Music department raises funds for harpsichord to honor Moore
Janel Shoun |
New music building kicks off $17 M in summer construction
Sporting a sackbut, lute and penny-whistle among many other Medieval instruments, Moore’s Early Music Consort provided many Lipscomb University music students over the years a chance to learn about ancient forms of music that have influenced everything we hear today.
And they certainly appreciated it, because around 200 former members of Moore’s Early Music Consort and choral group Chorale showed up in late April to a reunion concert that served as Moore’s last production before his retirement at the end of the spring semester.
The alumni enjoyed getting back together so much, that after the April 21 performance, they announced they had collected $7,000 toward the purchase of new harpsichord for the university, in honor of Moore’s long-time love of early music and to inspire continued enthusiasm for early music on campus.
“Early music is one of his great loves,” said Marcia Hughes, chair of the music department. “He really made a great contribution to our department in establishing this group. It is widely known and has a large following. It will be really difficult to find someone to fill his shoes and continue to emphasize early music in the department.”
Hughes and the music department are continuing the fund-raising effort for a new harpsichord to be purchased Moore’s honor. The new instrument is expected to cost around $15,000.
If you are interested in contributing to this effort, you can send donations to the Lipscomb Music Department or to the Lipscomb Development Office, earmarked for “harpsichord for Dr. Moore.” The university address is 3901 Granny White Pike, Nashville, TN, 37204.
Moore taught at Lipscomb for 32 years. He directed the Chorale, a choral group similar to today’s A cappella Singers, in the early to mid-1970s, and he established the Early Music Consort in the early 1970s.
The Early Music Consort traditionally performs two concerts each year and sometimes hosts a Madrigal Dinner at Christmas. The ensemble performs music written before the 1600’s or music written in the Renaissance or Medieval style on period instruments.
“It’s a period of music and style that is often neglected, or at least not performed in an authentic manner,” said Moore. “We try to connect it to the historical context, and we perform in the original languages.”
Having directed the group in 10 to 15 different languages through the years, Moore said he was often hunting up his pronunciation guide to teach Middle Eastern, Eastern European and Russian or even African phonetically.
At the Madrigal Dinners, ensemble members would dress in period costumes, and the event usually had a “special guest,” such as King Henry VIII, Christopher Columbus or Elizabeth 1, Moore said.
Moore developed his passion for early music during his graduate school days at the University of Oklahoma. Back then the premiere early music group was New York Pro Musica, and when they performed in Oklahoma, Moore was hooked. He had no formal training in the genre, learning instead by attending workshops, consulting friends, taking private lessons and reading.
With a doctorate in music theory from the University of Oklahoma, Moore did more editing and arranging music than playing himself, he said. He has taught at the Mountain Collegium, held by Western Carolina University, where he sends as many Lipscomb students as he can to allow them work with some of the best early musicians in the nation.
When first established, the consort was a humble group, made up of only eight recorder players, says Moore. Then he added one singer. And then another singer the next year. And then another musician or two. And now, 30 years later, the Early Music Consort ended the 2006-07 school year with 30 members.
At the reunion concert in April, the consort played selections such as “Cabak da Boynuma,” from Eastern European; “Maquam,” an Arabic dance; “Amalia Rosa;” a folk song from Venezuela; “Con El Vito,” Spanish folk song; and “Haec Dies” (This Is the Day the Lord Hath Made), performed with the Chorale.
“I have seen many things change over the years, mostly for the better,” said Moore, who hopes to do a lot of traveling in retirement. “I’ve been part of a very stable department, and my colleagues are all very good friends. I like the personality and spirit of the faculty at Lipscomb.”