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Easter Early Music Course

 

 

This popular and highly acclaimed course provides an excellent opportunity for experienced players of period instruments to work on early music in a chamber setting. Under the guidance of our team of expert tutors – highly regarded as performers and teachers, participants are able to develop their technical and musical skills in an informal, friendly and supportive environment.

This year’s theme, ‘Miserere’, explores 16th and 17th century settings of Psalm 51- Miserere mei, Deus, an inspiration for many Renaissance composers, including Lassus, Allegri, Josquin, Gabrieli and Gesualdo.

Each day features five tutored sessions:

  1. The morning ‘permanent’ session when the same five or six players work together for the whole week. We welcome applications from both individual players and preformed groups. Individual players will be formed into compatible consorts by the tutors.
  2. The late morning session, which encompasses lectures, technical studies and large ensemble playing.
  3. The optional late afternoon, ‘non-permanent’ session, when players gather in different combinations each day, giving participants the opportunity to study a variety of music and instruments including:
  •  facsimiles
  • trio sonatas
  • broken consorts
  • consort songs
  • one-to-a-part poly-choral works
  • Renaissance wind band
  1. The choir (everyone welcome – no experience necessary) which meets every evening after dinner and is immediately followed by
  2. The tutti session: a large-scale work (for voices and instruments).

In addition, there are many opportunities to play informally outside the tutored sessions. This daily timetable on a recent course demonstrates the scope of the course.

An extensive library is provided for participants to select the music they wish to study, in consultation with their groups.

Sheet music is available for sale from Jacks, Pipes and Hammers.

The Early Music Shop offers instruments, CDs and accessories for sale.

Please contact them before the course if there is anything in particular you would like them to bring.

There is a minimum expectation that all players will be competent on their instruments and comfortably able to hold their own, usually one to a part. This is so that all can enjoy playing in groups, large and small, with any combination of participants.

 

Recorder players are encouraged to bring and to be competent playing all of soprano, alto, tenor and bass recorders and must, as a minimum, be confident playing both C and F instruments.

 

Viol players must be able to play more than one of treble, tenor or bass viols and be happy to read in C, G and F clefs.

 

PLEASE NOTE:

Acceptance of students is provisional – dependent on whether they can be accommodated within a group at a compatible level. The deposit that accompanies your application will be returned should this not be possible.