Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal
Encyclopedia
The Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal is an early music
vocal ensemble
based in Montreal
, Canada
. Co-founded in 1974 by the organ
and harpsichord
players Christopher Jackson
, Réjean Poirier, and Hélène Dugal, the group became an important part of the Early Music Revival
in Montreal during the 1970s. Jackson became the ensemble's sole director in 1988. The ensemble is made up of 10 to 13 vocalists and partners frequently with a variety of professional chamber orchestras made up of period instruments. Since its inception, the group has released a total of 13 recordings, mainly on the ATMA Classique
label.
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,...
vocal ensemble
Vocal music
Vocal music is a genre of music performed by one or more singers, with or without instrumental accompaniment, in which singing provides the main focus of the piece. Music which employs singing but does not feature it prominently is generally considered instrumental music Vocal music is a genre of...
based in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Co-founded in 1974 by the organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
and harpsichord
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
players Christopher Jackson
Christopher Jackson (keyboardist)
Christopher Donald Jackson is a Canadian organist, harpsichordist, and choral conductor. A graduate of the École de musique Vincent-d'Indy and the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal, he co-founded both the Société des Concerts d'orgue de Montréal and the Studio de musique ancienne de...
, Réjean Poirier, and Hélène Dugal, the group became an important part of the Early Music Revival
Early Music Revival
See Early music and Historically informed performance for a more detailed explanation of this topic.The general discussion of how to perform music from ancient or earlier times did not become an important subject of interest until the 19th century, when Europeans began looking to ancient culture...
in Montreal during the 1970s. Jackson became the ensemble's sole director in 1988. The ensemble is made up of 10 to 13 vocalists and partners frequently with a variety of professional chamber orchestras made up of period instruments. Since its inception, the group has released a total of 13 recordings, mainly on the ATMA Classique
ATMA Classique
ATMA Classique is a Canadian record label based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1995, the company has over 300 titles in its catalogue and distributes in over 25 countries and on the internet. Several recordings released by the company have won Juno and Felix Awards....
label.
Partial discography
- La Repubblica (2008)
- Rise, O my soul (2007)
- Arvo PärtArvo PärtArvo Pärt is an Estonian classical composer and one of the most prominent living composers of sacred music. Since the late 1970s, Pärt has worked in a minimalist style that employs his self-made compositional technique, tintinnabuli. His music also finds its inspiration and influence from...
: Stabat MaterStabat Mater (Pärt)Stabat Mater is a musical setting of the Stabat Mater sequence composed by Arvo Pärt in 1985, a commission of the Alban Berg Foundation. The piece is scored for a trio of singers: soprano, alto, and tenor; and a trio of string instruments violin, viola, and violoncello; it has a duration of...
(2004, named the Toronto StarToronto StarThe Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
’s CD Pick of the Week) - Heavenly SpheresHeavenly SpheresHeavenly Spheres is an a cappella choral album by the Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal under the direction of Christopher Jackson. Recorded in 1998, it features songs from the late 15th to early 16th century...
(1998, won the Félix AwardFélix AwardThe Félix Award is a music award, given on an annual basis to artists in the Canadian province of Quebec.The first Félix awards were presented on September 23, 1979, by the Association du disque, de l'industrie du spectacle québécois...
from the ADISQADISQThe ADISQ is a nonprofit organization with the mission to help the music industry in Quebec. It was created in 1978....
and a Juno Award in 2000) - Palestrina: Missa "Ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la" (1997, won the Juno Award in 1998)