Classes February 1 & 2

In this class we'll walk through the basics of medieval chant, focusing on the special sound and technique of modal singing. We'll learn the eight medieval modes and how the resonance and tuning of each creates a universe of color and emotion! No prior experience required; simple chant tunes will be studied with an emphasis on how the mode informs the pacing and character of each piece.

 

Singers are encouraged; instrumentalists welcome, but wind players are cautioned that we will be utilizing Just Intonation. All participants will be asked to sing as well as play, since the repertoire is based on the voice. Open to: singers (singing instrumentalists are welcome to join!) Pitch: A= 440Hz.

Musical Promises: February is just about the time when all those well-intentioned New Year’s resolutions start to go awry. In this playing session, we’ll explore resolve and promises in Renaissance music and how they are upheld or broken in both texted and untexted pieces. Works by Morley, Ferrabosco, and others. 

 

Open to: recorders (other instruments welcome - sound files are created on 4-foot instruments!) Pitch: A=440 Hz.

If you are searching for a winter escape, then look no further than a musical trip to Napoli. Tom & Joris share their advice on performing Sonata IV by Francesco Mancini, Maestro di Capella at the Neapolitan court. Our objective is to balance music and technique and to boost your playing skills.

Your place in the sun will be assured when you tackle this fascinating sonata. Energy, musical rhetoric, spicy harmonies, Vitamin “D”ouble tonguing and Italian passion. This session is geared towards upper intermediate and advanced players. Practice the top part on an alto 440. Open to: upper intermediate and advanced recorder players. Pitch: A= 440Hz.

'Tis the season - for love! Get ready for Valentine's Day by immersing yourself in the age-old joys and agonies of romance as passionately expressed in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. We'll enjoy the wonderful ways that poetry and melody entwine in songs by composers such as Dowland, Morely, and Coprario, and we'll sing English ballads that tell grand tales of love won and love lost. With an emphasis on repertoire that you can get up and running right away, we'll fold in vocal technique tips to help make the songs really sing, and explore how to tap into the emotional aspects of the songs to perform them with nuance and expression. Suitable for both experienced singers and singers new to solo song. These are wonderful melodies to play as well as sing, and all singers and instrumentalists are welcome!

 

Open to: all singers, instrumentalists also welcome. Pitch: A=440.