25 May 2012 [SEATTLE, WA] – Early Music America has published the Summer 2012 issue (Vol. 18, Number 2) of its quarterly publication, Early Music America magazine. Call 1-888-SACKBUT or email [email protected] now to request a complimentary copy.
NOTABLE IN THIS ISSUE:
Baroque Opera: Captivating the Critics
In her address to the Rubin Institute for Music Criticism at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Heidi Waleson of The Wall Street Journal explains why critics are fascinated with Baroque opera.
Excerpt: “There is tremendous richness in this field right now. It’s exciting to have all these operas that have not been done to death, that musicians, singers, and directors can really explore. That is certainly one reason that American companies have begun producing them.”
The Renaissance Comes to Brooklyn
John Felton reports on the “Renaissance Revolution”, a day-long show-and-tell organized by concert pianist Simone Dinnerstein that brought seventeen musicians, most of them specialists in Renaissance and Baroque music, to Brooklyn’s PS 321 elementary school in order to generate financial support for and interest in music education.
Excerpt: “’Interviewed by Dinnerstein at mid-concert, (Paul) O’Dette recalls his own excitement, as a child in Washington, D.C., when musicians from the National Symphony Orchestra came to his school several times a year. ‘That kind of thing doesn’t happen very much anymore, and it’s a shame, which is why I am so happy to be here.’”
A Life Together in the Pursuit of Beauty
Tina Chancey writes about the lives of James and Catharina Meints Caldwell and how their collection of viols, one of the largest private collections in the world, is being documented as a print catalogue and an iPad app. She interviews the three people most responsible for the project: Catharina, Ardal Powell of Music Word Media Group and musicologist Thomas MacCracken.
Excerpt: “The catalog documents the process by which these instruments were acquired and made playable, as well as offering a comprehensive overview of each instrument including, besides the standard measurements and mug shot, the maker’s biography, copious pictures, and a solo performance of characteristic repertoire by Cathy.”
Inventing Western Music Notation, Inventing Western Music
Ronald Broude describes how early notation acted upon both the music it represented and the musical system we inherited.
Excerpt: “The invention of printing transformed the ways in which people processed and consumed information. There is no reason to suppose that the relationship between the sacred music of the 9th and 10th centuries and its notation should be an exception to the rule.”
Also in this issue:
Profile: Wayward Sisters by Beth Adelman
In Conclusion: What Period? by James Middleton
Plus Recording Reviews, Book Reviews, and Sound Bytes (news from the field).
About Early Music America
Early Music America serves and strengthens the early music community in North America and raises public awareness of early music. EMA was founded in 1985 and provides its 3,000 members with publications, advocacy, and technical support. EMA publishes the quarterly magazine Early Music America. “Early music” includes western music from the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical periods, performed on period instruments in historically-informed styles. For more information, contact Early Music America at 206-720-6270 or 888-SACKBUT, or visit our web site at www.earlymusic.org.
Contact:
Patrick Nugent, Publicity Director
(206) 720-6270 or 888-SACKBUT
[email protected]; www.earlymusic.org
