La Fiocco:

An Ethnographical Study of a Baroque Chamber Ensemble

Zachary Beeksma
Westminster Choir College of Rider University

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Introduction
In this study, I set out to explore an early music ensemble in the Princeton area. Anecdotally, I
had believed that a chamber ensemble of this nature would at most fill a niche societal role, and that
perhaps I would find this genre irrelevant. However, as I began to delve into the world of early music, I
found that rather than declining into obscurity, early music ensembles have proliferated in recent years
(Clark, 1995). Perhaps, with the recording of the Tallis Scholars and other fine ensembles, the early
music specialist is increasing in relevancy. Whatever the cause, I found that numerous early music
ensembles flourish in Central New Jersey.
I began to explore groups that were affiliated with the Guild for Early Music. This consortium of
early music ensembles was founded in 2004 and exists to promote and support the performance of
early music in Eastern Central Pennsylvania and Central New Jersey. The guild itself includes over 20
ensembles ranging from amateur to professional, and while many meet regularly to rehearse, others
meet only immediately before a concert. The majority of early music performances that I found within
the Princeton area were put on by members of the guild. While the members of the Guild for Early
Music are certainly not an exclusive list of early music ensembles in the area, and dont include any
collegiate ensembles, I felt that this list comprised a fairly representative selection.
I was particularly struck by a Baroque chamber ensemble, La Fiocco, and decided to solely
focus my study on this group. This professional ensemble consistently performs throughout
Pennsylvania and New Jersey. La Fiocco is a somewhat fluid group of musicians built around a core
ensemble of five members. The group performs 17th and 18th century chamber and solo music on period
instruments and gives performances both at events sponsored by the Guild for Early Music and at other

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events. The purpose of this ethnographic study is to describe the culture and rehearsal and
performance practices of La Fiocco. Specifically I am looking to discover:

What this ensemble views as their role in society

What, if any, characteristics this ensemble has that are unique among similar groups?

What, if any, other types of music making the performers take part in, and how those
experiences influence their relationship to the group?
In my research, I found that one of the most distinctive characteristics of early music ensembles,

the idea of historically authentic performances, is surprisingly fraught with conflict. Indeed, as the early
music movement took off in the late 20th century, performers were very interested in recreating music
exactly as it had been performed originally. However, some performers and musicologists argued that
perhaps the composers true intentions could not be replicated through study of previous
performances. Richard Taruskin argues that one must let the music speak for itself. That is, that
humanity will never be able to fully reconstruct the myriad variables that constituted a historical
performance, and that we ought to allow our informed understanding of the music to create something
new and likely more akin to the composers intention (1982). However, even among his
contemporaries, Taruskins attitude does not represent the only point of view. Dreyfus points out that
while some consumers of early music appreciate there is an authenticity to be found in informed
modern interpretations, others feel that the meaning of the music is changed. Dreyfus argues that
when we consider the aesthetic of some composers, Bach for example, attitudes can suddenly become
strong; either one performs with Bachs intentions or against them (Dreyfus, 1983).
One of the defining characteristics of many early music ensembles is the use of period
instruments. The use of which can be much more complicated than one might expect. For example, it is
common to see early music ensembles using harpsichords and recorders, but what about using gut
strings and convex bows rather than their modern equivalents? Some might argue that had early

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composers had these inventions at their disposal, they would have preferred them. However, in his
liner notes to his recording of the Brandenburg Concertos, Hindemith challenged this position.
We can rest assured that Bach felt quite happy with the vocal and instrumental stylistic media at
his disposal, and if we are anxious to present his music has he himself imagined it, we must
restore the conditions of performance of that time. It is then not enough to use the harpsichord
as a continuo instrument. We would have to string our bowed instruments differently; we
would have to use wind instruments with the same bore as was usual at that time (as cited by
Somorjay, 2000).
In todays performing world, it is common to use many historical instruments. In fact, there are a
multitude of articles readily available regarding the use of these instruments, best practices in
performance, and stylistic considerations. However, it is most common to find a combination of modern
instruments and historical instruments, which demonstrates a blending of old and new in a modern
early music performance.
In many ways, the performers in a modern baroque chamber ensemble live in two musical
worlds. While their performances on period instruments have similarities to traditional classical western
training, they do present striking differences. Therefore, these musicians must become bilingual. In
his discussion of bi-musicality, Baily recognized that fluency in both early music and modern western
music may fall under the same categorization as dual fluency in more dichotomous genres (Baily, 2001).
Indeed, Early Music performance presents an opportunity to explore Early Music as a creative living
tradition rather than as an inevitably imperfect mirror of lost cultures (Shull, 2006). Perhaps, music
written hundreds of years ago still has some relevancy in todays society, or todays society has some
need for music from hundreds of years ago.

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Research Methods
I spent time with the members of La Fiocco over the course of approximately two months. I
observed the group both in rehearsal and in concert and conducted interviews. I observed two
rehearsals and two performances for a total of approximately 11 hours. The first rehearsal that I
observed was for a concert that same evening, which I also attended. The second rehearsal was the
night before their performance at the Guild for Early music event at the New Jersey Grounds for
Sculpture. I interviewed three core members of the ensemble for forty-five minutes to an hour each.
Even though La Fioccos performers at any given concert vary depending on the repertoire, all of the
ensemble members I interviewed participated in each of the concerts and rehearsals that I attended. In
addition to performing in the ensemble, one of the participants I interviewed also serves as the groups
artistic director. All of the names used in this paper have been changed. I will refer to the artistic
director as David, the countertenor I interviewed as Jonathan, and the harpsichordist I interviewed as
William.
In this study, I used multiple sources of information to triangulate my data, including persistent
observations and prolonged exposure to the group, multiple interviews, and looking at artifacts such as
written programs and the groups website. In an effort to increase trustworthiness I have subjected my
study to peer review and submitted a draft of my paper for member review.
Themes
Early Music Musicians or Just Musicians
A gravel driveway wound through the retired farm leading up an old stone barn. The sounds of
baroque chamber music drift through the open window and mingle with the sounds of nature. It is late
afternoon on an autumn Sunday, and Im struck by how this scene could easily have taken place
hundreds of years ago. The sounds of the harpsichord, viola de gamba, recorder, and baroque bassoon
resonate inside the loft of a barn built in the late 1700s. With the exception of our cars and modern

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dress, we could easily feel as if we were transported back in time. Perhaps today, La Fiocco will even
recreate a scene that these walls have heard before, the sound of a countertenor singing an English art
song newly brought from across the Atlantic, mingling with the sounds of the lute, or the smooth sound
of the recorder and voice flute mixing with the harpsichord.
One might think that the performers who would work in the above scene might work as
specialists in early music, and that nearly the entirety of their professional careers might focus on
recreating the affect of Baroque music, and on learning to use period instruments. However, for this
group of musicians, with the exception of David, the artistic director, La Fiocco is not their primary
musical endeavor. All of the members that I interviewed, and one that I listened to during an
observation, have studios of students. In addition to teaching fairly large studios, both William and
Jonathan also are church musicians. They each direct the church choirs and play organ at two respective
churches in Northern New Jersey. Members of La Fiocco, including David, perform professionally in
other situations. They perform solo repertoire and gig with other ensembles. In addition to church
work, and occasional gigging, some members have other professional ensembles that they perform with
regularly. While performing early music fills only part of their musical palate, these musicians do not
seem to have difficulty switching between the styles and/or musical demands of different genres. As
Jonathan explained,
Im a musician. I happen to mostly sing early music, but as an accompanist, as a pianist, as an
organist, as a church choir director, no, I dont strictly perform, or know about, or teach, or
enjoy early music. I do all kinds of [music].so, no, I dont consider myself just an early music
musician (personal interview, November 12, 2013).
The performers that work with La Fiocco can vary from concert to concert. I noticed this in the
two concerts that I observed, and in the countertenor concert that I discussed with the artistic director.
A core group of musicians perform in the majority of the concerts, and the artistic director expands his

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forces as needed beyond that. This core is built around the continuo group, specifically harpsichord and
cello or viola de gamba. Additionally, the performing forces regularly include violin, recorder,
countertenor, and baroque bassoon. Many of the additional musicians beyond the core group work
with La Fiocco on a semi-regular basis.
Each of the participants that I interviewed spoke about how the members of this ensemble all
have a personal connection to the artistic director. He brings in musicians that he makes a connection
with in another context. He makes an effort to make sure that the group works well together, and will
try out new musicians for a time to make sure that they work well with the other members of the
ensemble. As William points out in a comparison with another professional ensemble he is a part of, the
personal connection and close working relationship plays an important role for La Fiocco.
[West Jersey Chamber Society] is a group of people that are hired by the director on a
contractual basis, that he knows and trusts, but nobody else necessarily knows each other. But
[David] takes great pains to bring in people he knows will work well together already. He knows
that we know each other; that we work well together, and we trust each other (personal
interview, November 23, 2013).
Collaborative Rehearsals
During rehearsal, La Fiocco spends much of their time reading literature. A typical rehearsal of a
piece seems to rely largely on the musicians fixing their own mistakes and making many of their own
artistic decisions. As several of the participants stated, preparing a piece begins with the group reading,
then making note of any issues that arose, either with the written music or with other technical issues
that need to be resolved. The group will then read the piece again, applying the things they talked
about. Afterword, the musicians are responsible for developing the piece individually.
Then people have to go off and learn the notes on their own. Well talk about articulation and
phrasing and what kind of ornamentation to use, and of course the first thing is whats the

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affect of the piece?...use that as a framework to learn the music (David, personal interview,
November 2, 2013).
During my interviews, participants talked about how David would make sure that the group was on the
same page with the feeling and affect of a piece. As he explained,
People that work with me know that I do a lot of metaphor, I always try to relate it to some sort
of visual thing, and it can be kind of wacky, a sort of program of the piece. I try to figure out
what that is. Theres an examplesome of the Buxtehude trioshave this very sort of religious
feeling.and you can almost picture a very cold winter day and a very young choirboy with a
very big book, and hes trying to struggle to put it right in place and remember what page to
turn to and make sure those huge candles are litSometimes people are like OK, I can see the
image, and other times they just roll their eyes and say OK, there he goes again, but I think
that getting you people on the same page in terms of the affect brings a deeper dimension of
polish to the music (personal interview, November 2, 2013).
The close working relationships and sense of trust that David takes care to develop in La Fiocco
play an important role in the way the group rehearses. As the artistic director, David still acts in a
leadership position, however, he often allows the group to come to a consensus for artistic decisions.
This can occasionally lead to disagreements among the players, and can add some tension to the group
dynamic.
But whats challenging about the rehearsals is that sometimes people have differing opinions
about how the music should be. [David] and [Leslie] are very talented and strong-willed people
and so [when] one of them has a very strong passionate feeling about this thing, and one of
them might have a passionate feeling about the opposite thing. So it can get a little heated at
times, but everything gets reconciled by the concert eventually (William, personal interview,
November 23, 2013).

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Interestingly, the group seems to feel that character of La Fiocco is worth this slight amount of discord.
Im not sure whether this is related to the nature of being a chamber ensemble or is something more
specific to La Fiocco, but not being a complete dictatorship as David put it gives the group a certain
vibrancy and promotes individual creativity.
Connection to the Audience
At the annual Guild for Early Music event at the Grounds for Sculpture, just outside the city of Trenton,
crowds of spectators mill about, taking in the juxtaposition of post-modernist art and sculpture and the
sounds of Baroque music played on period instruments. In the midst of a typically post-modern exhibit
hall, with its vaulted ceilings, exposed metal rafters, and nearly industrial makeup, the members of La
Fiocco perform music from a time more than three centuries past. This contrast speaks beautifully to the
dichotomy of new and old, and perhaps says something out the timelessness of high art.
The opening phrases of La Fioccos mission and vision statements clearly indicate the
ensembles emphasis on connecting to and broadening their audience. They state, Our mission is to
introduce people of all ages to the music of the Baroque and early Classical eras, and La Fioccos
vision is to reach a wider audience base, improve our community outreach (La Fiocco, 2013).
However, both by participants description in interviews and my observations of concerts, I found the
primary audience members of La Fiocco are middle to upper class, white, and aging. As La Fiocco is
based in Bucks County, this makes some sense, as that fits with the demographic makeup of the area. I
also found that, at least for me, this fits with my preconceived notions about who might be interested in
taking in a Baroque chamber concert. Perhaps this also demonstrates something about societys
attitude toward early music, and evidence of the niche nature of early western art music in todays
culture.
On the other hand, as the tickets for La Fioccos concert are relatively expensive, pragmatism
rather than interest on the part of the audience member may decide who comes to take in their music.

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During my observation of the Guild for Early Music event at the Grounds for Sculpture (referenced in the
vignette above), I did see a somewhat more diverse audience group.
One of the participants that I interviewed talked about how he felt many of the audience
members were friends and family of the group. I found this to be somewhat of an outlier compared
with what I observed and what the other two interviewees discussed, but there may be an underlying
personal connection with the audience members. Perhaps the audience gets introduced to the group
through friends, and the makeup of the audience ends up being only one or two degree of separation
from the performers.
Pandering to a privileged, limited audience does not fit with their goals. Perhaps in part as an
effort to remedy that; certainly in fitting with their emphasis on education, La Fiocco is in the beginning
stages of putting together an outreach program to the public schools system.

Early Music in Todays Society: Filling an Educational Role

I think that any ensemble that performs art music fulfills an educational rolethat anyone that has the
capacity to present really good musicIm talking about art music, sophisticated music. Anyone that has
the opportunity to present that to a largely uneducated populous fulfills an educational role (Jonathan,
personal interview, November 12, 2013).).
La Fioccos desire to connect with their audience, and to inform and educate them, seems largely to
guide and motivate the group at this point. Their mission to introduce people of all ages to music of
the Baroque and early Classic eras, speaks to their desire to connect with their audiences. They clearly
make the focus their audience, rather than themselves, or even the music.
you have to make everybody feel as if theyre a stakeholderone of the groups that I admire
greatly is Brandywine Baroqueand what their artistic director doesis really draw everybody

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into being a stakeholder. So if you go to one of these concerts, you really feel that things are
aimed at you (David, personal interview, November 2, 2013).
In addition to drawing the audience in, David made it clear that he wants them to be able to understand
the music that they are taking in, to give them a context to understand the music in.
We try to focus a lot on the cultural context of the music, and as a historian, I think its very
important, especially for people today, to have things within a cultural or historical context. For
example, the music of the Jane Austen era doesnt really mean anything unless someone know
who Jane Austen is and the customs of that period. So [we] try to bring our audiences into that
(personal interview, November 2, 2013).
I observed this in action in the first concert I attended. Before each set of pieces, either David, or one of
the other members of the ensemble introduced the composer, the time period, and/or the unique
period instrument that they were using. Almost a fourth of the total concert time was spent talking with
the audience about composers and pieces and demonstrating the period instruments that they were
performing on. While this particular concert does demonstrate the point that connecting to and
instructing the audience is important, David does not organize all of his concerts in this pseudo-lecture
concert style, but often puts together extensive program notes.
I think that its very clear that his [Davids] concept and his vision for La Fiocco is to both serve
the larger arts community, to engage local musicians and give them opportunities to perform
and work, but also it is to educate and inform the public. I think that any of us who have the
capacity, the venue, the means, as it were, of presenting this kind of music to people fulfills that
educational roleand if its not going to come from our schools, it has to come from
somewhere. I take that very seriously, and even when I present concerts that Im in charge of, I
always make sure that my program notes are very informative but accurate and clear. I always
say that Im writing my program notes for my teacher and my mothermy motherloves music,

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but shes not very informedI try to write things so that shell understand it and so that my
teacher will look at me and say this is accurate and very well writtenso education in that way
becomes very importantIts a goal, and I think its a goal of any professional classical musician.
This commitment to their audience members comes up in many aspects of La Fioccos culture, and may
help guide their performances and preparation.

Scholarship
In many ways, La Fioccos emphasis on educating their audience, and creating a meaningful and
enriching concert experience for the audience member creates a need for an impeccable level of
scholarship.
La Fioccos primary mission is to educate audiences, more than entertain themThe reason we
do all that research is for this purpose, so that the people that are coming to the concert learn
about this rich tradition that were coming out of, that its not just some abstruse piece that we
found that we like because were intellectualsbut there are reasons behind itI guess we want
our audiences to know more. We want them to expand their palate (William, personal
interview, November 23, 2013).
Each of the members of La Fiocco that I spoke with brought up Davids program notes. Both Jonathan
and David clearly perceived a different level of scholarship in the written notes of La Fiocco compared
with some concerts put on by similar ensembles that they attend.
I sometimes read program notes that are so light, that I almost wonder, Why did they bother
writing it?I sometimes wonder if the group of whoevers writing them doesnt know what
theyre talking about either, so we try to focus a lot on the cultural context of the music (David,
personal interview, November 2, 2013).

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I feel like if you are going to write it down on paper, then it needs to be well written and
accurate and informative, and I think his [Davids] program notes are. Theyre wonderful. But
no, I dont think that really good program notes are normal, I think theyre quite abnormal
(Jonathan, personal interview, November 12, 2013).
William didnt bring up a dichotomy in different groups preparation of program notes, but he did talk
about the quality of Davids notes and the wealth of knowledge that he brings to the ensemble.
[David] does a tremendous amount of research for each of our concerts. His program notes are
pages long, and thats just scratching the surface of the knowledge that he has for the musica
lot of it comes from his doctoratein Brussels. He spent a lot of time there digging up the music
that we do today (personal interview, November 23, 2013).
Davids experience as a musicologist influences the repertoire that La Fiocco performs, and perhaps sets
the ensemble apart in some ways.
I think the repertoire that he [David] explores I really beautiful music that is rarely performed.
He doesnt do a lot of the stuff that everyone has heard, the typical Baroque rep. He really tries
to delve into things that of course he knows about because hes so well educatedbut that most
audience goers, even those that follow early music, have never heard live. Maybe theyve heard
a recording, but theyve never heard it live (Jonathan, personal interview, November 12, 2013).
As I spoke with the members of La Fiocco, I came to realize that these professional musicians are
highly educated experts in their respective fields. Each of the participants that I spoke with holds at
least one graduate degree and performs at a very high level. Each musician also talked about the
intricacies of his particular instrument or performing style with the ease of an expert. David spoke at
length about the intricacies of working in different temperaments and Jonathan spoke about his
experiences as a professional countertenor. From these conversations, as well as my observations, I felt
confident that all of the musicians in La Fiocco are experts in their respective fields.

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Discussion
Discovering what La Fiocco saw as their role in society and how they interacted with audience
members served as a driving force for me during much of this study, I was quite surprised when I found
out that educating their audience was a primary goal. I might have guessed that these musicians were
interested in the aesthetic of Baroque music, or maybe even just liked the sound and challenge of
working with period instruments. However, from my discussions with the members of this ensemble, I
believe that creating an educational experience for the audience is why the members of La Fiocco
perform in that ensemble. While an interest in the aesthetic and the beauty of the music certainly play
a role, creating a complete context for this Baroque music to live in seems to take precedence.
To that end, members of La Fiocco, especially the artistic director, discussed the importance of
connecting with their audience members. As an educator, I am aware that one finds it much easier to
teach when your students view themselves as stakeholders in the material. Perhaps that correlates in
some way with the how La Fiocco wants their audience to be stakeholders in the music making. If the
audiences owns the music, does that mean that they will be more receptive to learning the context
around it? If the audience has a connection to the music and the musicians, do they feel compelled to
learn about the music and they context in which it was created? I believe delving into the motivations
of the audience of a group of this nature could provide an avenue for more research. Specifically, does
the audience value the educational experience of the music, and do they value a connection to the
performers.
La Fioccos rehearsal technique also creates a very specific atmosphere. Typical of a chamber
ensemble, they rehearse without a conductor, which demonstrates an emphasis on the creativity and
insight of the group over that of the individual. While La FIocco does have an artistic director, I have
observed something closer to equality than one might see in many ensembles. As opportunities for

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further research, I wonder how this emphasis effects the ensembles sound. Does working more
collaboratively benefit the overall performance in a significant way?

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References
(2013). Retrieved December 10, 2013, from La Fiocco: www.lafiocco.org
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Enthnomusicology, 10(2), 85-98. Retrieved October 15, 2013, from
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Clark, R. S. (1995, Autumn). Music chronicle. The Hudson Review, 48(3), 464-468. Retrieved October 15,
2013, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3851854
Dreyfus, L. (1983, Summer). Early music defended against its devotees: A theory of historical
performance in the twentieth century. The Musical Quarterly, 69(3), 297-322. Retrieved October
15, 2013, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/742175
Shull, J. (2006, June). Locating the past in the present: Living Traditions and the Performance of Early
Music. Ethnomusicology Forum, 15(1), 87-111. Retrieved October 12, 2013, from
www.jstor.org/stable/20184541
Somorjay, D. F. (2000). Musicology and performance practice: In Search of a Historical Style with Bach
Recordings. Studia Musicologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, 77-106. Retrieved October
10, 2013, from www.jstor.org/stable/902569
Taruskin, R. (1982, July). On letting the music speak for itself: Some reflections on musicology and
performance. The Journal of Musicology, 1(3), 338-349. Retrieved October 15, 2013, from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/763881