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Friday, October 2

Bach Sonatas: Part II
Monica Huggett, violin; Byron Schenkman, harpsichord
Portland Baroque Orchestra presents the second part of Bach’s six beloved sonatas for violin and obbligato harpsichord performed by Artistic Director Monica Huggett and harpsichordist Byron Schenkman. Huggett and Schenkman’s performance of Part I premiered in August. 
7:30pm PDT/10:30pm EDT at https://www.youtube.com/greatartsperiod
FREE; donations gratefully accepted 
https://pbo.org/concerts-events/bach-sonatas-part-ii/

Saturday, October 3

Intimate Soliloquies
Musicians of the Old Post Road
Alluring, unaccompanied works for flute, violin, viola, cello, and harpsichord let audience members experience the directness and individuality of Old Post Road’s five core members. The program includes toccatas for cello by Supriani, harpsichord works by Scarlatti & J.S. Bach, opera aria arrangements for viola by Rolla, the Passacaglia for violin by Biber, and the flute sonata in A Minor by C.P.E. Bach.
7:30pm EDT - Online streaming (link provided with ticket purchase)
$35
www.oldpostroad.org
Amherst Early Music Online - Monica Madness: New Renaissance Lute Duets
Douglas Freundlich, instructor
We’ll focus on the Renaissance hit tune La Monica (aka Une Jeune Fillette), featuring polyphonic settings by Chardavoine, Charpentier, Du Caurroy, Byrd, and Bach. Also: an improvisation workout on the Monica tune and chord progression, with Doug’s gentle, time-tested exercises in memory, paraphrase, imitation, and quotation. With your mute button engaged, you are free from scrutiny, and there will be plenty of do-overs--an ideal environment for learning to trust your ears and take some risks. Open to: G-lutes, A=440. Materials in both tablature and staff notation will be provided in advance.
1-2:30pm EDT - online course (​link sent to registrants)
​$25 per session

https://www.amherstearlymusic.org/weekend_online_classes
Amherst Early Music Online - Polyphonic Songs from ca. 1500
Rotem and Adam Gilbert, instructors
Rotem and Adam Gilbert invite you to a session of polyphonic music with some of their favorite Ottaviano Petrucci settings from 1501-1504, including works from Odhecaton A, Motetti B, and Canti C. Adam will share an Ockeghem song that conceals a special secret. PDFs of the music in modern edition will be provided in advance along with a separate PDF of facsimiles for those who would like to read from Renaissance notation. Bring your Renaissance recorder along, or play any wind instrument you would like. Geared to: upper intermediate to advanced wind players, and auditors. Pitch: A=440.
3-4:30pm EDT - online course (​link sent to registrants)
​$25 per session

https://www.amherstearlymusic.org/weekend_online_classes

Sunday, October 4

Amherst Early Music Online - Ex Tempore Playing: A Gateway to Early Medieval Improvisation
Norbert Rodenkirchen, instructor
Surviving information about Medieval instrumental improvisation practice is rare and fragmentary. Based on a combination of intensive source studies and a personalized approach to Medieval monodic improvisation Norbert Rodenkirchen – Sequentia´s flautist – offers a practical workshop on „ad hoc“ modal invention. Besides presenting some easy new exercises Norbert will also introduce selected original didactical tools from Medieval cathedral schools. We will try out original modal patterns and memorization formulae from the 11th to 13th century to find a fresh and profound way to invent our own estampies and ductiae, just like students in Medieval times. All musical materials will be presented in easy, modern notation. The aim will be to explore our own melodic inventions deriving from these notes, not just to play what is written. Open to: all instrumentalists are invited to join the workshop, actively or as auditors. The content is geared toward players with a high level of facility on their instrument. Pitch: A = 440. Tuning: Norbert will be using Pythagorean tuning, which has wide thirds and pure fifths. Participants will be muted but may wish to adjust their tuning since they will hear Norbert while playing.
1-2:30pm EDT - online course (​link sent to registrants)
​$25 per session

https://www.amherstearlymusic.org/weekend_online_classes
Amherst Early Music Online - In Nomine: The Viol Player's Favorite Chant
Rosamund Morley, instructor
The foundation of a uniquely English consort form is a beautiful chant melody hidden in the “Benedictus” movement of a 6-part Taverner mass. For 150 years, from Taverner to Purcell, many English composers wrote beautiful polyphonic music based on this chant. In this class, less experienced viol players will have a chance to use the lovely In Nomine chant tune as the basis for a series of exercises applicable to all sizes of viol, and, technology permitting, will experience the joys of playing the In Nomine line in a consort piece or two! Geared to: the fairly new viol player, but all viols are welcome to join! Pitch: A=415.
3-4:30pm EDT - online course (​link sent to registrants)
​$25 per session

https://www.amherstearlymusic.org/weekend_online_classes

Saturday, October 10

Amherst Early Music Online - The Quest for Freedom: Solo Music for Recorder
Matthias Maute, instructor
The beauty of the solo repertoire for the recorder lies in the musical freedom the player can explore. What might feel like solitude to some turns out to be a kingdom of liberty for others. In this class we get a peek into what it means to be bound by musical parameters on the one hand while pursuing the quest for freedom on the other. Exercises and play-along moments will provide the opportunity to try musical techniques that help us keep our sense of orientation in the endless sea of possibilities. Music will be posted the Monday before class, but for those who plan on playing along and would like to practice well in advance, please refer to the repertoire list below, and the publication information following each piece if you need to acquire the music. If you’d like to be considered for one of the demonstration spots, please indicate which piece you’d like to demonstrate when you register, by leaving a comment. Geared to upper intermediate to advanced recorders, and auditors at all levels. Pitch: A=440.
• Van Eyck Engels Nachtegaeltje for C recorder (New Vellekoop Edition)
• Anonymous/ Division Violin - Duke of Norfolk for F recorder (Allen Garvin edition, on imslp here.)
• M Maute Don’t you cry, from It’s summertime for F recorder (Carus 11.6060)
• JS Bach Sarabande and Bourrée anglaise from the Flute Partita for F recorder (www.gardane.info • The Baroque Solo Book)
1-2:30pm EDT - online course (​link sent to registrants)
​$25 per session

https://www.amherstearlymusic.org/weekend_online_classes
Amherst Early Music Online - Bowing Techniques in Action  
Brent Wissick, instructor
This class will welcome players of all 3 sizes and various levels, although the target audience will be advanced intermediates. Advanced players might still learn new things, and relative beginners can get some ideas for the future. We will start with breathing exercises while bowing long notes and gradually move into more technique details while playing familiar tunes like the Tallis Canon, Browning, Go from my window, and Gray's Inn. The culmination of the afternoon will be work on Telemann's Sonata in A Minor 1st Mvt (Largo) played as a duet between solo line and basso continuo line. Trebles will concentrate on the solo line, but basses and tenors can learn both. Open to: viols. Pitch: A=415.
3-4:30pm EDT - online course (​link sent to registrants)
​$25 per session

https://www.amherstearlymusic.org/weekend_online_classes

Sunday, October 11

Amherst Early Music Online - Unlocking the Secrets of Playing Fantastic English Country Dance Music  
Emily O’Brien, recorder, and Karen Axelrod, piano, instructors 
English Country Dance tunes are beautiful and fun to play. There is so much variety in the repertoire, and so much we can do with the tunes. But how do you know where to start? When to ornament, how to harmonize and accompany the melody, whether you’re playing a melody instrument or a keyboard? In this workshop, we’ll talk about how to improvise your own arrangements, whether you play a melody or chordal instrument; how to fit together with your bandmates; and what the dancers need from the band and how to make that happen. These skills are also applicable to lots of other types of music, from Baroque ornamentation to creating varied textures in madrigals to achieving the right feel in a Renaissance dance, so come join in even if ECD isn’t your thing! You’ll have a chance to try out various things and play along with us, all from the privacy of your own home, on whatever instrument(s) you have handy. Open to: all instrumentalists. Pitch: A=440.
1-2:30pm EDT - online course (​link sent to registrants)
​$25 per session

https://www.amherstearlymusic.org/weekend_online_classes
Amherst Early Music Online - 16th-c. Cathedral Instrumentalists in Spain: Duties, Abilities and the Lerma MS
Douglas Kirk, instructor
Of the various Spanish music manuscripts compiled and copied for church instrumental groups (“ministriles”) in Spain’s Golden Age, all of which have been discovered in the last 30 years, the Lerma manuscript (Archivo de San Pedro de Lerma, ms.mus. 1, published by Amherst Early Music) is the best and most logically arranged collection that we know. Why is this?
The manuscript also contains a substantial repertory of compositions not found anywhere else. What does it reveal to us about the playing responsibilities and taste in instruments and repertory of these fine musicians, who profitably devoted their lives to playing the instruments we ourselves enjoy so much? The presentation will feature recorded performances of certain pieces from the Lerma manuscript. Attendees who have the AEM edition may enjoy playing or following along with their copies of the scores. Open to: all. Pitch: A=440.
2-4:30pm EDT - online course (​link sent to registrants)
​$25 per session

https://www.amherstearlymusic.org/weekend_online_classes

Friday, October 16

The Art of Fugue: Music of Bach, Telemann, and Marais
Nevermind
Hailed as a “breath of fresh air in the field of early music” (Wales Arts Review), these four friends met while studying in Paris and recognized their shared passions and vibrant musicianship. A hit at the 2017 Festival, they join BEMF this fall from the chapel of a converted monastery in the heart of the Belgian countryside, with a delightful program of chamber music by Marias, Telemann, and J. S. Bach, including selections from The Art of Fugue.
8pm - streamed on YouTube 
FREE; donations gratefully accepted at https://bemf.org/support-bemf/

Saturday, October 17

Amherst Early Music Online - Shifting Gears: From 2 to 3 and Back Again
Zoe Weiss, instructor
Get your groove on! Ever wonder how to make the switch between duple and triple time? Or struggled to feel a galliard in both two and three? In this class, we’ll work on developing the related goals of rhythmic grounding and flexibility by practicing transitions between groups of twos and threes at different hierarchical levels. From the privacy of our own homes we’ll experiment with movement, clapping, and vocalization as well as playing our instruments to explore everything from notated meter changes to subtle shifts in implied groupings. Using examples drawn from the repertoire, we’ll isolate tricky moments and see how our newfound flexibility gives us more phrasing options. Examples will be from the viol consort repertoire but non-viol players are welcome to participate. Geared to: upper intermediate to advanced instrumentalists, and auditors. Pitch: A=415.
1-2:30pm EDT - online course (​link sent to registrants)
​$25 per session

https://www.amherstearlymusic.org/weekend_online_classes
Amherst Early Music Online - An Introduction to American Shapenote Music (emphasis on The Sacred Harp)  
Temmo Korisheli and Emily Eagen, instructors 
"Shape up" your singing and American history chops with this overview of ‘Shapenote’ music, which, like jazz, is a uniquely American musical hybrid. With notational roots in Medieval solfege, stylistic roots in 18th-century English ‘West Gallery’ parish music, and a first flowering in New England, 'Shapenote' music matured into a distinctive practice and repertory during the 19th century in the South -- and lives on today! Temmo and Emily will offer an overview of the history, notation, style, and social context for this mostly four-part a-cappella music, and share some treasures of the repertory. We will spend some time on how to read this unusual, but practical, notation system, and we'll do a lot of singing! As practitioners of this repertory themselves, Emily and Temmo will share with you some style points on how this music is traditionally sung, and will leave you with suggestions on further exploring this dynamic music. Bring a tuneful voice to make a joyful noise! Open to: anyone who likes to sing. Pitch: A=440.
3-4:30pm EDT - online course (​link sent to registrants)
​$25 per session

https://www.amherstearlymusic.org/weekend_online_classes

Sunday, October 18

Amherst Early Music Online - Härpffen, Singen: Introduction to Harp Accompaniment for Medieval Song
Nancy Thym, instructor
Singing and playing an instrument at the same time is always challenging. Since Medieval music is based on a modal rather than on a harmonic system, accompanying Medieval songs on the harp presents added challenges. Our aim is to abandon chordal thinking and learn tools to help develop other alternatives, such as drone patterns and melodic accompaniments, as well as intabulating the voices of two or three part songs. We will begin with familiar tunes, so that we can concentrate more easily on the accompaniment while singing. Open to: harpists. Singers and auditors are also welcome. Pitch: A=440.
1-2:30pm EDT - online course (​link sent to registrants)
​$25 per session

https://www.amherstearlymusic.org/weekend_online_classes
Amherst Early Music Online - Corrette & Co.
Sally Merriman, instructor
There is an abundance of repertoire from the 18th century for two bass clef instruments, much of it centered in Paris. We’ll start our mini-tour with Les délices de la solitude by Michel Corrette, with some bruit de chasse hunting music and a Sarabande or two. A Rondeau and Rigaudon by Boismortier, an Andante Aria by Jean Daniel Braun, and a quick diversion to Amsterdam for a Canzona with Mr. Carolo are all possibilities for this class. Some of this two-part music was pedagogical - what can we learn from these pieces as we practice on our own? There will be some recorded tracks to play in different configurations, and music will be posted in advance. Open to: all players of Baroque bass instruments. Pitch: A = 415.
3-4:30pm EDT - online course (​link sent to registrants)
​$25 per session

https://www.amherstearlymusic.org/weekend_online_classes

Friday, October 23

Intro to Viola da Gamba
One Hershey, James Perretta, instructors
​Join us on Friday, October 23 from 4:45pm-5:30pm as Powers Music School instructors Jane Hershey and James Perretta demonstrate 5 members of the viola da gamba family. From the tiny treble to the mighty violone, these bowed and fretted instruments create a rich and beautiful sonic world. Come and experience these sounds with us. Even if you already play the viola da gamba, you will likely hear something new! 
4:45pm - online event
FREE. please register by filling out this form. A zoom link will be sent to you before the session begins.
https://powersmusic.org/workshop-weeks/
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