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Mountain Collegium 2017 class offerings and descriptions*
FIRST PERIOD
Recorder consort and technique. Various faculty; all levels. We sort you into classes based on your self-evaluations. Improve your
technique through outstanding literature!
Viol consort and technique. Various faculty; all levels. We sort you into classes based on your self-evaluations. Improve your
technique through outstanding literature!
Vocal consort and technique. Robert Bolyard; all levels. Improve your technique through outstanding literature!
Brass consort and technique. Erik Schmalz; all levels. Sackbuts and cornetti of all sizes welcomed in this brass-kickin’ repertoire
class.
Pleasant & Delightful (ensemble for plucked strings). Lorraine Hammond; all levels. Songs and tunes of grace and elegance for
harps and harpsichords, dulcimers, lutes, guitars, mandolins, and more. Gentle percussion also welcomed. The emphasis will be on,
but not limited to, learning by ear in this repertoire class.
SECOND PERIOD
20th Century Music of Cesar Bresgen. Jody Miller; upper intermediate & advanced recorders. Composer Cesar Bresgen, who was a
friend of Carl Orff, had a varied life as a composer, organist, choral director, accompanist, and even as a soldier in World War II. His
output of works left us with some delightful recorder ensemble pieces, many of which were published by Moeck in the mid-20th
century. We may even acquaint ourselves with his charming “Fluturas” (butterflies) that uses recorders alongside pitched and
unpitched percussion instruments.
Renaissance Recorders. Pat Petersen; upper intermediate & advanced recorders. Taking authenticity one step further, this class will
play a high pitched (a=465) matched set of Renaissance recorders by Peter van der Poel. Travel back to the time when instruments
were purchased in matched sets as we play music particularly suited to their ranges and characteristics.
Eight Is Enough. Annalisa Pappano; intermediate viols. Travel back in time with German and Italian music by Lassus, Gabrieli,
Schutz, and Schein with these luscious low consorts for viols.
Sephardic Music: Lisle Kulbach; all levels; singers & instrumentalists. Singers are especially welcome. Sephardic music has its roots
in Medieval Spain and Portugal. We will study rhythms from the Middle East and explore tunes with medieval Spanish lyrics.
Percussion instruments welcomed!
Memorials & Lamentations. Barbara Weiss; all levels of instrumentalists. We will experience dissonance’s power to evoke emotion
in the gorgeous funeral music and laments of Schutz, Morley, Bach, Purcell, Becker, Marini, and others. Playing this music will show
how the dry-as-dust things you learn in music theory are actually what give music the power to express emotions. Don’t worry—the
theory will be in small manageable bites!
Following the Lieder. Robert Bolyard; intermediate recorders & high voices. Join us for an expedition to Germany and the Low
Countries to sample the best of the Tenorlied repertoire by Isaac, Senfl, and others, with 4' recorders playing the instrumental parts and
high voices singing the vocal line! (Why should tenors get all the fun?) Often overlooked in favor of Italian and English music of the
period, this unique take on polyphony is sure to delight - and for a little extra fun, we'll also sample some vocal/instrumental music
from other periods! Prost!
Songs Without Words. Gail Ann Schroeder; upper intermediate & advanced viols. The Madrigal Fantasy as bridge from vocal to
instrumental polyphony. A survey class exploring the development of the viol fantasia from its Italian vocal roots to the pinnacle of
the English fantasy, with focus on the madrigal fantasies of Ward, Coprario, and Lupo.
Bad Romance. Anne Timberlake; intermediate & up, all instruments. Love is patient, love is kind…until it goes terribly, terribly
wrong! Then, of course, it’s fuel for music. We’ll explore the infinite ways love can go south in vocal and instrumental music from
across the centuries. Singers could be accommodated if there is enough interest.
Upping the Ante. Valerie Austin; all levels, all instruments. A variety of Renaissance dance music will provide us with opportunities
to add percussion to your group. Everyone will get plenty of turns to provide the “heartbeat” to the ensemble!
Flee the Country—For Music! Erik Schmalz; intermediate & up, all instruments. Giaches de Wert left his Flanders home early in
life to go to Italy. There he became an influential composer of madrigals, influencing the likes of Monteverdi. Throw your daily life
behind and escape to Italy’s wonderful world of pizza (pizza not included!) and intricate renaissance part songs. We’ll explore the
breadth of Wert’s own works and see the effect they had on other composers. Some original notation is readily available, so that’s
always a possibility if the class is interested.
* We honestly try our best to accommodate any historical or folk instrument. If you are not sure how you (or your instrument) will fit in for a
particular period, just e-mail us and we will see if we can work out a solution.
THIRD PERIOD
Agincourt 600. Valerie Austin; intermediate & up, all instruments. Let’s explore music which came to light for the 600th anniversary
of the famous battle of Agincourt in 1415. One or two pieces will be familiar, but most were tucked away in archives and in rare
collections.
500 Years & Counting. Annalisa Pappano; upper intermediate & advanced viols. A celebration of the 500th anniversary of the
Reformation, exploring the music of Josquin, Agricola, and Walther in the delicious dark territory of the lower consorts.
Tudor to Stuart. Gail Schroeder; intermediate viols. Many of the most prolific and illustrious composers for the viol began their
careers during the reign of Queen Elizabeth and continued well in to the Jacobean era. This class will focus on such masters as Byrd,
Tomkins, Wilbye, Coprario, and Ferrabosco II.
Diverse Musicke. Jody Miller; intermediate & up renaissance instruments. Do you own some fun instruments you like to play but
hardly get to play with others? This could just the class for you. We will try out various combinations and will try our best to utilize
the renaissance instruments you bring. Repertoire will be adjusted to the mix of folks who sign up. Please indicate what instruments
(a=440, please) you will bring. Options can include recorders, brass, reeds, strings, percussion, and possibly even a well-tuned kitchen
sink! We will have a few instruments to lend, but you should have at least moderate experience as a multi-instrumentalist.
Anonymous Masses. Lisle Kulbach; intermediate & up, all instruments and singers. For centuries many of the finest composers have
written Masses for the church. In this class we will explore medieval and renaissance Masses by Anonymous composers.
Dance Tunes for Appalachian Dulcimer. Lorraine Hammond; all levels of Appalachian dulcimer. This fretted zither has Northern
European origins and a legacy of dance music to delight and challenge players at any skill level.
Music of Tallis & Byrd. Pat Petersen; intermediate & up recorders & strings; voices also welcomed. The simple and elegant psalm
settings and ravishing motets of Thomas Tallis (c. 1505-1585) that have inspired generations of church musicians, and the broad
sweep of madrigals, consort songs, motets, masses, and intricate fantasias of his student William Byrd (c. 1539/40-1643), represent the
height of English Renaissance music. It didn’t hurt that they held a monopoly on music publishing at the time!
Baroque Orchestra. Gwyn Roberts; intermediate & up, most instruments. Henry Purcell’s music for The Fairy Queen was written for
a revival of Shakespeare’s The Tempest in celebration of the wedding anniversary of the ruling couple, William and Mary. Instead of
accompanying the play itself, Purcell’s tunes were part of a series of fantastical interludes designed to astonish and flatter the
monarchs. So, there is a Monkey Dance, a Dance of the Green Men, and plenty of action involving Fairies and Witches. We will play
at A=440, and the class is open to all strings, winds, and (OF COURSE) sackbuts and cornetti!
FOURTH PERIOD
Earth, Wind, and Fire. Anne Timberlake; all levels, all instruments. From fiery passion to raging floods, gentle breezes to quaking
earth, composers have long found inspiration in nature’s elements. We’ll burn, blow, and flow through elemental music from across
the centuries.
Voices & Viols. Robert Bolyard; voices & viols, all levels. This large ensemble needs little introduction, as the title tells it all! We will
play 8-foot music from the Renaissance period. Some low recorders may be accepted if there is space.
Quick, Learn Spanish! Erik Schmalz; soft & loud instruments, all levels. We will take a look at sacred Renaissance music from
Spain. It’s easy to think of Italy, Germany, or the low countries when we think of Renaissance music, but Spain has a flavor all its
own—more spicy, yet equally faithful. We’ll look at a few Spanish composers’ music for the church and maybe follow some tangents
toward their secular music or music of their peers.
Folk Ensemble: Sing Me An Old Song. Lorraine Hammond; folk instruments and singers, all levels. We’ll start with songs that were
collected in the Southern Appalachians by Cecil Sharp in the early 1900s, and broaden the repertoire to other regional American
versions of those same songs and also their British Isles antecedents. Then we’ll create arrangements that draw on all of our
instrumental and vocal strengths. This is a great chance to play by ear in the folk tradition. All instruments are welcomed, as are
singers.
Baroque Masterclass. Gwyn Roberts & Barbara Weiss; all levels of Baroque instruments including treble instruments, bass
instruments, and continuo instruments. Open lessons for those who have prepared solo or ensemble works of Baroque music. We’ll
work on style, technique, presentation, nerves, and anything else that comes up, with plenty of exercises, ideas, and involvement for
the whole class. Pre-arranged ensembles welcome, or let us know if you want to be matched up with someone, and what you want to
play. This is a supportive environment. Performers at all levels are welcome—the only prerequisite is a desire to improve!
We reserve the right to cancel and/or substitute classes or teachers as enrollment requires.