- October 17, 2022. Music (“diverse, brilliant and thoroughly enjoyable”) of the Loeillet Cousins, Jean Baptiste Loeillet de Gant (1688-c1720) and John Loeillet of London, (1680- 1730) Recorder Virtuosi of the early 18th Century. Led by Lewis R. Baratz, Music and Artistic Director of La Fiocco, period instrument ensemble, accompanied by Benjamin Berman on harpsichord. (For more on Lewis Baratz, please see hprecorder.org/artists/)
- November 21, 2022. Rhetoric in Musical Expression in the late 16th, 17th and 18th Centuries. We will focus on melodic devices and ornamentation based on rhetorical principles. Led by Lewis R. Baratz.
- December 19, 2022. Musical Traditions of Ireland and the Tin Whistle. Interpreting Irish folk music. Bring your soprano, or tin whistle in D, or purchase an inexpensive tin whistle in D online, made by Generations, from Lark in the Morning Guitar Center, or even a Walmart Superstar. Good for beginners, only about $12. Led by Lewis Baratz, with Nathan Bishop, violinist and Irish fiddler.2023 Lectures, demonstrations, performances by Alexei Yavtuhovich and guest artists
- January 16, 2023 – The Fascinating History of the Original Collegium Musicum ofTelemann and Bach (1703 – 1723) and (1723-1750). Music – portions of JS Bach Partita No. 2 in D Minor and JS Bach Double Violin Concerto, and Music of Telemann. (For more on Alexei Yavtuhovich, please see hprecorder.org/artists/)
- February 20, 2023 – Hidden Messages, Symbolism, Gematria and Numerology in the Music of Bach – Art of the Fugue, portions of Bach’s Cantata 4, St. Matthew’s Passion, Goldberg Variations. Alexei will lecture on the Numerology and Gematria that originated in the Kabbala, and the Theory of Affects that developed from the early Baroque to the time and music of Bach. He will discuss the Theory of Proportions, giving examples from math (π = 3.14), architecture, the construction of an arch and of musical canons. He will give, as an example of perfect proportions in music, the Goldberg Variations of Bach. We will examine Bach’s famous portrait of 1748 by Hartman, for its details related to Bach’s beliefs in the mystical equivalent between letters and numbers. We will play along on Bach’s Badinerie for SATB, and hear a pre-recorded or live performance by Alexei of Bach’s Chaconne for Violin solo.
- March 20, 2023 – A History of the Instruments – Bowed strings – violin, viola, cello. Lecture and string trio demonstrating Bach’s Goldberg Variations, String Trio by Ridolfo Luigi Boccherini (1743 –1805), and selections of Scott Joplin, Astor Piazzolla, and others. Play along with dance music of Praetorius’ Terpsichore and Telemann Canonic sonatas.
- April 17, 2023 – A History of the Instruments – Plucked strings – Irish harp and Ukrainian Bandura, with virtuoso guest artists. Music will include Old Irish tunes and Irish / Celtic folksongs – airs, gigues and laments, played by Oksana Kessous on modern and Irish harp. We will hear a virtuoso bandura performance by a professional musician, teacher and performer, Ukrainian bandura player, Oksana Telepko, famous in Ukraine.
- May 15, 2023 – Baroque Music in the Colonial and Early Federal Period in America. Music from the Playhouses and concert rooms from Savanna to Boston. The lecture, richly steeped in music history and culture, will be presented by John Burkhalter III, scholar, virtuoso performer, and co-founder and Music and Artistic Director of the Practitioners of Musick.
- September 18, 2023 – In A Woman’s Voice: Musical Settings of Poetry by Christine de Pizan and an Anonymous Poet. The poem Dueil angoisseus (“Anguished grief”) by Christine de Pizan and the anonymous Comme femme desconfortée (“Like a woman inconsolable”), set the text in the voice of a woman whose lover has been taken by Death. Gilles Binchois’ popular rondeau Comme femme desconfortée, is one of the most famous 15th- century chansons, and was given an elaborate setting by Alexander Agricola and a Mass by Henrich Isaac. We will explore and play portions of this music. This will be presented by Rotem Gilbert, PH.D., Professor of Practice, Early Music and Musicology, Vice-Dean, Research and Scholarly Studies Division, USC Thornton School of Music. (For more on Rotem Gilbert, please see hprecorder.org/artists/)
- October 16, 2023 – Isabelle d’Este, Patron of Music and Art. A true Renaissance lady, the Marchese of Mantua, Isabelle d’Este enjoyed a humanist upbringing, learning how to sing, dance, play and instrument and converse in Greek, Latin and Italian. To celebrate Isabelle d’Este’s patronage of musicians and composers, we will explore music written by her music teacher, Johannes Martini, Italian frottele by her court composers Bartolomeo Tromboncini and Marchetto Cara, and the rondeau “Prenez sur moi” by Johannes Ockeghem that is engraved on the wall of her music room. This will be presented by Professor Rotem Gilbert.
To register for the seminars, please see the HPRS website, hprecorder.org. You can renew your membership online or complete and mail a Renewal and Registration Form to: Highland Park Recorder Society, Inc., c/o Donna Messer, 431 Lincoln Ave., Highland Park, NJ 08904.
