EarlyMusicNews.org

May be of interest to some. (ed.)

“In October 1998 a rather battered manuscript was put up for auction at Christie’s in New York. It appeared to be a Byzantine prayer-book from the thirteenth century but those taking part in the bidding knew that it contained an important secret.
 

“The Editor’s Desk

Welcome to Our July Issue
By Ian Howell
July 5, 2011

This month we bring you sev­eral pieces: I con­tinue to ex­pand on my coun­tertenor rel­e­vant vo­cal tech­nique se­ries with the in­tro­duc­tion of a help­ful ex­er­cise called “the flex,” Oliver re­views O Soli­tude – An­dreas Scholl’s lat­est re­lease of Pur­cell songs, and Bryan con­tin­ues his blog about build­ing a ca­reer. We also share a video from Be­jun Mehta’s re­cent Han­del CD, Om­bra cara.
  

“In this issue:

• BEMF 2011: Celebrating 30 Years with Metamorphoses
• Contextual Improvisation, or Why Swat Flies with a Frisbee?
• Starting Them Early in Seattle
• Profile: Robert Mealy and the Yale Baroque Ensemble by Craig Zeichner
• The Rebirth of the Angular Harp by Bo Lawergren
• In Conclusion: Playing a game of HIP Jeopardy! by Mark Kroll
• Plus Recording Reviews, Book Reviews, and Sound Bytes (news from the field)”
  

Of interest in this issue:  “L'Alcasta and the Emergence of Collective Patronage in Mid-Seventeenth-Century Rome” (Author: Valeria de Lucca)
  

“Author: Wood, Melusine
Published: 1956, 2010

Melusine Wood's previous book, Historical Dances : 12th to 18th Century, was in the nature of an introduction to the subject, each major period being illustrated by one or more typical dances. Here, dances are studied in relation to a definite syllabus, the first Elementary; the second Intermediate, and more difficult of execution. There are also helpful notes on 'Angel Walking', and on the varying modes of deportment during the Middle Ages and the 17th and 18th centuries.
  

“Our firm was established in 1977 by John and Jude Lubrano. Since that time, we have issued over 60 catalogues and specialized lists offering autograph musical manuscripts and letters of composers; rare printed music; rare books on music and dance; and original prints, drawings and ephemera relating to music and dance, and have come to be recognized as among the leading international dealers in antiquarian music and dance material.”
  

“The first documentation of a historical and musicological tradition of sacred music dating from the sixteenth century, during the engagement of the brotherhoods in the cultural and social fabric of Sardegna.”
  

Recercare - Journal for the Study and Practice of Early Music

The following is the summary of this edition …
  

“In the Italian opera world of the seventeenth century, laments and mad scenes were a genre in themselves. These scenes were often the highlights of the performances and the stars were most often women. The pure voice, the female singer and her capacity for embellishing and embroidering the music were objects of lively discussions in the academic circles of that time. The concept of ”pure voice” is once again in focus in a new thesis, the first of its kind in the subject Performance in Theatre and Music Drama at the Academy of Music and Drama, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
  

“These papers where chosen from the more than 60 papers presented at the conference symposium: 3rd International Conference on Integrity, Reliability & Failure. Of interest to early music instrument builders: “Vibration Testing for the Evaluation of the Effects of Moisture Content on the In-Plane Elastic Constants of Wood used in Musical Instruments , by M. A. Pérez, P. Poletti and L. Gil “
  

Newly published at Libreria Musical Italiana (LIM Editrice srl) and compiled from a long list of contributors.
  

Deceptive notation in baroque keyboard music
by Colin Booth

“Did Bach Really Mean That? is a book which explores musical notation and the way in which composers of Baroque keyboard music used it.
 

Qualities of motion and emotion in song come from poetic images, melody, harmony, and voice leading, but they also come from rhythm and meter-the flow and articulation of words and music in time. This book explores rhythm and meter in the nineteenth-century German Lied, including songs for voice and piano by Fanny Hensel nee Mendelssohn, Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, and Hugo Wolf.

Folger Shakespeare Library, MS V.b.198
British Library Lansdowne MS 740
Anne Southwell's poetry

Poetry by Anne Southwell, a strongly Calvinist writer, appears in two extant manuscripts. It is possible that they were both assembled under the supervision of Southwell herself and/or her second husband Henry Sibthorpe.

As well as secular and religious poetry by Southwell, the Folger manuscript contains a wide range of miscellaneous material: verse from songbooks and poems by Henry King, Arthur Gorges and Walter Ralegh (none attributed correctly), prose texts by Southwell and others and memoranda of various kinds, including 'A List of my Bookes' (Cavanaugh 1967).
 

Of interest to our readers? Part history, part explanation of early music, this book also plays devil's advocate, criticizing current practices and urging experimentation. Haynes, a veteran of the movement, describes a vision of the future that involves improvisation, rhetorical expression, and composition. Written for musicians and non-musicians alike.

From Back to Haas and from Lasso to Brahms, just a reminder to those who have not recently perused the catalogue pages of Breitkopf & Härtel. You may find something of interest for your performing tastes.
 

In Donna Leon's newly published Handel's Bestiary, she traces 12 of the composer’s animal references through history, mythology, and the specific arias featuring them.

This book is a comprehensive history of the firm and contains detailed descriptions of the many innovative instruments they made.
 

The Organ Historical Society publishes books, a quarterly journal, an annual study of organs by locale, and also produces sound recordings on CD.
 

Web Library of Seventeenth-Century Music (WLSCM)

We are pleased to announce the addition to the WLSCM Catalogue of No. 21 in our series: An edition of two spiritual monodies by Giovanni Girolamo Kapsperger edited by David Dolata and Margaret Murata.
 

From REED and the growing body of work by comparatists and theater historians, we now know that women performed at all social levels and in all performance spaces except the all-male stage, by Englishwomen and by foreign players.
 

We are reminded to visit the web pages of Libreria Musicale Italiana (LIM) SRL to view the latest additions of titles to their inventory.

The latest issue of 19th-Century Music ( Vol. 34, No. 3, Spring 2011) is now available on line.

Salvatore Carchiolo
A wonderful harmony of perfection
Practice of Italian organ-harpsichord continuo origins in the early eighteenth century

The book offers a rational framework of documentary material relating to the practice of the basso continuo in Italy, from its origins to the early eighteenth century.

Early Music America has published the Spring 2011 issue of its quarterly publication, Early Music America magazine.