top>play>music>Cantores Atri Mortis
So, Neill or Helen should really write this, but I'll say what my (failing) memory is of some of the background of the group. Please forgive me for any mistakes I make, or better yet tell me what the truth was and I can fix it. Or even better yet, just rewrite this part!
I believe it was started by Neill Reid and Helen Johnston, in the astronomy department at Caltech (Neill a research fellow and Helen a grad student). I think it was started before I arrived as a grad student in 1988, but I'm not positive. And I think it was Joel Schwartz, who was a fellow grad student with me in planetary science, who introduced me to the group, but I'm also not positive of that, as it could have been one of the other members who I would have met either through the Glee Clubs or in general via grad student activities. I had just gotten back into singing, in the Glee Clubs, after taking my undergrad years off. I had never sung much renaissance/madrigal music, but always liked it, so when I heard about it I was enthusiastic to join. My memory tells me that it was mostly astronomers (or we itinerant planetary scientists), but looking back at the roster it was less than half in that category. It was, though, mostly grad students (all but Neill?), from various divisions at Caltech (astronomy, planetary science, biology, chemistry, applied math, geology, etc.).
We rehearsed roughly weekly, downstairs in one of the practice rooms in a building on South Campus (I can't remember the name of it). Afterward, many of us would go out for a bite and a beer (or more); most often at Crown City, but sometimes elsewhere. It was mostly Helen and Neill that chose repertoire because they were far and away the most knowledgeable about it (Neill had a collection of CDs that ran around his entire front room!), but we were all welcome to bring any piece we liked and wanted the group to sing to try out. We performed a concert roughly every six-to-twelve months in Dabney Hall, and did some gigs around town for modest pay. We didn't wear period costumes, but rather just casual attire with our own Cantores Atri Mortis t-shirts (I think I still have mine, in a box in the garage somewhere). As members started to graduate and move away, new members were recruited, but eventually we just lost too many, and things just kind of petered out in 1993 or so. I don't remember the details, but Helen graduated in 1992 and left soon thereafter and that may have had something to do with it.
Although it was in the end only for a few years, I have to say that singing in Cantores Atri Mortis was easily the most enjoyable choral experience I've ever had (and I've now sung in many choirs, even at a semi-professional level, and still do). We were all of an age, of a time, of a place, of similar (certainly not identical though!) mind, and it was just damn fun. And the quality of the singing was really outstanding (yours truly excepted ;).
I wish I had a picture of us, but I cannot find one in any of my albums (and I wasn't taking a lot of pictures at the time anyway). Maybe one of the others does.
See below for a setlist and recording.
Sopranos: | Tenors: | |
Helen Johnston | Neill Reid | |
Rachel Shinn (now Rachel Baker) | Donnie Cotter | |
Barbara Wyslouzil | Bryan Butler | |
Jen Blank | ||
Beth McKenney (anybody know where she is now?) | ||
  |   | |
  |   | |
Altos: | Basses: | |
Cathy Hayes (anybody know where she is now?) | Joel Schwartz | |
Chris Wilson |
Chris Tinney |
|
Jamie Schlessman |
Roger Wagner (anybody know where he is now?) |
|
Howard Chu |
Richt soir opprest | Anonymous |
Dindirin, dindirin | Anonymous |
Weep, O mine eyes | John Bennet |
Look down, O Lord | William Byrd |
Mass For Four Voices | William Byrd |
La la la, je ne l'ose dire | Peirre Certon |
All ye who music love | Balthazar Donato |
Can she excuse | John Dowland |
When Phoebus first | John Dowland |
Say Love | John Dowland |
Fine knacks for ladies | John Dowland |
Me, me and none but me | John Dowland |
Go, crystal tears | John Dowland |
Come again, come sweet love | John Dowland |
Rest awhile, you cruel cares | John Dowland |
Come away, come, sweet love | John Dowland |
What if I never speed | John Dowland |
What poor astronomers | John Dowland |
Poor is the life | Michael East |
Fair Phyllis I saw | John Farmer |
The silver swan | Orlando Gibbons |
Hellas mon Dieu ton ire | Clement Janequin |
Bonjour mon coeur | Orlando de Lassus |
Matona, mia cara | Orlando de Lassus |
Mon coeur se recommande a vous | Orlando de Lassus |
Osculetur me | Orlando de Lassus |
Si ch'io vorrei morire | Claudio Monteverdi |
Non piu guerra, pietate | Claudio Monteverdi |
Anima del cor mio | Claudio Monteverdi |
Ecco mormorar l'onde | Claudio Monteverdi |
Lasciate mi morire | Claudio Monteverdi |
April is in my Mistris' face | Thomas Morley |
Fyer, fyer | Thomas Morley |
Sicut cervus desiderat | Giovanni Perluigi de Palestrina |
Tu es Petrus | Giovanni Perluigi de Palestrina |
Il est bel et bon | Pierre Passereau |
El grillo | Josquin des Pres |
If ye love Me, keep My commandments | Thomas Tallis |
Jesu dulcis memoria | Tomas Luis de Victoria |
Missa O Magnum Mysterium | Tomas Luis de Victoria |
I apologize for the quality - these are from cassette tapes that are more than 30 years old, played through a crappy player, and only moderately edited (for denoise and compression) by yours truly. So the quality is not great. But there you go. If any of you have better recordings let me know!
Can she excuse (Dowland)
April is in my Mistris' face (Morley)
Fine Knacks for ladies (Dowland)
The Silver Swan (Gibbons)
Si ch'io vorrei morire (Monteverdi)
Il est bel et bon (Passereau)
Look down, O Lord (Byrd)
Jesu dulcis memoria (Vittoria)
Tu es Petrus (Palestrina)
Sicut Cervus (Palestrina)
Fyer, fyer (Morley)
When Phoebus first (Dowland)
Say, Love (Dowland)
Weep, O mine eyes (Bennet)
Matonna, mia cara (Lassus)
Mon coeur se recommande a vous (Lassus)
Anima del cor mio (Monteverdi)
El Grillo (de Pres)
(Encore) Come again! Sweet love doth now invite (Dowland)
Coming...
Coming...
Coming...
Last Modified on 2023-Nov-03