On Saturday NWEMF celebrated its 40th birthday with a workshop taken by Justin Doyle to mark also another birthday, that of Claudio Monteverdi. We worked on movements from the Vespers of 1610. Are there many better ways of spending a day?

There is a concert in Mold on the 16th June given by Voci and Liverpool Renaissance singers. 

The details and application form for the workshop with Sally Dunkley are here, Sally Dunkley sept 2017

Described by a Spanish eulogist as ‘honour, glory and light of Flanders’, Philippe Rogier (c.1561-1596) was one of a number of distinguished musicians of Flemish birth who made a career in Spain, becoming assistant chapelmaster to the Spanish king in 1584 and director two years later, at the age of just 25. A collection of his motets was published in 1595, and one of Masses shortly after his untimely death the following year, but many of his works were lost in the Lisbon earthquake of 1755. Nevertheless, enough of Rogier’s music survives to show him to have been an unusually fine composer with an individual voice, whose musical vocabulary combines the extended polyphonic technique of the Flemish school with the emotional intensity of his adopted country, with a glimpse into the following century in its compelling use of sequential patterns.

This music is not yet generally available in performing editions, and the workshop will make use of Sally Dunkley’s extensive work on the original sources. The music is a delight to sing, a real discovery.

 

Sally Dunkley‘s lifelong interest in 16^th-century vocal music was established back in her student days, and ever since then her career as professional consort singer has run in parallel with editing  and researching.

She is the last remaining founder member of The Sixteen, and a regular in Philip Cave’s ensemble Magnificat; she also contributed to more than 1000 concerts in 25 years with the Tallis Scholars. She is often busy behind the scenes preparing performing editions from original sources, and is increasingly involved in sharing her experience through summer schools,  workshops and lectures. She co-presents a series of highly regarded workshops for The Sixteen, coaches vocal consorts for Sixteen Genesis courses, and takes singing days for Early Music Forums in the UK. She has been a regular faculty member at Chorworks summer workshop in Washington DC ever since its launch in 2005, and has twice participated in Dartington International Summer School.

This is being performed by Southport Bach choir, conductor Marc Murray on the 24th June. The flier with more information is here

Do remember to book for the day with Justin Doyle in Lancaster on the 3rd of June. This is a special event for NWEMF as it is our 40th birthday. NWEMF Workshops

Our workshop with Lizzie Gutteridge is coming soon. Have you applied yet? The full details are here. Medieval music event

The Details and application form for our 40th birthday event on the 3rd of June in Lancastter are here

We have just received notice of The Historical Dance Society’s Annual Summer School. You will find full information at their  web site

Do remember to get you application in for the recorder workshop on 22 April. The application form for the workshop with Lizzie Gutteridge is now also available. Follow the link to our workshop page for details on both events.

Tutor: Lizzie Gutteridge

Saturday 6^th May 2017

Morley Green Club, Mobberley Road, Wilmslow, SK9 5NT

“Explore polyphony from 13th & 14th century France” will include works from the Bamberg & Montpellier codices and mass movements and virelai by Guillaume de Machaut. Built around the stark beauty of a harmonic system of open 4^ths & 5^ths this music can be hugely rewarding both to sing and play. We’ll look at some of the compositional techniques used, including cantus firmus and hocketting and a variety of approaches for performing this music in the 21^st century.

This workshop is open both to singers and instrumentalists (including those playing instruments that were not around in the 13^th century) as we would like to offer the chance to engage with this repertoire to as many people as possible. Each piece will be learned together as a group but there will be plenty of chances to try out sections of the music a cappella, on “authentic” ensembles as well, and to listen to the effect of different combinations of voices and instruments.

Lizzie Gutteridge took up playing Renaissance music as a part of the historical re-enactment movement to re-form Waits bands throughout the country, then decided to pursue it further and make it her main occupation. Since 2007 Lizzie has studied with some of the country’s leading Renaissance wind players at Cambridge and Dartington summer schools and at Guildhall. She plays a wide range of other historical instruments, including bagpipes, recorders, curtals and fiddles. Lizzie is a member of Blondel and The York Waits and musical director of The Colchester Waits. Freelance engagements have included the Globe’s “Nell Gwynn”, both on tour and in the West End, “The Knight of the Burning Pestle” at the Wanamaker Theatre, performances in Morocco and London with Passamezzo, and large-scale events at Hampton Court and the Tower of London. She is a trustee of the International Guild of Town Pipers. Lizzie’s latest project “Consort of 1” combines early music on historical instruments with the use of live looping  equipment which allows  layering of parts to show Medieval and Renaissance melodies from a new perspective.