The Salisbury 4 quartet summoned sounds from the medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods, bringing seasonal spirit to East Meadow Library on Sunday.
The concert was an amalgam of Christmas carols, Shaphardic tunes, canzonets, madrigals and motets featuring plucked strings, winds and voices.
The quartet opened the concert with Da Day Dawis. Lutenist Christopher Morrongiello, a Hofstra University professor of music history, recorder player Judith Dansker, a Hostra professor of oboe, and harpist Marcia Young, a founding member of My Lord Chamberlain’s Consort, played the anonymously written piece traditionally performed on Scotland’s Shetland Island at dawn on Christmas.
The Salisbury 4 performed songs from the medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods at their concert for the East Meadow Library on Long Island on Dec. 18. The quartet is, from left, soprano Zahra Brown, recorder player Judith Dansker, lutenist Christopher Morrongiello and harpist and soprano Marcia Young.
(Photo: Joseph Kellard)
Young also sang alongside fellow soprano Zahra Brown, who, as a dance choreographer and co-founder of the Parnassus historical dance ensemble, performed brief dance steps during the program.
Among the other compositions the quartet played were Quando al Rey Nimrod, a Sephardic folk song for oboe, lute, harp and voices, and Canzonetta Nr. 5 by Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583-1643), scored for recorder, lute and harp.
The audience joined in singing during the finale, Silent Night by Franz Gruber (1787-1863), written for voice, lute, recorder and harp.
“You just can’t ask for better musicians and more wonderful people,” said Jude Schanzer, the library’s director of programming, when introducing the quartet.
