RSVP for Summer Chamber Music Workshop

press release: Madison Bach Musicians Summer Chamber Music Workshop will take place online in 2020 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.  We are excited to be able to expand our musical offerings to serve not only musicians but other early music enthusiasts with nine classes that will take place via Zoom over our original four day schedule.  We also offer private lessons for instrumentalists.

Tuition for all nine classes during the four-day workshop is $220.

Four classes – $100

One class – $30

Private lessons – $50/45 minutes with the faculty member of your choice

Participants who already registered for the workshop can apply their registration fee of $30 to the cost of classes without the additional $5 fee.  You may also request a full refund or choose to donate the payment to Madison Bach Musicians.

Class Descriptions

Should We Use a Baroque Bow? with Kangwon Kim – 11 AM Tuesday, July 28

Open to any string players (baroque or modern) who have been curious about using the baroque bow.  I will be showing my short bow, baroque bow, and classical bow and demonstrating different sounds.  We will also discuss some techniques for the baroque bow using some exercises by Benda and apply them on a couple of simple baroque pieces.

We will try playing them together muted and then we will unmute for questions and comments.  There will be time for people to ask questions on specific passages from the pieces from the baroque era.  Auditors are welcome.

Comparing Baroque Music Recordings with Martha Vallon – 7 PM Tuesday, July 28

A lot of 17th and 18th century music was rediscovered in the first half of the 20th century. Musicians at the time performed baroque music in much the same style that they performed later music. Beginning in the 1960s and 1970s an awareness of the stylistic features of specialized early music performance developed to the point that it has now become much more common to hear baroque music performed by baroque specialists. Grab your favorite beverage and join in on the discussion as we compare recordings of individual pieces and identify features which make a performance “authentic.”

Basics of Baroque Ornamentation with Jason Moy – 11 AM Wednesday, June 29

We will examine the fundamentals of Baroque ornamentation, including the execution of trills and other essential ornaments, and also when and where to add ornaments not already notated by the composer. We will also delve into the basics of ‘free ornamentation’, or the embellishment of melodic lines in repeated sections or slow movements, and examine written-out examples in the repertoire that can help further our understanding of this important Baroque performance practice. This class will be a lecture-demonstration with Q&A, and will not involve any active musical participation from participants. Auditors are welcome.

What’s a Fugue? with Micah Behr – 3 PM Wednesday, July 29

Together, we’ll explore how fugues are constructed and why composers from all eras have been drawn to this form. Learn what to listen for in a fugue, and how to write your own.

Baroque Dance with Sarah Edgar – 7 PM Wednesday, July 29

After a brief lecture on baroque dance, Sarah will demonstrate various step combinations of the baroque dance suite. How does a minuet differ from a sarabande? How do you dance to a gigue? No dancing will be required from the participants, but there will be time to ask your burning baroque dance questions!

Greensleeves to a Ground: Group Play, One at a Time!  with Lisette Kielson – 11 AM Thursday, July 30

For players of alto recorder, flute, oboe, and violin (cellos and bassoons, too) at A=440.

In this session, we’ll take a look at this popular baroque ‘theme and variations’ and get a sense of how the English composed divisions in the 18^th century. And then we’ll play it!

Participants sign up ahead of time with Lisette indicating which lettered division(s) they’re going to play (based on desired range, level of difficulty, etc). Lisette starts us off on the theme, then the next person plays B, then the next person plays C, etc. Phrases may be repeated any number of times, or left out entirely. Feel free to add your own divisions! Lisette will send out the performance order by July 27, so you’ll know when to play. And bass recorders, bassoonists, and cellists feel free to play along on the ground bass (w/ your microphone on mute!).

J.S. Bach and His Early Influences with Jason Moy – 7 PM Thursday, July 30

The very first 19th century biographies of Johann Sebastian Bach suggested that he had no significant teachers, and emerged, almost god-like, as a fully-formed musician from a young age. We will examine the truth and fiction behind this persistent myth, and explore the keyboard music of Bach and other composers that were among his most notable influences. This class will be a lecture presentation with musical examples and Q&A. No actual playing experience is required, and auditors are welcome.

Continuo Class for Cellists with Martha Vallon – 11 AM Friday, July 31

Learn to play creative and enjoyable continuo lines through discovering the connection to the harmonic structure of the piece. Participants will gain some basic knowledge of figured bass and experiment with articulation to learn how these elements influence the solo line(s). Upper line players are also very welcome!  Joining the meeting with an instrument in hand will allow participants to experiment with the suggestions.

The Interaction of Sound and Silence: Articulation in 18th-century music with Trevor Stephenson – 7 PM Friday, July 31

How do we play the notes that are neither slurred (connected) nor marked with staccato dots (disconnected)? The articulation of a great quantity of notes in Baroque and Classical era music is left to the taste and understanding of the player. But what did composers assume about the performer’s understanding of articulatory style? Were small articulatory silences between notes often regarded not as interruptions of sound but as catalysts for carrying forward the rhetorical line? We’ll explore some of the codes of the era—such as meter choices (3/4 vs. 3/8 etc), predominant affect, sacred vs. secular, etc.―that informed players’ decisions. And we’ll look at several examples to come up with a variety of performance solutions!