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Mastersingers sing madrigals

Forty-two voices, a cappella
By Andrew Moore / The Bulletin

Published: May 12. 2006 4:00AM PST

Before Lennon and McCartney, England was home to

another set of celebrated composers.

They were Thomas Morley and Thomas Weelkes, two

Elizabethan-era songsmiths who co-wrote madrigals.
According to Clyde Thompson, the conductor of the 42-
voice Central Oregon Mastersingers, the duo's popularity
made them "the Beatles of their day."

"That's quite true," said Thompson. "They were

contemporaries of Shakespeare, and there was this
explosion in England of creativity. The English madrigals
are just delightful, and Morley and Weelkes are two of the
best."
Madrigals are multivoice choir pieces sung a cappella,
which often are secular in nature. An example is a Morley
and Weelkes composition titled "Now is the Month of
Maying." With its decidedly Elizabethan title, it's about that
time of year when thoughts turn to romance and guys go
a-courtin', Thompson said.
It's also the name of the choir's spring concert Saturday
evening at the Tower Theatre in Bend (see "If You Go"). A
secular concert, the program also features songs by
Romantic-era composer Franz Shubert, a Renaissance-
era French chanson, an Italian "street song" and American
folk songs and spirituals.
Pete Erickson / The Bulletin
The 42-voice Central Oregon Mastersingers will perform
a secular concert Saturday at the Tower Theatre in
Bend. Shown here, clockwise from left, are choir
members Sally Graeber, Dale Thoreen, Barbara
Handelman and Kristine Mischel during a recent
rehearsal.
If You Go
What: Central Oregon Mastersingers
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Tower Theatre, 835 N.W. Wall St., Bend
Cost: $16 for adults, $10 for children 12 and under
Contact: 317-0700 or www.towertheatre.org.

The highlight, however, is Benjamin Britten's "Hymn to St. Cecilia." It's a 13-minute choral piece that is "a real
masterwork," Thompson said. "It's a lovely piece."

Sung a cappella, the composition is based on text by English poet W.H. Auden. It celebrates the patron saint of
musicians.

In fact, most of the songs featured in the concert will be performed a cappella. Without the "crutch of instruments," it can
be harder for a choir to perform choral music, Thompson said, but he wants to push the group.

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"I wanted to stretch the group this time, by doing lots of a cappella material, and just kind of push the envelope as far as
the growth of the group," he said.

Thompson, a retired Central Oregon Community College music professor and the former director of the college's Cascade
Chorale, formed the Mastersingers last year. It is made up of local voice talent that must audition to join.

Thompson is also pushing his choir with the repertoire he's selected. A lot of the pieces are sung in other languages,
including German, French, Latin and Italian. Of these, French burns up the most rehearsal time, Thompson said.

But Thompson wants to be sure his choir captures the intent of a piece, even if it is written in another language.

"I think it's very important, for a choir that does serious choral literature, to take on those languages, because that's so
much of the music," Thompson said. "That's the way (the songs) were conceived and written."

Saturday's concert will be the group's second; the first was a sacred concert held last fall at Bend's First Presbyterian
Church. Thompson is excited to show off his group at the Tower Theatre, remarking that the site is great for a secular
concert, and that its opulence will help inspire his choir.

The concert will also feature a performance of the Central Oregon Recorder Consort, which will perform Baroque and
Renaissance music between choral pieces.

Andrew Moore can be reached at 617-7820 or amoore@bendbulletin.com.

Published Daily in Bend Oregon by Western Communications, Inc. © 2008

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