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By David Martinez
PERFORMANCE ands of
early music" is a growng
phenomenon here in Ann Arbor, and
across the country as well. The
movement manifests itself in a variety
of forms - from the commercial
features of t-shirts and greeting cards
to the musical aspects, including live
concerts and nearly two-dozen recor-
dings of The Pachelbel Canon, accor-
ding to the most recent Schwann
Catalog.
Hardly a week goes by in Ann Arbor
without some offering in the perfor-
mance of early music, thanks to a
group of musicians and enthusiasts who
comprise the Academy for the Study
and Performance of Early Music.
For those unfamiliar with the subject
at hand, the question "What exactly is
early music?" soon arises. Well, for
connoisseurs in the field, early music
includes the music up to Beethoven, or
in the words of the Academy's
brochure, "early European music,
especially music of the 18th and
previous centuries."
So then, what really distinguishes this
"early music" from later European
music? David Sutherland, former
Academy President, separates the two
according to the approach used in
music-making. According to
Sutherland, the specialist in early
music "makes use of all available sour-
ces of information for getting closer to
the original performance practice, in-
cluding treatises, original instruments,
and manuscripts."
Thus in broad terms, early music
runs opposed to later classical music,
the latter belonging to part of an on-
going tradition - an accumulation of
customs. In a sense then, early music
tries to start from square one, taking
practically nothing for granted and
stepping back from traditional conven-
tions - working with what the music
has to offer. Under these circumstan-
ces, the study and performance of early
music sets out its own terms.
For Liberty Music Shop, the early
music explosion took place in 1967,
when "the first really good recording of
the Brandenburg Concerti on early in-
struments was released," explained
manager Tom Allen.
In 1970, Ars Musica, Ann Arbor's own
Baroque Orchestra, made its debut un-
der the direction of Lyndon Lawless.
During the next decade, the number of
presentations of early music increased
remarkably, to the point where a
governing body was needed to produce
a more coordinated effort in early
music performance.
These factors brought about the
establishment of the Academy in 1980
as a non-profit corporation, with the
purpose of stimulating public interest
in early European music, as well as
improving performance standards and
providing an organization for
musicians in the field.
As Sutherland related, "It was felt
that we could accomplish more as a
group, dissolving needless competition
and duplication." In essence then, Ann
Arbor has successfully navigated the
waters of excessive competition, that at
times plagues the large cities of New
York, Boston, and Chicago. Credit goes
to the Academy for fostering a sense of
purpose and direction for its constituent
members.
Participation in the organization
takes place at several different levels.
Groups (such as Ars Musica, the Ann
Arbor Consort of Viols, and Consort of
Voices) andi individuals alike belong to
the Academy. For the individual, there
are regular and professional member-
ships. To achieve professional status,
one must audition in front of a commit-
tee of Academy members, demon-
strating a command of his instrument,
as well as a sense of creativity and
freedom of expression.
Membership benefits include
discounts for the Academy's concerts
and workshops, and the opportunity to
perform once a month at "house con-
certs," one-hour gatherings in which
members perform for each other.
"House concerts allow members to
practice 'performance' in front of a real
audience," says Academy member
Beth Gilford. "Even though you play in
front of 10 or 15 people, you still get a lit-
tle bit nervous. It's a good experience."
mance of early music at the School of
Music. Harpsichord teacher Edward
Parmentier (current president of the
Academy), serves as director of the
school's Early Music Ensemble, com-
prising chorus, baroque orchestra, and
the viola da gamba and recorder con-
sorts. He is assisted by Academy mem-
bers Enid Sutherland (viola da gam-
ba) and Beth Gilford (recorder).
Penelope Crawford, also a member of
the Academy, teaches fortepiano.
For the music history classes,
Academy members have provided live
demonstrations and recordings on
early instruments. Paul Boylan, dean
of the School of Music, confirmed the
importance of the Academy's role,
saying that early music "serves to
enhance the education of our students."
Boylan also cited the collection of early
musical instruments in the Stearns
Collection and the materials in the
Stellfeld and Coopersmith Handel
Collections as important resources in
the study of early music.
In return, the School of Music
provides an office for the Academy, and
looks after phone and mailing needs.
For the community, the Academy is
offering a variety of courses through
P.A.C.E. (Preparatory and Community
Enrichment). Offerings include a
variety of topics, from Early Music Ap-
preciation to instruction in Medieval
Strings, all classes being taught by
Douglass, and Beth Gilford performed
a concert of 13th-century trouvere
music. Later that evening, harpsichor-
dists Bradley Brookshire and Barbara
Weiss performed works for two har-
psichords. Both performances were
characterized by their intimate settings
- the first row of seats being placed a
scant 10 feet from the performers,
allowing the audience to feel a rapport
with the musicians.
In the typical fashion of Academy
concerts, the performers used the time
between pieces to. talk about the
musical style; again with the goal of
educating their audiences.
Both performances also had their
share of surprises. At the trouvere con-
cert, the program included a "winter
song" entitled "When I see winter
coming again." Fans of the Early
Music Consort of London, led by David
Munrow, would be familiar with this
tune as it appears on several of the
group's albums. Rather than
duplicating Munrow's performance of
just a single stanza at a slow tempo,
vocalist Carmen Cavallaro started the
piece off at a quick pace; and not
without good reason, as the text for the
second stanza ("If I could find a wife
who was as generous, and would please
me night and day!") demanded a
vigorous finish.
The evening concert - featured
some works that were well-known and
others that were less familiar. The
playing by Brookshire and Weiss
featured a clear sense of phrasing, as
the cadences and incipits of new
phrases were perfectly synchronized.
The final work utilized an orchestra of
six, including Anne and Amy Crawford,
13 and 14 years of age respectively.
After the concerts, members of the
audience remained to talk to the per-
formers and examine musical in-
struments; once again, a typical oc-
curence for a program of early music.
Academy members are also intent on
recording the music they perform. One
of the greatest achievements of
Academy members to date has been the
recording of excerpts from Handel's
Messiah. Recorded in December of
1980, when it was performed as part of a
"Messiah Symposium," the recording
has received spectacular reviews over
the past two years, and in this month's
issue of High Fidelity, reviewer Terri
Noel Toewe ranks the record as one of
the top two recordings of Messiah
utilizing period instruments.
- With an accomplishment like this to
its credit, what more can the Academy
hope to achieve?
The first issue of a periodical, written
for and by members of the Academy,
will be published this month. In ad-
dition to the array of concerts
scheduled for this semester, the
Academy is also planning a workshop
on April 30 devoted to French Baroque
dance and its relationship to music of
the period, according to Academy
Project Director Richard Gwilt.
The future looks bright for "The
Academy of Early Music." Both the
University and community are begin-
ning to recognize the Academy's impor-
tance in the performance and study of
early music.
As Discount Records manager Jim
Leonard put it, "People have picked up
on it (early music). After hearing them
(Academy members) play, they don't
think early music is so crazy any
more."
eftiu
Earl of
dining
The Earle
121 W. Washington
Hours: 5:30-10 p.m. Monday-Thur-
sday; 5:30-midnight Friday; 6-midnight
Saturday; 5-10 p.m. Sunday
By George Adams
I T'S FRIDAY, and a chaotic week of
academic life has you frazzled.
Visions of peaceful dining creep into
your mind as you shudder from
thoughts of the poisonous fare students
are usually limited to.
Times like this are made for a
splurge: and for lovers of fine cuisine,
The Earle turns splurges into
gastronomical delights.
Located underground at 121 W.
Washington, the Earle serves
traditional dishes from the provinces of
France and Italy in a quiet atmosphere
that positively disallows tension. It is
certainly one of Ann Arbor's best kept
Secrets, a situation that underscores
the Earle's approach to dining: Sublety
of flavor and service instead of a sen-
sory overload.
The menu is a testament to this ap-
proach. The Earle offers a diverse
selection of hors d'oeurves, salads, en-
trees, vegetables, and desserts which
are available a la carte only. The menu
changes monthly.
Entrees ($7-15) are unusual pasta,,
meat or fish dishes prepared in herbal
sauces. The Linguine col Salsicce ed i
Piselli ($7.25) is a memorable com-
bination of fennel sausage, onions,
peas, bacon, and grated pecorino
romano cheese served over linguine
and garnished with assertive but delic-
ate herbs.
For those who prefer meat a good
choice would be Sautes de Boeuf
Chausser ($14.00). This dish consists of
cross-cut sections of beef tenderloin
sauteed and served with sliced
mushrooms, shallots, pureed tomato
and white wine over orzo. The beef was
exquisitely prepared and trimmed to
perfection. This offering is especially
recommended for those with a healthy
appetite.
A wide, selection of hors d'oeurves,
from escargots to salt cod paste, are
available to complement the entrees. A
good choice is the Champignons Farcis
aux Aubergines ($3.75): Baked
mushroom caps stuffed with minced
sauteed eggplant, tomato, garlic, and
parmesan.
The salads arrived with lettuce that
was slightly brown at the edges. It was
saved, however, by a particularly
pungent (and delicious) creamy garlic
dressing. Another excellent dressing is
the tarragon-dijon mustard chiffonade,
- an unusual and delightful complement
to the greens.
For wine lovers who don't wish to eat,
the Earl's wine bar serves all the wine-
list offerings by the bottle as well as
several wines by the glass. Mixed
drinks, beer, and hors d'oeurves are
available too.
The Earle's wine list, which dwarfs a
telephone directory in size, contains an
excellent selection of wines from all
over the world. The wines are listed by
type'(Red, White, rose, chapagne) and
then by country and district (for in-
stance; Red, France, Bordeaux
region). After ordering a red wine,
Chateau Cheval Blanc - 1978, the
waitress returned to ask whether I wan-
Yn C
The Earle: Sign of fine dining
ted the $11 Cheval Blanc - or the $90
one! I was tempted for a moment, but
regained sanity and opted for my
original choice: The $11 bottle was a
rich, full-bodied wine with a pleasant
aftertaste.
The service, like the food, is pleasant
without being intrusive. The waiters
are waitresses know when to come help
you and, most importantly, when to
leave you alone. There was an im-
pression, however, that students are
treated as slightly lower forms of life
than the less ascetic professional
people who frequent the Earle, but is
was never off
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Early music: Classic instruments
Student member and harpsichordist
Barbara Weiss agrees. "I'm always
working on some new music, and I like
to try it out. If people want to, they can
ask for comments or ask for help after-
wards from other members. It's a very
friendly atmosphere."
In addition to serving as a vehicle for
self-improvement, the Academy strives
to share its resources and knowledge
with the University and community at
large, serving as an educator of early
music.
Even for many upperclass musicians
within the School of Music, the concept
of performing and studying early music
is relatively new. On the first day of this
semester, music Prof. Glenn Watkins
asked a number of vocalists in his
Renaissance Music class, "How many
of you have ever performed Renaissan-
ce vocal music on your recitals?" None
had. Likewise, the instrumentalists had
never performed Renaissance music on
their recitals either. Most students
were vaguely familiar with theoretical
treatises, music education, or perfor-
mance practice in the music of the
Renaissance.
Academy members make substantial
contributions to the study and perfor-
members of the Academy.
According to music Prof. George
Cavender, director of P.A.C.E. and
Special Events, "Ann Arbor is quickly
becoming a center for early music and
people from across the nation are
telling me this." Cavender is also ac-
tively involved in planning the summer
workshops sponsored by the Academy
in conjunction with the School of Music.
Last year's workshop focused on the
cantatas and instrumental works of J.S.
Bach, while this summer (July 10-23)
will be spent concentrating on the
Music of Venice. Though many univer-
sities have cut back on their summer
offerings in music, the University of
Michigan is playing a leading role in
summer workshops. "Instead of
moaning and wringing our hands over
money, we are going out, securing
grants, and providing self-supporting
workshops," said Cavender.
Perhaps the Academy's presence is
best seen in the numerous performan-
ces it sponsors throughout the year.
Recently, the Michigan Union hosted
twd simultaneous performances by
Academy members. At a noon-time
concert, Academy member Ellen
Hargis, Carmen Cavallaro, David
KANA
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