Using church records, Robert Nosow’s fascinating, richly detailed book portrays Jacob Obrecht at St. Donatian in Bruges, and the church singers he composed for. The choristers were deeply embedded in the city’s civic life, and records show some were disciplined for mockery or being ‘extremely lazy, disobedient, and wholly incapable.’
Jacob Obrecht and his Misbehaving Church Singers Read More »
New York City’s TENET Vocal Artists is devoting its 15th season to music by, for, and about women. It’s not to suggest that men are not important, says TENET founder Jolle Greenleaf. Instead, ‘it’s to ask what changes in the sound, in the dynamics, and how do we interact with each other.’
Women at the Heart of TENET’s 15th Season Read More »
‘Myths Contested,’ the Washington Bach Consort’s new recording, pairs Bach at his most theatrical and humorous with new music. Trevor Weston’s evocative cantata ‘A New Song’ deserves its own place in a concert setting — and not just alongside Bach performed with period instruments.
Bach and Weston: ‘Singing My Song Tells My Story’ Read More »
‘The basic idea is to take classical music from the concert halls and bring it into the communities, but on the community’s own terms: music in their language, music they identify with, music that includes them in the artistic process by enabling them to tell their own stories.’
Essay: Let’s Keep IDEA in Mind Read More »
If medieval music is thriving in the U.S., why is it not on my radar? writes Judith Malafronte. Can early-music ensembles convincingly present music from the 12th to the 18th centuries, or do performers need to narrow their focus and cultivate a special audience? Is it smart to market the Ars subtilior repertoire to the Bach and Vivaldi crowd?
Toil & Trouble: Where’s the Medieval Audience? Read More »
