December 7 & 8 Classes

We know that a wide variety of percussion instruments were used in medieval and renaissance music, e.g., drums of all shapes and sizes, bells, cymbals, rattles, etc.  We don't know what the musicians actually played on these instruments. In this class we'll explore how to add percussion to medieval and renaissance European music.  We will examine different approaches and styles in playing monophonic vs. polyphonic music and how percussion can enliven (or, uh, deaden) a piece. Participants may play percussion, a melody instrument, switch from one to the other or just listen!  Those who don't own a drum can use any handy percussion instrument you have at home, such as a pot, pan, cardboard box or wastebasket (preferably empty). Tuning for this class is A=440. This class builds and expands on the concepts presented in my previous AEM classes on "Percussion in Medieval and Renaissance Music”, presented in early 2023, and November 2024. Those classes however, are not a prerequisite. Everyone is welcome. Open to: all. Pitch: A=440 Hz.

How on earth did Handel write an opera in two weeks? How was it possible for Bach to produce a cantata every week? For that matter, did Telemann ever sleep or eat? These composers wouldn’t have been able to complete works of such high quality so quickly by broodingly awaiting inspiration for the right notes — they had to use their craft! In this class, a simple method to understand the grammar and available “ingredients” of baroque repertoire will be presented. We will try to understand the basic logic by which a phrase is constructed, and then we will then use this to model our own compositions after pieces in the repertoire. An overview of a curriculum for further study will also be given. Open to: all interested musicians and composers.

As the days grow darker, come sing songs to warm the spirit! We'll look at a wide range of medieval, renaissance, and early baroque songs that evoke the sacred and secular celebrations of the season and capture the beauty and mystery of wintertime. Repertoire will be drawn from medieval English carols, broadside ballads, Spanish villancicos, French and German carols, and more! With an emphasis on repertoire that you can get up and running right away, we'll fold in vocal technique tips to help you make the songs really sing, and discuss ideas for how to perform these songs both as solo and ensemble music. 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 Hz.