Musica Antiqua, Belgrade focuses on the authentic presentation of early vocal-instrumental music from the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The ensemble's goal is to promote early music in Yugoslavia and the Balkans. It's artistic director Vera Zlokovic is the first to introduce authentic vocal sound through countertenor singing and is a pioneer of early music vocal education in Yugoslavia. The ensemble has made more than 1,700 music appearances and has received several prizes and awards at national and international music festivals and competitions. The ensemble performs in historical costumes of Renaissance and Middle Ages.
The ensemble has been a frequent guest in radio and television studios. Apart from those in Yugoslavia, it has performed on RAI (Italy), BBC (UK), Rundfunk - Radio Berlin (Germany), Belgian and Dutch Radio. It has made a series of television programmes, two of which were purchased by seven countries in Europe as well as the USA and Canada.
MUSICA ANTIQUA CONSORT (1977) BELGRADE
"In my opinion every human being bears in itself the affection towards truly artistic experience, and we are trying to afford it." Vera Zlokovich
In february 1977. Vera Zlokovich, composer and conductor with university degrees, has created and founded "Musica Antiqua Consort" - the first professional early music ensemble in our country; with the aim of thorough researching and professional interpreting. This time travelling discoveries followed by joy and pleasure has revived an old, almost forgotten world of music. A group of young curious people guided by Vera Zlokovich, plunged with an archeologist's devotion into the sound garden of the Middle Ages, wandering through the halls of churches and courts, along the trails of renaissance towns... Seeking new discoveries and knowledge pushed them forward: each of their concerts, and there were more than 2000, was different, enriched with newly found pieces, first time on their repertoire. This has naturally led to improving the quality of both vocal and instrumental performing. The program of the ensemble "Musica Antiqua" includes studying and representing the earliest music transcriptions until Baroque. It is the vocal and instrumental group with no steady members. Each composition demands a careful choice of musicians and that is done by the art director Vera Zlokovich. The ensemble possess about 50 authentic copies of old instruments. A deeply studied and well balanced vocal sound was for the first time presented to our audience - a symbiotic relationship between all participating voices from soprano to bass. Special attention is paid to the colour of sound, vocal technique and harmony of instruments and voices in order to achieve the authentic performing of old styles and schools. Moreover "Musica Antiqua" sings in about 20 old languages. Devoted to the idea of faithful reconstruction of the old sound of various epoches Vera Zlokovich was the first one to introduce a countertenor registre - a special kind of high tenor voice - in Serbia, in the Balkans, in Eastern Europe. The unique and recognizable vocal expression is achived by always good tenors and countertenors (one or more, depending on the program). The authentic and original sound of this ensemble is based, beside this male voices, on the carefully shaped female voices, particularly the beautiful, balanced Vera Zlokovich's mezzo-soprano; trained at the best European master schools for early music by the significant professors (exp. Andrea von Ramm), followers of the David Monroe, Alfred Deller, Nigel Rogers, lean Belliard, lames Crifit. Vera Zlokovich conveys her well mastered vocal technique to her associates, and has gained a flexible and extremely suggestive interpretation. There are many new aspects in the apperiance of "Musica Antiqua" not only by ours but by international standards as well. All the time, all around Europe from Spain to Crusia, Vera Zlokovich is looking for still unknown jewels of the old sound. Numerous pices, especially of Yugoslav authors have been in this way rediscovered. Authentic performing the stylistically divergent repertoire took Vera Zlokovich almost two and a half decades of teaching. The ensemble has become a green-house of the old sound cherishing the best artists. A young professional singer (with classical music education, university degrees) requires complete attention and great effort to be turned professional of a special kind and master the voluminous program (from Ars Antiqua, Ars Nova, Spanish and English monody, Gregorian choral, Notre Dame school, Meistersingers, Troubadurs, Trouvers, up to the Renaissance and Baroque). The old music needs an entirely different vocal technique various from that learned today. During this unselfish and successful work Vera Zlokovich trained over one hundred young musicians. Many of them are now totally dedicated to this music. Some of the best has been accepted at admirable master schools of London, Paris, Basel, Frankfort... at final year. This little academy of sound - has overcome the original intention - to prepare members of the ensemble. It has become an institution for cherishing the old sound.
Hear the samples of this CD in MP3 format - just click on the title:
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Track 21
THE MUSIC OF KINGS
The medieval courts, besides churches, were the main gathering centres of professional musicians. No wonder then that even some of the "crowned heads" tried themselves in this creative field. Very often though they rather stayed anonymous so the authorship cannot be always claimed with certainty. This program consists of compositions of tree medieval European kings: Richard I the Lionheart, Alfonso X the Wise, Henry VIII and other performed at courts or thematically attached to court-life (dances, troubadours and trouvers songs and those dedicated to the rulers...) This program consists of compositions of tree medieval European kings: Richard I the Lionheart, Alfonso X the Wise, Henry VIII and other performed at courts or thematically attached to court-life (dances, troubadours and trouvers songs and those dedicated to the rulers...) The songs of troubadours and trouvers , though on common language, were also court music. Troubadours were aristocratic poet-musicians from the Provencal-speaking area of southern France. From c. 1100 they devoted themselves to the cultivation of chivalrous love through poetry and music. Some 2600 poems survive together with 282 melodies in their chansonniers. They had a great influence in central France and Spain, due to their conection with Alfonso el Sabio the king of Spain and troubadour as well. Trouvers, like the Provencal troubadours, were aristocratic poets, composers and performers, active in northern France from the mid-c.1200. Trouver songs resemble those of troubadours in being mono-phonic but place more emphasis on formal structure. About 2100 of their texts and 1400 melodies are preserved. This music was based on church models but, under the influence of common music, more free in its expression. That is why the religious themes are very often, among those speaking of love, nature, even some social or political happenings. Richard I (b.1157; d.1199), King of England, Duke of Aquitaine was known as "Coeurde Lion". His grandfather William IX, Duke of Aquitaine was the first of noble troubadours; his were the earliest troubadour songs to survive. His mother (William's doughter), Eleanor Queen of England, was the leading patron of troubadours. Raised among artists, Richard himself became a poet and composer - a trouver. Two of his poems survived but only one with music, wrote during his imprisonment in Austria, a lament about his destiny but also an indication of his political activity. The monarch of Spain Alfonso X el Sabio (b.1221; d.1284) was one of the most educated rulers of his time ("el Sabio" means "the Wise" or "the Learned"). He was a great patron of arts, sciences, culture in general and reformer of social life, education, law, which all brought Spain an honourable place among other European countries. He was tolerant of all religions and made his court a centre of Christian, Islamic, Jewish scientists and artists. He was proclaiming the usage of mother-language in science and art and so was translating numerous books - above others the Bible, Koran, Talmud. Under his auspice were also cherished the Castilian literature, historiography, astronomy. Many troubadours found favor at his court and Alfonso el Sabio initiated studies of music at the Salamanca University, specially treasuring Spanish monody. The most significant act of his creative energy was compiling the manuscript known as "Cantigas de Santa Maria", the song-book containing about 500 songs. Alfonso himself probably composed some of these melodies. The MS is precious for the history of music and court poetry. Henry VIII (b. 1491; d.1547) King of England, as younger son of Henry VII was trained and learned to be a priest, so he acquired a fine musical education. According to his contemporaries he was interested in various fields of art. Henry made his court a centre of musical culture, increasing the number of professional musicians and encouraging foreign artists to join them. Music became a very important part of court-life, included in all formal ceremonies (meetings of cansselors, processions, celebrations, knights' tournaments...). He introduced the Franco-Flemish style of church music, composed both sacred and secular pieces, built up an enormous collection of musical instruments and played several of them (organs, lute, virginale, a few wind instruments) and was a very good singer. Moreover in the first 10 or so years of his new reign he gathered the "Henry Vlll's Book". It contains 109 songs and instrumental pieces, well-written with extremely lucid notation. The title indicates that lots of them are the King's own compositions; 33 in all bear the superscription: "the kynge henry viii". This manuscript is of great value for the history of music and social history of the early Tudor court. Dances were special part of court-life. Here we have six of them of different origin: The Tristan's Lament and Rota, Saltarello, Estampie, The German Canzonet, The Henry Ill's Gavotte, and The Court-dance of Wise Men.
Ana Matovich, musicologist
Institute of Musicology, SANU (The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts)
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Vera Zlokovic (mezzo-soprano & Artistic Director)
Predrag Djokovic (countertenor)
Radmilo Petrovic (tenor)
Aleksandar Petrovic (bass)
Vladimir Ciric (discant viola da gamba, viela)
Sasa Borovic (viela, fiddle)
Ljubomir Dimitrijevic (recorders, chalumeau, cornamuse, crumhorne, rauschfeif)
Darko Karajic (Arabian & Renaissance lute, ud, sarkija)
Reviews:
"...They have lifted themselves to the very peak of highest quality performances. The authenticity of vocal expression of the Belgrade musicians, together with the ovation at the end, left the audience with an unforgettable memory..." ('Kultura', Belgrade 1986)
"...They performed pieces of sacred and secular music in a fascinating and relaxed manner … thereby creating a very spirited and impressive whole full of cheerful atmosphere and tonal beauty..." ('Vecernji list', Zagreb, Croatia 1984)
"...Unique originality in performing medieval music, enviable artistic achievement, technical and interpretational attention to detail..." (Radio Berlin, Germany 1985)
"...Exceptional interpretation by the artists in a mixture of speech and singing … superb technical achievements by the group's vocal quintet … great range and reproduction of all the nuances of the vocal technique of Renaissance music..." (Radio Belgrade Third Program, 1985)
"....The increasingly better and more expert MUSICA ANTIQUA group, the vocal part of which reaches top world level ... mastering completely the finesses and secrets of performing this type of music..." (BEMUS, 1987)
"...The characteristic color of the voices matched with the perfect instrumentalists … a sound picture of particular precision and immediacy, which completely enthralled the audience..." (Dresden, Germany 1985)
"...Homogeneous not only in the actual performance of the music but in the ardent enthusiasm of their musical mission ... in the finale they achieved a real escalation of youthful zeal and high spirits..." ('Slobodna Dalmacija', Split, Croatia 1986)
"...A group which performs in the best tradition of early music ... full of cheerfulness, spontaneity and with an attractive appearance on stage..." ('Oko', 1983)
For more information about Musica Antiqua, Belgrade, please contact:
Vera Zlokovic
Kosovska 32
11000 Belgrade
Yugoslavia
Telephone : +381.11.3244736
E-mail: musicaantiqua@earlymusic.net
Last updated: November 8, 2000