Having just returned from an Amherst Early Music Workshop in Philadelphia last weekend, I thought I'd post some information on Heinrich Isaac. Here's a brief bio of him that appears on the website, http://www.hoasm.org.

Franco-Flemish composer. Although the majority of his professional life was spent in Italy, particularly Florence, his influence was greatest in Germanic lands, where he lived intermittently from 1497, when he became court Composer to Maximilian I. Of his students, the most notable was Ludwig Senfl. 

 His long association with Italy began when he entered the service of the Medici in Florence around 1485 as a singer in the Cantori di S. Giovanni, a group that supplied polyphonic music for the cathedral and other local churches. His work for Maximilian I, from 1497 until his death, did not require continuous residence at the court but allowed stays of considerable length in various German cities, in northern Italy, and in Florence. Nevertheless, his position as imperial court composer and the many pieces he wrote for the Hofkapelle brought the Netherlandish style of music to German-speaking areas.

Among his works are about 40 Mass Ordinaries, half cyclic (in the Netherlandish tradition), half based on liturgically appropriate plainsong melodies (in the German tradition); almost 100 cycles of the Proper of the Mass (following Germanic liturgical custom; most published posthumously in the 3-volume Choralis constantinus); over fifty independent motets; and nearly 100 secular songs, including French chansons, a few Italian frottole, and a large number of German Tenorlieder.

Here's a link to a pdf file of one of his compositions for 4 parts.

Interview with 8-year-old Lucas, 
who studies at the Special Music School in New York 


His parents are professional musicians.
This video was posted in the New York Times in 2011.

Doen Daphne d'over schoone Maeght by van Eyck

I just found this video on youtube. I don't know who the young performer is, or what country she comes from. 




http://youtu.be/KFksmD37yXM

Ten commandments for the care and feeding of a consort
A very useful document, which originally appeared in American Recorder, 
Vol. XXX, No. 3

It was developed by the author’s own consort, a group of six players with a fairly wide range of musical abilities.

by Mary Maarbjerg

1. Meet at a regular time and set starting and ending times. We meet once

a week for two hours. Some of us get so carried away with the music we

want to play all night. Much better to “leave ‘em wanting more.” And a fixed

time focuses the rehearsal on the things that are most important.

2. At some point choose a leader. We tried to operate as six equals, but the

best and only professional musician among us emerged as our leader.... We

expect him to consult us on all operating decisions of the group (when and

where we play, how we spend our money, etc.), but we let him settle the

musical disputes. Someone should have the final word.

3. If you start to earn money, open a separate account and appoint a

treasurer.

4. Break bread together from time to time. Musical rehearsals can be serious

business, especially on the verge of a performance. It helps your musical

interaction to have some casual interaction as well.

5. Criticize or comment on the music, not the musicians. “That passage

might sound better if we did…” rather than “You’re bellowing so hard on that

alto we can’t hear the soprano.”

6. Agree on the general purpose of the group and to what extent you will

deviate from that purpose. We got together to play, and very soon found

ourselves with invitations to perform. As it happens, we were all rather taken

with the idea and have basically refocused on performance repertoire, but we

still try to sight-read for 15 minutes or so during each rehearsal, and

occasionally devote an entire session to it.

7. If you have a group that works well together, don’t tamper with it by

adding “just one more person.” You don’t need to tell me about the

proverbial straw…. Remember that group dynamics are fragile and can easily

be destroyed.

8. Don’t let little things fester. Best to bring up a grievance quickly, and

resolve it quickly. Little annoyances become big issues if allowed to grow. If

you don’t want him to put his chewing gum on your antique music stand, say

so at once.

9. Relax and enjoy it for what it is, while it lasts…. Recognize that in any

group greater than one, someone may be having an off night—musically or

personally. (Not you, of course!) We have found that the best thing is to just

ignore it, and start fresh the next week. No explanations required.

10. Finally, be prepared to fall in love with someone or everyone. Music is a

very emotional experience…. To share in that experience is, in some sense,

to fall in love, and can be confused with the real thing. Be forewarned. It’s

not the least of the hazards involved in group playing.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Green, Barry, with W. Timothy Gallway. The Inner Game of Music. Garden City,

NJ: Anchor/Doubleday, 1986. See Chapter 14, “Ensemble Playing” (pp.

189-205).

White, Beverly. “Consensus Musicus and the Small Ensemble.” American

Recorder, Vol. XIII, No. 4 (November 1972), pp. 122-123.

This article advocates teamwork and shared leadership in small ensembles. It is most

applicable to experienced ensembles.

Gilles de Binche (called Binchois)


I found this recording by chance: 
Mon Souverain Desir
Ensemble Gilles Binchois 
Dominique Vellard

Virgin Classics

Catalogue No.: 0724354528552

from the Wikipedia article:
also known as Gilles de Bins (c. 1400 – 20 September 1460), was a Franco-Flemish composer, one of the earliest members of the Burgundian School, and one of the three most famous composers of the early 15th century. While often ranked behind his contemporaries Guillaume Dufay and John Dunstaple, at least by contemporary scholars, his influence was arguably greater than either, since his works were cited, borrowed and used as source material more often than those by any other composer of the time.

Binchois (right), with Guillaume Dufay