BRATTLEBORO — Two Boston-based ensembles for early music join forces next weekend in Brattleboro to present an exciting program of Renaissance music.
“Sufficient Grounds: Wellsprings of the Renaissance” explores the many guises of the ground bass, or repeating harmonic pattern, in a musical journey leading from 16th-century Spain to 17th-century Italy and England, with a final stop in the present day.
The concert will take place at the Brattleboro Music Center on Sunday, Feb. 23, at 5 p.m. Entry is by donation; with a suggested $20 for general admission and $10 for students and low-income.
In Stile Moderno's founders, Brattleboro native Nathaniel Cox (cornetto, lute) and Agnes Coakley Cox (soprano) first teamed up with Seven Times Salt colleagues Karen Burciaga (violin), Dan Meyers (recorder), David H. Miller (bass viol), and Matthew Wright (lute) in 2016.
“Sufficient Grounds” is a reunion of the two ensembles, whose devotion to historical performance practice and creative programming make them a natural match.
The musicians of both groups play reproductions of 17th-century musical instruments and use historical pronunciation of English (the “accent” that would have been heard in the London of Shakespeare's time) to transport listeners to an earlier era.
The ground bass, a repeating pattern of bass notes and harmonies that underpins a melody, appears throughout music history, from traditional music to classical masterworks and jazz favorites, Coakley Cox explains.
“Some of my very favorite pieces from the Renaissance and Baroque are built on ground bass patterns, from Monteverdi's Lamento della Ninfa to Purcell's O Let Me Weep. This program is a wonderful opportunity to bring together some of these 'greatest hits' with lesser-known gems.”
In Stile Moderno was founded in 2012 and is dedicated to making rarely-heard works of the 17th century accessible and relevant to modern audiences.The group is also committed to contributing to the thriving music scene of the Brattleboro area. 2019–2020 marks the group's second season in Cambridge, Mass., and Brattleboro.
Seven Times Salt formed at the Longy School of Music in 2003 to explore repertoire of the 16th and 17th centuries. Known for their humor and audience engagement, the ensemble has performed across New England for music festivals, college residencies, theatrical productions, historical societies, and their own self-produced concert series.