For those unable to travel west for The Ballarat Festival of Organ and Fine Music, the opportunity to hear “The Music of the Clock” in Melbourne was not to be missed. Although 3pm on a Thursday might not have been an ideal starting time, St Mary’s Anglican Church was almost full – an indication of the high regard in which members of this ensemble are held and the attractive nature of the program.
St Mary’s might be on a much smaller scale than Ballarat’s St Patrick’s Cathedral but the comparative intimacy of the North Melbourne church seemed an advantage, especially as the acoustic was resonant enough to enable the six voices of Cantus Temporum to carry effortlessly even in the softest pianissimos. Much of the friendly warmth of the atmosphere came from the ensemble’s founder and leader, Matthew Champion, who conducted unobtrusively and gave the singers smiling affirmation at the conclusion of items. Even when a couple of very young members of the audience became a little restless – it was over an hour of music that would have sounded very similar to young ears – and a pink ball rolled down the aisle to join the singers, nobody felt disturbed.
As Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Melbourne and a scholar of note, Champion’s extensive research into how time was made, perceived and experienced from the thirteen to the seventeen centuries provided the foundation for a fascinating musical exploration into the many clocks that have influenced composers ranging from Guillaume Du Fay (1397–1474) to Orlande de Lassus (c.1532–1594). The program notes describe the effect of a clock, whose mechanical bells played the Advent hymn Conditor alme siderum (Dear Creator of the Stars) before the striking of the hour, installed in St Catherine’s monastery in 1321. It was this work by Du Fay that opened the concert, the first of fourteen works following the liturgical year from Advent through Christmas & Epiphany, Purification, Easter, Ascension and Pentecost to The Time of the Saints.
The final group of four pieces began with the only one sung by a solo voice. The Marian Antiphon Ave Maris Stella (an Antiphon particularly favoured by seafarers) featured what was perhaps the most readily recognisable tune of the concert. This melody had been played on the bells of a musical clock (commissioned by the city of Middelburg in 1525) that played Ave Maris Stella on the hour and Da pacem nobis on the half hour. The Antiphon was sung with quiet composure by Quin Thomson, who turned to face the audience as the other singers sat to listen – the only occasion this happened. It was a moment of reverential reflection as the verses unfolded.
As the upper voice for most items, Quin Thomson’s appealing tone, precision and clarity made a major contribution to the success of the concert. Several items beginning with a plainchant introduction from the men – tenors Paul Bentley-Angel and Daniel Thomson, and basses Matthew Champion and Grantley McDonald – would be answered by the upper voices, with Louisa Hunter-Bradley sometimes singing the top line, her mezzo timbre adding a most pleasing richness to the soprano sound. In addition to having voices that enabled listeners to distinguish individual lines where appropriate, all singers were outstanding in their ability to project their voices robustly or merge them to blend in complete accord. They were also consummate musicians.
There was a great deal of variation within the music itself as singers were called upon to sing in various combinations. It seemed that Bentley-Angell had the opportunity to double as an alto, although his refined tenor voice was used predominantly. For the final two works, the splendid Marian Antiphon Salve Regina and Josquin des Prez’ Ave Maria, gratia plena, we heard all six voices – relaxed, reverberant and full, with the latter in glorious unison for a finale that “brings into its ambit all the separate feast days of the Virgin Mary”.
Uplifting as this conclusion to the concert was, it was one of the several works by Antoine Busnoys: Anthoni usque limina (Anthony, even to the limits) that had the most impact for many. The program notes were also of special interest: “This remarkably complex motet is a prayer to St Anthony, a saint identified in images by the bell that he carries. In the manuscript of this work, an image of a bell appears together with instructions about how it is to be rung during the motet.” Standing behind the four singers – the two sopranos, Daniel Johnson and Grantley McDonald – Paul Bentley-Angell struck a chime, seemingly towards the end of each final cadence. The ritualistic effect was mesmerising and moving.
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Heather Leviston reviewed “Music of the Clock” performed by the collective Cantus Temporum at St Mary’s Anglican Church, North Melbourne, on January 16, 2025.
