Songs for Supper: An Interview with Kent Otto
by Robin Townsley Arcus

Reprinted from the Urban Hiker, December 2002
(see Urban Hiker on the web at www.urbanhiker.net)
 

INTRODUCTION: Making merry has been a specialty for Kent Otto, organist and director of music at St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Durham. For 20 years he and the church hosted annual English madrigal dinners, complete with horns of wassail and flaming figgy pudding, for as many as 100 people each night. These musical dinners were grand feasts, re-enacting what royalty might have enjoyed in the 16th century. This Christmas the team will reintroduce the madrigal dinner in their new parish hall.

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One of the big things at Indiana University was their annual madrigal dinner. The student union at Indiana was a lot like at Carolina; it had a large room, and each Christmastime they put on this magnificent dinner. To a naive, impressionable young person like me, this was really great! Fine music. Exquisite pageantry. You had to rush down and buy your ticket or they would sell out.

That's the kernel of what we do at St. Philip's. I was hired here in Durham in 1972 as the full-time church musician. After a year I thought that we should have our own madrigal dinner. It would bring together members of the choir who had exceptional talent. And it could become a real rallying point for the congregation.

The term madrigal is from 14th-century Italy. Madrigals are secular songs, poetry set to music. When madrigals re-developed in the 16th century, they were less strict about poetry and more freely composed.

English composers such as William Byrd and Thomas Morley saw how madrigals were of great influence in Italy, so they began writing pieces of their own, in English. These became so popular that royalty would seek out madrigal singers for their entertainment. Perhaps because the royals enjoyed grand meals when they heard this music, madrigals became connected to large feasts.

English madrigals are often centered around Christmas, which is when they were performed in the 16th century. Our current-day madrigal feasts therefore include the old Christmas customs such as the bringing of the boars head, the lighting of the yule log, dressing in 16th-century costume.

We've taken that concept of Christmas and feast and music and developed our own pageantry around it. Our madrigal dinners from the beginning were quite elegant affairs – fine table linens, superb food, the use of utensils. North Carolina State has been hosting a similar function each year, though their dinners are more primitive – using the knife as the only utensil, and more use of the hand for eating. In addition to singing, they include jesters and jugglers and an acted play. Theirs is a really wonderful event. Our main focus is the feast and the singing. Our madrigal dinner is more refined – the food we serve, the formal customs we follow. For us it makes turning a parish hall into a highly decorated palatial space a very interesting challenge.

The timing of the dinner is perfect – during the 12 days of Christmas. People somehow forget that Christmas is not a single feast day, but 12 entire days. The 13th day is Epiphany, the celebration of Christ being manifest into the world, Christ as the light of the world. So we're also including some Epiphany music as well. We're actually being open with the term madrigal so we can include seasonal music that is written essentially in the manner of English madrigals.

In past years we have performed madrigals from the 16th-century period, but this time around I am trying to use concepts from various periods – from early 16th century up to the present. Since the dinner is centered around Christmas, the songs are all seasonally oriented.

Thomas Morley, one of those 16th-century composers, wrote many familiar refrains. You know "fa-la-la-la-la"? He would write such a nonsensical refrain, and have it repeat again and again. "Deck the Halls" is stretching the point, but you see what I'm getting at. Mostly they are light and sometimes even silly songs.

Many of our pieces are English carols: "The Wassail Song," "The Shepherd's Carol," "Bring a Torch, Jeanette Isabella." These are sung a capella, with two voices per part, or sometimes one. It's really a vocal art.

From my adult choir I have eight madrigal singers. The thing that gives me the most joy is the musical part, stretching the singers to their best abilities.

Regarding our dress, when we first started in 1972 I didn't know how to go about getting costumes. Then I learned there was a local theater group doing Gilbert and Sullivan [the Durham Savoyards]. So I went to their costumers and asked what I should do. We began with those cone shaped hats with the lightweight silk flowing from the ends. But we soon realized those were too early. So as we became more knowledgeable we developed costumes prevalent in the actual 16th century.

Now I rely on Nancy Davis as a costumer. There's a group in Durham that actually participates in jousting and other medieval activities. Since Nancy is a part of them, she is very knowledgeable about these times. We've kept the concept of nobility. If you were a performer for royalty in that day, you yourself were finely dressed. Your garments were often studded with jewels to give that sense of elaborate showcase. Gold thread, velvet cloth, brochette. We try to make what we can. Most of the fabric we end up wearing is actually upholstery fabric. We layer the costumes. The young pages and all the men wear tights. Before we made use of theatrical supplies, the men had to go to Sears and ask for ladies' extra-large black stockings. That was always an embarrassment. Twenty years ago it was different. Now you have supply stores. And, of course, hats are worn both by men and women.

The original St. Philip's madrigal dinners ran from 1973 to 1993 – 20 years, a long time. Each year it became more difficult to keep the concept fresh. I always enjoyed the singing, but the food and decorating became a laborious chore. Fifteen years into the event we were still selling out, but in the time beyond that most people had already seen it.

The one thing I have learned is that these are a lot of work. So this time people are designated to oversee various tasks – costumes, table decorating, food preparation, greeting, selling tickets, publicizing. What began years ago as an outlet for our singers evolved into something that involves the entire parish. The youth volunteer as servers and older adults dress the tables.

This has also been a gift to the community. Our parish has purposely remained in our downtown setting. We want to bring people into the heart of Durham. Our church is very active as a social ministry. We have the soup kitchen here on the property. This madrigal dinner also becomes a tool of evangelism, to take the message of Christmas into the community.

In the past, as long as we turned a profit from our madrigal dinners, those monies were returned to the parish. This time it would be great for our profits to go into the urban ministries; however, we need to sell out and first meet our expenses. But giving back is our main goal.

What to expect if you come to our madrigal dinner? First you will assemble in the formal parlor where you will be offered champagne or sparkling cider for refreshment. Then the trumpet will sound, heralding you into the great hall. The new hall will be a glorious sight, all decked out and lit by candlelight. The focus of the room will be our lovely courtyard. Then the singers will come frolicking in from the garden into the hall.

We will begin with the Wassail Cup. Our recipe for wassail is cider and sherry mixed with cloves and oranges. Wassail means wes hail, be thou whole. Or in other words, to your health.

The fresh salad will be dressed with citrus fruit. After salad we'll be ladling out pumpkin soup.

At the serving of the main course the trumpet will herald again and the boar's head will be presented. In the past we had a real boar's head. One of our parishioners would get it from the meat packing company. But now, it seems that the meat packers use the entire head in their processing. So we have a papier-mâché one istead.

Your main course will be a lovely pork tenderloin, perhaps saffron rice, and a vegetable. As far as church dinners go, people usually think of chicken and peas, not medallions of beef or pork, fine sauces, and wine with every course. Here we strive to give the very best. In the past our meals were finished with plum pudding, complete with hard sauce; a very heavy dessert. At one time we actually made it flaming. Some people loved it. But this year we're going to lighten it up. Whatever it is, you will be delighted with a festive presentation.

The person in the tights? He will be the wine steward. He's the senior warden of the church. He will oversee the pouring of the wines.

While you eat, the singers will act as traveling minstrels, serenading you. After the meal the singers will offer about 15-20 minutes of music. And that will close the evening.

Why do we want to resume the dinners? Now that we have our newly expanded building we feel that the time is right to bring back the madrigal dinners. We want to return to that time of fellowship and cheer we all so loved. And I think the community is ready for us again. When it is all said and done, we want to have provided an evening that feels timeless and everlasting.

AUTHOR BIO: Robin Townsley Arcus is a staff member of the Urban Hiker by day and sings with local early-music groups by night. She is also an avid hiker.