Jones
brings the "curiously English" to Elizabethan Exhibit
Drew Stewart, posted Nov. 29, 2006
The Ellis Library
Colonnade is packed. People of all ages line the center segment
of the library, which is walled-off for today’s event.
With a crowd of one hundred-plus, one would anticipate the
arrival of heralded politician or a rock star. As the rustle
of the attendants reaches a noisy peak, a figure emerges immediately,
at the front of the crowd. It’s no gleaming rock star,
nor slick politician, but a modest man, tall with light-brown
hair and dressed sharply in a white shirt and slacks. He grabs
a small guitar, nods to the audience, sits down and begins
to play.
This modest man
was none other than MU assistant professor of music theory,
M. Rusty Jones. For the “Music of Elizabethan England”
segment of Ellis Library’s “Elizabeth I: Ruler
and Legend” exhibit on Nov. 15, he played popular 15th
century lute compositions, which he’d transposed to
the guitar. Jones also gave the crowd some background on the
tunes before and after he performed them.
“My two main
loves are talking and playing guitar, so this venue’s
worked out well for me,” Jones said.
According to Jones,
music in the Elizabethan era was divided into two segments:
popular music and “galliards,” or dance music.
The main distinction between the two is the time signature
in which they were played. Popular music was played in 4/4,
“four-four,” whereas galliards were played in
3/4, “three-four,” time. To clarify, most modern
popular music is played in 4/4, whereas 3/4 is the time signature
of waltz music.
Jones’s performance
began with “Greensleeves,” a popular piece which,
although credited to an anonymous author, is believed by many
to have been written by King Henry for Marie Antoinette, he
said. Nearly an hour later, Jones concluded with four songs
by Elizabethan composer John Dowland, whom he cited as the
most prolific song writer of the era, producing over 100 compositions.
“When it
came to lute compositions, no one even came close to the productivity
of Dowland,” Jones said.
As Jones stood
to take his final bow, he was met by jubilent applause by
the standing-room-only crowd.
“I thought
it was a great performance,” said Meghan Decker, MU
junior elementary education major. “I was surprised
how much I liked the music.”
Yet perhaps the
biggest surprise of the night may have come to Jones, who
was met by a burgeoning audience.
“I was worried
that the bad weather would keep a lot people away,”
Jones said, who estimated the turnout to be around 115. “It
was a very pleasant surprise to see so many people come out.”
Talking afterwards,
Jones made a point to note what set the music of the Elizabethan
era apart from that of any other country, something he constantly
referred to as the “curiously English.”
“English
music was unlike any other music of the time, mainly because
England was so isolated from all the other countries,”
Jones said. “In the context of time, they had progressions
no one had ever heard of. This led to the term ‘curiously
English’ that people still use today.”
Jones holds a Ph.D.
in music theory from Indiana University, a Masters of Music
in music theory from the University of Texas at Austin, and
also a Masters of Music in guitar performance from the University
of Akron in Ohio. Jones has published articles in numerous
publications, including the Indiana Theory Review and presented
his work at the 2005 Guitar Foundation of America conference.
Also, Jones is an active performer and has appeared at a variety
of venues around the country, including the Joyce Theater
in New York City.
As for the music
of the Elizabethan era, Jones gives a moving account of a
catalogue that he not only respects greatly, but holds as
a part of himself.
“It’s
just beautiful music that people should really know about,”
Jones said. “It’s very dear to my heart.”
Spoken
like a true rock star.
