Before the classical music era of the 18th century, there was the 17th century Baroque period, which has been more widely performed in recent years.

But even before that was the music of the late 16th century Renaissance, which emphasized the vocal arts, and was explored in a fascinating concert by the Baroque Choral Guild in Palo Alto last weekend.

The singing was of the highest quality. This non-professional and community-based chorus of 58 singers, currently under the direction of Sanford Dole, has presented concerts of traditional and unusual works since 1979.

Although the music is reminiscent of all the liturgical singing of Europe, the concert concentrated only on the works of three Flemish composers from the 16th century and two works from the 20th century.

The three Flemish composers from the 16th century are Josquin Desprez (1440-1521), Orlando de Lassus (1532-1594) and Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562-1621). The 20th century works of Henk Badings (1907-1987) and Ton de Leeuw (1926-1996) do show some influence of later composers, yet are primarily a continuum - so much so that it almost seems the intervening three centuries of Baroque, classical and romantic Western music had never occurred.

The musical age of the Netherlanders came from the Duchy of Flanders, which was geographically at the north end of modern France, as well as all of Belgium and a part of Holland.

Flanders seems to have fallen between the cracks historically, yet in the 16th century it was one of the most prosperous countries of Europe. The music chosen for the concert reflects the material richness of that period.

Secular instrumental dance music began to thrive during the late Renaissance period, and vocal music also had begun breaking away from the confines of the churches. nevertheless, all songs were paeans to the Lord. As a neighbor in the audience remarked to me, “Close your eyes and you will feel like you are in a cathedral.”

As a matter of fact, we were in a church. The high-peaked interior of the First United Methodist Church in Palo Alto is the perfect venue for resonating the soaring voices of any chorus, especially ecclesiastical.

This kind of music is indescribable in words, because we have no other music to come with it. One may only hear it in order to bask in its graceful flow.

It must be admitted that an hour and a half of such similar compositions gets to be a bit much. Nevertheless, the concert was beautiful and moving.

By Keith Kreitman
Tuesday, March 19, 2002
Oakland Tribune
Bay Area Living-5

Keith Kreitman is a freelance writer and host of “Inside Arts” on Peninsula cable TV channel 26.
You can reach him by e-mail at Rainykeith@AOL.com.

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Baroque Choral Guild, 953 Industrial Ave. Ste 118, Palo Alto CA 94303, 650.424.1410

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