More from Aldo Bova

More on European early music workshops
Here's one in Amsterdam, sent to me by Toni Ameslav
http://www.ahk.nl/no_cache/en/conservatorium/study-programmes/workshops-masterclasses-and-summer-schools/early-music-summer-school/?print=1

A recorder workshop in the Czech Republic
Last Saturday at the Eric Haas workshop in Schenectady, I learned of a recorder workshop held in Prachatice, Czech Republic during the summer. Michael Murphy, of the Hudson Mohawk chapter of ARS told me about the program. Here's the URL:
http://www.lssh.euweb.cz/en/index.php
Michael said he was thinking of organizing a group to attend it. The photos on the website look great. And Peter Holtslag, one of the instructors, comes highly recommended. He performs with Han Tol, and has many solo recordings.
http://www.peterholtslag.com/

Finally, here's a photo of Prachatice:

Eric Haas led the workshop on Saturday, May 14 in Schenectady, hosted by the Hudson Mohawk chapter of the ARS. The music was unusual---everything chromatic, with some quarter tones thrown in for more variety. We were advised not to try these because with twenty or so people, the sound might be ear-splitting. Eric did demonstrate, though, and also provided lots of commentary. We played pieces by Frescobaldi, Gesualdo, Coprario, Purcell and others, all of it strange and beautiful.

Here's an excerpt from the Wiki article on Gesualdo:

Carlo Gesualdo, known as Gesualdo da Venosa (March 8, 1566 – September 8, 1613), Prince of Venosa and Count of Conza, was an Italian music composer, lutenist and nobleman of the late Renaissance. He is famous for his intensely expressive madrigals, which use a chromatic language not heard again until the late 19th century, and also for committing the most notorious murders carried out by any musician.

I've added a link to the 'links' page on the lower right, to the Harmonia website. From there you can access past programs. Usually they put up the most current shows a few days after their first broadcast. There is a wealth of music and historical information on these shows and the website. 

Next Saturday, May 14, I will be attending a workshop in Schenectady, New York, hosted by the Hudson-Mohawk ARS chapter. The workshop will be led by Eric Haas.

Entitled Colorful Language, the workshop will feature chromatic madrigals, chansons, dances and fantasias from the 16th and 17th centuries--including music of Coprario, Frescobaldi, Gesualdo, Marenzio, Purcell, Tomkins and others.

The location is the Elks Club-Guilderland Lodge 2480

3867 Carman Road, Schenectady, NY 12303

For more information, contact  Linda Botimer 518-355-4686 or chall7@nycap.rr.com

www.hudsonmohawkrecorder.org

The Bressan recorder drawings

Click on the link above for the full set of drawings

Bressan alto recorder

from the Bate Collection at the University of Oxford

This instrument was made in about 1720 by the celebrated baroque recorder maker Pierre Jaillard, also known as 'The Bressan.'  He earned this soubriquet as he came from Bourg en Bresse, the capital of Ain province near Lyon in South-central France.  At the age of 15 Jaillard was apprenticed to a local woodturner but he left after two years.  It is not known where he learned his instrument making skills but it is speculated that he studied in Paris along with his contemporary Rippert.  He moved to England in 1688 and accompanied William III to the Netherlands as one of the Kings 'Hautboys'.

This instrument came from the collection of Edgar Hunt.  It had been kept in his flat in London which had been bombed during the blitz.  Hunt returned to the site some days after the event and, whilst poking about in the rubble, was overjoyed to find the instrument wrapped up in an old shirt.

Arnold Dolmetsch 1858-1940

I came across this photo in a book called Camera Portraits: Photographs from the National Portrait Gallery, London 1839-1989.

Here's a section from the accompanying text:

Born in France of Bohemian origin, Arnold Dolmetsch trained as a musical-instrument maker with his father, and came to England about 1883. With the encouragement of Sir George Grove (of dictionary fame), he began his investigations into early English instrumental music, and the way it was played. This led to the making of lutes, virginals, clavichords, harpsichords, recorders, viols and violins, which became his life's work. In 1925, close to the time of this photograph, he founded at Haslemere, Surrey, where he lived, an annual summer festival of early music. Here he, his family and friends attempted to recreate historically authentic performances, but not for their own sake: 'This music is of absolute and not antiquarian importance; it must be played as the composer intended and on the instruments for which it was written with their correct technique; and through it personal music-making can be restored to the home, from which two centuries of professionalism have divorced it.'

The photograph was taken by Herbert Lambert 1881-1936. It is a toned bromide print, lettered: ARNOLD DOLMETSCH, c. 1925

J.S. Bach,  Cantata, Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut

from an original manuscript in the Danish Royal Library's collection

For the complete manuscript, click here.