AEM Online

Table for Two - Developing a pleasurable palette for a musical meal by collaboration. 

The basic ingredients of gourmet musical delights are the same, melody, sound, dynamics, timing, and rhythm. The garnishes on this fare are flexible but should be administered carefully. They should represent the player’s creative talents and preferences, including phrasing, ornamentation, and imitation. We will explore duets based on polyphonic models, later expressive and mannered repertoire, and technically enjoyable bon bons, samples from renaissance and early baroque menu items, including composers from England, Germany, Italy, and more. We will focus on mixing the basic ingredients and adding the necessary garnishes by learning to listen to each, guide each other and work together. 

Open to: viols (size based on repertoire chosen), intermediate and up. Pitch: A=415

Birds and their song have been included in musical compositions since at least the middle ages, sometimes as allegorical representation of political power or heraldry symbols in songs of celebration (the eagle), peace bringer (the dove), or as messenger or representative of courtly love (the nightingale). This session explores a selection of pieces from the 14th century depicting the eagle, the dove, and the nightingale, or includes imitation of bird song in general. 

The selection of music includes: Quando i oselli canta, a 2-voice anonymous madrigal from 14th c. Codex Rossi, Aquila altera/Creatura gentile/Uccel di Dio, a 3-part madrigal by Jacopo da Bologna composed for the wedding of Giangaleazzo Visconti and Isabelle de Valois in 1360, Alba colonba, a 3-vv madrigal by Jacopo da Bologna, Ma tre dol rosignol / He tres doulz roussignol, 2 related settings in 3 and 4 parts by the late 14th century French composer Borlet, and finally the realistic virelai (3vv) Par Maintes Foy by late 14th c. French composer Vaillant with the different parts depicting the rivalry between nightingale and cuckoo…

The class is geared towards recorder players intermediate and up. Some of the parts need to be read alto up. We play from modern editions - some facsimile pages might be provided for those interested, but experience with early notation is not required. Other instrumentalists and singers are welcome - however, the reference tracks will be recorded on 4-foot recorders, so will sound an octave higher than written pitch.

Open to: recorder players, intermediate and up (some parts have to be read alto up). Pitch: 440 Hz.

Let’s celebrate Johann Sebastian Bach’s birthday – better late than never! 

We will begin with a harmonization of the Lutheran chorale for times of trouble, Ach Gott, erhör mein seufzen und wehklagen (Give ear, O Lord, and mark my sore complaining), continue with excerpts from BWV 182, Himmelskönig Sei Willkommen (King of Heaven, Welcome) a cantata first performed in Weimar on Palm Sunday in 1714. This cantata has a wonderful recorder part – we will work on technical aspects of the opening Sonata and the aria Leget euch before playing together with a variety of recordings. If we have time we will finish with a beautiful arrangement of Bach’s prelude for the organ on the chorale Nun komm der Heiden Heiland (Savior of the Nations, Come). 

Geared toward upper intermediate to advanced recorders, though easier parts (string parts in some cases) are available for all the pieces. All recordings are at A=440. The chorale and the chorale prelude are recorded at 4-foot pitch on soprano, alto, tenor, and bass or great bass in C recorders.

Open to: recorder players, upper intermediate to advanced (see note above for accessibility for less advanced players). Pitch: A= 440.

Really look forward to singing again with you on Passion Sunday, the 5th Sunday of Lent, the Christian penitential season that precedes the springtime festival of Easter. Like last year, I will screenshare original notation with you all during the workshop and there is no need to prepare anything for my course. We will sing and play together, learning the pieces in a fairly natural way, by ear. Some of the music we’ll look at has notation that can’t be simply sight read – you need someone to teach you the tune and then the notation helps you recall it from your memory. This is not a technical notation class. I won’t be teaching the theory of why particular symbols mean particular things. We will progress rather pragmatically with me singing in short sections, and participants then repeating back with me until I feel we’ve got to a point where we know it!

This year we will focus on Mode I, authentic Dorian, “autenticus protus”, learning together one English and one Italian fourteenth century piece from original notation. It might be worth refreshing your memory about how to make the screen that I will share bigger, or the image of me bigger when participating in this workshop. Here’s a video that should help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLrXZLBLeqc
I would recommend tuning in with as big a screen as you have – you will get more out of the workshop than if you were using a small tablet or phone.

Open to: all interested singers or singing instrumentalists. Pitch: A=440 Hz

Get ready for this summer’s Amherst Early Music festival theme “Music of the German Lands” with a dive into the Ordo Virtutum, Hildegard von Bingen’s most ambitious composition and the earliest surviving music-drama attributed to a single individual. We will set the stage for this 12 th century allegorical drama, a total art-work of poetry, music, and dramatic scenes that pits more than a dozen singing “virtues” against the devil in a battle over the human soul. Together, we’ll look at some connections between the Ordo and Hildegard’s dazzling illustrations, follow along with the original manuscript to some transcendently beautiful recordings, and get a feel for the immersive drama with video excerpts from past performances. 

This is a listening and viewing class rather than a playing or singing class. All are welcome to learn about and enjoy the captivating music and drama from this highlight of the Middle Ages! Open to all.

In Nomine: How did a chant melody become the foundation for hundreds of works by some of England’s most famous composers? In this class we’ll explore the flowering of the In Nomine in 16th and 17th-century Britain, as well as what playing the In Nomine part can teach us! 

Designed for recorders but open to other instruments. Pitch = 440. The In Nomine parts are playable by players of most levels; other parts are more suitable for players who are higher intermediate and above.

French Baroque music is renowned for its elegance, grace, and expressive nuance. But what gives it that unmistakable style? Ornamentation—or les agréments—is key to transforming simple melodies into a language of refinement, sweetness, and vigor. In this class, we’ll explore the art of ornamentation through Hotteterre’s invaluable examples before applying these techniques to undecorated works by Lully and others. Discover how to bring finesse and expressive depth to your playing. Allons-y! This class is geared towards recorder players. Other instrumentalists are most welcome. Pre-recorded materials will make use of SATB recorders.

Open to recorder players, other instrumentalists are welcome. Pitch: A= 440Hz.

Talented organist and virginalist, versatile composer, Gibbons wrote consort music for two-six viols that’s a perfect blend of imagination and contrapuntal skill. We’ll take a look at his daring F major duo, one of the lyrical viol trios, and an energetic quartet with great bass. For I-A viols.
DETAILS: The duo can be played by two treble viols at pitch, and by tenor and bass viols playing the bottom line down an octave. The great bass part in the quartet is playable on 7 string bass. Tenor parts are in alto clef in the trio or alto and treble down clefs in the quartet.
Open to viol players, intermediate and up. Pitch: A=415.