Timbre and Ornamentation:
An Exploration of Balkan Folk and Medieval European Vocal Music
This quarter, Chamber Singers explored repertoire from Balkan folk and Medieval European music. There are many active aural traditions in the Balkans with both recordings and scores to learn from, and we have listened to many examples and discussed how we wanted to sound based on what we observe and how we wanted to deepen our own musical practices. Recreating medieval music is, as the word indicates, an act informed by present musical understanding and practiced vocal abilities mixed up in a creative look at historical records, present interpretations and our own personal interests in exploring our vocal technique. We have practiced new timbres and patterns of ornamentation through listening, discussions, learning repertoire, recording, and editing our voices together. As a class of two, some light instrumentation has been added as well to account for a third voice when the repertoire went beyond our two voice timbral combination.
Premiering on #UCSDMusic YouTube Channel at 5:00 p.m. PST on Friday, March 19th: https://youtube.com/ucsdmusic
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PROGRAM:
BALKAN FOLK
Heyamoli
A folk song from the Laz people who live in the Black Sea Region between Turkey and Georgia, this song tells the story of a woman who is lamenting that she would do anything for the person she loves, and yet knows she ultimately will not be able to have them.
Son Mi Dojde
From Bulgaria, this folk song tells a heartwarming anecdote of a man who dreams of his beloved’s dark eyes, then wakes up to find her next to him.
Shen Gigalobt
This is a common song of praise from Georgia, transcribed by Caitlin Austin from the Ensemble Ialoni version. It simply praises and thanks God.
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ITALIAN AND MEDIEVAL
Lavandose Le Mane
This 14th century anonymous tune was transcribed by Barbara Byers from an interpretation by the Italian Medieval music research and performance group Micrologos. The song is a flirtatious tale of someone seeing their love washing their face and calling out to them.
I Baci
Composed by Barbara Strozzi, a 16th century Italian woman and one of the most prolific and talented composers of her day, this song is about what a great thing kisses are.
Je Vivroie Liement
This is a 14th century piece by composer Guillaume de Machaut, harmonic arrangement by Barbara Byers. It laments over the singer’s object of love and professes that the author will surely die if their love refuses them.
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MEET THE PERFORMERS:
Amelia Mardesich
Amelia is a freshman in the Department of Music. Growing up in LA, she began studying classical voice at the age of 12, and is now pursuing a Bachelors Degree in vocal studies at UC San Diego. She loves listening to and singing French Romantic Classical Music, Classic and Punk Rock, and Musical Theater. Having previously enjoyed listening to Balkan Folk and Medieval music, Amelia learned to sing in these particular styles for the first time in Chamber Singers this quarter. She has enjoyed exploring the different harmonic sounds of medieval music, and practicing new melodic ornamentations in the Balkan styles studied in class. Amelia is also interested in the metaphysical philosophies of Kant and Frankfurt, and enjoys reading about their theories when she isn’t singing.
Barbara Byers
Barbara Byers is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Integrative Studies program in the Department of Music. She grew up in the Appalachian, Himalayan and Andes mountain regions, where she developed a deep love of folk music and singing styles from around the world. A former vocalist with Berkeley based Balkan women’s choir Kitka, Barbara has studied folk singing styles, instrumentation and composition in Indonesia, Greece, Turkey, Canada and the U.K. She is currently teaching the Chamber Singers choir while working on her Dissertation which utilizes an interdisciplinary contemporary opera genre to explore issues of mental health, nature and climate change.
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