CLASSICAL / 2017-2018
Cantus
PERFORMANCE / DEMONSTRATION
So, What’s Going On?
Meet Cantus--eight men who use their voices to make a big sound and an even bigger impact within the music community.
Cantus (pronounced CAHN-toos) is a choral chamber ensemble committed to creating excellent and meaningful music for its audiences. With such a small number of singers, you might be surprised at how the group can fill a room with sound. But rest assured, they do this by performing mostly a cappella singing (singing without musical instruments), although occasionally singers are accompanied by percussion or an acoustic—as in, not electric—instrument.
With less than a dozen singers, and little or no instrumental accompaniment, each singer must be on his “A game” at all times—perfectly in tune, rhythmically accurate, and matching the energy that each song requires. The members of Cantus accomplish this with a shared goal of musical excellence and a commitment to one another.
Cantus performs choral singing, where most often the goal is to create one sound, or a single “voice” that emerges from the group. That doesn’t mean everyone sings the same part, but rather, that the audience hears the ensemble rather than eight individual voices. Even when a soloist is featured, he’s supported by the other members as a unified force. From classical to folk to pop music, Cantus does it all.
The group was founded by four students at St. Olaf College in Minnesota in 1995. The group eventually grew in order to be able to perform the choral classic Ave Maria by Franz Biebl. It’s become one of their signature pieces.
You can listen to Cantus sing Ave Maria here:
But Cantus isn’t all “classical business.” One of its goals is to spread the joy of singing, whether that’s through traditional classical music, American folk standards, or modern compositions. And they don’t take themselves too seriously, either. Watch this parody of Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’s song “Thrift Shop,” which the group renames “Barbershop”—rap and all!
So What’s a Chamber Ensemble?
The mention of chamber music might bring to mind a small group of instruments, like a string quartet, and rightfully so. Chamber music is traditionally associated with a group of instruments where, rather than multiple instruments playing a part (like in an orchestra), each instrument carries a part by itself. And just like instrumental music in a choral chamber group, the group of singers typically sing an individual part, as opposed to a choir, where multiple voices per part are present.
Cantus is more than just a performing group, however, as they routinely share their love of music in concerts for adults and young people alike. The group is also heavily involved in educational outreach, providing guided performances that draw on repertoire from modern Grammy®-winning composer and choral conductor Eric Whitacre to international folk music.
In this performance and demonstration, Cantus takes their audience on a trip around the world while telling the story behind each of the songs. The program will include some of the following repertoire:
“There is a Meetin' Here Tonight” by Joe Gilbert and Eddie Brown
“Hotaru Koi” Japanese folk song arranged by Ro Ogura
“Lux Aurumque” by Eric Whitacre
“True Colors” by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly
“As One Sky” by Paul John Rudoi
“Simple Gifts” American folk song arranged by Stephen Caracciolo
“Yonder Come Day” American spiritual arranged by Paul John Rudoi
In addition, Cantus will add a couple of Christmas tunes to the concert, as well as a Question and Answer session. Have your questions ready!
Who’s Who
The word “cantus” comes from the Latin word cantare for “a song or singing.” In the history of music, the term “cantus” refers to a kind of church singing called chant, where there is a single line of melody. It was later used to refer to the melody line (specifically called the “cantus firmus”) of a choral work in polyphonic style, where two or more independent lines of music occur at the same time, creating a “thick” musical texture. The definitions might seem like opposites—a single melody versus a complicated composition—but they’re a perfect juxtaposition for the breadth of musical abilities that Cantus features. Each singer is an accomplished and respected musician individually, but together they create music greater than the sum of their individual voices.
Cantus is one of the few full-time vocal ensembles in the country. The group proves that making music can be a day job by rehearsing, performing, and professionally instructing 46 weeks out of the year. Cantus performs with no conductor; instead, the members perform as a true chamber ensemble, each an integral part of the group’s vocal dynamic. From choosing songs to interpreting the music, to rehearsing, each singer leaves his fingerprints on the music they present.
The members of Cantus are: Jacob Christopher, tenor Zachary Colby, tenor Adam Fieldson, tenor Chris Foss, bass David Geist, baritone Matthew Goinz, baritone Samuel Green, bass Paul Scholtz, tenor
What Makes Cantus Different
Since there isn’t a conductor leading Cantus, one singer in the group is assigned the role of “producer” on each piece. He’s responsible for its interpretation, rehearsal schedule, and what you might call “quality control”—all the tiny parts of a piece of music that impact its effect. This can include tempo, rhythm, note tuning, and any one of the other pieces of the song’s musical pie. The producer doesn’t do this in isolation, though, he welcomes and counts on feedback from his fellow singers. This collaborative style is unique to the group—many other ensembles have a leader or conductor—and the group believes it allows them to be more flexible, try new things, and bring many different voices to the table.
Another unique quality of Cantus is that they seek out contemporary composers to write the works that they perform. Cantus frequently plans programs centered around a theme with a social message—one past theme focuses on the sacrifices of soldiers—and by commissioning new music related to social themes, Cantus opens up conversations that give their music an impact beyond the stage.
See how Cantus tackles modern issues in a recent program, Alone Together:
Check This Out…
Cantus is a group of male singers whose members make up each of the three major male “voicings,” a term that explains how high or low each singing part’s musical notes are in relationship to one another. Male singers are voiced as either tenors, baritones, or basses. In a larger chorus, all of one voicing might sing the same part; for example, often the tenors all sing the melody. But in a chamber group like Cantus, each singer has a unique part, which results in a full and vibrant sound.
Tenor voices are higher than most other male voices (the countertenor, not found in Cantus is voiced higher than tenor), falling somewhere between a female alto and a male baritone and bass.
A baritone is a male voice whose range falls between the tenor and bass voices. The name “baritone” comes from a Greek word meaning deep or heavy sounding.
Bass voices have the lowest range of any voice type. Bass voices often provide chordal and harmonic support to the vocal line, much like a low-pitched instrument such as a string bass or tuba.
Cantus performs without a conductor. When you watch them perform, what methods do the singers use to create one vocal sound? Look for eye contact and body movements, including how the group starts and stops vocal selections and how and when the singers breathe.
A cappella music is group or solo singing that has no instrumental accompaniment. When Cantus sings a cappella, how do the voices “fill in” the places where instruments might support the voices (hint, do you hear any long, held notes)? Compare Cantus’s a cappella rendition of Simple Gifts to the accompanied version by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. What are the similarities and differences between the performances? Cantus:
Mormon Tabernacle Choir:
Think About This…
One of the most unique parts of Cantus is that, along with performing classics and folk music, the group commissions modern artists to write original music for them to sing. In doing this, they have a unique ability to perform songs that tackle important modern topics and issues, including the sacrifices of soldiers, stewardship of the planet, and connection in the age of technology. They call this making music about “shared human experiences.” What human experiences do you hear about in their music? Is it only newly written pieces that can make an impact in this way, or are there shared human experiences in the classics, too?
Part of the mission of Cantus is to spread the joy of singing. How does this come across in their performance? Can joy in an artistic form (like singing) be present even when the subject of a song is serious or upsetting? What do you think?
How do you compare the kind of group singing Cantus performs with the singing you’re familiar with? Is there simply a variance in the type of music or is there something more that makes Cantus different?
Take Action: Share Your Voice
The mission of Cantus is to engage audiences in meaningful musical and human experiences, especially through collaboration—working together. Think of a way that you come together with others to give a voice to shared human experiences. It could be, like Cantus, through music, or perhaps you collaborate through dance, or visual art, or even serving others.
Take a picture or video of how you share your voice and post it to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Snapchat, or any other platform. Make sure if other people are part of what inspires you that you have their permission to include them in your post. Then, tag five friends and ask them to share their inspiration. Use #shareyourvoice as your hashtag.
Explore More
Go even deeper with the Cantus Extras.
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All photos by Curtis Johnson.
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The Fortas Chamber Music Concerts are supported by generous contributors to the Abe Fortas Memorial Fund, and by a major gift to the fund from the late Carolyn E. Agger, widow of Abe Fortas.
Additional support for Events for Students is provided by A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation; the Kimsey Endowment; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; and the U.S. Department of Education.
Major support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by David and Alice Rubenstein through the Rubenstein Arts Access Program.
Kennedy Center education and related artistic programming is made possible through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts and the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts.
© 2017 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts