'Three Parts Upon A Ground' to Perform April 9

by Richard Veit

One of England's foremost period-instrument chamber groups, "Three Parts Upon a Ground," will present a concert of early baroque music at 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 9, in Roxy Grove Hall. The concert is the final event on the Baylor University School of Music's 1995-96 Distinguished Artist Series.
"Three Parts upon a Ground" derives its unusual name from a composition for three violins and basso continuo (or "ground") that was written in the 1690s by Henry Purcell. The group is comprised of violinists John Holloway, Stanley Ritchie, and Andrew Manze, harpsichordist John Toll and lutenist Nigel North - all of whom perform with some of Europe's finest ensembles: the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Les Arts Florissants, the London Classical Players, and the Academy of Ancient Music.
Each member of "Three Parts upon a Ground" has dozens of compact disc recordings to his credit, and, collectively, the group released its first CD on the Harmonia Mundi label in 1993. Each performs on authentic baroque instruments.
"Three Parts upon a Ground," says violinist John Holloway, "is an ensemble of equals without a leader. What brings us together is a love of 17th-century music, and of the risks and pleasures of the free-wheeling playing style demanded by the music. As practiced by several strong musical personalities - simultaneously giving full expression to their responses to the music - such playing makes for dangerous and exciting concerts."
Their Baylor concert will feature music of Giovanni Gabrieli, Giovanni Battista Buonamente, Johann Pachelbel, Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber, Alessandro Piccinnini, Johann Heinrich Schmelzer, Henry Purcell and many other late 17th-century composers.
Tickets for the concert by "Three Parts upon a Ground" are priced at $10, but students, Baylor faculty and staff, and senior citizens will be admitted for $6. For further information, call the Baylor School of Music at 755-3991.