New York Pro Musica

New York Pro Musica was a vocal and instrumental ensemble based in New York City, which specialized in Medieval and Renaissance music. It was co-founded in 1952, under the name Pro Musica Antiqua, by Noah Greenberg, a choral director, and Bernard Krainis, a recorder player who studied with Erich Katz. Other prominent musicians who joined included Russell Oberlin (the first American countertenor) and Martha Blackman (the first American gambist) and Frederick Renz, who founded Early Music Foundation after Pro Musica disbanded.

The ensemble is perhaps best known for reviving the medieval Play of Daniel in the 1950s, which has since become a popular liturgical drama among early music groups. The group gave its first concert at the New School for Social Research in New York City on April 26, 1953. The ensemble performed in 1960 for the Peabody Mason Concert series in Boston. The group continued after Greenberg's death in 1966 and disbanded in 1974. Greenberg's successor, musicologist John Reeves White, took over the direction of the ensemble in 1966; the last director was George Houle, who tried to bring the group more in line with trends in Europe at a time when the United States was not ready for such changes. Houle went on to teach musicology at Stanford University.

Birth and Death Data: Born Founded 1952, Died Ceased 1974

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1968

Roles Represented in DAHR: Musical group

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca 120213 4/24/1968 Summer is comin' on New York Pro Musica Musical group  
Decca 120214 4/24/1968 Ite missa est New York Pro Musica Musical group  
Decca 120215 4/24/1968 English dance New York Pro Musica Musical group  
Decca 120216 4/24/1968 Sanctus from Mass of Tournai New York Pro Musica Musical group  
Decca 120217 4/24/1968 Nuper rosarum flores New York Pro Musica Musical group  
Decca 120218 4/24/1968 Ja nun hons pris New York Pro Musica Musical group  
Decca 120219 4/24/1968 Nu alerst New York Pro Musica Musical group  
Decca 120220 4/24/1968 O rosa bella New York Pro Musica Musical group  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "New York Pro Musica," accessed March 28, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/333742.

New York Pro Musica. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/333742.

"New York Pro Musica." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 28 March 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/333742

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