The Southern Tier Singers' Collective will present a concert of music by John Dowland and other composers of his era, performed by an unusually small ensemble.
“Dowland and Friends” will feature just six singers, with one singer assigned to each vocal part. Music director William Culverhouse says the format allows the ensemble to approach the music as chamber music.
“We’re really kind of excited to be able to do this again,” Culverhouse said. “It’s something that we’ve talked about for quite a while, getting back to the idea of one singer per voice part and really making it chamber music.”
Singer Aimee Backus says the smaller ensemble changes the way the singers interact with the music.
“Rather than blending within a section, like the alto section of the choir, it’s my line and the places where I need to blend with other voice parts—or not blend in order to pop out of the texture,” Backus said. “I feel like there’s a lot more contrast and a lot more playing with text that we get to do because we are such a small group.”
The concert focuses on the English composer John Dowland, whose music reflects both Renaissance traditions and the emerging Baroque style. Culverhouse says Dowland absorbed musical influences during travels on the European continent after failing to find immediate success in England.
“He very much had one foot in the Renaissance and one foot in the Baroque,” Culverhouse said. “Some of his music is very straightforward. It’s strophic. There are multiple verses. There’s a clear tune. And some of his music is very, very intricate and highly chromatic.”
The program will also feature Brazilian-born lutenist Pedro Sperb, who has been studying at the Eastman School of Music with noted lutenist Paul O’Dette. Backus says she connected with Sperb through New York State Baroque.
“I reached out to them when we had planned this concert to see if they might have any availability to play for us,” Backus said. “They said, ‘I’m not available, but I know who you need.’ And they put us in touch with Pedro.”
The lute is central to Dowland’s music, but Culverhouse says it is a relatively uncommon instrument today. Its complexity and the limited range of its historical repertoire make it a difficult instrument to pursue, although its sound is particularly well suited to the music of the Renaissance and Baroque.
“On the other hand, it’s exquisitely beautiful in playing the music that was written for it,” Culverhouse said.
The program will include several of Dowland’s best-known songs, including “Flow My Tears,” “Come Again, Sweet Love” and “Weep You No More.” Backus notes that Dowland’s “Flow My Tears” also exists in a lute version, and says the composer’s association with the song even became part of his identity.
Dowland’s music is often characterized by its melancholy, something Culverhouse says may have reflected the composer’s difficult career. Dowland eventually found a position as a lutenist for King James I, but only relatively late in his life.
The Southern Tier Singers' Collective presents “Dowland and Friends” Sunday, October 4 at 4 p.m. at Trinity Memorial Episcopal Church, 44 Main Street in Binghamton. Information is available at southerntiersingers.org.