Musicians' Day 2018 Schedule and Classes
People usually start arriving after dinner Friday night, unload their stuff,
then have a few hours of jam session for all before
going to bed.
Classes are all day Saturday,
with another jam session for all after the
evening feast.
Sunday morning after breakfast is impromptu jamming
and site cleanup; we try to be completely out of the building by
noon.
Schedule
| Time | Classroom A | Central hall | Classroom B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri. 7:00 PM | Site opens; Banchetto Musicale | ||
| Sat. 1:00 AM | Quit playing and go to bed already | ||
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|
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| Sat. 10:00 AM | Soft Band Jam | Open for pick-up jamming | Reimagining Lost Medieval Carols |
| Sat. 11:30 AM | Music of the Decameron | For the Byrds | |
| Sat. 1:00 PM | Lunch | ||
| Sat. 2:15 PM | Loud Band Potluck | Open for pick-up jamming | Guitar in the SCA Period |
| Sat. 3:45 PM | How to Sing, and How to Sing This New Piece | Improvisation and Ornamentation | Sat. 5:00 PM | Pass-or-Play | Set up for dinner |
| Sat. 6:00 PM | Dinner | ||
| Sat. 7:30 PM | Clean-up | ||
| Sat. 8:00 PM | Banchetto Musicale | ||
| Sun. 1:00 AM | Quit playing and go to bed already | ||
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| Sun. 8:00 AM | Breakfast | ||
| Sun. 9:00 AM | Clean-up | Banchetto Musicale | Clean-up |
| Sun. 12:00 PM | So long | Farewell | Auf Wiedersehen, adieu |
Class Descriptions
- Banchetto Musicale (coordinated by our crack team of cat-herders)
-
Informal sightreading of large-scale works of Renaissance polyphony, for voices, recorders and bowed strings. Lots of music, lots of fun.
- Music of the Decameron: The Instrumentals of BL Addl. Ms. 29987 (Mästarinna Margreþa la Fauvelle)
This class is meant to introduce (or re-introduce) the player to instrumental works from the Italian Trecento of varying notoriety. We'll start with the less complex works and move on to the more demanding ones. Instruments of all kinds are welcome; however, the ability to play accidentals will be necessary for some of the works.
- Guitar in the SCA Period (Lady Ysabel)
Yes, guitars are period! The popular 16c Renaissance guitar had 4 courses tuned GCEA, like one of its modern descendants, the ukulele. We will survey the origin and history of the guitar, period notation and playing technique, and extant musical literature -- then learn to play some easy period pieces. Bring a ukulele (or modern guitar c'd on the 5th fret) if you can. A few loaner instruments and capos will be available. Handout provided while supplies last.
- For the Byrds (M. Isabeau d'Orleans)
William Byrd was one of the greatest composers of the late Elizabethan period. He was something of an anomaly, composing for both the Anglican and Catholic churches. Explore some of his beautiful repertoire of sacred and secular choral music (instrumentalists welcome too).
- Loud Band Potluck (various)
For players of shawms, sackbuts, cornetti, dulcians, serpents, rauschpfeiffen, trombones with sackbut personae, etc. People already competent on any of these instruments are invited to jam. If there's a piece you've been dying to try but never had enough wind-band players in one place, bring enough copies to share. We'll have some double-choir pieces.
- Soft Band Potluck (various)
For players of recorders, flutes, viols, vielles, harps, citoles, Renaissance guitars, etc. People already competent on any of these instruments are invited to jam. If you have a copy of Odhecaton (preferably the Amherst Early Music edition), bring it; if there are other pieces you've been dying to try with others, bring enough copies to share.
- Instrumental Improvisation and Ornamentation (M. John Elys)
Medieval and Renaissance musicians frequently built performances by adding ornaments to an existing simple melody, or making up a noodly melody to go with an existing cantus firmus or ground. We'll discuss a vocabulary of idiomatic ornaments and formulæ, when to use which one (including which work better on which instruments), and do a lot of hands-on practice to loosen up your improvisatory chops. Bring an instrument (or voice) that you play fluently. Some music-reading ability needed, but not much; we'll be working largely by ear.
- Reimagining Lost Medieval Carols (Lord Geoffrey of Exeter)
Lord Geoffrey will give a brief introduction/overview of his process of composing new medieval-inspired music for medieval English carol texts whose original tunes and harmonies from the period haven' survived. Then for most of the class, we'll do some singing (or bring a suitable instrument, e.g. recorder, if you prefer not to sing) and let these beautiful texts that have lain silent for centuries sing again!
- How To Sing, and How To Sing This New Piece (Lord Geoffrey of Exeter)
First, we will learn some pointers about good group singing technique, focused on vocal projection, tuning, blend, breathing and dynamics. Second, we will learn a piece written by Lord Geoffrey for 3 vocal parts, written with SCA use in mind and using a period text: "The World an Illusion". It would be very helpful if a few recorder players and percussionists could bring instruments along.