EarlyMusicNews.Org

Bach’s Passions ­– Musical Language and Religious Contexts
June 6–10, 2011

In the course of its annual Summer Term, the Yale Institute of Sacred Music will offer a weeklong course on Johann Sebastian Bach’s Passions, taught by Yale faculty member Prof. Markus Rathey:

Johann Sebastian Bach’s St. John and St. Matthew Passions, considered cornerstones of the western classical music canon, form the culmination of his art as a composer of sacred music. The revival of Bach’s music in 19th century concert halls began with Mendelssohn’s performance of the St. Matthew Passion.

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, we’ll highlight the astonishingly beautiful playing of Toronto-based lutenist Lucas Harris, whose poetic approach has been called “a revelation” (Le Devoir).

The Beukers, Tassi, Wijne, Kirst and Haka originals all are found in the Ehrenfeld collection, therefore some information about this collection and my relation with it here!

The Sixteenth Century Society and Conference (SCSC) is now accepting proposals for individual papers and complete sessions for its annual conference, to be held at the Renaissance Worthington Hotel, Fort Worth, Texas, Oct 27-30, 2011.  This hotel (awarded four diamonds by AAA) is in the center of Fort Worth on historic Sundance Square, and is moments away from the museum district, which includes the Kimbell Art Museum, the Museum of American Art, and the Modern Art Museum of Forth Worth.  

Preparations for the 2011 Early Brass Festival (27th annual) are underway. This year’s conference will be held at the Indiana University School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana, on August 5-7, 2011. Rick Seraphinoff will be hosting us as co-director, and Jeff Nussbaum, as usual, is our overall director and coordinator. We hope that all of our members will consider attending, submitting paper proposals, and performing with us!

The Seattle-based Tudor Choir has been performing Renaissance polyphony and early American music for nearly two decades. The flexible ensemble is made up of twelve core singers and is directed by its founder, Doug Fullington. The choir’s performances and recordings have received international acclaim.

Nothing like back to basics: to feel the thickness of the paper, enjoy the typography, the taste turns of the time ...

Let us stop a moment to discover the precepts of Couperin through a footnote on page in a scholarly work today and listen to the voice that we imagine shy, almost hesitant, from one of French harpsichordists’ greatest. Let us stop bickering about the size of the chorus of Bach's cantatas in Leipzig and take a look at the key document that the passions unleashed and allows all the assumptions ...

Awards presented at the Indianapolis Annual Meeting (Fall 2010) of the AMS (American Musicological Society). 

The 2010 winner of the Philip Brett Award is Roger Freitas for his book,“Portrait of a Castrato: Politics, Patronage, and Music in the Life of Atto Melani” (Cambridge University Press, 2009).

On Sunday, I had the rare fortune to hear the Aulos Ensemble presented by Music at Kohl Mansion in a Christmas concert in Hillsborough that managed to stand apart from the tired demands of the season while capturing the joy of the holiday. 

AROUNDER gives travelers a vivid sense of what a city has to offer: historical cathedrals and works of art, museums featuring famous artists, local cafes and stores, breathtaking mountain-top views, quiet parks and gardens. Each issue contains a series of interesting panoramas giving you a full immersive view of the cities.

New for Baroque Lute

“Wolff Jacob Lauffensteiner (1676 - 1754): Collected Works for Solo Lute” edited by Douglas Towne

This edition contains eight complete suites/concerts as well as fourteen single pieces for Baroque Lute, collected from libraries from all over Europe and overseas countries. The tablature has been set anew completely to present the pieces in an easy to read manner. Contains also an essay on Laufensteiners life (in german) by Michael Treder. 125 pages / French Tablature / Baroque tuning Euro 40.-

It turns out the 17th century was a great time for women composers. Magnificat Baroque and its guest soloist, soprano Jennifer Ellis Kampani, are hoping that their upcoming program, Donne Virtuose, will lead listeners to discover the wonderful work created by four of such extraordinary women.

Orchestre LES PASSIONS
Isabelle Poulenard, soprano. Guillemette Laurens, alto.
Vincent Lièvre-Picard, tenor (Evangelist). Arnaud Richard, bass (Pilate).
Jean-François Rouchon, bass (Jesus). Antonio Guirao, bass (Peter,Judas)
chorus : ARCHIPELS (Joël Suhubiette) - A CONTRETEMPS (Guy Zanesi)
ARPEGE (J. Charpentier) – Maîtrise du CONSERVATOIRE de Toulouse (M. Opstad)
Musical Direction Jean-Marc Andrieu

Halle-aux-Grains, Toulouse (2011, March 23; April 3)
Palais des Sports, Bordeaux (2011, April 2)

American Bach Soloists Music Director, Jeffrey Thomas, speaks about their annual performances of Handel's Messiah, one of the greatest oratorios of all time, in San Francisco's Grace Cathedral. Baritone Jesse Blumberg and the American Bach Choir are featured in performance clips.

Author: Oesterley, W O E
Published: 1923, 2010

This work surveys a wide spread of old rites, practised during initiations, puberty, marriages, burials, and other major events of life. Relying on ornamental artwork on pottery and on ancient inscriptions and literature, the author examines, among other topics, Old Testament terms for 'dancing,' and forms of musical accompaniment in the time of the Hebrews; the sacred processional dance, performed by Hittites, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and other peoples; the ritual dance around sacred objects; and sacred dances performed during harvests and other festivals.

This is the third annual podcast to focus on some of the most interesting early music heard throughout the year. The list, whittled down from hundreds of choices, is meant to cover recordings that have been heard either on the weekly podcast or program, yet there is at least one gem that will be new to Harmonia’s loyal followers.

(Although not directly music related, this article may be of interest to some -- ed.)

The job of a renaissance court portraitist was to produce likenesses of his sovereigns to display at the palace and give to foreign dignitaries or prospective brides.

Église du Bouclier – Strasbourg

With Italian influence and in defense of the French style, these three composers entertained contrasting rapports with the Court at Versailles. The delicacy and richness of music by Charpentier regularly attracted Louis XIV in Paris, while Marin Marais, Lully's successor, enjoyed the grace of the King in the splendor of the Court. Couperin, meanwhile, sailed incessantly from Paris to Versailles and was able to skillfully combine French and Italian styles by the subtle and learned style of his writing.

Johann Adolph Hasse (1699-1783) was arguably the most successful opera composer of the 18th century. Together with his favourite librettist, Pietro Metastasio, Hasse defined the genre of opera seria for an entire generation.

Almost exactly a year ago, the New York soprano Jolle Greenleaf, the Boston violinist Scott Metcalfe and a couple of dozen close associates from around the country presented the fruit of what they called the Green Mountain Project: a performance of Monteverdi’s grand and glorious Vespers of 1610, mounted in observance of the work’s 400th anniversary.

Come to a gala showcase featuring 7 of the finest world-class early music ensembles, produced by GEMS Live! and Nancy Carlin Associates.

Once a preserve of opulent traditional productions, the summer Salzburg Festival has become a destination for viewing more cutting edge stagings. 

In a series of five lectures Manuel Minguillon will explore the main features of Baroque Operas, focusing on Handel's in particular.

We are thrilled that 2011 sees the tenth anniversary of the Handel House Museum and to celebrate the history of the house, the main exhibition in 2011 will focus on the building itself, its occupants and the developments it has seen over the centuries.