King's Noyse Celebrates R&B 40th Birthday

Olde, Newe, Borrow'd, Blue--if this makes you think you're at an old English wedding, you'd probably not be surprised to come in and hear some old Irish tunes. Well, if you didn't happen to see a violin that is played rested on someone's left arm and a lute that has a bent neck.

Relax, now, this is not some kind of avant-guard innovations--on the contrary, these are old fashions. Last Saturday, a group of eager audiences--some of whom may not know what they are expecting--spent their two evening hours in the intimate space of Synod Hall in Oakland, being surprised, amazed, and pleased at a special concert of the Renaissance & Baroque Society's 40th anniversary.

One of the most celebrated early music groups in the country, King's Noyse is indeed an all-star band. Founded by David Douglass in 1988, the group mostly performs violin consort repertoires from 16th and 17th century, with its members among the leading musicians in their fields, such as Robert Mealy and Shira Kammen. Their Saturday concert was joined by the world renowned lute player Paul O'Dette and vocalist Ellen Hargis.

Dividing the concert program into four parts with the title "Olde, Newe, Borrow'd, Blue" may sound corny but at the same time the repertoire turns out to be incredibly creative and refreshing, presenting a wide variety of different musical styles. Many were especially entertained by the last part, "Blue", which features arrangements of modern great hits, such as Gershwin's "Summertime", Beatles' "Michele", and Thelonius Monk's "'Round Midnight'.

The whole concert was elaborately designed in terms of instrumentation, alternating among ensemble playing to solo vocal accompanied by the lute.

Many audience new to King's Noyse were particularly impressed by the authentic instruments they play on. The violins, played rested on the arm instead of the shoulder, delivers a very soft but clean sound, sometimes with rich timbre variation and little vibrato. The deep sound of the bass violin reminds one of the excellent acoustics in the Synod Hall. Frequently, O'Dette had to play louder to maintain the balance with the fiddles, due to the soft volume of the lute.

Hargis demonstrated her versatility with the traditional voice of "Barbara Allen", more modern voice of Monk's "'Round Midnight", and the expressive narrating voice in the lively piece "The Battel".

I am amazed by the power of a five-people string ensemble like King's Noyse to deliver radically different sounds. There is the smooth flow of the Renaissance sound; there are also the vivid sounds depicting scenes in a battle, such as "March of the horseman", "Bagpipe and Drone", and "Burying the Dead"; in Leonard Berstein's "Some Other Time", one hears the sound comparable to a string orchestra. Needless to say, Mr.Douglass's arrangement and improvisational creations for the violin band is no doubt glittering from the beginning to the end.

May the Pittsburgh audience continues to find the music from R&B surprising, amazing, and pleasing in their 50th,60th, and 70th anniversary.