December 05

THE HIGH: THE FORTY PART MOTET BY JANET CARDIFF & “MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE” RENAISSANCE ART & MUSIC AT FLORENCE CATHEDRAL

Posted by Layla on December 5, 2014 in ART | Leave a comment

Described as “achingly beautiful” (The New Yorker) and “transcendent” (The New York Times), sound artist Janet Cardiff’s critically acclaimed installation The Forty Part Motetwill travel to the High in fall 2014. From the collection of The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Cardiff’s The Forty Part Motet is a mesmerizing reworking of a 40-part choral piece by Tudor composer Thomas Tallis (ca. 1505-1585). The installation features the voices of 59 singers (adults and children) performing Tallis’ Spem in Alium Nunquam Habui(1556), which translates to In No Other is My Hope and is perhaps Tallis’ most famous composition. Each voice was recorded separately, and all voices are played back in unison via 40 individual loudspeakers on tripods (one speaker for each choral part). The audio component features a 14-minute loop – 11 minutes of singing and three minutes of intermission.

Cardiff configures the speakers in a large oval, with eight groups of five speakers arranged together (one group each for soprano, alto, tenor, baritone and bass). As visitors wander among them and progress through the work, they hear each distinct voice and also experience different combinations and harmonies. A visitor can stand in the middle of the installation and hear all of the voices as they unify into one musical piece or move close to an individual loudspeaker for an intimate experience with a single voice.

The installation will be on view concurrently with “Make a Joyful Noise” Renaissance Art and Music at Florence Cathedral, an exhibition that explores the relationship between the visual and performing arts and features three marble panels from Italian sculptor Luca della Robbia’s famed organ loft. The organ in Luca’s loft accompanied chants and motets, much like the one that is featured in Cardiff’s piece.As Filippo Brunelleschi’s great dome for Florence Catheral was nearing completion in the 1430s, many important art commissions were awarded to fill its spacious interior. Chief among these was Luca della Robbia’s organ loft, known today as the Cantoria or singing gallery. This exhibition features three marble panels from this Renaissance masterpiece, displayed in the United States for the very first time.“Make a Joyful Noise” reunites the original sights and sounds of Florence Cathedral during the Renaissance by showcasing the reliefs alongside a number of other sumptuous musical objects, including three richly illuminated choirbooks and a specially designed lectern.

Luca della Robbia began his Cantoria in 1431 and completed it seven years later, eventually producing ten exquisitely carved marbles that illustrate the celebratory text of Psalm 150, which encourages worshippers to praise God through music. The panels famously depict jubilant boys and girls singing, dancing, and playing instruments. The Cantoria hung on one of the piers of Florence Cathedral until it was dismantled in 1688.

“Make a Joyful Noise” provides a rare opportunity to view della Robbia’s marbles alongside some of the magnificent objects that originally accompanied them. Considering these elements together provides a renewed appreciation of the multisensory experiences Renaissance Florentines expected from their religious art and sparks new insights into the objects’ interrelationships.

POSSE PHOTOS:

The High Museum

Layla running from the car

Layla heading to the museum

ISabel, Lia & Layla

View of the interior of the Florence Cathedral

View of the interior of the Florence Cathedral

Isabel, Layla, Lia, Laura and Cathy with Bryan setting the stage for the exhibition

Bryan, Isabel, Layla and Lia discussing Della Robbia’s 1st commission- The Cantoria

Text about exhibition

Text about the Cantoria or Organ Loft- this one by Donatello

Della Robbia’s Cantoria based on Psalm 150 with the Psalter for the consecration of the Cathedral

Bryan and the Posse looking at the image of Della Robbia’s complete Cantoria and comparing it to the 3 panels on display

Della Robbia’s 1st panel

Della Robbia panel midway through the 7 year process of completing The Cantoria

Della Robbia’s final panel of The Cantoria

Layla asking Bryan a question

The group taking in the entire image of The Cantoria and words of Psalm 150

The Posse checking out the Psalter

Bryan discussing the Psalter with the group

Layla and Bryan with the Psalter

The group discussing the Della Robbia’s 1st panel and talking about the technique. It is good but slightly crude.

The group discussing Della Robbia’s 2nd panel

Layla, Laura, Lia, Isabel and Bryan with the 2nd panel and noticing how much better Della Robbia progressed as an artist since the completion of the first panel

Layla, Lia and Bryan discussing the 2nd panel

Bryan and The Posse looking at the masterful 3rd panel

The posse noting the complexity of the panel- the layers of people, and the foot of the little kid. Della Rubbia pushed the envelope by carving girls into the Cantoria which would never been allowed. Girls were not allowed to sing in church.

Isabel asking a question about the illuminated manuscript

Laura with Isabel while she makes a comment about the manuscript

Cathy, Layla and Lia marveling at the artwork

Layla and Laura looking at the manuscript

Text about illuminated manuscripts

Text about one of the manuscripts

Bryan, Laura and Isabel

Lia and Layla looking at the cover of the manuscript

Layla and Lia with the manuscript

Lia and Isabel with the manuscript

Layla, Lia, Isabel and Bryan

Layla, Lia and Isabel with Bryan talking about the illuminated “M”

Layla making a comment on the manuscript

Manuscript in the case

Closeup of manuscript

Carved display for psalters. The cathedral flooded in the 1500’s and all of the books stored in the carved bottom portion were damaged. The only ones that survived were the ones at the top on display.