In our first Pegasus Rising program of 2018, the Ment Consort explores the phenomenon of animal sounds in music from the Baroque. In this fun program, you will hear Schmelzer's "Cu Cu" Sonata and Biber's "Cat, Quail, and the Frog", along with other Baroque animals! The imitation of animal sounds in music has existed for as long as music itself. These imitations were possibly a search for spiritual connection with other beings, an expression of a desire to communicate with animals, a wish to shed human responsibilities and limitations, or simply a playful way for composers to reflect their observations of nature. The Ment Consort is an early music quartet formed in Chicago in 2015 with the intention of exploring the experimental and revolutionary music of the 17th and 18th centuries. Through historical performances on period instruments, Ment considers how baroque composers stretched the boundaries of the instruments, techniques, and musical genres of their time.

[source: Bernunzio Uptown Music website, 2018-May-28]