The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment which flourished in 16th and early 17th century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio (a public version of the masque was the pageant). A masque involved music and dancing, singing and acting, within an elaborate stage design, in which the architectural framing and costumes might be designed by a renowned architect, to present a deferential allegory flattering to the patron. Professional actors and musicians were hired for the speaking and singing parts. Often, the masquers who did not speak or sing were courtiers: King James I's queen consort, Anne of Denmark, frequently danced with her ladies in masques between 1603 and 1611, and Henry VIII and Charles I performed in the masques at their courts. In the tradition of masque, Louis XIV danced in ballets at Versailles with music by Jean-Baptiste Lully. ^[1]

Development[link]

The masque tradition developed from the elaborate pageants and courtly shows of ducal Burgundy in the late Middle Ages. Masques were typically a complimentary offering to the prince among his guests and might combine pastoral settings, mythological fable, and the dramatic elements of ethical debate. There would invariably be some political and social application of the allegory. Such pageants often celebrated a birth, marriage, change of ruler or a Royal Entry and invariably ended with a tableau of bliss and concord. Masque imagery tended to be drawn from Classical rather than Christian sources, and the artifice was part of the Grand dance. Masque thus lent itself to Mannerist treatment in the hands of master designers like Giulio Romano or Inigo Jones. The New Historians, in works like the essays of Bevington and Holbrook's The Politics of the Stuart Court Masque (1998),^[2] have pointed out the political subtext of masques. At times, the political subtext was not far to seek: The Triumph of Peace, put on with a large amount of parliament-raised money by Charles I, caused great offence to the Puritans. Catherine de' Medici's court festivals, often even more overtly political, were among the most spectacular entertainments of her day, although the "intermezzi" of the Medici court in Florence could rival them.

Dumbshow[link]

In English theatre tradition, a dumbshow is a masque-like interlude of silent pantomime usually with allegorical content that refers to the occasion of a play or its theme, the most famous being the pantomime played out in Hamlet (III.ii). Dumbshows might be a moving spectacle, like a procession, as in Thomas Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy (1580s), or they might form a pictorial tableau, as one in the Shakespeare collaboration, Pericles, Prince of Tyre (III,i)—a tableau that is immediately explicated at some length by the poet-narrator, Gower. Dumbshows were a Medieval element that continued to be popular in early Elizabethan drama, but by the time Pericles (c. 1607–08) or Hamlet (c. 1600–02) were staged, they were perhaps quaintly old-fashioned: “What means this, my lord?” is Ophelia's reaction. In English masques, purely musical interludes might be accompanied by a dumbshow.

Origins[link]

The masque has its origins in a folk tradition where masked players would unexpectedly call on a nobleman in his hall, dancing and bringing gifts on certain nights of the year, or celebrating dynastic occasions. The rustic presentation of "Pyramus and Thisbe" as a wedding entertainment in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream offers a familiar example. Spectators were invited to join in the dancing. At the end, the players would take off their masks to reveal their identities.

England[link]

In England, Tudor court masques developed from earlier guisings, where a masked allegorical figure would appear and address the assembled company—providing a theme for the occasion—with musical accompaniment; masques at Elizabeth's court emphasized the concord and unity between Queen and Kingdom. A descriptive narrative of a processional masque is the masque of the Seven Deadly Sins in Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene (Book i, Canto IV). A particularly elaborate masque, performed over the course of two weeks for Queen Elizabeth, is described in the 1821 novel Kenilworth, by Sir Walter Scott. Later, in the court of James I, narrative elements of the masque became more significant. Plots were often on classical or allegorical themes, glorifying the royal or noble sponsor. At the end, the audience would join with the actors in a final dance. Ben Jonson wrote a number of masques with stage design by Inigo Jones. Their works are usually thought of as the most significant in the form. Sir Philip Sidney also wrote masques.

William Shakespeare wrote a masque-like interlude in The Tempest, understood by modern scholars to have been heavily influenced by the masque texts of Ben Jonson and the stagecraft of Inigo Jones. There is also a masque sequence in his Romeo and Juliet and Henry VIII. John Milton's Comus (with music by Henry Lawes) is described as a masque, though it is generally reckoned a pastoral play.

Reconstructions of Stuart masques have been few and far between. Part of the problem is that only texts survive complete; there is no complete music, only fragments, so no authoritative performance can be made without reconstruction.

The English semi-opera which developed in the latter part of the 17th century, a form in which John Dryden and Henry Purcell collaborated, borrows some elements from the masque and further elements from the contemporary courtly French opera of Jean-Baptiste Lully.

The 18th-century masques were less frequently staged. "Rule, Britannia!" started out as part of Alfred, a masque about Alfred the Great co-written by James Thomson and David Mallet which was first performed at Cliveden, country house of Frederick, Prince of Wales. Performed to celebrate the third birthday of Frederick's daughter Augusta. It remains among the best-known British patriotic songs up to the present, while the masque of which it was originally part is only remembered by specialist historians.

Legacy[link]

Of all the arts of the Renaissance, the masque is the artistic form most alien to audiences today.^{[citation needed]} The most outstanding humanists, poets and artists of the day, in the full intensity of their creative powers, devoted themselves to producing masques; and until the Puritans closed the English theatres in 1642, the masque was the highest artform in England. But because of its ephemeral nature, not a lot of documentation related to masques remains, and much of what is said about the production and enjoyment of masques is still part speculation.

20th century[link]

While no longer popular, there are some later examples of the masque. In the 20th century, Ralph Vaughan Williams wrote Job, a masque for dancing which premiered in 1930, although the work is closer to a ballet than a masque as it was originally understood. His designating it a masque was to indicate that the modern choreography typical when he wrote the piece would not be suitable.

Constant Lambert also wrote a piece he called a masque, Summer's Last Will and Testament, for orchestra, chorus and baritone. His title he took from Thomas Nash, whose masque^[3] was probably first presented before the Archbishop of Canterbury, perhaps at his London seat, Lambeth Palace, in 1592.

List of notable masques[link]

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Ravelhofer, Barbara, (2006), The Early Stuart Masque: Dance, Costume, and Music, Oxford University Press.
• Sabol, Andrew J. (editor), (1959), Songs and dances from the Stuart Masque. An edition of sixty-three items of music for the English court masque from 1604 to 1641, Brown University Press.
• Sabol, Andrew J. (editor), (1982), Four hundred songs and dances from the Stuart Masque, Brown University Press.

External links[link]

• "The Elizabethan origins of the masque"
• Cambridge History of English and American Literature: Popularity of the Masque in the age of Elizabeth
• Cambridge History of English and American Literature: The Masque in Spenser
• Florimène, 1635: the next-to-last masque of the court of Charles I
• "The Masque at Ashby": John Marston's only extant masque, written for the Dowager Countess of Derby's 1607 visit to Ashby-de-la-Zouche, recreated by students
• Elizabethan Authors: Thomas Nash, Summer's Last Will and Testament on-line text and notes
• Masque of Anarchy, A Poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley
• "The Society of the English Masque"

Kenneth Hesketh (born Liverpool, 1968) is a British composer of contemporary classical music in numerous genres including opera, orchestral, chamber, vocal and solo. He also composes music for wind and brass bands as well as seasonal music for choir.

Biography[link]

Hesketh began composing whilst a chorister at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral and completed his first work for orchestra at the age of thirteen. He received his first formal commission at nineteen for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under Sir Charles Groves. He studied at the Royal College of Music, London, with Edwin Roxburgh, Joseph Horovitz and Simon Bainbridge between 1987 and 1992 and attended Tanglewood in 1995 as the Leonard Bernstein Fellow where he studied with Henri Dutilleux. After completing a Masters degree in Composition at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA, a series of awards followed: the Shakespeare Prize scholarship from the Toepfer Foundation, Hamburg at the behest of Sir Simon Rattle, an award from the Liverpool Foundation for Sport and the Arts, and on his return to London in 1999 Hesketh was awarded the Constant and Kit Lambert Fellowship at the Royal College of Music, with support from the Worshipful Company of Musicians.

From 2003 to 2005 he was New Music Fellow at Kettle's Yard and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge where he curated a series of new music chamber concerts. The Fondation André Chevillion-Yvonne Bonnaud prize was awarded to Hesketh at the 2004 Concours International de Piano d'Orléans after a performance of his Three Japanese Miniatures by pianist Daniel Becker.

In 2007, Hesketh took up the position of Composer in the House with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra for two years. The scheme, devised by the Royal Philharmonic Society in partnership with the PRS Foundation, was designed to allow composers the time and space to create new work, and to take their place at the heart of the orchestral community. Hesketh's tenure with the RLPO saw the creation of works for many of the instrumental groups within the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society, from the orchestra^[1] and contemporary music ensemble (Ensemble 10/10, with whom Hesketh already has a thriving relationship) to youth ensembles, chamber groups and choirs. He also took part in teaching and outreach projects in Liverpool and Manchester during the two years.

Musical style[link]

An early enthusiasm for Franco-Russian music of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries was one of the stimuli behind Hesketh's interest in colourful orchestration, and he has always been inspired by the other arts. Several works have their origins in medieval symbolism and iconography, notably three pieces for chamber ensemble: Theatrum (1996), Torturous Instruments (1997-8, after Hieronymous Bosch's depiction of Hell from The Garden of Earthly Delights), and The Circling Canopy of Night (1999). This was Hesketh's first piece to gain international attention. Commissioned by the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group and Faber Music it was first conducted by Sir Simon Rattle and further championed by Oliver Knussen, who has performed many of Hesketh's works. Performances at the Promenade Concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, London (London Sinfonietta) and the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam (ASKO Ensemble) soon followed. The Times described this work as "a glistening whirl of nocturnal colours, [with] a driving sense of purpose and onward movement."^[2]

He is also intrigued by children's literature with a sinister or melancholy streak. His 2000-1 work, Netsuke (from the Japanese miniature sculptures called netsuke) — commissioned by the ensemble Endymion at the request of Hans Werner Henze^[3] — comprises five short movements inspired variously by Saint-Exupéry's Le Petit Prince, Hoffmann's Struwwelpeter, and a poem by Walter de la Mare. Other such works include Small Tales, tall tales after the Brothers Grimm, and Detail from the Record after Japanese folk tales.

Hesketh has described Netsuke as 'intricate and ornate', a description which could apply to most of his works. He favours complex textures, though the transparency of his instrumental writing ensures that every note is clearly heard, and the rhythmic flexibility typical of his style gives his music an improvisatory character. His orchestral work At God speeded summer's end (2000, premiered by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra) has a clarity of texture and orchestral virtuosity. Recent pieces show an interest in what the composer describes as ‘unreliable machines’: short bursts of mechanistic material that repeat, are transformed but ultimately burn themselves out.^[4]

Notable commissions, compositions and performances[link]

Hesketh has received numerous commissions from international ensembles and organisations including the Fromm Foundation at Harvard University, the Continuum Ensemble, a Faber Millennium Commission for the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, the BBC Philharmonic, Hans Werner Henze and Endymion (in honour of Henze's 75th birthday), the Munich Biennale, the Michael Vyner Trust for the London Sinfonietta, an ENO/Almeida joint commission, the 10/10 Ensemble and the Opera Group at the Linbury Theatre, Covent Garden.

His many concert works, including opera, orchestral, chamber, vocal and solo works are published by Schott & Co., London and are performed by leading ensembles and orchestras in Europe and North America. A selection of major works include Two Lapels and a Pocket (from the Overcoat after Gogol) for orchestra, Theatrum for large ensemble, Dei Destini Incrociati for chamber ensemble, Poetic Conceits for piano solo, Detail from the Record for chamber orchestra, Music of a distant drum for Baritone and ensemble, Small Tales, tall tales four four singers and ensemble and At God speeded summer's end for orchestra.

Hesketh’s other works for symphonic wind band have become contemporary classics of the genre. Tuneful and immediately accessible, regular performances of them around the world have led to British, Japanese, American and Canadian commercial recordings. These are published by Faber Music. His seasonal compositions for choir and orchestra are published by Novello & Co.

Recent performances have been given by the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra (Hessicher Rundfunk), the Sudwest Rundfunk (Baden-Baden), the London Sinfonietta, Psappha, the ASKO ensemble, the Continuum Ensemble (Spitalfields festival). Conductors include Sir Simon Rattle, Oliver Knussen, Martyn Brabbins, Patrick Bailey, Philip Headlam, Christoph Mueller, Vassily Sinaisky and Vasily Petrenko. Soloists include violinst Simon Blendis, Clio Gould and Peter Sheppard-Skaerved, oboists Nicholas Daniel, Christopher Redgate and Hansjorg Schellenberger, sopranos Sarah Leonard, Claire Booth and Marie Vassilliou, baritone Rodney Clarke and pianists Karl Lutchmayer, Sarah Nichols and Daniel Becker.

Future performances include Diatoms I-IV (the four horsemen) for the Francoise-Green piano duo, a series of twelve short pieces for piano titled Horae (pro Clara) for the British pianist Clare Hammond and a work for the Seattle Symphony Orchestra titled Knotted Tongues. In 2011 Notte Oscura for piano solo (Peter O'Hagan) was released on the UHR label, Point Forms (after Kandinsky) for Basset clarinet was released on the NMC label (Mark Simpson and Ian Buckle), and Three Japanese Miniatures was released on the Prima Facie label (Clare Hammond). A disk of his chamber music performed by the contemporary music group Psappha will released later this year.

Kenneth Hesketh was made an honorary professor of composition at University of Liverpool in 2008 and is professor of composition and orchestration at the Royal College of Music. He lives in London and is married to the composer Arlene Sierra.

Chronology of important dates[link]

1968 Born in Liverpool

1977 Chorister at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral

1985 Symphony

1987 First formal commission from Sir Charles Groves for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

1992 Now Springs the Spray for soprano and orchestra

1994 Recit. And Aria for Soprano and chamber ensemble

1995 Leonard Bernstein Fellow at Tanglewood

1996 Fromm Foundation commission (Harvard University, USA)

1996 Theatrum for chamber ensemble (Tanglewood/ Fromm Foundation Commission)

1996 Shakespeare Prize scholarship from the Toepfer Foundation, Hamburg

1997 Masters degree in Composition, University of Michigan, USA

1997 Torturous Instruments for chamber ensemble

1998 Die hangende Figur ist Judas for solo cello

1999 The Circling Canopy of Night for chamber ensemble (Faber/ BCMG joint commission)

1999 Award from the Liverpool Foundation for Sport and the Arts

1999 Awarded Constant and Kit Lambert Fellow at the Royal College of Music, London

2000 At God Speeded Summer’s End for orchestra (BBC Philharmonic Orchestra commission)

2000-1 Netsuke for chamber ensemble (commissioned by Hans Werner Henze for his 75th birthday)

2001 After Verdi for chamber orchestra

2001 Detail from the Record for chamber orchestra (Michael Vyner Trust commission for London Sinfonietta)

2002 Notte Oscura for orchestra

2002 Cautionary Tales for clarinet, violin and piano

2002 Dei Destini Incrociati for six players (Munich Biennale commission)

2002 Fra Duri Scogli for six players

2002 Three Japanese Miniatures for solo piano

2002-3 The Overcoat opera in 2 Acts (ENO/ Almeida Opera joint commission)

2003 A Land So Luminous for violin and chamber ensemble

2003 Appointed Professor of Composition and Orchestra, Royal College of Music, London

2003-5 New Music Fellow, Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge

2004 Polygon Window for violin, 2 pianos and 11 percussion

2004 Two Lapels and Pocket (Suite No. 1 from the Overcoat)

2004 Three Japanese Miniatures awarded Fondation Andre Chevillion-Yvonne Bonnaud Prize

2005 Threats and Declamations for chamber ensemble

2005 Three Pieces in the Shape of a Shoe for oboe, bassoon and piano

2005-6 The Doctrine of Affections for chamber ensemble (Britten Sinfonia commission)

2006 Music of a Distant Drum for baritone and chamber ensemble (Spitalfields Festival commission)

2006 Small Tales, tall tales for soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone and chamber ensemble (Opera Group commission)

2006 Poetic Conceits for solo piano

2006 Ein Lichtspiel (after Moholy-Nagy) for ensemble (10/10 Anniversary commission)

2007 Appointed Composer in the House with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

2007 A Rhyme for the Season for orchestra

2007 Like the Sea, like time for Tenor soloist, SATB chorus, Youth chorus and Orchestra

2007 Theatre of Attractions - for chamber ensemble with film

2008 Graven Image for orchestra

2008 The Gilded Theatre for symphonic wind band

2008 Wunderkammer(konzert) for ensemble

2008 Made Honorary Professor of Composition at University of Liverpool

2008 PatterSongs for orchestra

2009 Point Forms (after Kandinsky) for Bassett Clarinet and Piano

2009 La morta meditata (Death meditated upon) Four settings of Giuseppe Ungaretti for Baritone and Piano

2009 La morta meditata (Death meditated upon) Four settings of Giuseppe Ungaretti for Baritone and Orchestra

2010 KLOK for solo percussion

2010 Danceries (set II)

2011 Diatoms I-IV (The Four Horsemen) for two pianos

2011 Sisyphus' Punishment for String Quartet

2011 Knotted Tongues for orchestra

2012 Horae (pro Clara) I-XII for solo piano

2012 Chronicles of the time (Lamentations from Macbeth) for Baritone and piano

External links[link]

• Kenneth Hesketh, Liverpool Philharmonic
• Kenneth Hesketh, Schott Music
• Kenneth Hesketh, Faber Music
• Kenneth Hesketh, Novello & Co.
• Kenneth Hesketh, Royal College of Music
• Kenneth Hesketh, School of Music, University of Liverpool
• Kenneth Hesketh, Royal Philharmonic Society Composer in the House
• Kenneth Hesketh website