Photo by Marco Borggreve
How do ensembles get their names? Here are a few that look to the same time period as that of the music they play.
The Academy of Ancient Music, founded in 1973, borrows its name from the original Academy, founded in London in 1726 for the purpose of performing “old” music, defined initially as anything composed at least a century earlier, but soon to include more contemporary composers, most notably Handel.
Similarly, the Parley of Instruments, founded in 1979, is named after one of the earliest series of public concerts in the world. The original Parley began in 1672 at the home of violinist John Banister. A special aspect of their concerts: audience members were entitled to demand what music they wished to be performed.
The British ensemble La Serenissima, founded in 1994, specializes in the music of Vivaldi and his contemporaries and is named accordingly. In Vivaldi’s time his home, the Venetian Republic, was known as La Serenissima, “the Most Serene Republic.”
Ensemble 415, founded in 1981, has a name meant to suggest historical authenticity. It’s a reference to the lower pitch of the Baroque period. Nowadays the note “A” (the one above middle C) vibrates 440 times per
second. Back then, 415.
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Alan Chapman
Alan Chapman, in addition to his weekday morning program, is also the host and producer of two weekend programs: Modern Times and A Musical Offering.
After receiving his undergraduate degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he earned a Ph.D. in music theory from Yale University. He is currently a member of the music theory faculty of the Colburn Conservatory. He was a longtime member of the music faculty at Occidental College and has also been a visiting professor at UCLA and UC Santa Barbara. His analytical work has appeared in the Journal of Music Theory and in The New Orpheus: Essays on Kurt Weill, winner of the Deems Taylor Award for excellence in writing on music.
Well known as a pre-concert lecturer, Alan has been a regular speaker on the L.A. Philharmonic's "Upbeat Live" series since its inception in 1984. He also works closely with the Los Angeles Master Chorale and Pacific Symphony. His lectures have been presented by virtually every major performing organization in southern California. He has been heard globally as programmer and host of the inflight classical channel on Delta Airlines.
Alan is also active as a composer/lyricist. His songs have been performed and recorded by many artists around the world and have been honored by ASCAP, the Johnny Mercer Foundation, and the Manhattan Association of Cabarets. His children's opera Les Moose: The Operatic Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle was commissioned by LA Opera for its 1997-98 season. Alan frequently appears in cabaret evenings with his wife, soprano Karen Benjamin. They made their Carnegie Hall debut in 2000 and performed at Lincoln Center in 2006. Their recent CD, Que Será, Será: The Songs of Livingston and Evans, features the late Ray Evans telling the stories behind such beloved songs as "Mona Lisa" and "Silver Bells."
