EarlyMusicNews.Org

Siglos de Oro – Centuries of Gold
Renaissance Polyphony of the Iberian Peninsula

"In the magical year 1492, the foundation was laid for an unparallelled imperium that would dominate the world’s history for some 200 years.

It was the year of the fall of Granada, with which Ferdinand and Isabella, Spain’s catholic rulers, ended the Islamic influence of 700 years. It was also the year Cristóbal Colon discovered America.

While in the 14th and 15th centuries, Franco-Flemish polyphony reigned in all of Europe, in the course of the 16th century Italy as well as Spain nurtured their own musical styles.

Musics in the Courts and Chapels of Europe"

Four days of pure delight with three concerts per day, excellence to be found equally in the programme proposed as in the Arsys Bourgogne choir itself, present for the final concert, which in few years, has climbed to the firmament of choirs world-wide. The magic surroundings of the basilica, the eternal hill, all sprinkled with good dose of conviviality and simplicity. ... "

Visit Rencontres Musicales de Vézelay website for more information and programme. (ed.)

"Festival Sablé celebrates its 30 years in 2008

30 years in the service of music and baroque dance, listening to all research, 30 years accompanying artists. And also 30 years of the International Academy of Ancient Music and Dance: thousands of artists for hundreds of concerts, students from all continents. A faithful public coming from upt to 75 french regions and 20 foreign countries.

"The Week of Ancient Music Estella is o­ne of the most cultural programs among veterans organized by the Government of Navarre. It offers annually, in September, a sample of the best early music-medieval, Renaissance and Baroque-through performances of chamber groups and soloists of international renown. The concerts are headquartered in the Church of San Miguel de Estella. In addition to concerts, in the latest editions program has been expanded with conferences and other activities for teaching. ..." (Google translation)

Visit Semana de Música Antigua de Estella website for more information. (ed.)

Le Festival Baroque de Pontoise and the Université Inter-Ages de Pontoise, in collaboration with Le Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Cergy-Pontoise propos 6 conferences, given by the most imminent specialists, an immersion in the captivating universe of the Baroque.

Schedule/Programme ....

"From September 13 to October 19, 2008, the 23rd edition of the Festival of Baroque Pontoise offers a rich programme of twenty concerts and performances investing some of the greatest heritage sites in the Val d'Oise. Attached to its artistic ethics, the Festival promotes o­nce again the dialogue of music with other arts, supporting those already involved with theatre, dance and film at previous editions. ..." (Google translation)

Visit Festival Baroque de Pontoise website for more information. (ed.)

"Welcome to the homepage of the Radovljica Festival, the oldest early music festival in Slovenia. With ten concerts taking place in Radovljica and Ljubljana between 9 and 24 August, this year's festival will present a broad spectrum of music, from reconstructions of musical performances from before the beginnings of musical notation to Schubert's Winterreise with fortepiano accompaniment. In addition to this, o­ne of the programmes will also feature contemporary works written under the influence of medieval music. ...

Songs of Our Roots

"The NGO Association "Early Music in Jaroslaw" was founded in 1995. The aim of the Association is to spread early and traditional culture, mostly in the environment of Jaroslaw. Major part of the Association's mambers are the young people who are particularly interested in developing profound understanding of tradition. Popularising of early music is the principle of the whole year's activity of Association comprising of organising concerts and workshops as well as preparing, organising and realising the Jaroslaw Early Music Festival "Song of Our Roots". ...

Summer Festivities of Early Music

"International Music Festival Summer Festivities of Early Music aims to enrich the cultural life of our time by performin music from past centuries. Initiates search of songs that so far have remained outside our horizon, or are not of such attention, what would deserve. ...

"The International EARLYMUSIC Festival, established in St Petersburg in 1998, is now recognised as o­ne of Russia’s leading musical forums. The Festival takes places annually in September-October and presents the musical legacy of the Middle-Ages, Renaissance, Baroque and Classical eras to audiences in St Petersburg, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Perm, Ekaterinburg and Novosibirsk, performed by world-renowned ensembles and soloists. ...

"This year’s programme of Seviqc Brežice, which comprises the Brežice Festival, Klasikaa Dolenjska and Klasikaa Slovenija, will run from 4 July to 23 August 2008. The partner country for 2008 is France. Seviqc Brežice provides a showcase this year for more than 50 concert events in Slovenia, Croatia and Italy; in Slovenia, 44 festival events will be hosted in 17 different municipalities at 35 historic locations.

Since this year’s partner country is France, special emphasis will be o­n French artistes, who will feature in 12 concerts. We also anticipate the young, 10-piece Cuban group Ensemble Ars Longa, plus performers from Russia, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Poland, Croatia, Belgium and Slovenia. ...

After almost 3 years in the writing  composer and harpsichordist Grant Colburn has completed his newest book of period harpsichord music which will be titled, "Setts or Suits of Lessons for the Harpsicord or Spinnet."  This book is inspired by the English keyboard composers of 1720's, being somewhere between the musical styles of William Croft and Thomas Roseingrave. Grant Colburn has been a contributor to Early Music America Magazine and performed his harpsichord works at last year's Boston Early Music Festival. ...

Historical Metallurgy Societly Annual Conference 2008: Metals in Musical Instruments, 12th-14th September, Oxford, UK

"The conference will be based in the Holywell Music Rooms, the oldest surviving purpose built concert hall in Europe. The Holywell Music Rooms, which are attached to Wadham College, were built in 1748 and Handel is among the many famous musicians and composers who have appeared here.

Two concerts will be given in association with the HMS Conference "Metals in Musical Instruments".  Both will be held in the Holywell Music Room, Holywell Street, Oxford.  Tickets at £8 each, or £14 for both concerts, are available from Tickets Oxford, Tel 01865 305305 or o­nline at www.oxfordplayhouse.com/ticketsoxford.

• The first concert, o­n Friday 12 September 2008 at 7.30pm, is introduced with a talk about the Music Room by John Melvin, and features a Harpsichord Recital and talk by Steven Devine.

• The second concert, o­n Saturday 13 September 2008 at 7.45 pm, features a Brass Concert and talk by Crispian Steele-Perkins, accompanied by Steven Devine. ...

November 13–16, 2008

July 14 – 19, 2008 
"In preparation for Haydn Year 2009, this year's Summer Academy focuses o­n small and large scale instrumental works by the genius and his contemporaries. From the single Sonata for Piano and Violin, the solo concertos to o­ne of the late symphonies, the unbelievably colourful creations of themaster offer a wealth of material. A programme for the official closing concert with chamber and orchestral music will be prepared during the course week. There will also be dance training and training in body posture; this will provide an enriching element to the course by improving understanding of Haydn's music as well as the ability to cope with instrumental challenges. ...

"At last the International early music course comes to its 10th edition, this time offering students the opportunity to study with some of the finest musicians of early music in the world, to enjoy great concerts and exhibitions of instrument makers and music editors. Moreover this year we are proud to host the world-renowned French harpsichordist Pierre Hantaï. From the first time since its beginning the course will take place in the town of Romano Canavese, a place full of history and culture, that will reveal its hidden treasures and historical buildings to students and teachers. ...

"(June 29 2008)
Dear Friends of IMSLP, Former Users, Contributors and Supporters:

Some people have doubted that we would keep our word. Some people have questioned our competence. Some people have sworn, despite being sympathetic, that IMSLP was struck down o­nce and forever.

I am here to prove them wrong.

It is with great joy that I bring you news of the resurrection of IMSLP. We continue to believe that the access to our culture and the Arts is a fundamental right of every human being. And holding this belief, we continue in our journey towards the goals of providing public access to the musical public domain, and the facilitation of the study of music, the understanding of music, and the enjoyment of music. ...

The Harpsichord: solo and accompaniment instrument
Differences and similarities between solo repertoire and basso continuo practice in 18th Century harpsichord music

Coach: Marco Vitale ...

This was mentioned o­n some discussion lists where a giant "harpsichord" stage was constructed for the production of "La Dirindina". The selection is from YouTube. Enjoy.

Musici Infaticabili, or the Indefatigable Musicians, lived up to their name when, after weeks of preparation and two elimination rounds, they took First Prize (£800) in the Finals of the Early Keyboard Ensemble Competition at Fenton House held o­n 29th May. The members of the group, Marta Goncalves (flute), Claire Bracher (viola da gamba) and Erik Dippenaar (harpsichord), impressed the jury of early music specialists with their sensitive and stylish rendition of an 18th century French suite. Audiences will be able to hear this gifted young trio perform again at a celebratory Gala Concert to be held at 8pm o­n Thursday August 14th. The Competition was the first of its kind to be held before an audience in this 17th century National Trust House. Finals Night featured the five groups that the jury had previously selected from a field of 12 in the first round and all used an 18th century English harpsichord from the Benton Fletcher Collection for their auditions. The Competition’s Audience Prize (£200) was awarded following a ballot, to the charismatic musicians of The Little Baroque Company (Helen Kruger, violin; Kinga Gábor Jáni-Szabó, cello; Laura Tivendale, harpsichord). ...

This course will study in depth the repertory of some of the forty-four Latin Motets contained in the Bamberg Codex (Bamberg, Staatl. Libr. Ed. IV. 6), a parchment paper manuscript of probable Parisian compilation, which goes back to the last quarter of the 13th Century. Beyond the richness of its musical material, the Codex is particularly interesting from the point of view of its notation. This notation is particularly homogeneous due to the fact that it was entrusted to a single scrivener, and thus has all the characteristics of the so-called modal notation but with a series of revisions which make it easier to decipher and which allow, today, a direct reading without particular difficulties
....

"Come be a part of o­ne of the world's most exciting celebrations of early music! Experience 16th-century Florentine art at its most spectacular with the American premiere of Alessandro Striggio's Missa sopra Ecco sì beato giorno for 40 and 60 voices, the largest known contrapuntal choral work in Western music.  ...