New York Pro Musica

The New York Pro Musica was an American ensemble of singers and instrumentalists dedicated to the performance of early music.

Noah Greenberg founded the New York Pro Musica Antiqua in 1952. The name was shortened in 1953. Through scholarship and performances, Greenberg hoped to revive interest in the music of the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and early Baroque era. Pro Musica developed a large repertory and achieved high standards of virtuosity. Pro Musica is perhaps best known for its revivals of the medieval liturgical dramas The play of Daniel (Danielus ludus) and The play of Herod (Ordo ad representandum Herodem), both of which opened at the Cloisters of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Both works were recorded, televised, and performed on the group's tours. After Greenberg's death in 1966, Pro Musica continued until 1974 under the musical direction of John White (1966-1970), Paul Maynard (1970-1972), and George Houle (1972-1974).

The New York Pro Musica was an American ensemble of singers and instrumentalists founded in 1952 by Noah Greenberg. Originally formed as the New York Pro Musica Antiqua, the group's name was shortened to New York Pro Musica in 1953. Through scholarship and performances, Greenberg hoped to revive interest in the music of the Middle Ages, Renaissance and early Baroque. Pro Musica developed a large repertory and achieved high standards of virtuosity. Among its artists were Shelley Gruskin and Bernard Krainis (recorders), LaNoue Davenport (recorders and viols), Judith Davidoff (viols), and the singers Bethany Beardslee, Charles Bressler, Jan DeGaetani, Jean Hakes, Russell Oberlin, Sheila Schonbrunn and Robert White. Pro Musica is perhaps best known for the its revival of the medieval liturgical dramas The Play of Daniel (during the 1957-58 season) and The Play of Herod (in 1963), both of which opened at the Cloisters of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The works were recorded, televised and performed on the group's tours, which included performances at various European cathedrals (1960), at summer festivals (1963), in the U.S.S.R. (1964), and in South America (1965 and 1972). The group's office served as a library, research center, and rehearsal studio. Major financial and artistic support came from Lincoln Kirstein and the Rockefeller and Ford Foundations. Pro Musica was one of three performing organizations (with the Juilliard Quartet and the New York PO) chosen to inaugurate the opening of Philharmonic Hall at Lincoln Center.

After Greenberg's death in 1966, Pro Musica continued until 1974 under the musical direction of John White (1966-1970), Paul Maynard (1970-1972) and George Houle (1972-1974). Its final performances included Marco da Gagliano's La Dafne. New York Pro Musica had a lasting impact on the performance of early music, as many members of subsequent American early music ensembles had trained with Pro Musica musicians, and audiences for the new ensembles had been created by Greenberg's pioneering efforts.

Source: Shepard, John and Richard French: 'New York Pro Musica,' The New Grove Dictionary of Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed July 22, 2003), <http://www.grovemusic.com>

Additional published sources describing the history of New York Pro Musica include: Gollin, James. The Pied Piper: The Many Lives of Noah Greenberg. Hinsdale, NY : Pendragon Press, 2001.