The Susato Consort and Baroque Ensemble

The Susato Consort started in a small way in 1967, with a lunch-time recital of renaissance recorder music in Sidney Sussex Chapel. It quickly grew into a full-scale renaissance band, with viol consort, recorders, lutes, shawms, sackbuts, crummhorns, dulzian etc etc, as well as a full complement of singers. Normally we would give two full-scale concerts a year in Cambridge, with smaller recitals, demonstrations, entertainments and so on all over the place. We gradually expanded our range. With portative organ, psalteries, harp and fidel we tackled much of the Ars Nova and monophonic repertoire, while at the other end of the spectrum, we recruited baroque string players and formed the Susato Baroque Ensemble, specialising in Italian and German Baroque. By 1983 we had given some 70 public performances, with some 75 performing members at one time or another, including several who have gone on to professional careers. By 1983 I was finding it difficult to combine being Director with my professional activities, and the group went into retirement. Perhaps one day it will arise once more!

The high point of the Susato's career was certainly our performance of Schutz's Christmas Story in Great St Mary's (the University Church) in Cambridge, with Sir Peter Pears as Evangelist. A brief excerpt from the the opening chorus can be heard by clicking below. One of our specialities was the ensemble music of renaissance Germany, and particularly the Tenorlieder of such composers as Heinrich Isaac, Paul Hofhaimer, and particularly Ludwig Senfl (b.ca. 1490) It is not too fanciful to hear in these sombre, passionate settings something specifically German that can be traced right through, let us say, to Schubert's Winterreise. You can click below to hear part of his setting of Zwischen Berg:

Zwischen Berg und tiefen Tal leit ein freie Strassen:
Wer seinen Buehlen nit haben mag, der muess ihn fahren lassen

The performers are: Elizabeth Wood, soprano; Paul Brophy, countertenor; George Smerdon, tenor; Roger Carpenter, bass
Griselda Sanderson, rebec; Christine Carpenter, alto recorder; Michael Turnbull, tenor recorder;
Sandy MacPherson, lute; Marj Winter, bass viol; Glenn Pollard, sackbut.

And in the Schutz:
Main continuo: Alison Bagenal, viola da gamba; David Pearl, contrabass; Roger Carpenter, harpsichord
Evangelist's continuo: Christopher Gibson, viola da gamba; Mike Smith, positive organ
Violins: Adrian Dunn, Andrzej Grabowski; Recorders: Christine Carpenter, Michael Turnbull
Trumpets: David Cervi, Mark Stollery; Trombones: William Johnston, Glenn Pollard, Peter Spencer
Bass Dulzian: Robert King
Celestial ensemble: Anne Jordan, Charles Burnett, Peter Spencer, viols; Alexander MacDonald, Lute
Sopranos: Christabel Bridge, Anne Grubb; Countertenors: Paul Brophy, Timothy Brown;
Tenors: Simon Beale, George Smerdon; Basses: Simon Preece, Dicky Thomas

Click to hear part of The Christmas Story

Click to hear part of Zwischen Berg

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