Mini-course offered by the Center for Early Music Studies. Taught by eminent figures in the field of early music, this course is an intensive, laboratory-style immersion in early music scholarship and performance on selected topics, composers, and repertories, covering vocal and instrumental styles from the Middle Ages to the end of the 18th century. 1 cr. Can be repeated for credit.
FALL 2024 Schedule
| Section |
Instructor |
Location |
Schedule |
Notes |
| A1 |
Bradley |
|
ARR 12:00 am-12:00 am |
Early Polychoral Music: (Before?) Venice, 1550
This is a mini-course (weekend of Oct 26/27).
Gardano’s publication of salmi spezzati “Di Adriano et di Jachet” in 1550 shows the first maturity of the nascent style of polychoral compositions. Where does this style come from? Is Willaert adopting the technique from other composers, possibly active in the Veneto in the 1530s? This minicourse will explore various interrelated questions, including genre (early polychoral pieces are commonly settings of Psalm texts), sources, and physical spacing of choirs. Compositional questions will also be considered, especially relating to Franco-Flemish pieces before 1530 that begin to show aspects like the impermanent division of forces into sub-ensembles (like Josquin’s Praeter rerum seriem) or the use of canon to achieve large scoring (like Mouton’s Nesciens mater). Some issues that conductors face will also be dealt with, such as sources that preclude the physical separation of the ensembles, idiosyncratic use of clef combinations, and the possible inclusion of instruments. The early polychoral rep presents a fascinating cross-section of compositional and performance issues ca. 1550, ones with long-lasting effects on the development of seventeenth-century music across Europe. |
FALL 2024 Schedule
| Section |
Instructor |
Location |
Schedule |
Notes |
| B1 |
Bradley |
CFA B36 |
U 10:00 am-5:00 pm |
This course will explore the biography of Guillaume Dufay, his relationship with Cambrai Cathedral and with other notable composers of his day, and will work through compositional and performance practice problems in his music. These will include: the possibility of instrumental participation, the solus tenor, tempo and musica ficta, number of singers, and liturgical or courtly function for various pieces. Students will leave with an understanding of the sources and pieces Dufay wrote, and with tools for analyzing and performing his works. |
| B1 |
Bradley |
CFA 154 |
S 10:00 am-5:00 pm |
This course will explore the biography of Guillaume Dufay, his relationship with Cambrai Cathedral and with other notable composers of his day, and will work through compositional and performance practice problems in his music. These will include: the possibility of instrumental participation, the solus tenor, tempo and musica ficta, number of singers, and liturgical or courtly function for various pieces. Students will leave with an understanding of the sources and pieces Dufay wrote, and with tools for analyzing and performing his works. |
SPRG 2025 Schedule
| Section |
Instructor |
Location |
Schedule |
Notes |
| A1 |
Bradley |
FLR 263 |
SU 9:00 am-5:00 pm |
Mini-course: Tempo in Europe before 1815.
How did composers indicate tempo in their compositions in the absence of metronome markings? What can we glean from the early adopters of the metronome, especially Beethoven, who incorporated its use alongside the earlier system of descriptive words and metrical signs? How far back into history can we determine the speed at which a composition might go? Students will explore a series of vignettes in this course, starting with Beethoven, and then going back to the fifteenth century, through Monteverdi and Schütz, Charpentier, Handel, and some others, to equip themselves to decipher historical tempos before the use of the metronome. |
SPRG 2025 Schedule
| Section |
Instructor |
Location |
Schedule |
Notes |
| B1 |
Coelho |
FLR 263 |
SU 9:00 am-5:00 pm |
Mini-course: English Lute Song in the Time of John Dowland.
This hands-on course is open to singers, keyboard players, lutenists, and string players interested in delving into Renaissance and Baroque accompaniments for solo voice and instruments. While our main focus will be on the lute songs by John Dowland and their arrangements, we will also touch on the instrumental repertory of early 17th century England. |
SPRG 2025 Schedule
| Section |
Instructor |
Location |
Schedule |
Notes |
| C1 |
Bradley |
FLR 263 |
SU 9:00 am-5:00 pm |
Mini-course: Music at the Court of Pope Leo X
Pope Leo X (reigned 1513-1521) had a well-deserved reputation as being a lover of polyphony and a generous supporter of the arts. In addition to the papal choir at the Sistine Chapel, Leo X (who likely studied music with his father’s choirmaster, Heinrich Isaac) also developed a personal choir for performance in his private residence. This course will explore the sources and composers affiliated with Leo X and witness the remarkable flourishing of music in Rome in the 1510s. |
Note that this information may change at any time. Please visit the MyBU Student Portal for the most up-to-date course information.
