AEM Online

Building on the knowledge gained in the 4-week introductory series, we continue to work with 16th- and 15th-century sources. The goal is to gain deeper understanding, practical application, and greater levels of comfort and fluency with historical clefs and ligature reading, as well as some first experiences with the specifics rules guiding triple mensurations. 

Sessions are 75 min in length and are held via zoom. Students are able to ask live questions during the sessions. Music, supporting handouts, and sound files will be provided to be used for your individual practice at home between sessions. 

Open to all instrumentalists and singers. All levels welcome - basic abilities on your instrument/voice and basic music-reading skills are a prerequisite. This class is specifically geared towards students who already have completed the introductory notation class or have equivalent experience. If you don’t have any prior early notation experience at all but would still be interested in joining the class, please feel free to contact us.

Gilles Binchois (1400-1460) is renowned as one of the great Franco-Flemish composers of the early 15th century. He is a contemporary of Guillaume Dufay, and - like Dufay - represents the Burgundian school, and the "contenance angloise", the English influence on early 15th century continental composers. While composers Dufay and Dunstaple are usually ranked higher in their musical influence of the time, Binchois’ chansons were extensively quoted and used as the basis for new compositions in the 15th century, leading musicologist David Fallows to write: “the extent to which [Binchois'] works were borrowed, cited, parodied and intabulated in the later 15th century implies that he had more direct influence than either [Du Fay or Dunstaple]” (Grove Music Online, 2001). Binchois has been praised as an outstanding melodist and miniaturist - most of his surviving works are secular compositions, especially rondeaux, alongside some sacred works and individual mass movements. We will explore both secular and sacred works from various manuscripts of the early 15th century, including EscorialA (black mensural notation) and Oxford 213 (white mensural notation).

Image:  Binchois (right) holding a small harp and Guillaume Du Fay (left) beside a portative organ in a c. 1440 Illuminated manuscript copy of Martin le Franc's Le champion des dames

"Beyond The Drone Zone", with Niccolo Seligmann, vielle. Open to all instruments, all levels.
To engage with medieval monody & chant as an instrumentalist, you have to make choices. But what choices are out there? How does one know which choices suit which repertoires? This class demystifies "arrangement," giving versatile tools to players who are curious about medieval music but daunted by how little information is on the page. We'll put special focus on "accompanying" medieval monody as a means of sharing rich storytelling with modern audiences.  Open to: all instruments, all levels, pitch: A=440Hz

We know that a wide variety of percussion instruments were used in medieval and renaissance music, e.g., drums of all shapes and sizes, bells, cymbals, rattles, etc.  We don't know what the musicians actually played on these instruments. In this class we'll explore how to add percussion to medieval and renaissance European music.  We will examine different approaches and styles in playing monophonic vs. polyphonic music and how percussion can enliven (or, uh, deaden) a piece. Participants may play percussion, a melody instrument, switch from one to the other or just listen!  Those who don't own a drum can use any handy percussion instrument you have at home, such as a pot, pan, cardboard box or wastebasket (preferably empty). Tuning for this class is A=440. NB: This class builds and expands on the concepts presented in Peter's previous AEM classes on "Percussion in Medieval and Renaissance Music”, presented in early 2023. Everyone is welcome. Open to: all. Pitch: A=440 Hz

"Lamentations - Exploring Musical Tributes on the Death Of…", with Annette Bauer, recorder
Composing a musical tribute upon the death of a famous person is a long-standing tradition in music history. Among these, the musical tributes for influential composers, often written by those composers’ students, are especially moving. We will explore several late 14th-early 16th century musical tributes following the deaths of Guillaume de Machaut († 1377), Gilles Binchois († 1460), Johannes Ockeghem († 1497), and Josquin Des Prez († 1521) in four compositions by F. Andrieu, Johannes Ockeghem, Josquin Des Prez, and Nicolas Gombert.  Open to: recorder players, all levels, and other instruments/singers (please note: play-along files are made on recorders, i.e. sound an octave higher than written pitch). Pitch: A= 440 Hz.

Explore villancicos by Juan del Encina (1468-1529/30), who was a master of this popular vocal form based on rustic themes. His works, as found in the  early 16th-century Cancionero de Palacio, feature infectious melodies and rhythms that are a joy to play (and to sing!). This class is geared to viols of low to intermediate level but also open to singers and other instruments who want to explore this repertoire along with us, through custom play-along tracks. Open to: viols, low and intermediate levels, as well as other instruments and singers. Pitch: A=415.

Mondays, 5:30 - 6:45 p.m. ET
November 11, 18, 25 & December 2
Four sessions
This class is designed as a musical workout, using the music of the Medieval & Renaissance periods, as well as varied modal music such as Celtic, Eastern European and other traditional and high art styles to exercise and strengthen our musical language and experience. We'll have adventures with pitch and rhythm, modes, improvisation, intervals, ensemble techniques, music theory, arranging and more. We’ll study rhythm with the eccentric composers of the Ars Subtilior, dance music of Eastern Europe, musical imitation with Josquin des Pres and Palestrina, musical forms with the likes of Guillaume Dufay and Francesco Landini, among many other esteemed musical guides and subjects) Open to all singers and instrumentalists, 440Hz.