EarlyMusicNews.Org

“Two piano pieces have been identified as the work of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, experts in the Austrian city of Salzburg say.

“New York City -- The fifth biennial Baroque Flute Artist Competition is for outstanding performers on baroque flute/traverso. Six semifinalists will be selected on the basis of their recorded preliminary auditions to compete at the convention.

For your viewing pleasure, a video of Magdalena Kozena at Festival d'Aix-en-Provence (Jun. 7/09). 

“Magdalena Kozena interprets airs of italian music from the 17th century accompanied by the ensemble Private Musicke. Programme: Giulio Caccini, Sigismondo D'India, Giovanni Paolo Foscarini, Biaggio Marini, Michelangelo Rossi, Luis de Briceno, Gaspar Sanz, Giovanni Maria Trabacci, Claudio Monteverdi, Barbara Strozzi, Tarquino Merulo, Girolamo Kapsberger.“

“A conference of special interest to organists, harpsichordists and fortepianists will be held September 19-20, 2009, in Tacoma, WA.  It is sponsored by the Western Early Keyboard Association (WEKA) in association with Christ Episcopal Church and Pacific Lutheran University. 

“Dear Lute Friends

It is with great pleasure that I announce the arrival of a new Web-Page,
dedicated to the Manuscripts for Baroque Lute, their content and the
concordances between them.

“This month’s program (10 minutes and 32 seconds) explores the music of Giovanni Battista Lully. In 1646, at the tender age of 14, Lully was pressed into service for the French Chevalier de Guise as a dishwasher.

The year 2009 is the occasion to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Josef Haydn’s death. We know his clavichord, an instrument by Johann Bohak (Vienna, 1794), now in the Museum of the Royal College of Music in London. As Haydn’s relation with our instrument has not been put much in evidence until now, we will take the opportunity of this Symposium to further our knowledge on the interpretation of his works on the most expressive of the keyboard
instruments.

The eighteenth century was also a period in which the trend towards louder sonority saw the progressive growth of the fortepiano, after its invention by Bartolomeo Cristofori. This genial inventor took the harpsichord as a starting point; some decades later, the German instrument builders followed the same path, but starting from the clavichord, and invented the square piano. Fifty years ago, the growing interest for the ancient fortepiano was directed almost exclusively towards the grand fortepiano, considering the square piano as a “second class” instrument, similar to our modern upright piano. The second aim of this meeting is to deepen this theme and to give back to the square piano its rightful place in the history of the musical instruments, a place demonstrated by its rich iconography.

As usual, our central topics will not be our unique field of activity, and we will also dedicate time to other themes.

It is our great pleasure to welcome so many of you this time and to wish you a pleasant and fruitful sojourn in Magnano.

“Ueberlingen, Germany - A lost musical work by composer Robert Schumann has been discovered in a public library in Germany, officials in Ueberlingen near the Swiss border said Thursday.

The single sheet contains a piano composition with the title Ahnung (intuition) which Schumann (1810-1856) probably wrote about 1838 and gave to a friend as a present. It had been known from a list kept by his wife, Clara, but was thought to be gone forever.

The Leopold Sophie history library in Ueberlingen said it was rediscovered in 2006 while the folder was being re-catalogued. ..“

See complete article here: RISM News

Laura Tivendale, aged 26, has won First Prize in the 9^th Broadwood Harpsichord Competition, held at The National Trust’s Fenton House, London, on 11^th and 12^th May, using instruments from the historic Benton Fletcher Collection of Early Keyboard Instruments. For the Competition, Laura, a recent graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, played three instruments in the collection: the 1664 Hatley virginals, the 1600 Vincentius virginals and the 1761 Shudi harpsichord. Her prize includes the final gala recital in the 2009 Concert Series at Fenton House, on Thursday 13^th August, when she will play the large and elaborate Shudi & Broadwood Harpsichord (1770) and one of the smaller instruments in the Collection. Additionally, she will be offered engagements at the Cobbe Collection at Hatchlands (Surrey), at Finchcocks (Kent) and at the Russell Collection (Edinburgh) in 2010.

“Gustav Leonhardt, the renowned harpsichord player, organist and conductor, has been awarded the Medal of Honour for the Arts and Sciences. Queen Beatrix gave him the medal during a ceremony at her private residence, Huis ten Bosch, in The Hague. Mr Leonhardt, 80, teaches the harpsichord at the Amsterdam Conservatory and is the organist of the capital's main church, the Nieuwe Kerk.“

Visit website for more information. (ed.):   Royal award for musician Gustav Leonhardt

The Grand River Baroque Festival presents its 8th season on the beautiful grounds of the Buehlow Barn in Ayr and in Paris , Ontario (Canada), June 19, 20 & 21, 2009. Artistic directors Guy Few and Nadina Mackie Jackson present a feast of string symphonies, concerti for violin, trumpet, bassoon and lute, featuring beloved and rare works including Vivaldi's Four Seasons.  Superstar chamber music guests include Flanders Recorder Quartet and Folia.  Invigorate the senses in a weekend of exciting music, spectacle, and food, commencing with the masquerade concert and party on June 19.  Celebrate the Baroque from a new perspective.  Join us for A Breath of Fresh Air!

Visit website for contact and ticket sale information (ed.): Grand River Baroque Festival

  

“
Handel – the European

The Halle Handel Festival 2009 is under the patronage of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Horst Köhler.

In this major Handel anniversary year of 2009, we cordially invite you to come and experience the music of the great master of Halle at venues he knew during his youth. With performances by world-class musicians, pieces well-known and pieces newly discovered, for Halle, the city of Handel, 2009 is a year of festivities and you are warmly invited to join in the celebrations with us.

“

Australia's first Baroque Music Festival is coming to Perth from 18th - 21st September 2009. A celebration of the music of Bach, Handel, Vivaldi and other greats of the Baroque era.

Go for Baroque - it's the New Music of the 21st Century!

Why an Australian Baroque Music Festival?

Baroque music, composed between 1600 and 1750, is the New Music of the 21st Century. Over the last 40 or so years, music scholars, performers and audiences have been discovering just how vibrant, elegant and relevant to our lives this music is.

“

The International Baroque Institute at Longy offers a comprehensive program for professional and pre-professional singers and players of Baroque violin, cello, recorder, traverso, oboe, viola da gamba, harp, lute and harpsichord, taught by an unparalleled international faculty. Other instrumentalists or continuo players are welcome to participate in chamber ensembles or the institute orchestra. The seminar features eight full days of master classes, ensembles, orchestra sessions, continuo coaching, concerts, lectures and projects, and opportunity for public performances. To provide the highest level learning experience, we select our faculty from among the finest performers and teachers in the field of Baroque music.

The Venice-Dresden Connection: A Seminar on Baroque music of Italy and Germany.
Friday, July 24, to Sunday, August 2, 2009

“ .. . As beautiful, authentic sounds fill the Fountain Court, the work of period artists are a feast for the eyes as well. The organ—with its 600 pipes and lavishly carved, painted and gilded 22-foot case—is the centerpiece of a new installation that highlights over 30 major Baroque paintings and sculpture from the Gallery's permanent collection. ..“

Visit website for more information. (ed.) : University of Rochester - Memorial Art Gallery - Italian Baroque Organ

“A message from Borys Medicky, Artistic Director of Nota Bene Period Orchestra:

Dear Friends,

After eight years and more than fifty successful concerts in Waterloo Region and Guelph, we find ourselves in a serious financial situation. As a result, we had to make changes to the final two concerts of our 2008-2009 season. We will now be finishing the season on May 16th with a fundraiser and a concert of Baroque Favourites:

Bach, Double Violin concerto; Marais, a suite from Alcyone
Purcell, a suite from the Fairy Queen; Telemann, "La Bizarre," an orchestral suite
Handel, a trio sonata; Purcell, a solo keyboard suite

The following is a summary of upcoming events with the Early Music Guild of Oregon (EMGO). Of note are the summer courses:

“Oregon Renaissance Band  will give a concert "Early Music of Scandinavia"  on Sunday, May 17, 2009, at 2:30pm as part of the Camerata Musica series in Salem, Oregon.  The concerts are held at the Salem Public Library, 585, Liberty St. SE, Salem, OR in the Loucks Lecture Hall.  Free Admission.  Music by Dowland, Brade, Borchgrevinck, Pederson, Schattenberg, Willaert, and others, performed on voices, recorders, violin, lute, harp, sackbuts, double reeds, and many others.  Also included on the program is the strange story and music of the "Netherworldly Outdoor Concert" related by Heinrich Meyer of Bergen in 1695.

Community Music Center Summer Early Music Classes session begins Thursday, July 9, 2009.  See Local News/Portland page.

Oregon Renaissance Band is planning holiday concerts on December 18 at the Hillsboro Arts Center, and December 26 and 27 at the Community Music Center in Portland.”

Visit website (events page) for more information. (ed.): EMGO

A short YouTube video (10 minutes) to the Aquila factory where gut strings are wound. 

Visit YouTube video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_Cwe_pz0Uo

“Music-loving psychiatrist, Dr. Ralph Schureck has brought together one of the most important collection in the world. He has the largest collection of early keyboards in Australia, and many are rare and have historical connections. Ralph says that the 1793 Stodart forte piano may have been played by Haydn himself, and is one of only a handful of early English pianos in existence, and the 1816 Broadwood grand piano is a model much loved by Beethoven.“

Visit website for a short video and notes:  ABC Segment on Dr. Ralph Schureck

“We are very excited to welcome you to our first season as artistic directors. Our plans extend well into the future, building on the superb legacy of the previous directors of this festival, and introducing the Contemporary Baroque Training Institute in 2010. As wind performers who also revel in the beauties of strings, voices and keyboards, we look forward to sharing our unique perspective. We promise to bring you unusual and scintillating repertoire along with beloved standards.