Celestial sounds

Some of the performers who will seek to fill St. Mary Magdalene with ancient music both haunting and inspiring, on December 9. Left to right: Julia du Prey, holding a troubadour harp; Holly Gwynne-Timothy with a pair of crumhorns; Heather Schreiner holding a vielle; and Jason Hawke with hurdy gurdy.

Ancient music resurrected in unique performance

What does early music mean to you? For some it may refer to Chuck Berry or Tommy Dorsey. Or Mario Lanza perhaps. But for Holly Gwynne-Timothy the love of early music casts her back eight centuries to the mystical allure of the chants and ethereal music found in the churches in the first half of the second millennium.

Gwynne-Timothy is particularly captivated by one particular 12th century character—Hildegard von Bingen— someone described these days as a mystic, philosopher, writer, and Benedictine abbess and composer. It is her accomplishments as a composer of liturgical music based on chants but often featuring melodies that soared beyond the hypnotic otherworldly drone that defined the solemn church music of the era, that holds special appeal to Gwynne-Timothy.

So much so she has devoted much of her life to the study, research and teaching of Hildegard’s music and early pontifical music in general.

On Sunday December 9, County audiences will be treated to a rare opportunity to hear some of this music resurrected and performed live. The concert, billed as Ancient Advent— Through Darkness and Light, will take place in the cavernous and acoustically sumptuous St. Mary Magdalene Church in Picton.

It will feature an array of choral voices accompanied by musicians on Medieval and Renaissance period instruments such as the crumhorn, the hurdy gurdy and viola da gamba.

Gwynne-Timothy is well-qualified to bring this music to life. She has been singing in churches since she was very little. She sang with the world-renowned Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra for more than a decade before becoming immersed in the Ensemble in Residence at the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval studies at University of Toronto.

Here she probed deeply into the music of the period—studying with linguists, religious historians and experts on the cults of saints—all to better understand the music and its inspiration.

“I got to bathe in the knowledge of all the PhD students around me,” is how Gwynne-Timothy describes her seven years with the institute.

It was while with the Pontifical Institute that the famed actor, writer and producer Sir Peter Ustinov sought expertise in early music for a soundtrack for a series he was producing called “Inside the Vatican” documenting the some of the influential people of the Catholic Church and Protestant Reformation. Gwynne-Timothy was the music director for the series soundtrack and ensuing CD release.

“It was kind of neat,” said Gwynne-Timothy. “There they were in Europe contacting us in Toronto for this expertise in church music.”

Gwynne Timothy and her husband, also a musician—they met while in Tafelmusik—live in the County now. Holly was looking for a violin teacher for her daughter and found Ernie Neufeld of Cherry Valley. Ernie and his wife Maryl share a love of early music and perform in a classical Baroque quartet known as Four Play using Baroque instruments. From this shared interest other connections arose.

Soon Gwynne-Timothy had assembled a goodly-sized group of choral singers. She had also become part of the early music community in Kingston.

“I felt ready—I had been in the County long enough, met some singers—maybe I could interest them in singing some of this early stuff. Hildegard through the Renaissance into the early Baroque.”

So on Sunday December 9 the church will resound with ancient music—perhaps music never heard in the church before—filling every nook and apse. Some of this music inspired Christmas carols still heard today, so the timing is fitting.

Gwynne Timothy is thrilled to bring this rich, contemplative and soothing music to St. Mary Magdalene’s.

“When you hear the music is such spaces—you understand where their belief in the heavens came from. It is so celestial and gorgeous.” It is music that must be heard and felt to be truly experienced.