Robert Mealy
Encyclopedia
Robert Mealy is a performer and teacher of baroque violin
. He holds a joint position at the Yale School of Music
and the Department of Music of Yale University
, where he directs the Yale Collegium Musicum and teaches classes in musical rhetoric
and historically-informed performance. He has recorded over 50 CDs of early music
, ranging from Hildegard of Bingen
with Sequentia, to Renaissance consorts
with the Boston Camerata, to Rameau operas with Les Arts Florissants
. At home in New York, he is a frequent leader and soloist with the New York Collegium
, Early Music New York, the Clarion Music Society, and the ARTEK early music ensemble.
Mr. Mealy began exploring early music in high school, first with the collegium musicum
of the University of California, Berkeley
and then with the baroque orchestra
at the Royal College of Music
in London. While still an undergraduate at Harvard College
, he was asked to join the Canadian baroque orchestra
Tafelmusik
. Since then, he has recorded and toured with many early music
ensembles, including (from early to late) Sequentia, Ensemble Project Ars Nova, the Newberry Consort, the Folger Consort, Tragicomedia, Les Arts Florissants
, and the Handel and Haydn Society
. He has toured with the Mark Morris Dance Group and accompanied Renée Fleming
on the David Letterman Show.
Mr. Mealy has been concertmaster of the Boston Early Music Festival
Orchestra since 2004, and has led them in performances and Grammy-nominated recordings of Lully
’s Psyché and Thésée and Conradi’s Ariadne, as well as the modern premiere of Mattheson’s Boris Godenouw.
A devoted chamber musician, he is a member of the Renaissance violin band The King's Noyse, and the new 17c ensemble Quicksilver. He served for over a decade as an instrumental soloist and leader with the Boston Camerata. Through his interest in earlier repertories, he co-founded the medieval ensemble Fortune's Wheel, which has appeared at the Boston
and Berkeley early music festivals and on early music concert series across America, as well as at the Cloisters and the Frick Museum in New York, the Regensburg Tage Alter Musik, and the International Early Music Festival of Mexico City.
In 2008, he was appointed Professor (Adjunct) at Yale University
, where he is director of the Yale Collegium. At Yale, his instrumental ensemble, the Yale Collegium Players, has collaborated with Simon Carrington
and the Yale Schola Cantorum
in recordings of Biber
, Bertali
, and the Johannes Passion
of Bach
, as well as Magnificats by Bach
and Mendelssohn
. He also directs a one-year postgraduate intensive program of study on baroque strings. Prior to his work at Yale
, he founded and directed the Harvard Baroque Orchestra for ten years. In 2004 he received Early Music America’s Binkley Award for outstanding teaching and scholarship, recognizing his work at Yale
and Harvard. He has also lectured and taught historical performance workshops at Columbia
, Brown
, Rutgers, Oberlin
, and U.C. Berkeley
. His Columbia
lecture on Corelli
may be heard online here. In 2009, Mr. Mealy will join the new historical performance faculty at the Juilliard School
. He also teaches historical improvisation and technique at summer workshops across North America, including the Madison Early Music Festival.
Baroque violin
A baroque violin is, in common usage, any violin whose neck, fingerboard, bridge, and tailpiece are of the type used during the baroque period. Such an instrument may be an original built during the baroque and never changed to modern form; or a modern replica built as a baroque violin; or an...
. He holds a joint position at the Yale School of Music
Yale School of Music
The Yale School of Music is one of the twelve professional schools at Yale University and one of the premier music conservatories in the world....
and the Department of Music of Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, where he directs the Yale Collegium Musicum and teaches classes in musical rhetoric
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
and historically-informed performance. He has recorded over 50 CDs of early music
Early music
Early music is generally understood as comprising all music from the earliest times up to the Renaissance. However, today this term has come to include "any music for which a historically appropriate style of performance must be reconstructed on the basis of surviving scores, treatises,...
, ranging from Hildegard of Bingen
Hildegard of Bingen
Blessed Hildegard of Bingen , also known as Saint Hildegard, and Sibyl of the Rhine, was a German writer, composer, philosopher, Christian mystic, Benedictine abbess, visionary, and polymath. Elected a magistra by her fellow nuns in 1136, she founded the monasteries of Rupertsberg in 1150 and...
with Sequentia, to Renaissance consorts
Consort of instruments
A consort of instruments was a phrase used in England during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries to indicate an instrumental ensemble. These could be of the same or a variety of instruments. Consort music enjoyed considerable popularity at court and in households of the wealthy in the...
with the Boston Camerata, to Rameau operas with Les Arts Florissants
Les Arts Florissants (ensemble)
Les Arts Florissants is a Baroque musical ensemble in residence at the Théâtre de Caen in Caen, France. The organization was founded by conductor William Christie in 1979. The ensemble derives its name from the 1685 opera by Marc-Antoine Charpentier. The organization consists of a chamber orchestra...
. At home in New York, he is a frequent leader and soloist with the New York Collegium
New York Collegium
The New York Collegium was an ensemble of players and singers dedicated to the music of the Baroque era, featuring historically authentic instruments and performance techniques. The artists of The New York Collegium were some of America’s best-known historic music specialists, and were featured...
, Early Music New York, the Clarion Music Society, and the ARTEK early music ensemble.
Mr. Mealy began exploring early music in high school, first with the collegium musicum
Collegium Musicum
The Collegium Musicum was one of several types of musical societies that arose in German and German-Swiss cities and towns during the Reformation and thrived into the mid-18th century...
of the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
and then with the baroque orchestra
Baroque orchestra
The Baroque orchestra is the type of orchestra that existed during the Baroque period, commonly identified as 1600-1750. Its origins were in France where Jean-Baptiste Lully added the newly re-designed hautboy and transverse flutes to his vingt-quatre violons du Roy...
at the Royal College of Music
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
in London. While still an undergraduate at Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
, he was asked to join the Canadian baroque orchestra
Baroque orchestra
The Baroque orchestra is the type of orchestra that existed during the Baroque period, commonly identified as 1600-1750. Its origins were in France where Jean-Baptiste Lully added the newly re-designed hautboy and transverse flutes to his vingt-quatre violons du Roy...
Tafelmusik
Tafelmusik
The Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra is a Canadian baroque orchestra specializing in early music. They often perform with choir and play on period instruments....
. Since then, he has recorded and toured with many early music
Early music
Early music is generally understood as comprising all music from the earliest times up to the Renaissance. However, today this term has come to include "any music for which a historically appropriate style of performance must be reconstructed on the basis of surviving scores, treatises,...
ensembles, including (from early to late) Sequentia, Ensemble Project Ars Nova, the Newberry Consort, the Folger Consort, Tragicomedia, Les Arts Florissants
Les Arts Florissants (ensemble)
Les Arts Florissants is a Baroque musical ensemble in residence at the Théâtre de Caen in Caen, France. The organization was founded by conductor William Christie in 1979. The ensemble derives its name from the 1685 opera by Marc-Antoine Charpentier. The organization consists of a chamber orchestra...
, and the Handel and Haydn Society
Handel and Haydn Society
The Handel and Haydn Society is an American chorus and period instrument orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1815, it remains one of the oldest performing arts organizations in the United States.-Early history:...
. He has toured with the Mark Morris Dance Group and accompanied Renée Fleming
Renée Fleming
Renée Fleming is an American soprano specializing in opera and lieder. Fleming has a full lyric soprano voice.Fleming has performed coloratura, lyric, and lighter spinto soprano repertoires. She has sung roles in Italian, German, French, Czech, and Russian, aside from her native English. She also...
on the David Letterman Show.
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
Mr. Mealy has been concertmaster of the Boston Early Music Festival
Boston Early Music Festival
The Boston Early Music Festival is a music festival held every two years in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, for all people interested in historical music performance....
Orchestra since 2004, and has led them in performances and Grammy-nominated recordings of Lully
Lully
-Places:*Switzerland**Lully, Fribourg, a municipality**Lully, Vaud, a municipality**Lully, Geneva, a village in the municipality of Bernex*France**Lully, Haute-Savoie-People:*Jean-Baptiste Lully , an Italian-born Baroque composer of French opera...
’s Psyché and Thésée and Conradi’s Ariadne, as well as the modern premiere of Mattheson’s Boris Godenouw.
A devoted chamber musician, he is a member of the Renaissance violin band The King's Noyse, and the new 17c ensemble Quicksilver. He served for over a decade as an instrumental soloist and leader with the Boston Camerata. Through his interest in earlier repertories, he co-founded the medieval ensemble Fortune's Wheel, which has appeared at the Boston
Boston Early Music Festival
The Boston Early Music Festival is a music festival held every two years in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, for all people interested in historical music performance....
and Berkeley early music festivals and on early music concert series across America, as well as at the Cloisters and the Frick Museum in New York, the Regensburg Tage Alter Musik, and the International Early Music Festival of Mexico City.
In 2008, he was appointed Professor (Adjunct) at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, where he is director of the Yale Collegium. At Yale, his instrumental ensemble, the Yale Collegium Players, has collaborated with Simon Carrington
Simon Carrington
Simon Carrington is a singer, double bass player and conductor. He first performed in the UK where he was born, and more recently in the United States.-External links:* * * * * * * * *...
and the Yale Schola Cantorum
Yale Schola Cantorum
The Yale Schola Cantorum is a 24-voice vocal ensemble jointly sponsored by the Yale School of Music and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music. The Schola Cantorum is open by audition to any student at Yale University, although most of its singers are affiliated with the School of Music...
in recordings of Biber
Heinrich Ignaz Biber
Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber von Bibern was a Bohemian-Austrian composer and violinist. Born in the small Bohemian town of Wartenberg , Biber worked at Graz and Kroměříž before he illegally left his Kroměříž employer and settled in Salzburg...
, Bertali
Antonio Bertali
Antonio Bertali was an Italian composer and violinist of the Baroque era.He was born in Verona and received early music education there from Stefano Bernardi. Probably from 1624, he was employed as court musician in Vienna by Emperor Ferdinand II. In 1649 Bertali succeeded Giovanni Valentini as...
, and the Johannes Passion
Johannes Passion
The St John Passion , BWV 245, is a sacred oratorio of Johann Sebastian Bach from the Passions. The original Latin title Passio secundum Johannem translates to "The Suffering According to John" and is rendered in English also as St. John Passion and in German as Johannespassion...
of Bach
Bạch
Bạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...
, as well as Magnificats by Bach
Bạch
Bạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...
and Mendelssohn
Mendelssohn
Mendelson is a Polish/German Jewish family name, meaning "son of Mendel", Mendel being a Yiddish diminutive of the Hebrew given name Menahem, meaning "consoling" or "one who consoles".Mendelssohn is the surname of a number of people:...
. He also directs a one-year postgraduate intensive program of study on baroque strings. Prior to his work at Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
, he founded and directed the Harvard Baroque Orchestra for ten years. In 2004 he received Early Music America’s Binkley Award for outstanding teaching and scholarship, recognizing his work at Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
and Harvard. He has also lectured and taught historical performance workshops at Columbia
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, Brown
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, Rutgers, Oberlin
Oberlin
Oberlin may refer to:Places in the United States* Oberlin, Kansas* Oberlin, Louisiana* Oberlin, Ohio** Oberlin College** Oberlin ConservatoryPeople*Oberlin...
, and U.C. Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. His Columbia
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
lecture on Corelli
Corelli
Corelli may refer to:*Arcangelo Corelli , Italian violinist and composer of Baroque music*Marie Corelli , British novelist*Franco Corelli , Italian tenor*Correlli Barnett , English military historian...
may be heard online here. In 2009, Mr. Mealy will join the new historical performance faculty at the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
. He also teaches historical improvisation and technique at summer workshops across North America, including the Madison Early Music Festival.
External links
- http://robertmealy.com/
- http://music.yale.edu/faculty/mealy.html
- http://music.yale.edu/ensembles/early.html