EMF "B" Sessions

Miyo Aoki: "Borrowed Music from Down Under: recorder arrangements by Brooke Green" Advanced
We recorder players love to borrow music from the viola da gamba, and why should we limit ourselves to early music? Australian composer and viol player Brooke Green has graciously arranged some of her viola da gamba compositions so that recorder players can enjoy them, too. Her music is influenced by early repertoire but brings in other styles as well, resulting in charming melodies and interesting sonorities. This is for advanced recorder players who are able to navigate multiple accidentals and are up for challenging rhythms, parts with wide ranges, and a few extended techniques such as glissando.

Mark Davenport: "Dances and Aires: English Music from the Courts of Queen Elizabeth to Charles I." (upper intermediate to advanced): This class will look at secular dances by some of the leading composers working in the English courts between 1550 and 1650 (William Byrd, John Dowland, Giovanni Coprario and William Lawes). Drawing on Davenport's doctoral work the group will play through some of Lawes's most astonishing and inventive compositions with newly transcribed arrangements for recorders.

James Chaudoir: "Ariadne musica" Intermediate Instrumentation: SATB
Ariadne musica is a collection of organ music composed by Johann Kaspar (Caspar) Ferdinand Fischer (1656 - 1746), first published in 1702. It contains a cycle of 20 Preludes and Fugues in different keys, and is considered an important precursor to Johann Sebastian Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier. Bach was familiar with this collection, held Fischer's work in high regard, and even used a couple of Fischer's themes in his WTC.
Also included in Ariadne musica are five ricercars on chorale melodies composed for specific days of the Liturgical year. Both the Preludes and Fugues and the Ricercars transcribe nicely for an SATB recorder consort. We will look at examples of both.
All voices are of equal importance and lie in a comfortable range on the instrument, resulting in well crafted and enjoyable compositions. Some of the preludes and fugues have been transposed to more user friendly keys for recorders.
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David Echelard: "Venetian Splendor: Monteverdi's Messa a quattro voci" (1641)Any and all instruments and voices are welcome. Music will be provided.

Link to Music Examples & PDFs
(Music examples and pdfs - then click where it says "MORE")

This session explores the Messa da Cappella from Claudio Monteverdi's final collection, Selva Morale e Spirituale. We will work together to transform this four-part mass into a multi-layered ensemble piece, bridging the gap between Renaissance polyphony and the Venetian Baroque style. All singers, recorders, and any other instruments are welcome as we aim to recreate the resonant "Vespers" sound associated with St. Mark's Basilica. The workshop focuses on vocalized articulation, using the vowels and consonants of the underlying text to guide our tonguing, phrasing, and breathing. Altos will have the opportunity to practice reading the "alto up" register. We are also seeking bass-clef explorers-both singers and instrumentalists-to help us construct the bass line, building a deep, resonant foundation that allows the full polyphonic texture to shine.

Laura Kuhlman: "Songs of Solomon, Music of Salamone Rossi" We are lucky enough that Salamone Rossi lived in the progressive town of Mantua, Italy during the reign of the Gonzaga family. A talented violinist, Rossi worked alongside such illuminaries as Montiverdi, Gastoldi and Wert at the ducal court. Rossi was so highly regarded for his music talents that he was excused from wearing the badge that all Jews of Mantua were required to wear. Although his vast library consists of music written for the Catholic Church, he is also known for his remarkable psalm settings intended for Hebrew services. Recorders, voices, strings are welcome to join in as we discover the beauty and elegeance of Salamone Rossi.

Lisette Kielson: ""Carefree or Anguished: Madrigals of Musica Transalpina and the English Renaissance"
Whether celebrating "flowering fields" and "feather'd songsters" or depicting "frequent tears and unending pains," madrigals of the late Renaissance yield an almost unequalled emotive musical language. These secular songs provided vehicles for word painting, the compositional technique where the text ruled and the music mirrored its master. In this class, we will play some of the 5-part Italian madrigals included in the influential English publication Musica Transalpina as well as some from the inspired English madrigalists who extended the tradition even longer than their Italian contemporaries. Music by Ferrabosco the elder, Marenzio, Gibbons, Weelkes (6-part) and more! Geared for those interested in, and comfortable with, sightreading, alto up, large beats, varied tempos, and score analysis. Intermediate and above recorders, singers, and viols (at 440) welcome!

In addition to online arrangements, class music will also include the following publications:
John Wilbye's Down in the valley (London Pro Musica, LPM 529)
Thomas Weelkes' As Vesta Was Descending (London Pro Musica, LPM 532)
Thomas Tomkins' O let me live / O let me die (Hawthorns Music, HARA 154)

Mona Mann: "Advanced Beginner Consort"
In the Advanced Beginner group, participants will focus on music basics such as rhythms, time signatures, key signatures, and fingerings for C and F recorders through duet and trio playing. We will work to improve both music reading and recorder playing skills at a manageable pace. We will also discuss techniques and strategies for practicing effectively. This class is ideal for participants wanting to make music, but needing to move more deliberately in order to be successful.

Patrick O'Malley: "Take a Chanson Me" (Intermediate)
Claudin de Sermisy was one of the most important composers of Renaissance chansons lovely song with French texts. On recorders, these work well with alto (reading up an octave), two tenors, and bass. The parts are accessible, allowing us to focus on creating lyrical phrases. We will use London Pro Musica LPM PC4, Claudin de Sermisy, 15 Chansons.

John Mark Rozendaal: "Playing from Original Notation"

Tenor and bass recorders are welcome in this session.
Favorite chansons and dances are a great way to get started or to work up skills in playing from original notation. Working from the same unbarred parts that musicians of the 16th century gives access and insight into the process of music making in the Renaissance. Tune to A440.

Erica Rubis: "Cosmic Harmonies in Lorenzo the Magnificent's Florence"
Intermediate to Advanced
Join me in traversing the music of Heinrich Isaac, Lorenzo's favorite composer, and of his contemporaries, Josquin and Ghiselin. Possible explorations include famous pieces such as j'ay pris amours, Carmen and Fortunata as well as Isaac's beautiful Lament for Lorenzo and Ghiselin's bassadanz on La Spagna. We will begin each class with a bit of technique and warmup related to the music. Recorders are welcome to join.

Katherine Shuldiner: "Love's Lament" What's love without a little sorrow? In this class we'll explore the themes of love and some of the inevitable feelings that accompany it. We will lament with Morley, have lots of regrets with the likes of Josquin, and shed a few tears with Dowland; all in the name of love!

Katherine Shuldiner: "Advanced Beginner Viola da Gamba Class"
Did you take the Beginner Viola da Gamba class in previous years? If so, this is the class for you to continue your journey with the Viola da Gamba. We'll pick up where we left off, learning more music and refining technique.

Anne Timberlake "Rest Cure!" Advanced
Here it comes- the moment you don't play. Is resting a mental break? A counting hazard? Or an electric silence? Come find out as we play (and rest) our way through a diverse selection of pieces featuring music's quietest challenge, the rest. We'll examine the different ways rests can function in music, practice playing them with zest and panache, and explore music from many different times and places.

Anne Timberlake: "King Hal: Henry VIII had six wives- and 49 recorders!"(Lower Intermediate) If that isn't a sign of which category he valued more, it's at least a testament to his love for, and support of, music. We'll explore musical gems from Henry's era, including a few penned by the monarch himself.

Pam Wiese: "Beginning Ensemble" (Beginner Recorder)
Depending on student level, we will work through some of the duets in the Recorder Guide or I will provide you with some simple SA and SAT ensemble pieces. We will work on facility of reading, confidence in playing and listening to the other parts.