Stephan Moss, Music for Virginal, with Rachel Huang, violin

Moss performs on the virginal, a small but versatile sixteenth-century keyboard, often associated with intimate settings and a great variety of rarely heard music of the early Baroque.

Sunday, March 2, 2025, 7 p.m.
Drinkward Recital Hall

Virginal, Italian, 1540, wood, parchment, ivory, paint, 6 1/4 x 55 x 18 1/4 inches (not including case). The Metropolital Museum of Art. © Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.




Introduction

The origins of this evening’s program trace back to my teenage years. After listening to recordings of harpsichord music, I casually mentioned to my father how cool it would be to own a harpsichord. He agreed but left the conversation at that. Undeterred, I revisited the topic, this time armed with a catalog from Zuckerman Harpsichords, makers of harpsichord kits. “Look,” I said, “they offer a small one for just $200, and it can be built in a weekend.” That “weekend” ultimately stretched to three months, but by its end, my father had crafted the harpsichord you see on stage tonight. With my new virginal and a copy of the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book—the largest surviving collection of English virginal music—I embarked on my journey to become a harpsichordist. Over the years, this little instrument has displayed considerable versatility, playing a wide range of music in a variety of settings.


The Instrument

The virginal is a type of harpsichord, a keyboard instrument with plucked metal strings. While the term “virginal” has historically been used to describe various harpsichords, its defining characteristic is that its strings run parallel to the keyboard rather than perpendicular, as in a grand piano. Unlike larger harpsichords, which typically have two or three sets of strings, virginals have only one, making them more compact and affordable. Their construction also results in a distinctive tonal character: a round, resonant bass, a rich and sonorous middle register, and a bright, clear treble. These qualities make the virginal a versatile and expressive instrument, well-suited for both intimate and public performances.

For tonight’s performance, the virginal is tuned in meantone temperament, a tuning system widely used during the period in which most of this music was composed. This temperament enhances the sweetness of common chords and intervals while lending others a sharper edge, with some sounding strikingly dissonant. Composers of the time took advantage of these contrasts to enrich their music.


Virginal Music – Background

The majority of tonight’s program is drawn from the English virginal repertoire. The English Reformation in the 16th century led to a shift in music-making from churches to the homes of the nobility, as monastic houses were dissolved and ecclesiastical music was curtailed. This shift, combined with the influence of Italian and Dutch musicians and composers, fostered a flourishing of secular music, particularly for keyboard and consort ensembles. Much of the surviving virginal repertoire exists in manuscript collections compiled by various scribes. A significant portion of tonight’s program comes from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book, assembled by Francis Tregian while confined to debtor’s prison.


Tonight’s Program

William Byrd (c. 1540–1623) was trained by Thomas Tallis and later became a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal. A prolific composer of both Catholic and Protestant liturgical music, he also produced some of the finest works in the virginal repertoire.

•  Pavana Bray and Galiarda: These paired dances were immensely popular in the Renaissance. The pavane, stately and in duple meter, is followed by the livelier galliard in triple meter. The two often share thematic material. They were eventually supplanted in popularity by the allemande and courante.

•  The Carman’s Whistle: A set of variations on a popular tune sung by carters transporting goods. The original lyrics were somewhat risqué.

•  The Bells: A striking example of variations on a ground bass. While most grounds range from six to thirty-two notes in length, this one consists of just two, allowing Byrd to construct an increasingly intricate texture over its relentless repetition.


Thomas Tomkins (1572–1656) studied under Byrd and served as organist at Worcester Cathedral and later at the Chapel Royal.

•  Barafostus Dream: A set of variations on a melody known by the lyrics, “Come, sweet love, let sorrow cease.”


Jim Fox (b. 1953) studied at DePaul University and the University of Redlands, where he also taught. Founder of Cold Blue Recordings, his music is characterized by slow, evolving repetitions of melodic fragments.

•   for the Virginal…: This piece explores the interaction of two phrases—one in each hand—that repeat with subtle temporal shifts, creating unexpected harmonic relationships. Fox composed and dedicated this work to me while I was a student at Redlands.


Martin Peerson (c. 1571–1651) received his BMus from Oxford in 1613. Though he reportedly wrote many original works for the virginal, only three have survived.

•  The Fall of the Leafe: A brief but expressive piece, perhaps a depiction of the coming of winter, serves as an apt introduction to the subsequent work on tonight’s program.


Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562–1621) spent his career as organist at the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam, where he was not required to play for services but instead to perform twice-daily public concerts. He was known to have attracted many students. His teaching and associations with British exiles provided a strong link between the English virginal school and the Netherlands.

•  Mein junges Leben hat ein End: A set of variations on a melody of probable German origin, likely composed as a pedagogical demonstration of variation techniques.


Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber (1644–1704) was a virtuoso violinist and composer, known for his innovative use of scordatura—alternative tunings for stringed instruments.

•  Mystery Sonata: Part of a set of sonatas, also called Rosary Sonatas, dedicated to the Archbishop of Salzburg, surviving in a beautiful presentation manuscript with copper engravings at the beginning of each piece. Each sonata corresponds to one of the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.


John Bull (c. 1562–1628) studied with Byrd and earned a doctorate from Cambridge. After a scandal forced him to flee England, he settled in Belgium, where he facilitated musical exchanges between England and the Netherlands.

•  Praeludium: A work with a distinctly modal character.

•  Gloria Tibi Trinitas: An example of a popular form in which a plainsong melody is played in long notes in the upper voice while elaborate figurations unfold beneath it.


Orlando Gibbons (1583–1625) was born into a musical family and studied at Cambridge and Oxford.

•  Pavane: This piece emphasizes the instrument’s middle and low registers, bringing a dramatic flair to its stately character.

•  The King’s Hunt: A vivid portrayal of a royal hunt, capturing the thrill of the chase with galloping horses and baying hounds.


Pianist and harpsichordist Stephan Moss was a student of Teala Bellini and Preethi de Silva. He has also studied composition with Barney Childs and is a frequent chamber music collaborator in the Claremont area and accompanist in the violin studio at Scripps College. After receiving a DMA in harpsichord per­formance, he has been active as both an IT specialist and a musician. He has appeared as a soloist with Con Gioia in southern California and the Magic Valley Symphony in Idaho. He has been primarily active as an accompanist and chamber music partner to students and to his colleagues.

Violinist Rachel Vetter Huang has performed locally and abroad with several chamber ensembles: the Mei Duo, the Gold Coast Trio, Trio Lykos and Quartet Euphoria, as well as Duo209 and, with Steve Moss, Studio 209. Holding degrees from Harvard University and SUNY StonyBrook, Huang has been a recipient of grants for performance from both the NEA and the NEH. With her husband, pianist Hao Huang, she has co-authored original research into the performance practice of Billie Holiday. In her 40 years of teaching at various schools and universities, she has the privilege of sharing with her students the legacies of three great teachers, with whom she studied; Ivan Galamian, Dorothy DeLay and Robert Koff, all of them both late and lamented.



HMC is deeply grateful for the generous support that created The Ken Stevens ’61 Founding Class Concert Series.