Karen Cook

Voce mea ad Dominum: Music for the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi
Saturday, October 4, 1:00 p.m. ET

October 4 is the feast day for St Francis of Assisi, the famous founder of the Franciscan order. In the medieval and early modern periods, a significant amount of music was written for celebrations of his feast day. This class will focus on works dedicated to or referring to him, ranging from thirteenth-century lauda to motets written by composers as far-ranging as Du Fay, Willaert, Palestrina, Porta, and Tollius. Other works reflecting his love of the environment and in particular animals will also be included. All instruments/voices welcome; intermediate and up. Facsimiles available for those wishing to read from original notation. Pitch: A=440 Hz.

Sarah Mead

Making Connections: Bow-strokes, phrasing, speech, and song

Saturday, October 4, 3:00 p.m. ET

We hear music as a series of gestures and phrases, but when we learn to play, it is most often note by note. The connections between notes (like connecting syllables into words and sentences) requires paying attention to what happens between one note and the next. By listening to how our voices make these connections, we will find ways to make our bows do the same thing. Class will experiment with a variety of bowing shapes and explore the shapes of texted and non-texted phrases, ending with a group madrigal play-along with the teacher's recording. Open to viol players of all levels. Pitch: A= 415 Hz.

Sarah Jeffery

Musical Palindromes and Rhythmic Games

Sunday, October 5, 1:00 p.m. ET

Composers have always enjoyed musical jokes and rhythmic games - writing compositions back to front and upside down, until your brain is inside out! We will get to understand pieces by composers including Guillame de Machaut, Johannes Ciconia, Josquin Deprez, and more. A fun intellectual exercise, but most importantly, beautiful music. Open to all recorders, or any instrument reading in C. Parts will be a mixture of treble and bass clef. Pitch: A=440Hz.

Agnes Coakley Cox and Nathaniel Cox

The Sweet Marriage of Voice and Lute

Sunday, October 5, 3:00 p.m. ET

Agnes Coakley Cox and Nathaniel Cox have been directing their ensemble for 17th-century music, In Stile Moderno, since 2012. In this lecture-demonstration, they will share solo song repertoire from Italy and England, and discuss the most significant elements of performance practice and rehearsal technique that they have discovered and refined as a duo over the years. Topics will include: tactus as a practical tool for setting a tempo, staying together, and finding rhythmic freedom; working with foreign languages and historical pronunciation of English; ornamentation; using facsimiles; considerations for lutenists; and tips for how to communicate to your duo partner. There will also be time for a Q&A.

This is a lecture demo style class, open to all but aimed specifically towards singers and plucked instrumentalists/continuo players. Pitch: A=440.

• https://www.amherstearlymusic.org/online/classes-october-4-5