Tamesis is extra long this month and it should perhaps be called the Handel House issue because of the excellent response to my comments last month. I have actually had to hold some items until next month, but please don’t let this discourage you from sending in your contributions.

I thought that the Kilburn weekend with Michael Procter went particularly well this time and I have received a number of appreciative comments as well as Hazel Morgan’s review which you will find below. The Vicar asked Michael to convey his deep appreciation to the singers and we have already booked Michael and the church for the weekend of 10^th and 11^th May next year. I would like to thank everybody who took a turn to make coffee, sort music, tidy up etc, and particularly Penny Vinson who as a member of the church choir found that she had to look after us all as well as making sure that we sang all the responses and hymns in the correct place. I am sure I am not the only person who will be glad to hear that Michael is hoping to make up a booklet with all the chants and hymns so that we will not have to juggle with so much loose paper next time.

I was delighted to read in David’s Chairman’s Chat (page 6) that the Early Music Yearbook has been saved. May I encourage you to make sure that your details are included and that you give some positive response even if you are already listed (or you may be left out next time). I find it immensely useful to be able to look up your details in it when I cannot quite hear your phone number on the answering machine or read your address on a booking form.

On a personal note, I cannot find my gothic harp. It is about 3 feet long in a pale wood, and has a red corduroy bag with a small flower pattern and the tuning key tied to it. If you know where it is please contact me (details on the front cover).

Neil Edington has asked me to let you know that there is still room for all voices

at Alistair Dixon’s Morales day in London. When I last heard he had only one tenor - himself! There were some really good tenors at the Kilburn weekend, thanks to the efforts of other course members who recruited them, so I hope some more will appear for this event. There are not many opportunities to sing Morales, so do go.

You will see on the front cover that David and I will be running Renaissance and Baroque playing days at Burnham later this year - one on Saturday and one on Sunday, so I hope everybody who enjoys this kind of event will be able to get to at least one of them. More information and forms will be available nearer the time.

You should find the form for the David Allinson day at Little Chalfont enclosed. Do let us know if you have good ideas for other future events.
Victoria

Hilary Biddle

Some of you may know that Hilary Biddle, a long-standing member of TVEMF and the Oxford Baroque Week, organised a concert in Wantage Church on 23rd March. Unfortunately, she was not well enough by then to be present, but her friends in various groups played and sang her favourite music. It was a magnificent occasion. Her husband Giles spoke movingly of their happy life together.

Letters to the editor

Dear Victoria

I was most interested in the Tamesis article about the discovery in Wycombe Parish church, and the quodlibet theory. Does anyone know anything about the origins of

It would be interesting to attempt a reconstruction, especially in a liturgical context.

Yours littorally

*****

Thanks for the latest Tamesis, with the fascinating article about the Wycombe
discovery. It is encouraging that even in this day and age, one can come across
such historically important documents. I was going to volunteer to be in the workforce for dissecting the Wycombe hymnbooks to find the rest of that valuable manuscript next weekend, but decided to spend a day beside the seaside instead.

My April article seems to have generated some interest but maybe it was a bit too authentic-looking for best effect. I know a lot of people switch off when confronted with facsimile but in fact the Cantus line is in modern treble clef albeit with long note values. Clearly my friends Simon Hill and Tim Samuelson (the SWEMF newsletter editor) were not taken in, though several were, including one who rang to offer his services in dissecting hymn books. For those who still haven't twigged, the full version of the first line of the Cantus is "j'ayme tellement estre au bord de la mer" and of the Tenor is "Domine salvum fac Regem" or perhaps "Reginam" . Fortuitously the music was a little more authentic in appearance than it might otherwise have been, thanks to a software bug which degraded the image quality!

Incidentally I half expect someone to write in saying that the term "combinative chanson" is more correct than "quodlibet" - see Bernard Thomas's notes for his LPM edition entitled (if memory serves me right) "15th Century Quodlibets". The answer to this is that my example is neither: don't try singing both tunes together!

The prospect of our next workshop is very exciting for those who, like me, are keen on Spanish music. Cristobal de Morales worked in Rome for eleven years and some of his works are preserved in the library of the Sistine Chapel and have been described as being among its greatest treasures. Alec Harman & Anthony Milner in "Man and his Music" rank Morales above his contemporaries Taverner, Gombert and Clemens so a 'new' mass by him is certainly worthy of our attention. Alistair Dixon has done other successful workshops for TVEMF and his editions are excellent so prepare for a treat. Apologies for another software gremlin which caused the two opening quotes to be omitted from the form.

I am glad to be able to report that the Early Music Yearbook is being taken over by Jeremy Burbidge who also publishes The Recorder Magazine amongst others. You will receive a leaflet about it and the revitalised Early Music Performer with this Tamesis. Those of you who are in the yearbook will shortly receive a mailing giving details of your current entry. Those who are not in the Yearbook should contemplate being included - see the leaflet for details.

It takes genius to raise one's mind, and body, above the marble chill of this truly High church, but genius was what we encountered working on Lassus' Missa super Congratulamini and associated motets with Michael Procter. The Mass is a parody on Lassus' 1566 motet Congratulamini, not in the satirical sense but in its use of music from the motet in the Mass setting. As fans of I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue know, one song to the tune of another can work rather well, and this is where the genius comes in: Lassus' word-setting works with the texts of both motet and Mass, as Michael pointed out.

Congratulamini has an Easter text centred on Mary Magdalene, beginning "Rejoice with me, all ye that delight in the Lord, for he whom I sought hath appeared unto me." At the description of her weeping at Jesus' tomb and her conversation with the angels, Lassus employs the interval of a downward 4^th to denote pathos - one of the musical codes of his time, extremely simple and extremely effective. The music of the Alleluia concluding each of the motet's two sections is more "abstract", with rising scale figures lending an air of rejoicing. Both these figures were used in the Mass, notably in the Kyrie. We rehearsed all sections except the Creed (said, in the service) and also worked on Lassus' setting of the Regina caeli - "a challenge", said Michael, it being in a different key and style from the other music, so concentration was needed. Having started singing at around 9.45, with a short break for a picnic lunch (warmer outside the church than inside), by 5.30 we had been guided by Michael through all the Lassus pieces.

What makes this annual course more than a workshop is singing the Mass in context. Come Sunday, however, we found that Lassus formed only part of the service. The current changes in the Anglican rite can confuse even regular churchgoers, and masses of bits (as well as bits of the Mass) were required - hymns, prayers, acclamations, a "responsorial" psalm. Copies were provided by Penny, the link between us (she was in the choir) and St Augustine's (which is her church). The Weakest Link she definitely was not; thanks to her we had all the bits in time to look at them before the service started at 10.30. Most importantly, she gave our conductor the running order, so after each item Michael simply held up the next piece of paper and all we had to do was find it in our well-filled folders. The practical has a habit of intruding upon higher things; even holy smoke (incense) can irritate, but a scarf worn like a yashmak makes an effective barrier - whenever one is not singing. Another essential at St Augustine's, besides warm clothing, is thick-soled shoes between one's own soul and the marble floor.

The first hymn, Christ the Lord is risen today, was sung to the tune usually used for Jesus Christ is risen today; I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue could have done no better. With eight verses it seemed "an endless Alleluya", not inappropriate for the Easter season.

At the Communion there was time for both motets - Congratulamini, and Regina caeli which was indeed a challenge but how could one not rejoice with the Queen of Heaven in music like that? If only the final hymn, which followed on immediately, had not been a "modern" one; where is the Lassus of this generation?

Our usual congenial lunch was followed by more singing in church "scrambled on the steps" - standing not in the choir stalls but on the altar steps, with voices mixed up, so each singer has to hold their own line. Choral directors please note: this simple technique can raise singers' confidence, and standard, beyond all recognition. Another stroke of genius, really.

It really was a wonderful weekend.

By a strange coincidence the editorial paragraph about the Handel House in the latest issue of Tamesis came to my notice just as I had resolved to visit it (since some rather nice music was scheduled there for last Thursday evening) - and the very next day The Times had an article on it by Rodney Milnes.

The Museum, the first in London to be dedicated to a composer, occupies the top two floors of 25 Brook Street in Mayfair, the house in which Handel lived and worked from 1723 till his death in 1759 - just a stone's throw from St. George's, Hanover Square, the church which Handel attended, and which now hosts a considerable part of the London Handel Festival. I had rather avoided going there because I was so disgusted with what Rodney Milnes rightly calls the "scandalous lack of support from one or two funding bodies" which resulted in the loss of the ground floor, and I felt that the curtailment of the original plans meant that the Museum was going to be disappointing (anyone who has worked for the British Library, as I have, knows just how much constant cutting back on what has been promised can undermine morale - or, as the Book of Proverbs hath it, "Hope deferred maketh the heart sick"). In fact they have made a pretty good job of what they were left with (and there is a possibility that the Museum may one day comprise the whole house after all), and there have already been over 10,000 visitors since the opening just before Christmas even though the Museum does not yet feature in any of the major guides.

One enters at basement level, at the back of the house (perforce, the ground floor being occupied by a shop), where one buys a ticket at the reception desk (�4.50, concessions �3.50, children �2) and is relieved of any large bags before being invited to take the lift to the second floor. One then steps from the 21st century into the 18th, via a small room in which one can view a short video about the Museum and the relevance of Handel's music in modern times. This was originally a closet, leading into a dressing room now furnished with portraits of Handel's contemporaries and patrons, which in turn leads into Handel's bedroom - more pictures, relating to Handel's life and reputation, an imposing canopied bed upholstered in the style of the one described in the inventory of the house's furniture taken after Handel's death, and a few other items of 18th-century bedroom furniture (none of Handel's own furniture remained in the house). The walls throughout have been painted in an unobtrusive shade of green retrieved from a piece of the original wallpaper.

One then descends to the first floor and enters the music room, the largest in the house, in which Handel rehearsed (he must have been quite a noisy neighbour). Appropriately, a rehearsal was taking place as I entered, using the copy of a Ruckers double-manual harpsichord which is the chief feature of the room. Portraits of Handel's singers, including a fine one of Faustina Bordoni, adorn the walls, and there are a few other items of furniture - I imagine that this has been kept sparse to allow more space for visitors. On thing I had not realised was how comparatively small the rooms were - they would undoubtedly have had a good deal more furniture in them, and must have been very cramped to rehearse in, especially when 40 people were present as I gather was the case on at least one occasion. Perhaps Cuzzoni had some excuse for becoming so fractious that (according to legend) Handel held her out of the window (she was tiny) and threatened to drop her if she didn't behave - though she was reputedly pretty evil-tempered and was so jealous of Bordoni (also fiery-tempered) that they actually came to blows on the stage. The adjoining back room on this floor was the one which it is thought Handel used for composition, now furnished with a single-manual harpsichord, and further portraits, including one of Jennens (the librettist of Messiah) and the Mercier portrait of Handel. The room corresponding to the video room on the floor above houses the shop, which has a good selection of postcards and various Handeliana, which I did not have time to look at in detail, though I did notice the item singled out by Rodney Milnes (which he felt would have appealed to Handel) - a black T-shirt with "Endless pleasure" (the opening of one of Semele's arias) emblazoned in gold letters across the bust.

An adjoining room on each floor (from the late Jimi Hendrix' house next door, which also sports a blue plaque) is currently given over to an interesting exhibition about the restoration of the house, though I am not sure whether this will be there permanently or whether it will subsequently be replaced by other exhibitions. I gather that some of the portraits are not permanent fixtures either, but will be exchanged for others from time to time.

Each room has a guide who will hand over a battledore affair with details of the

pictures and furniture on it, and answer questions if required, rather � la National Trust.

The music that I had come to hear took place in the music room, and although a few modern chairs are placed for visitors (the 18th-century ones, and the window-seats, each have a fir-cone deposited on them to remind people not to sit on them - less obtrusive than a notice), it is regarded not as a concert, since the Museum does not have an entertainments licence, but as, to quote the lady at the reception desk, "part of the Handel House experience", and people can wander in and out at will. It was performed by a group called Terpsichorea & Co (Philip Courtney, harpsichord, Byron Mahony, flauto traverso, Ibrahim Aziz, viols - the last unfortunately absent), who were joined on this occasion by violinists Ulrike Wildenhof and Almut Schlicker and singer Sophie Brumfitt, who gave us an interesting and varied programme, introduced by Philip Courtenay - the whole thing was very informal, even cosy, with an audience of only a dozen or so and the 5 performers, and one felt very involved - I found I couldn't treat it as background music.

I returned to the Handel House last week, as an acquaintance of mine was involved in the Thursday evening music, and discovered a room which I had missed on my initial visit. The Handel House Trust was able to acquire an important body of Handel material, the Byrne Collection, and next to the upper exhibition room there is another small room housing display cases showing a few items from it - I imagine that these will change from time to time so that most of the collection will eventually get an airing.

The music was again delightful; a group called Artemis (Lucy Thomas, soprano, Debra Pring and Vanessa Smye, recorders, Michael Mullins, bass viol, and Bridget Cunningham, harpsichord) arrived in splendid Venetian carnival masks (which they had to remove in order to perform, though Michael retained his tricorne hat until he finally became too hot in it) and gave us a short programme of Handel (Pensieri notturni di Filli, aka Nel dolce dell'oblio, and a majestic Chaconne), Vivaldi (Trio sonata RV85 and a splendid La follia with a pretty athletic bass line - I can't think how I had hitherto managed to miss it) and Uccellini's sprightly Aria sopra "La bergamasca" for 2 treble instruments over an improvised bass - I quailed when I saw 2 descant recorders, but in fact they produced a very pleasant sound and the playing was extremely clean and agile, while the viol, backed up some of the time by the harpsichord, produced a varied and theorbo-like bass. They then repeated the programme for a "second house", which seemed like a good idea, given the small amount of audience space available. If the standard is consistently as high as it was on these two evenings, I could well be trotting down to the Handel House on any Thursday evening when I am not otherwise engaged...
Ruth Harris

The Handel Housed Museum opened in November 2001. Ten years previously the Handel House Trust had been formed with the mission to create a museum in the house that Handel occupied from 1723 until his death in 1759. The site for the museum consists of the upper floors of 23 and 25, Brook Street in the heart of London’s Mayfair. These buildings have had a variety of uses since Handel’s time and from 1971 the freehold has been owned by the Co-operative Insurance Society. Handel’s residence was at 25, Brook Street and for a short time in the late 1960s, Jimi Hendrix lived at 23, Brook Street. There are blue plaques for both these celebrities. Needless to say a great deal of planning, organisation, fund raising, research, building and restoration has been undertaken during the period leading up to the museum’s opening and in addition the Trust has had to acquire, through purchase and loan, the contents of the museum. The property owners have leased the site to the Trust for twenty-five years at a peppercorn rent.

The museum entrance is at basement level to the rear of 25 Brook Street (off Lancashire Court). In the reception area there is a lift to the third floor to hear an excellent audio-visual presentation lasting about twenty minutes. The visitor then proceeds to the four rooms that have been recreated as far as possible to how they would have appeared in Handel’s time. ‘Handel’s London’, the first room, was his dressing room. This contains a number of portraits and prints setting Handel’s career in a social and cultural context. These include portraits of Geminiani and Pepusch and a caricature of Arne. Most of the works of art in this and other rooms are on loan and were not of course originally in Handel’s house but it is known that Handel was an avid collector of fine art. The next room, entitled ‘Handel, the man’ was his bedroom and in addition to a magnificent full-tester bed there are many portraits of Handel himself including one after Thomas Hudson’s stunning portrait hung in the National Portrait Gallery. Proceeding down the stairs the visitor arrives at ‘rehearsal and performance’ the largest of the four rooms although still modest in size. The works of art in this room reflect the musicians who performed Handel’s music, such as Faustina Bordoni and John Beard. There is a fascinating painting by Philip Mercier entitled ‘The Music Party’ which is interesting to compare with Watteau’s painting with the same name housed only a few minutes walk away in the Wallace Collection. The room also contains a double manual harpsichord after Ruckers (tuned at A=415). There are often musicians, usually music college students, playing this harpsichord either on their own or with singers and/or other instrumentalists. On Thursday evenings between 6pm and 8pm there are informal concerts in this room for which there is no additional charge. The final recreated room is ‘composition’. This small room is where it is believed Handel composed his huge output of operas, oratorios and other works. Works of art here include a portrait of Charles Jennens, the librettist for Messiah and there is a single manual harpsichord (not currently in playing condition). There are exhibition areas on two floors in 23 Brook Street providing extensive information about Handel and how Handel’s house was reconstructed as well as items on display from the Bryne Collection that the Trust has acquired. Finally the visitor exits via the museum’s shop.

I would stress that I have only listed a tiny fraction of all the museum’s items. A thorough visit to the museum will take about 90 minutes. There is an extremely informative audio guide but it lasts around 70 minutes and I am informed that a shorter guide is in preparation. I would highly recommend purchasing the modestly priced Handel House Museum Companion from the shop. It is also worth picking up a free Education and Events leaflet and there is a mailing list for those wishing to receive regular information.

The front-of-house jobs at the museum are staffed entirely by part-time volunteers and I have been working there as a volunteer since February. As well as manning the reception area and the shop there are always volunteers in the various rooms. The top priority here is maintaining a security presence but in addition volunteers talk to the visitors about the rooms and their contents and indeed anything relating to Handel and his times. There are printed handouts (not for retention) provided in each room but many visitors like to know more or prefer to hear explanations rather than read them. Chatting to the visitors makes the job rewarding for the volunteers and provides a friendly and informal atmosphere.

As has been mentioned in the last issue of Tamesis the museum is open from 10am to 6pm Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 10am to 8pm Thursdays and 12noon to 6pm Sundays. The cost is �4.50 for adults, �3.50 for concessions and �2 for children. Do visit the museum. I have yet to come across a visitor who has been disappointed.

The Summer School season is looming. For the intrepid TVEMF traveller the Amherst Early Music Festival takes some beating. All 5 members of the Bedford Waits - a shawm and curtal band and recorder consort, mostly with additional baroque interests - decided to go as a group to New England for this course last summer.

Amherst runs for 2 separate but consecutive weeks in early August, and one can book for either or both weeks. The first week has more extensive renaissance classes and the second more baroque. We made the journey worthwhile by attending both weeks. Arriving early enough to join the separate Great new England Double Reed Rally for the Saturday prior to the Festival we enjoyed a day of fellowship and fun with like-minded ‘reedies’ (yes, I can see you shudder, a host of 40+ shawms and curtals all blowing in one place, but it was a great way to warm up to the Festival itself).

The Waits were warmly welcomed in true American style. Two shawm and curtal band classes were created just for us, one in each week. The first was excellently tutored by an old friend, Dan Stillman, and the other by Ian Harrison of the Piffaro group. We also secured a private lesson with Adam Gilbert. Naturally our technical competence and ensemble standard improved dramatically. For the rest of the time we each signed up to different classes reflecting our individual interests. For me the least technically demanding but the most fun class was the 6-part cornett and sackbut ensemble, in which I played bass curtal (the traditional bass for this band).

In the second week I joined the baroque bassoon masterclass, given by Michael McCraw. This was salutary, instructive, encouraging and rewarding, all at the same time. No audition is required for the baroque masterclasses, but prior audition by tape is required for selection for the Baroque Academy, in which the standard is incredibly high.

I have never been a string player but I wanted to try the viola da gamba so I also joined the Beginning Viol class under Martha Bishop, and secured some private lessons too with Craig Trompetter, who was brilliant. When I came home I promptly bought a bass viol!

What makes Amherst different from what you can find on this side of the Pond is that there are classes for most instruments and of different standards. If you want intermediate recorder, or advanced viols, or cornetto tuition, it is all there to be had, tutored by absolute world-class experts. Classes are very small, mostly about 6-8 but some are smaller still. With around 300 students and 50 tutors - well, you can do you own maths (or should I say math?).

Evenings were taken up by fantastic concerts by the tutors and others, sometimes 2 concerts back-to-back, plus lectures, informal playing, madrigal singing etc. I took a novel to read and never even opened it!

Amherst was an enormously enjoyable if exhausting experience. Despite high standards this side of the Atlantic, where in Europe could one find such a staggering array of expert tuition, professionalism, variety, camaraderie and sheer fun? If you haven’t tried Amherst, I can thoroughly recommend it. The Festival is not in any sense cheap, especially for us who need to make transatlantic flights, but worth every dollar. For anyone tempted, be warned that application forms appear very late (usually June) and you would now need to book a flight to Boston or New York quickly - August is after all the height of the holiday season. Further information can be obtained from the internet at www.amherst.com

A recent peregrination found me in York, where a tourist map directed me to the newly founded early music centre: perhaps there could be an article for Tamesis there, so I took a detour from my round of the shops. It is an old church, firmly protected by a modern security fence with a bell one is commanded to ring. A notice (out of sight of the gate) says the centre is open, but does not suggest what may be found within. Thus encouraged I continued my round of the shops. York is a lovely city.
Chris Thorn

Also: if anyone wants an ophicleide they can try http://site.voila.fr/ophicleide and see if they can get beyond the pretty pictures and find the price: I couldn't.

7 string bass viola da gamba (after Bertrand) by David Merion Attwood. Recently overhauled at West Dean workshops. New strings. In very good condition. With* Kingham case. �3,300.

Apply Judith Hughes (Byfleet) 01932 342573

Gothic harp. About 3 feet long in a pale wood, with gut strings. It was in a red corduroy bag with a small flower pattern and the tuning key tied to it. Please contact Victoria Helby (01494 721582)

On Saturday 18^th May they are giving a concert at St Paul’s Church in Covent Garden in association with Classic FM. The centrepiece of the programme is Monteverdi's sumptuous Venetian Mass Missa In Illo Tempore, in which the great pioneer of Baroque music looks back one last time at the Renaissance style which he is leaving behind. The power and splendour of this repertoire perfectly matched the majesty of St Mark's Venice, for which it is written, and this concert provides an unmissable opportunity to enjoy it in one of London's most beautiful, and acoustically satisfying, churches. The concert is preceded by an illustrated talk by Jennifer Fletcher of the Courtauld Institute, on the connoisseurs and collectors of Venetian art and music in the Renaissance. The lecture takes place in the Club for Acts and Actors (opposite the church) at 6.00pm. Tickets for the lecture are �5.

Their next even on Saturday, 6 July looks even more interesting. It is a musical tour of the City of London which gives an opportunity to view some of the finest churches in the City of London, with the help of an expert guide, and then - at each stop - listen to masterpieces of English polyphony sung by The Renaissance Singers. Designed to be leisurely and unstrenuous, the tour will include five different historic churches, including St Bartholomew the Great, Smithfield and St Bride’s Church, Fleet St. and music by composers who knew and worked in the City. It begins at 4.30 and will take approximately three hours, and at each stop there will be a lecture about the church, followed by some music. There will be an appropriate pub stop half way through. The distance between churches is short.

The Baroque Workshop Day is at St Andrew’s, Frognal Lane, NW3, price �12
including refreshments. For booking details, see Diary entry.

Brentwood Catholic Cathedral will be the venue for a workshop for singers on 20 July on Byrd and his continental contemporaries. David Allinson, well-known to TVEMF course members, is tutor, assisted by several members of Cantores chamber choir. If you would like to indicate your interest in this event (no commitment at this stage), please send an email with the header 'Brentwood Workshop' to djallinsonhotmail.com. You will be sent an email in due course giving full details of programme and booking. Prices are expected to be �10 (�5 students)

Agnes Kory has written to tell us about a tenor violin lecture/recital which she is giving at 11 am on Monday 20th May in the Peacock Room, Trinity College of Music, King Charles Court, Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich. She suggests that this baroque building by Sir Christopher Wren will be an eminently suitable venue for presenting this long lost baroque instrument. The tenor violin (a forerunner of the solo cello) is halfway between the viola and cello in size, tuning, register and tonal quality. It was an often used instrument in the baroque period (see the 1994 Galpin Society Journal pp.123-153).

Admission to the event is free but places are limited, so please contact her if you wish to go. Agnes Kory (agnes.korykcl.ac.uk) Bela Bartok Centre for Musicianship, 6 Frognal Court, 158 Finchley Road, London NW3 5H (+ 44 20 7435 3685) www.bbcm.co.uk