They call themselves Anonymous 4. And while the vast majority of Americans haven’t the slightest idea who they are (some people might guess they’re a new mysterious super hero team from Marvel Comics) they have been one of classical music’s most impressive and inspiring groups for nearly a quarter century, with devoted fans who will drive many miles for the chance to experience them in person. Last night, they were practically in our own backyard, singing at Carthage College as part of our Chamber Music Series, which has featured groups like the Juilliard String Quartet and Chanticleer. Anonymous 4 easily stood shoulder to shoulder with any of the groups who have come before them, and in some ways this concert was for me the most haunting and memorable of them all.
Which is not to say that it was the most interesting. One of the decisions Anonymous 4 made from the beginning is that each season of concerts would be given over to a new program which would have a very tight focus on a particular theme. This year’s program, for instance, consists entirely of music found in an extraordinary collection of pieces dating back to the 13th century which was sung by the nuns of a convent in Spain called Las Huelgas (which means “The Refuge.”) So everything we heard was from that collection of music, and while there was some measure of variety, it was nothing like what one finds in the typical choral concert where there is a mix of languages and moods, maybe starting out heavy but finishing out with some light-hearted spirituals. This program, like all other Anonymous 4 programs, is predicated on the possibility that one can become utterly engrossed in a program that is just the opposite of that smorgasbord approach that nearly everyone else adopts, especially in this day and age. And they’re right- when the music itself is this beautiful and this beautifully sung, it can carry you away like nothing else can. And before long, you begin to realize that there is variety in these 25 pieces of music- but it’s subtle and one has to be open to it.
Anonymous 4 sings everything a cappella – no accompaniment whatsoever – so there is a beguiling simplicity in what they do. But in no way is it easy! This early music has none of the predictable, consistent rhythmic pulse that more modern music has, and in fact most of it has only the vaguest rhythmic notation- if any at all- and it is up to the singers to master it and to develop perfect sync with one another. That’s hard enough to do when you’re a barbershop quartet polishing “Hello, my baby, Hello my honey, Hello my ragtime gal. . .” Now imagine trying to develop that kind of blend and togetherness singing chant, with no toe-tapping sense of pulse. Plus there is none of the tunefulness to which we are accustomed and which allows us to remember melodies easily. In short, to master this kind of music has to involve untold, countless hours- and so even if early music is not your thing, you have to admire such excellence. (By the way, I interviewed one of the women on my morning show. Susan Hellauer is one of the charter members of the group, and incredibly, she started out as a trumpet player rather than singer. But during college, she was stricken with Bell’s Palsy and found herself no longer able to play- and only then did she take up singing. And now she’s one quarter of one of the most famous singing ensembles in the world!)
As I walked through Siebert Chapel earlier in the day (on my way back from Einstein’s) I couldn’t help but notice that the chapel was already set up for the concert, with four carefully placed chairs – and I can’t begin to express what kind of excitement pulsed its way through my body. Just seeing those four empty chairs was so exciting! And I am happy to say that the concert more than lived up to the anticipation…… and I am thrilled – and a bit amazed – to say that our students seem to have enjoyed and appreciated this concert far more than I would have imagined they would. The music they listen to for fun is so plugged in and amplified- and often highly manipulated and mixed, as well. It has a throbbing beat – the kind that sets your shelves rattling – and there tends to be almost endless repetition. And it’s loud! This could not be a starker contrast: four unaccompanied, non-amplified female voices – singing in Latin – (and sometimes it was only two or three of them singing at a time) in music that’s between 600 and 700 years old. That they appreciated it- and that most of them loved it- gives me newfound hope for them as musicians.
For me, this concert was special in another way. Right before the concert began, someone came up to me with some rather upsetting news….. nothing I want to go into here, but it basically involved me being passed over for something and this person wanted me to know about it from them rather than hearing about it first hand, which I very much appreciated. But as I sat down just as the concert was to begin, I was feeling a swirl of hurt and resentment. Then Anonymous 4 walked out, began singing, and I found all of those ugly emotions fading into the background – as this beautiful music and exquisite singing took hold of all of us. I’m reminded of something our friend Lance told me after my faculty recital. With tears streaming down his cheeks, he thanked me for singing and said something about how beautiful, heartfelt singing has a way of Ridding Us Of the Poisons that we so often carry with us. That’s what these four angelically-voiced women did for me last night, singing music that surely brought comfort and inspiration to the nuns who both sang and heard this music 700 years ago. To be in the presence of that was a privilege I will not soon forget.
pictured above: Anonymous 4, just as they finished their final Amen of the evening. Their concert was 75 minutes long- without intermission.