Eastern Student Hannah Nilsson of Ledyard Performs in "Magnificently Mistaken" Concert

2017 Nov 29

The Concert Chorale and Chamber Singers at Eastern Connecticut State University performed their premier concert of the fall semester, "Magnificently Mistaken," on Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the Concert Hall of the Fine Arts Instructional Center. Conducted by David Belles and Sarah Kaufold, the three-part performance featured musical compositions that are cloaked in mystery; with misleading twists and mistakenly developed histories.

Hannah Nilsson '18 of Ledyard was one of the singers that participated in the concert. Nilsson majors in Music and sang the soprano vocal part in the concert.

"An aspect of singing is the opportunity to explore the manner in which our voices respond to other voices and across physical space," wrote the conductors. "Featuring poly-choral pieces and ambient sounds, we have the opportunity to discover how some mistakes in music can be simply magnificent."

Part one of the show featured pieces focused on the concept of "home." Among them are "I'm Going Home," selected from the Sacred Harp (1844), followed by "Kodutee," which speaks of bridging the gap between life and death. "Yonder Come Day" closes part one with several traditional tunes that signify the "ultimate destination and resting place."

The second part of the concert opened with "Tres Cantos Nativos Dos Indios Krao," a composition of freely based melodies sung by the Krao tribe of the Amazon forest of northwestern Brazil. The sounds of a virtual rainforest enhancing the three short melodies, which happen to have unknown meanings.

Another piece, Gregorio Allegri's "Miserere Mei, Deus," was developed over the ages through a series of mistakes. Once considered a favorite of the Vatican, the Pope forbade anyone from transcribing it. In the 1830's the pope was defied by a composer who mistakenly transcribed it at a much higher pitch, then subsequently printed it in the New Grove Dictionary. "The result was a melding of the original version with a passage of high notes, creating the most famous and moving passage of the song," wrote the conductors.

The concert closed with a collection of choral movements by Mozart ripe with historical confusions. Three were written for historic mass ceremonies. Revolving around the selections is a "spirited controversy as to how they fit into the canon in terms of form and function."

Chamber Singers is Eastern's premier vocal ensemble and consists of 20-25 auditioned singers. Repertoire performed by Eastern Chamber Singers encompasses chamber music from more than four centuries.

The Eastern Concert Chorale is the largest vocal ensemble at Eastern and focuses on choral and orchestral masterworks, as well as shorter choral selections. The Music Program at Eastern supports a variety of musical ensembles, small and large, classical and non-classical. Eastern's ensembles are open to all students, regardless of major, symbolizing the liberal arts mission of Eastern.