Medieval Project with Benjamin Bagby

Instructors:
Benjamin Bagby - (course director) voice
Lisa Solomon - voice
Lawrence Rosenwald - language, pronunciation, rhetoric, interpretation

Repertoire: Songs of Oswald von Wolkenstein
Audition due date April 15

Open to advance-level vocalists by audition (deadline April 15). There are a maximum of two spots open to high level vielle or medieval harp players by audition (deadline April 15). Non-participating auditors are welcome as space permits.

Explore the songs of the amazingly prolific Tirolean poet and adventurer, Oswald von Wolkenstein. During a long career, he managed to travel throughout Europe (and according to him, as far as Persia) in the service of kings and emperors. His adventures are recounted in a large body of monophonic song, preserved in several magnificent manuscripts which we can access today. He made himself (or his poetic persona) the center of his work and through his songs we experience his political battles, his love affairs, his family life, and his enormous ego. But he also had a tender side, vulnerable and self-ironic, a love of languages (he tells us he speaks ten of them), and a curiosity about musical composition and polyphony.

In addition to Oswald's many monophonic songs, all in German or a smattering of other languages, there are polyphonic pieces, for which he readily borrowed the musical settings from Italian and French models, adding his new texts. This most versatile and mercurial of all poet-musicians was unmatched in his omnivorous understanding of European musical traditions at the end of the Middle Ages.

Course participants should be trained vocalists at an intermediate to advanced level. Prior experience with medieval music is not necessary, but excellent pitch control and a good rhythmic sense are essential skills. We will try to work from the original notation, but transcriptions will also be provided. A knowledge of German is helpful but not essential.