Come spend some time with us in the wonderful world of original notation, specifically mensural notation, the system primarily used during the 14th-16th centuries. Being able to read from the original greatly enhances our understanding of how the music we love works and can give new insights for our performance practice. One might compare this process to how reading a work of literature in its original language reveals a world of nuances hidden in even the best of translations.
Building on the knowledge gained in the 4-week introductory series, we continue to work with 16th 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. (The materials and class recordings of the intro I course are available to purchase as a self-guided course for anyone who wants to catch up on their own).
Image source: Josquin Kyrie Missa Pange Lingua Choirbook D-Ju MS 21
