The Pitt Department of Music's Bach and the Baroque Series Presents First-Known Performance Since 17th Century of Antonio Bertali's "Missa Novi Regis"

PITTSBURGH— The University of Pittsburgh's Bach and the Baroque Ensemble and members of the New York-based Spiritus Collective will give the first-known performance since the 17th century of Veronese composer Antonio Bertali's "Missa Novi Regis" at 3 p.m. March 20 in Pitt's Heinz Chapel. In his time, Bertali (1605-1669) was famous as court composer and master of the chapel to the emperor of Austria; much of his music is now lost.

Written for the Imperial Court in Vienna, "Missa Novi Regis" is scored for eight-part chorus, eight soloists, four baroque trombones (sackbuts), four strings, theorbo, and organ. The members of Spiritus Collective joining Pitt's Bach and the Baroque Ensemble will play the trombones and two of the string parts. The performance will be under the direction of Pitt Professor of Music Don Franklin. Bertali's mass will be sung in the original Latin; it has been edited from 17th-century sources with support from Pitt's Center for West European Studies and the Department of Music. The score and performing parts were prepared by Greg Ingles, the director of Spiritus Collective.

"My interest in this work arose from a dissertation on the Viennese Court written by one of my Ph.D. students, Steven Saunders, several years ago," Franklin says. "It was intended for a space similar to Heinz Chapel, and its scoring suits our group. Of particular interest are the parts for baroque brass, and the trombonists will be the featured players in this concert."

The program also will include a sonata for nine instruments by Bertali, as well as works by 17th-century German composers Heinrich Schuetz, Johann Rudolf Ahle, and Johann Bach, an ancestor of Johann Sebastian Bach.

Bach and the Baroque was founded in 1992 to present the works of Bach and his contemporaries performed on period instruments, with choristers drawn from the University and surrounding community and instrumentalists from the Pittsburgh area and the East Coast. Out-of-town participants in this concert will include vocalists and instrumentalists from New York City, Boston, and Portland, Ore.

Tickets are $10 general admission, $5 for senior citizens, and free for students with a valid Pitt ID. For additional information or to reserve tickets, contact the Pitt Department of Music at 412-624-4125 or 4126 or concerts+@pitt.edu.

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