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Community Corner

A Joyful Noyse Concert

Beyond Jingle Bells:

Celebrating the Season with Music from the Time of Louis XIV



It’s the time of year when the “music of the season” bombards our ears at every turn. We hear endless loops of Rudolph, Jingle Bells, and White Christmas in every store and in every commercial. On, Saturday, Dec. 7th at 7:30pm, A Joyful Noyse, an early music ensemble in residence at Hancock Church in Lexington, brings us a reprieve from all that with music from 18th century France. Mass for 8 voices, 8 strings and flutes (H. 3) by Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1634-1702) is a work for double choir and period instruments that captures the spirit of the season through Charpentier’s mastery of tuneful, vigorous, and beautiful writing.

The voices for this program will be divided into two choirs, with each calling back and forth to each other and coming together to form a grand chorus. The instrumental forces for this program will include baroque violins, various sizes of viols, baroque flutes, voice flutes, soprano recorders and harpsichord. The instruments will be divided into two orchestras, each supporting one of the two choirs, and positioned to bring out the echoing, or antiphonal, nature of the mass.

Founded in 2001, A Joyful Noyse is composed of professional and amateur singers and players from around the region. It is dedicated to the research and performance of 16th through 18th century liturgical music. In addition, the ensemble provides instrumental support for the Chancel Choir of the church, provides service music and gives several sacred and secular concerts each season. Past performances have included Buxtehude's Passion cycle Membra Jesu Nostri, Charpentier's Messe di Minuit and a joint concert with the Tufts University Chamber Singers which featured Schütz's Christmas Story.

The concert will take place in the sanctuary of Hancock Church, 1912 Massachusetts Avenue in Lexington center, directly across from the Battle Green. Free parking is available in the lot in the rear of the church and on the street. The sanctuary is wheelchair accessible. The concert is free, with a free will donation at the door to support the music programs of the church.

For more information, please call 781-862-4220 or visit www.hancockchurch.org


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