune: galway ghost hunt app A mobile phone interactive adventure featuring the music (and ghost) of Ireland’s most famous harper, Turlough O Carolan. Someone has stolen one of C a r o l a n ’s most haunting tunes, Carolans Farewell to Music, and he needs you to help him find it again. If you dare, find the ghosts, talk to them, collect some instruments and see if you can bring Carolan’s tune back to him. If you do, you will get a private recital!!
musical tour of medieval galway Bring your fully charged smartphone and your good earphones to the the City Museum and let our friendly IT guides get you started on this unique walking tour of Galway. Captain Moreno, a Spanish sailor who has just arrived in his favourite city, takes you, his shipmate, to see his favourite places in Galway. As you visit the sites, you hear the music that you might have heard 400 years ago.
Venue Map
1. Chapel of the Poor Clares 2. St Nicholas Collegiate Church 3. Mechanics Institute 4. Augustinian Church 5. Kelly’s Pub
Â
6. Galway City Museum 7. Moore Institute, NUI Galway Venues on Google Maps
A
Shor t history
Galway Early Music was founded when a group of Galway musicians travelled to Lismore, Co Waterford, for the Lismore Early Music Festival. It was there that the idea was born: why not bring this rich and sometimes exotic music to the medieval city of Galway - what better venue? The first festival was in 1996 and this is our 19th. Through the years the Festival has been proud to present such exciting ensembles and performers as Jordi Savall, Andrew Lawrence-King and The Harp Consort, Red Priest, Ensemble Unicorn, The Irish Baroque Orchestra, Resurgam, Ensemble eX and many, many more. The Festival is known for its lively programming and its attention to the place of Irish music and musicians in the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque European music scene. Galway Early Music is run by a voluntary committee.
More Information www.galwayearlymusic.com tel. +353-(0)87-930 5506 e-mail: info@galwayearlymusic.com Galway Early Music
@gwy_earlymusic