We have now been running our monthly Featured Album campaign for a full year, and what better way to celebrate than with an album that takes us through the year in musical form? The new album from Orchestra of the Swan, Earthcycle, is this month's featured album. Presenting Vivaldi's iconic Four Seasons along with new compositions and arrangements of traditional songs, all of which tie into the themes of the seasons, this is an exciting and innovative programme from an ensemble at the top of their game. Read on to find out more about the album...
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Following their acclaimed mix-tape series on Signum Classics, Earthcycle is the fifth album from Orchestra of the Swan and David Le Page. Earthcycle is an innovative and timely project which finds a compelling way to engage with humanity’s most urgent threat. Through three initial performances, a recording and a film, Earthcycle contemplates our impact on Earth’s environment and the disruption of its natural rhythms. To celebrate the 300th anniversary of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons they have commissioned a new version from our Associate Artist, baroque/jazz musician and composer David Gordon which is interspersed with traditional folk songs related to the theme of the seasons and performed by singer Jackie Oates. Earthcycle highlights the 21st century’s greatest concern whilst celebrating nature and our place within it.
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Why The Early Music Shop loves "Earthcycle":
In recent years, many have developed their own interpretations of Vivaldi’s iconic Four Seasons, ranging from Max Richter’s “Recomposed” version with Deutsche Grammophon, to Erik Bosgraaf’s arrangement for recorder and strings which we heard at last year’s London International Festival of Early Music.
The latest amongst them, however, is that of Orchestra of the Swan, who perform the concerti on their latest album for Signum Classics, Earthcycle. Where others have sought to rearrange Vivaldi’s music, however, Artistic Director David Le Page has excelled in the programming context in which they are presented. Each concerto is preceded by a traditional song, sung by folk singer Jackie Oates, and a new composition by celebrated jazz-harpsichordist David Gordon, which both tap into themes of the corresponding season.
Underpinning the project is an admirable concern for the climate, and indeed what better work than The Four Seasons to tie into this theme. Through this message, Orchestra of the Swan make Vivaldi’s 300-year-old music tell a strikingly current story. Earthcycle delivers this with a refreshing optimism, and the music feels like it carries a considerable amount of hope for the future.
Opening the album with echoes of the birdsong ornamentation from the E Major La Primavera concerto is a clever compositional move, as it is eight minutes until the famous theme emerges in full. In the meantime, the beautifully clear tones of Jackie Oates’ voice take us through The Birds in the Spring, which wallows in the delight of the nightingale song. Later, we hear a spirited Bright Phoebus which tells of the hunters of autumn, and a sumptuous wintery arrangement of The Robin’s Petition, collected by Cecil Sharp from Romany singer Emma Glover in 1909. Oates’ vocal is pure and unaffected, and her soft tone is a perfect match for the delicacy and intricacy of the string arrangements.
David Gordon’s new compositions also add much to this innovative programme. Gordon’s jazz sensibilities shine through in his ‘spring’ piece, Windigo (or Gradually and Suddenly), where the harpsichord adds a striking percussive element, while The Elephant and the Moth pairs Oates’ voice with piano for a modern atmosphere where the string parts reflect the flitty moth and heavy elephant. Autumn’s Feeling the Chill builds to a stirring frenzy which proves to be the ideal prelude for the spritely opening to the F Major L'autumno concerto.
Of course, none of this would matter if The Four Seasons themselves didn’t deliver. As cornerstones of Baroque repertoire, these concerti are familiar to so many ears that interpreting them is often considered a daunting task. Thankfully, the strings of the Orchestra of the Swan perform them with energy and precision. Vivaldi’s vivid imagery (which is reinforced by the texts the composer provided with the scores) is ever-present and Le Page and his musicians paint a picture with every movement, the bows acting as their paintbrushes and the acoustics of St John the Evangelist, Oxford, as their canvas. The solo violin performance from Le Page is considered and flows remarkably easily given the complexity of this music. From “festive song” to “great hailstones” to “chill north winds”, Orchestra of the Swan effortlessly remind us why this music has such longevity within the classical music canon.
With a thoughtful programme note by Le Page appearing in the booklet with this plastic-free 2CD package, this album is a powerful and virtuosic performance for our times. It’s arguably early to call this, but Earthcycle will undoubtedly prove to be one of this listener’s albums of the year.
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Earthcycle is available now from The Early Music Shop online or in our Snape Maltings showroom.
Watch the video below to find out more about the album:
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From the artist's press release…
Vestiva features virtuosic diminutions and embellishments practices of the 16th and 17th centuries, both historical and brand new ones written and improvised by the performers, based on historical treatises.
The programme includes famous and hidden treasures by composers such as Cipriano de Rore, John Bennet, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Philippe Verdelot, Pieter de Vois, Orlando di Lassus and more...
Formed in 2014, Lux Musicae London is dedicated to exploring and recreating the performance practices that were developing across Europe in the 16th and early 17th centuries. With their diverse instrumentation and rhetorically-driven approach to performance, Lux Musicae London’s programmes seek to recreate music from this time while tracing the patterns of musical influences from different sources. Their unique programmes have ranged from Irish influences in John Dowland’s Denmark to the emergence of Flamenco from Moorish and Spanish music.
Lux Musicae London (L-R Aileen Henry, Mirjam-Luise Münzel, Toby Carr) recording Vestiva in Holy Trinity Church, Stroud Green, 2022.
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Why The Early Music Shop loves "Vestiva":
Labelling an album with a subtitle such as “Embellishing 16th and 17th century music” could lead one to believe the enclosed music somewhat of an academic exercise. Yet exactly the opposite is true of the new album by European early music trio Lux Musicae London. Their specialism for diminutions and variations on music of the Renaissance and early Baroque forms the backbone of this delicate and carefully programmed performance.
Boldly opening with a nowhere-to-hide solo interpretation of Pieter de Vois’ Je ne puis eviter from recorder player Mirjam-Luise Münzel, the tone is set for the exploratory theme of the music throughout the album. Münzel’s embellishments are certainly impressive — though not just in the addition of division passages. This is an album of quality over quantity, and while there are plenty of flashy figures in the recorder parts, Münzel’s exquisitely controlled vibratos, alternative fingerings and phrase shaping add just as much embellishment to the overall sound.
The remainder of the trio is comprised of lutenist Toby Carr (known for his collaborations with singer Helen Charlston, amongst others) and Baroque harp specialist Aileen Henry (who has worked extensively with the English Touring Opera). The absence of keyboard instruments and bowed strings gives this ensemble a very intimate feel, where the listener is not so much grabbed by the ears, but gently welcomed into a very close listening environment. The whole album feels like an invitation to something very personal.
The fact that the recording was spurred on by a cancelled performance which was a victim of pandemic postponements, makes the passion of the performers even more evident. As Münzel explained in a recent article for The Recorder Magazine, "Everyone was devastated, the management team in tears. For our small ensemble this was one of the most emotional cancellations. So much preparation, care, excitement, and expectation – so we made the pact to record Vestiva."
The bright resonance of Henry’s harp is another huge asset for this recording and the feature of this instrument in Frescobaldi’s Toccata Nona is a virtuosic demonstration of a Baroque instrument all too rarely heard in solo contexts. Meanwhile, Carr’s lute is typically excellent, with his instinctive accompaniment proving especially valuable in this setting. The lute and harp are performed with precision and closeness, so much so that it is no surprise to learn that their players are in fact husband and wife.
Other stand-out performances on the album include the title track Vestiva i Colli by Palestrina, which appears with two different sets of diminutions by Bassano and Luito; the text with its references to "spring, breathing the sweetest perfumes and garlanded with herbs and leaves" feel very much in keeping with the character of the recording. In addition, the lute work by Carr on Orlando de Lassus' Susanne ung Jour (which also later appears with recorder divisions) warrants a mention for its captivating atmosphere. Tied together by common themes throughout the album, this programme is so well conceived and arranged that the listener barely notices when one track progresses to the next.
Packaged in an attractive plastic-free digisleeve with interesting insights in the sleeve notes, this is a thoughtful and memorable debut from a trio of musicians at the top of their game. It could well prove to be one of the stand-out instrumental releases of 2024.
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Vestiva is available now from The Early Music Shop online or in our Snape Maltings showroom.
Watch the video below to hear excerpts from the album and see behind-the-scenes clips from the recording process:
MIRJAM-LUISE MÜNZEL • recorders
AILEEN HENRY • harp
TOBY CARR • lute
Recorded at Holy Trinity Church, Stroud Green, London, UK, February 2022
Engineered and produced by Ignacio Lusardi Monteverde
Filmed by Ignacio Lusardi Monteverde
℗ & © 2023 The copyright in these sound recordings is owned by First Hand Records Ltd
For our first Featured Album of 2024, we’re pleased to bring you a new release from Prospero Classical, showcasing the keyboard works of one of the lesser-known members of the iconic Bach family. Johann Cristoph Friedrich Bach (1732-1795) was the fifth son of Johann Sebastian, a talented keyboard player whose work demonstrated an innate musical understanding. Performed here with passion by Swiss harpsichordist Jermaine Sprosse, this is to our knowledge the first collection of JCF’s keyboard music of its kind. Why not start the new year by discovering some of this fascinating music?
Update 19/01/24 – Unfortunately the release of this album has been pushed back to 2nd February 2024 due to a distribution delay. Our stock is still on order and will be despatched as soon as we receive it – you can still pre-order the album in the meantime!
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From the artist's press release…
Among the four composing sons of Johann Sebastian Bach, Johann Christoph Friedrich (1732-1795) is the least known today.
The main reason for this is probably his position as court kapellmeister in Buckeburg, which, unlike his brothers' places of activity, was far removed from the musical metropolises of the time.
Contemporaries praised, among other things, his virtuoso piano playing, which Jermaine Sprosse can only confirm after studying his piano works in detail. On PROSPERO he presents an album with selected, particularly successful pieces of the "Bückeburg" Bach.
It quickly became clear to the harpsichordist Jermaine Sprosse during his study of Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach’s keyboard works that the records of the well-known Bach biographer Johann Nikolaus Forkel regarding Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach – the comparatively little-known third of Johann Sebastian Bach’s composing sons – are very sparse. He is all the more pleased to present here an album with selected sonatas and individual pieces by the "Bückeburg" Bach, which he considers particularly successful. It was particularly important to him to show J. C. F. Bach as an extremely multifaceted composer. For this reason, the programme selection took into account the greatest possible variety of genres and forms, but also of moods, affects and nuances of expression, so that Bach can be seen in his full range as a piano composer.
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Why The Early Music Shop loves "JCF Bach: Works for Keyboard Solo":
Jermaine Sprosse presents a unique programme of music by Johann Cristoph Friedrich Bach on this new album via Prospero Classical. Released in digital formats last August, the album receives its physical release this month.
Sprosse’s use of an original c.1805 fortepiano by Johann Haselmann characterises this recording, with its bright, percussive sound creating a striking sound world. The sleeve notes draw attention to the strong bass tones on this instrument, though the vibrant clarity of the upper register is also very notable. The music on the album is varied and deeply virtuosic, with the Classical tendencies of JCF Bach’s compositions differentiating his works from those of his elder relatives. The influence of half-brother CPE Bach is also felt in the compositions, as Sprosse explains: “On the one hand, there is the North German School of [JCF Bach’s] half-brother Carl Philipp Emanuel, demanding on all levels of musical discourse. On the other hand, there is the Classical Style, which was becoming more and more prevalent in Europe.”
The passion and care with which Sprosse approaches this project is clear. The excellent detail in the sleeve notes draws the listener in and guides them through music which is most likely unfamiliar to many ears. The opening Sonata in A Major is undoubtedly one of the disc’s highlights, setting the tone with an agile and vibrant Allegretto and a thoughtful Andante. Throughout the disc, the Sonatas are interspersed with shorter interludes, including an athletic Solfeggio, and pick of the crop to this listener’s ears, a nuanced Polonaise.
Perhaps more unexpected is the second piece on the album: a Fantasia of Sprosse’s own composition in the style of Bach’s work, designed as a reconstruction of Bach’s own improvisatory performances. This track shows Sprosse’s deep knowledge of Bach’s style, and while the variations make it one of the album’s most ‘showy’ moments, the pairing with a short Fugue in the same key ensure it does not feel out of place.
Packaged with brilliant photography by Daniele Caminiti and the aforementioned detailed booklet in both English and German, this is a confident and engaging declaration by an artist who knows his subject. More than just that, though, it stands as an important documentation of works by a rarely-heard compositional master.
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JCF Bach: Works for Keyboard Solo is available to pre-order from The Early Music Shop - orders will be despatched from the official release date of 02/02/24!
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Read the full article by Ivan Hewitt (first published 21 November 2023) below:
And if that harpsichord chosen by Jane Chapman for her recital at the London International Festival of Early Music sounds interesting, you may like to know that it's currently for sale! Click here to view now, or visit our Snape Maltings showroom to see it in person.
]]>As we near the end of 2023, it's time to celebrate with some festive music from centuries past! The celebrated early/folk duo GreenMatthews have been touring Christmas shows for many years, and this album acts as a retrospective, taking in tracks from now out-of-print recordings including A Victorian Christmas (2011), A Medieval Christmas (2012) and A Brief History of Christmas (2015). With bright, energetic and modern approaches to Christmas songs dating from the early 13th Century right up to 2020, it's the perfect featured album for December.
OUR FEATURED ALBUM FOR DECEMBER 2023
From the artist's press release…
Chris Green and Sophie Matthews play English traditional songs and tunes in a thoroughly 21st-century kick-ass style. Using a blend of ancient instruments such as cittern, English bagpipes and shawm as well as modern folk instruments such as guitar, flute and piano accordion, they breathe new life into material from hundreds of years ago, making it fresh and relevant for a modern audience.
Festive Favourites is GreenMatthews' first-ever 'best of' album, consisting of their favourite tracks from the albums A Victorian Christmas, A Medieval Christmas and A Brief History of Christmas.
Having sold out of CD copies of all three albums some time ago, Chris and Sophie thought a compilation of their favourite tracks from each would make a nice retrospective of their festive music. It also includes their Virtual Wassail from 2020!
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Why The Early Music Shop loves "Festive Favourites":
Twelve years on from the release of their first duo album, one thing is clear by now: GreenMatthews live and breathe Christmas. Their annual festive tours have now produced a range of shows including an interpretation of Dickens' A Christmas Carol, and the popular era-spanning A Brief History of Christmas.
In 2022, they decided to take a retrospective look at their recorded festive output to date, with this 'best of' compilation of tracks recorded for their first three Christmas albums. It's a wide ranging collection, where Chris Green (guitar, mandocello, Renaissance cittern, piano, bass, piano accordion, voice) and Sophie Matthews (recorders, flute, English border bagpipes, shawm, voice) take their listeners through the generations with typical style and energy. It's an easy listen, but the depth of GreenMatthews' work certainly warrants a close listen while your sprouts are boiling...
Beginning with an instrumental version of 15th Century French carol Noel Nouvelet, paired with an Italian Saltarello and Welsh Nos Galan (which is better known to most listeners as the foundations of carol Deck The Halls), it's clear from the off that this is not an album where the musicians feel constrained by historical accuracy. Taking respectful inspiration from their source material, GreenMatthews present their arrangements with a lively folk flavour, resulting in a merry atmosphere making use of their considerable compositional talent.
Elsewhere, the breadth of GreenMatthews' imagination sees them tackle one of the oldest known songs in the English language, Mirie It Is, with duetting shawms providing a suitably jaunty medieval flavour. Meanwhile, Gaudete draws on 16th Century roots in a song made famous by folk-rock legends Steeleye Span (as noted in the sleeve notes, "it remains the only UK No.1 single in Latin"). GreenMatthews multitrack their vocals for a lovely layered arrangement, in one of the stand-outs from the album.
The collection does, of course, feature songs which perhaps fall outside the usual parameters of 'early music', mostly drawn from their A Victorian Christmas album. The real skill of the ensemble lies in the fact that no piece feels out of place: songs collected by Ralph Vaughan Williams and Sabine Baring-Gould rub shoulders with medieval and renaissance tunes with ease; the distinctive style of GreenMatthews tying the whole thing together.
Towards the end of the album, we take a light-hearted turn with a bouncy Under The Mistletoe, based on a Victorian music hall song, and Chris Green's tongue-in-cheek Virtual Wassail recalling the technological challenges of performing a wassailing concert at the height of the pandemic in 2020 ("We hope that your apples continue to prosper // And likewise your PCs, iPads and smartphones").
Joined by guest musicians Jude Rees (oboe, shawm, English border bagpipes, voice), Tony Millyard (hurdy-gurdy) and Richard Heacock (violin, viola, cello), the album is a fun and festive jaunt through the ages. With Rees adding to most tracks with some soaring oboe lines and strong vocal additions, and Heacock's strings adding considerable atmosphere to the beautiful Bethleham Down, the guests augment the experience without detracting from Chris and Sophie's core contributions.
Touring for the rest of the year with projects as diverse as lectures on art in music, and silent film accompaniment, Chris Green and Sophie Matthews certainly know how to bring things together in December for a huge Christmas party. Why not invite them into your own festive season this year with this lovely collection?
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Festive Favourites is available from The Early Music Shop - buy online or in our Snape Maltings showroom now!
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We spoke to Sophie and Chris about the Festive Favourites album and other Christmas questions while they were on the road touring this year's Christmas show. Here's what they had to share with us...
What do you enjoy most about touring at Christmas?
The travelling. We get to see so many different kinds of Christmas decoration. Whether it's Christmas markets or delicate lights in country villages to the skip hire company who had arranged skips in size descending order with lights to create a Christmas tree with the sign 'Merry Skipmas.'
Where do you look for material and inspiration when putting together your festive setlist?
We're increasingly reimagining our back catalogue. We have five Christmas shows under our belts and we have a lot of songs that we know are firm favourites with our fans but it's nice to breathe new life into them. Chris is also writing more original repertoire that is making its way into our newer shows.
What's your current favourite Christmas song?
Fairytale of New York. It's a brilliant song and really subverts the usual Christmas song.
What's been your musical highlight of 2023?
Playing for Ian Hislop. We were asked to feature on a radio series that will air in January 2024 about the history of comedy and he came to our studio to interview us and play some funny songs.
Do you have any of your own festive traditions in the GreenMatthews household?
The Travelodge Christmas party. Being self employed means there aren't many chances for work outings but we usually have one night where we're staying near the venue and don't have a long drive after the show so we'll have a few drinks before the tour is over.
What does 2024 have in store for GreenMatthews?
Chris has a rather exciting gig as MD for a theatrical production of The Other Boleyn Girl at the Chichester Festival Theatre in April/May. We're also looking forward to Christmas 2024 when we'll be reviving our expanded lineup show Gaudete! We're joined by Emily Baines on early woodwind and Richard Heacock on violin to make a really good noise with some of our festive back catalogue.
Thank you to Chris and Sophie for taking the time to speak with us!
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GreenMatthews perform Mirie It Is live in concert:
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What's more, GreenMatthews are on tour throughout December across England with two festive shows. If you're anywhere near our showrooms, you may wish to join them in West Yorkshire or Suffolk on the following dates: why not combine it with a visit to The Early Music Shop?!
03/12/23 BINGLEY Arts Centre (A Brief History of Christmas) tickets
09/12/23 Nr DISS, Wingfield Barns (A Christmas Carol in Concert) tickets
21/12/23 BINGLEY Arts Centre (A Christmas Carol in Concert) tickets
They also perform A Christmas Carol in Concert online via Zoom on 4th December - info here.
]]>Another new release for this month's featured album: during November we're delighted to introduce the new recording of Monteverdi's iconic Vespro della Beata Vergine (Vespers of the Blessed Virgin) by Pygmalion under the direction of Raphael Pichon. This cornerstone of early 17th Century repertoire, dated 1610, has been committed to disc many times over the years, but this new recording is of exceptional quality and the experience and passion driven from Pichon's baton makes it a must-listen. Housed in a deluxe 2CD box set with an extensive 76-page booklet, this is a deserved featured album!
OUR FEATURED ALBUM FOR NOVEMBER 2023
From the artist's press release…
After ‘Stravaganza d’amore’, their superb album of late sixteenth-century Florentine music, Raphaël Pichon and Pygmalion return to Italy, this time to Mantua. Here they offer us their reading of one of the peaks of sacred music from this period: Monteverdi’s Vespers. Revealing like no other interpreters the poignant interiority of these pieces, they bring out to the full their inherent sense of theatre. An overwhelming experience.
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Why The Early Music Shop loves "Monteverdi: Vespro della Beata Vergine":
Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers is one of the peaks of sacred choral music from the early seventeenth century and a jewel from the composer’s Mantuan period (1590–1612) when he was in the service of the Gonzago court, where Duke Vincenzo indulged to the full his passion for music. It still comes as something of a surprise that no contemporary record of any occasion on which the Vespers was given exists, though various, ultimately inconclusive, arguments have been proposed to suggest why Monteverdi compiled the sequence. But whatever its origins, the 1610 Vespers is a remarkable feat of composition, bringing together in a single span two main types of composition: contrapuntal polyphony (the 5 psalm settings, Avis Maris Stella and two settings of the Magnificat); and concerti sacri (the solo motets) in which Monteverdi exploits the then new style which gave him greater scope to responding to the meaning of the words.
Pichon and Pygmalion have been engaged with Monteverdi’s masterpiece for around a decade – ‘It’s part of our DNA as a group,’ he remarked in a recent interview – and they have performed it many times, including a memorable account at the 2017 BBC Proms. As Pichon would be the first to admit, the piece is a web of choices and possibilities – indeed, that’s the endless fascination of the work. This recording represents the fruits of this decade of performing the Vespers – basically, a snapshot of his current response to the piece. The musical values are of the highest possible standard, with virtuoso ensemble and solo singing, pungent instrumental contributions and, above all, a real sense of drama.
Monteverdi: Vespro della Beata Vergine is available from The Early Music Shop - buy online or in our Snape Maltings showroom now!
For our seventh featured album, we're very pleased to introduce a brand new release from one of the piano world's stalwarts, Angela Hewitt. Continuing her longstanding relationship with Hyperion Records, she presents the latest in her interpretations of Mozart's virtuosic piano repertoire. Released this month, it's hot off the press and Hewitt's dexterity and musicality is sure to impress, just as it has throughout her long and successful career.
OUR FEATURED ALBUM FOR OCTOBER 2023
From the artist's press release…
Angela Hewitt’s voyage of discovery through Mozart’s piano sonatas is proving a joy, the works sounding newly minted in vital, alert accounts which respect their scale and sensibility while revealing influences of Mozart’s orchestral and concerto writing of the period.
Track Listing:
- Piano Sonata in D Major K311
- Piano Sonata in A Minor K310
- Piano Sonata in C Major K330
- Fantasia in C Minor K396 (completed by Maximilian Stadler)
- Fantasia in D Minor K397
- Piano Sonata in A Major K331
- Piano Sonata in F Major K332
- Piano Sonata in B Flat Major K333
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Why The Early Music Shop loves "Mozart: Piano Sonatas K310-311 & 330-333":
The great Austrian-born pianist Artur Schnabel (1882–1951) had some wise words to offer about Mozart and his piano sonatas: ‘Children are given Mozart because of the small quantity of the notes; grown-ups avoid Mozart because of the great quality of the notes’; and ‘the notes I handle no better than many pianists. But the pauses between the notes – ah, that is where the art resides! And finally, and perhaps most well-known of all about the sonatas, ‘Too easy for children, and too difficult for artists!’
Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt will know all too well what Schnabel meant in this well-balanced 2CD programme of six Mozart sonatas, the second recording of her Mozart series. Her famed clarity of sound, nimble finger-work and judicious pedalling, are all put to the service of the music, drawing out as much expressive power as possible while retaining the boundaries of late eighteenth-century sensibilities. Though Hewitt plays on her customary Fazoli piano, a bright-toned, responsive instrument, it’s clear that she knows what it’s like to play these sonatas on a fortepiano of the period – what’s possible, and what’s not, and she attempts to recapture something of the composer’s own excitement as instrument technology developed. It was a point she emphasised and briefly demonstrated during a visit to the Snape branch of The Early Music Shop in 2022, when she tried out the Paul McNulty fortepiano after an 1805 instrument by Walter & Sohn.
This new recording contains some of the most well-known of Mozart’s piano sonatas, including the ever-popular K331 with its bustling ‘alla turca’ rondo finale, and the F major K332, both from 1783. But perhaps less expected is when Hewitt taps into a vein of deep pathos and not a little drama in the A minor Sonata (K310) of 1778, possibly written following the death of Mozart’s mother, and the exquisite Fantasias in D minor (K397) and C minor (K396). The latter might recall two of Mozart’s greatest piano concertos in the same keys, but for this listener Hewitt’s account of the Sonata in A minor – not a key Mozart often uses as the tonal centre of his pieces – is a treasure trove. But then repeated listening of this whole collection reveals more about Mozart’s compositional genius and Hewitt’s interpretative response. This artist at least has confounded Schnabel’s quip.
Mozart: Piano Sonatas K310-311 & 330-333 is available from The Early Music Shop - buy online or in our Snape Maltings showroom now!
During September we are very pleased to have the brand new album by Solomon's Knot as our featured album. We last saw them perform at last year's London International Festival of Early Music where they shared their programme of motets by J S Bach and J C Bach. With its striking contemporary cover, that programme has now been committed to disc courtesy of Prospero Classical – read on to find out more about this fantastic new release...
]]>During September we are very pleased to have the brand new album by Solomon's Knot as our featured album. We last saw them perform at last year's London International Festival of Early Music where they shared their programme of motets by J S Bach and J C Bach. With its striking contemporary cover, that programme has now been committed to disc courtesy of Prospero Classical – read on to find out more about this fantastic new release...
OUR FEATURED ALBUM FOR SEPTEMBER 2023
From the artist's press release…
This recording features the complete motets by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), set in the context of music from the previous generation of his family which inspired him. In his final decade, JS Bach researched and performed motets by his father’s cousin, Johann Christoph (1642-1703), whom he greatly admired. Although Johann Sebastian took the motet genre (and presumably his singers) to the limits of possibility, one can also hear the strong influence of the family tradition.
This is the first of a series of location-specific Solomon's Knotrecording projects. They have chosen Arnstadt’s inspirational Bachkirche for these works, not only for its wonderful acoustic, but also as a place which connects the two Bachs: Johann Christoph was born in Arnstadt, and Johann Sebastian’s first job as an organist was at the church, which came to be named after him.
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Why The Early Music Shop loves "Bach Motets":
Recorded last year at the baroque ‘wedding cake’ Bachkirche in Arnstadt, this 2CD set contains not only Johann Sebastian’s familiar (and much recorded) motets but also many of those by his father’s cousin, Johann Christoph Bach (1642–1703), in whose output Johann Sebastian was interested enough to include several examples in his collection of Bach Family music, the Alt-Bachisches Archiv. Whereas the writing in Johann Sebastian’s motets is highly complex, full of intricate vocal roulades and polyphony of sustained intensity, Johann Christian’s examples are generally free of such relentless polyphonic writing. As Jonathan Sells, artistic director of Solomon’s Knot, observes in his absorbing liner note, Johann Christoph’s motets embrace an ‘instinctive emotional response to each new poetic idea, characterised by striking word setting and highly expressive, sometimes audacious use of harmony.’ As a context for Johann Sebastian’s motets, those of his father’s cousin provide a perfect foil.
Solomon’s Knot has performed this programme of motets at festivals in the UK (including LIFEM) and across Europe, and the recording has clearly benefitted from being refined in the fire of the live experience. The results are breath-taking, not only in the clarity of the fast runs of JSB’s quick outer movements but also in the emotional core the performers mine in JCB’s motets. The words ‘Fürchte dich nicht’ (Be not afraid), used by both Bachs in settings on this recording, could easily act as a motto for this programme.
The eight singers (SATB x2) and two instrumentalists (violone and organ) of Solomon’s Knot deliver performances that are joyous, uplifting in spirit and musically superb. The image of a break dancer that adorns the cover of the luxurious presentation of these CDs provides us with a contemporary clue to the unbridled virtuosity and vocal acrobatics of the contents of these perfectly judged pair of CDs. A key feature of Solomon’s Knot’s approach is always to perform from memory – no small feat in music of such difficulty, but one which evidently comes with huge benefits. This is a recording to be heard by everyone fascinated by this endlessly engaging music.
Bach Motets is available from The Early Music Shop - buy online or in our Snape Maltings showroom now!
This month is Recorder31 at The Early Music Shop, where we're celebrating all things recorder! So, we thought it fitting to feature an album with a strong recorder connection. The four-piece ensemble Ensemble Hesperi were the winners of the Young Ensemble Competition at the London International Festival of Early Music in 2020, and released their debut album "Full of the Highland Humours" last year. Visit our Recorder31 blog to read an interview with the group, or read on here to discover more about the album...
OUR FEATURED ALBUM FOR AUGUST 2023
From the artist's press release…
Full of the Highland Humours, the debut recording from award-winning period group Ensemble Hesperi, celebrates the immense success Scottish music enjoyed in eighteenth-century London.
Highlights of the disc include rarely recorded works by James Oswald, a highly successful Scottish composer who made London his “home from home” in the 1740s. Many of Oswald's compositions exhibit musical features associated with Scottish traditional music, and reveal his flair for charming melodies in the newly fashionable “galant” style. His ‘Airs for the Seasons’, four of which appear on the disc, are delightful miniatures, each named after a flower or a plant that blooms in the appropriate season. Also featured are sparkling trio sonatas by Giuseppe Sammartini, a close colleague of Oswald, and by their undeservedly ignored contemporary, Francesco Geminiani, who admired Scottish music so much that his ‘Treatise of Good Taste in the Art of Musick’ featured entirely his own arrangements of popular Scots tunes. Oswald also made his native music work to his advantage, weaving five well-known melodies into a ‘Sonata on Scots Tunes’ which cannot fail to transport the listener on a journey to “North Briton”. Music by two remaining Scottish composers feature on the disc: Thomas Erskine, Sixth Earl of Kellie, a talented aristocrat whose enthusiasm for local music-making in Fife earned him the nickname “Fiddler Tam”, and Robert Bremner, an enterprising Scottish publisher and composer whose influence in London and Edinburgh helped to cement the long-held musical relationship between the capital and Scotland itself.
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Why The Early Music Shop loves "Full of the Highland Humours":
Ensemble Hesperi are possibly best known to followers of The Early Music Shop as the winners of the LIFEM Young Ensembles Competition in 2020. The following year, they returned to Blackheath launching their album Full of the Highland Humours.See below to revisit Ensemble Hesperi's recording sessions back in 2021, and take a look behind the scenes as the album was created...
Full of the Highland Humours is in stock at The Early Music Shop now - order online or buy from our Snape Maltings showroom!
It's about time we included a keyboard album as one of our monthly featured album, and what better than András Schiff's acclaimed new recording of J S Bach's music on the clavichord? This album has already been very popular with our customers, and we're very pleased to be featuring it during July. Read on for more information about the album!
OUR FEATURED ALBUM FOR JULY 2023
From the artist's press release…
The sound of the clavichord is, says András Schiff, an invitation into “a new world, a quiet oasis in our noisy, troubled times. Thanks to the clavichord I now play and hear Bach differently.” An intimate and personal instrument – “a most gentle creature, ideal for playing alone” – it can also be, as Schiff notes, a demanding and unforgiving teacher. “On the clavichord we have only our fingers at our disposal, they must create the music with the finest gradations of touch.”
The early keyboard works are emphasized here, bringing us closer to the sounds of Bach’s day, and the “cantabile art” of the clavichord. The album opens with the Capriccio sopra la lontananza del fratro dilettissmo, journeys through Inventions and Sinfonias, and concludes with an extraordinary account of the Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue.
On this recording, Schiff’s first on the clavichord, he plays a replica of a 1743 Specken instrument, built by Belgian craftsman Joris Potvlieghe. The album was recorded in the Kammermusik Saal of Bonn’s Beethoven-Haus and produced by Manfred Eicher.
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Why The Early Music Shop loves "J S Bach: Clavichord":
Sir András Schiff is known primarily as a virtuoso of the piano, but on this 2023 recording, he turns his attention to the humble clavichord. Much of the music on this album was recorded previously on piano for Decca, but the intimacy of this new interpretation brings Bach’s favoured instrument to the fore.
Intimate is an appropriate word, for the sound of the clavichord demands detailed listening and close attention to the subtleties of Schiff’s performance. The intimacy is echoed in Schiff’s choice of repertoire, with J S Bach’s sets of fifteen Inventions and Sinfonias forming the backbone of the recording; these two collections of pieces keep the recording engaging and fresh for the listener, with a new direction of interest with each short work.
That’s not to suggest that Bach’s writing is in any way uninteresting; the polyphony for which he is so famed prevails and Schiff sounds as familiar as ever of the challenges of this music, yet the eminent beauty within it. The album’s two fugues (BWV 992 and BWV 903) are especially successful, with the instrument’s range and capabilities utilised to the maximum. The repertoire is endearing and, as expected from Schiff, the performance is innately musical.
Schiff makes the most of the relative expressive limitations of the clavichord by leaning into the subtle dynamic possibilities and, quite unique for an early keyboard, the possibility for a small vibrato. This creates an inviting sound world, hearing this music as the composer perhaps experienced it for the first time himself. The recording quality is superb, with a close-miked stereo sound capturing an incredible detail in the hands of producer Manfred Eicher.
A two-disc deluxe CD set with a generous booklet, this album is an attractive physical package which benefits from ECM’s usual attention to detail in design and presentation. Highly recommended for fans of Bach and the clavichord, but also those interested in exploring extreme keyboard virtuosity, this is a seminal recording for both the music and the instrument.
J S Bach: Clavichord is in stock at The Early Music Shop now - order online or buy from our Snape Maltings showroom!
During June, we're thrilled to introduce you to a trio consisting of three leading virtuosos of their respective string instruments. Lodestar Trio released their genre-defying debut album Bach To Folk on the Naxos World label last year, and we at The Early Music Shop have been loving their fresh approach to Baroque dance music... Read on to find out more about the album!
]]>During June, we're thrilled to introduce you to a trio consisting of three leading virtuosos of their respective string instruments. Lodestar Trio released their genre-defying debut album Bach To Folk on the Naxos World label last year, and we at The Early Music Shop have been loving their fresh approach to Baroque dance music... Read on to find out more about the album!
OUR FEATURED ALBUM FOR JUNE 2023
From the artist's press release…
Lodestar Trio blaze a trail with their unprecedented ‘baroque meets folk’ repertoire. With renewed interpretations of baroque classics (Bach, Lully, Couperin…), folk tunes and new compositions, they push the boundaries of their mystical and magical Scandinavian string instruments. With Max Baillie on violin, Olav Luksengård Mjelva on Norwegian Hardanger fiddle and Erik Rydvall on Swedish nyckelharpa, they skilfully showcase the dexterity of each instrument, bringing out new qualities, whilst paying tribute to the roots of a much-honoured musical period.
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Why The Early Music Shop loves "Bach To Folk":
The combination of Baroque dances and Scandinavian folk tunes might seem an unusual pairing, but on Bach To Folk, string ensemble Lodestar Trio effortlessly weave together music from these different, yet intrinsically related, backgrounds. With three virtuosic string players at the centre of this unique collaboration, Lodestar Trio create an impressively urgent and powerful sound.
Of course, this is a violin trio where only one of the instruments is actually a violin. That belongs to Max Baillie, the British-German player known for his work with cross-genre ensemble ZRI, and whose classical training and Bach specialism was the seed from which this project grew. Completing the trio is Olav Luksengård Mjelva on Hardanger fiddle, the beautiful national fiddle of Norway, and Erik Rydvall, on nyckelharpa, the Swedish keyed fiddle. Such was the innovation of the project that Rydvall commissioned a custom nyckelharpa simply to navigate the challenges of Bach’s compositions.
The Baroque repertoire on Bach To Folk is presented with a freshness of approach that blurs the boundaries between classical and folk music. With an altered emphasis and phrasing structure, the melodies can be heard in a totally new light. This is evident especially in the group’s interpretation of the Prelude from Bach’s Sixth Cello Suite BVW 1012, where the backbeat lilt and subtly swung rhythms frame the music as it’s never been heard before. Baillie’s description of Bach’s music as “groove-based” rings true.
This track leads straight onto Rydvall’s tune Jubileumspolska, one of four self-composed tracks which include writing credits for all three members of the group. The Baroque sensibilities of this tune, with its broken chord patterns, makes it a perfect fit for the album’s ethos, while maintaining the traditional Swedish ‘polska’ dance form. The sleevenotes describe how Rydvall intended the tune to sound joyful, and as with much of the rest of the album, this is more than an accurate description. Meanwhile, Baillie’s offering, Rolling to Røros, brings yet another dimension with swung rhythms hinting at an almost bluesy flavour.
With music by Lully, Couperin and Merula also featuring, this is a wide-spanning disc with a range of textural and sonic influences, all treated with the trio’s deft lightness. The excellent sleeve notes tie together the material with some helpful context to aid the listener’s journey through the ensemble’s creative vision.
The lasting impression of the album is one of freedom, the works intertwining with effortless ease. The sympathetic strings on the Hardanger fiddle and nyckelharpa give the recording an expansive and resonant sound which often exceeds the sound you might expect from just three instruments. Lodestar Trio are deeply respectful of all the traditions they represent, but their smorgasbord of influences, both Nordic folk and Baroque, make Bach To Folk a mesmerising listen.
Bach To Folk is in stock at The Early Music Shop now - order online or buy from our Snape Maltings showroom!
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This month, for our second featured album, we’re very pleased to be featuring one of the most prominent recorder consorts in Europe who return with their new album on the Pan Classics label.
Avid fans of our annual Recorder31 promotion may remember the fantastic Instagram takeover and video diary which The Royal Wind Music shared with us, whilst recording their new album last August. We’re delighted to share that the resulting album, The Orange Tree Courtyard has now been released! Read on for more information about this exciting new collection of Spanish Renaissance consort music…
OUR FEATURED ALBUM FOR MAY 2023
Scroll down for an exclusive video premiere taken from the recording sessions of The Orange Tree Courtyard!
From the artist's press release…
The Cathedral of Seville is a gigantic building even by today's standards - in 1401, the city's ecclesiastical superiors decided to build a huge church in place of the former mosque, which future generations would still marvel at, and is one of the largest churches in the world.
From the former mosque, the magnificent tower "La Giralda" remains, as well as the courtyard planted with orange trees, which also gives the name to the new CD by The Royal Wind Music.
The flute consort, consisting of 11 recorders of all sizes, takes the listener on a walk around and into the cathedral and lets Renaissance works created for this place sound at each station.
The walk begins in the famous orange tree courtyard, goes to the magnificent altar of the Virgin Mary, looks out over the city from the tower, visits the tombs of the musicians Francisco Guerrero and Francisco Peraza as well as Christopher Columbus' son, the scholar Hernando Colon, until the path ends again in the courtyard.
The music gathers the who's who of the Spanish Renaissance: Pedro de Escobar, Francisco Guerrero, Cristobal de Morales, Miguel de Fuenllana, to name but a few.
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Why The Early Music Shop loves "The Orange Tree Courtyard":
From the opening ethereal layers of The Orange Tree Courtyard, the new album by Netherlands-based recorder ensemble The Royal Wind Music, the impact of the group’s Renaissance consort of recorders is powerful and remarkable. For over 25 years, the group has been at the forefront of the international recorder consort scene, initially under the leadership of founder Paul Leenhouts, but in the last decade a collaborative effort between some of the continent’s brightest recorder pioneers.
While previous albums have focussed on the music of England, Italy and Germany, it’s Spain in the spotlight this time, with works by composers including Pedro de Escobar and Francisco Guerrero forming a transfixing narrative around the Cathedral of Seville through the Renaissance music of the region.
Bookended by some wonderful improvisations, the programme is well-framed and takes the listener on an engaging journey through some of the lesser-known music from this era. Grouped together into pieces representing different areas of the titular courtyard, the stately hymn tune Virgen bendita sin par, attributed to Pedro de Escabar, represents the grand altar, while later in the disc, the playful polyphony of Alonso de Mudarra’s dances brings us into the Chapter Room. These interpretations are a highlight of the programme, with the sumptuous harmonies of the Pavana I leading into a delightful Gallarda.
While much of this music is quite steady in tempo, there is ample variation in intensity in the divisions heard in the higher instruments, providing interest and sparkle. The harmonies and textures explored in this music are also hugely varied; just as you settle into the predictability of the harmony, a false relation or suspended chord will throw you off course and pull your attention in a different direction. Meanwhile, the aforementioned improvisations, based on an Andalusian modal exploration technique, are sonically unlike anything else on the disc. The use of the Moroccan mode Raml-al-Maya is fascinating and the interplay between the musicians is exciting to hear.
Aside from the featured compositions, the sheer power of this 11-piece consort is the standout impression of any album by The Royal Wind Music. Having the forces to double parts in multiple octaves brings an extra dimension to the sound, which is warm, expansive and inviting. On The Orange Tree Courtyard, The Royal Wind Music are your tour guides around the stunning architecture of the Cathedral of Seville, and we encourage you to follow them on the trip!
The Orange Tree Courtyard is in stock at The Early Music Shop now - order online or buy from our Snape Maltings showroom!
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We’re kicking off with a new release by two stalwarts of the scene, celebrating the music of two stalwart English composers of the Renaissance era.
OUR FEATURED ALBUM FOR APRIL 2023
From the artists' press release…
400 years ago, in 1623, England lost two of its greatest composers: William Byrd and Thomas Weelkes. In a pro- gramme marking this double anniversary, The King’s Singers and Fretwork turn their focus to the bold personalities of these two men, Will and Tom. Featuring well-known gems by the two composers, alongside works which had never been recorded before and which are rarely heard live, Tom and Will unlocks some of the humanity behind these two giants of Elizabethan music. Presented in The King’s Singers’ unique style, this programme is filled with beauty, drama and storytelling.As part of this project, The King’s Singers and Fretwork have commissioned two new works for their joint forces, by two of Britain’s great living composers: Sir James MacMillan and Roderick Williams. These works only feature in the version performed by The King’s Singers and Fretwork, but represent a commitment to keeping the spirit of Byrd and Weelkes alive in today’s musical landscape.
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Why The Early Music Shop loves "Tom & Will":
Released in January 2023, we are delighted to be featuring the brand-new collaboration between two highly respected consorts: the renowned voices of The King’s Singers, and viol pioneers Fretwork. The album was recorded in the beautiful acoustics of Orford Church, just a few miles from our showroom at Snape Maltings.
The album contains a healthy balance of songs by the two featured composers, along with selected instrumental pieces performed by Fretwork which focus primarily on Weelkes’ Pavans and In Nomines. Of particular note are two new compositions which have been commissioned especially for the project: James MacMillan contributes Ye Sacred Muse, based on the same text set by Byrd, while Roderick Williams builds on Weelkes’ Death Have Deprived Me with his composition, Death, Be Not Proud. The contemporary nature of these two pieces contrasts greatly with the rest of the material, yet the works do not feel out of place; the compositional style and interpretational approach are highly compatible.
Meanwhile, the disc’s main attraction is of course the Byrd and Weelkes recordings. From the exclamatory opening, launching straight into Byrd’s Praise Our Lord, All Ye Gentiles, the tone is set for a wide-ranging and enjoyable jaunt through the two composers’ repertoire. The voices are stylish and expressive with the signature King’s Singers sound shining through; the viols are poised and exquisitely phrased, demonstrating exactly why Fretwork are leaders in their field. The complexity of the polyphony in pieces such as Browning / The Leaves Be Green complements the beautiful prayers of album closer O Lord Make Thy Servant Elizabeth, featuring just The King's Singers, where the voices act tightly as one instrument, yet each individual singer feels present and important.
Engaging from beginning to end, Tom & Will presents a well-structured and brightly captured programme, showcasing a wide range of characters and textures across 70 minutes of music. Throughout, the two ensembles demonstrate an impressive shared approach. Packaged in an attractively modern-looking case with excellent sleeve notes and song texts, this is a fitting way to launch our new monthly featured album campaign.
Tom & Will is in stock at The Early Music Shop now - order online or buy from our Snape Maltings showroom!
Joint-winners of LIFEM's 2020 Young Ensemble Competition, Ensemble Pro Victoria, release their debut CD this year on Scotland’s Delphian Records. Artistic Director Toby Ward tells us more.
]]>Thanks to the great exposure and stamp of quality we received from the superbly put-together 2020 LIFEM digital festival, we were delighted to be signed by Delphian Records from 2021 for recordings of early music. We feel very lucky that our first recording is a genuine first: great sacred and secular works by Tudor master Robert Fayrfax, in his 500th year, most of which have never been recorded before. Of particular interest is music from Henry VIII’s first wedding, which survived through the years in lute tablature after being pushed underground by the reformation. Paired with this and other sacred gems are his seven surviving courtly songs, featuring extraordinary word painting and glorious early English poetry. With the great assistance of Professor Magnus Williamson of Newcastle University this music has been brought back to life despite the past year we’ve all endured, featuring the celebrated lutenist Toby Carr.
However, as always, these recordings are very expensive and as a young group of freelancers, we cannot afford to cover the costs by ourselves. We have a crowdfunding page, www.crowdfunder.co.uk/fayrfax500, where pre-orders of this magnificent music can be placed. If you’d prefer to simply order a disk on release, we’d love to hear from you direct! Do visit www.ensembleprovictoria.com to send us a message, pre-order a CD, and find out more about our future projects, including our return to LIFEM in 2021 with fabulous baroque repertoire!
]]>Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Quatuor à corde « La Chasse » KV 458 – Allegro Assai performed by La Sinfonie bohémienne]]>
Liam spends most of his time playing either very old or very new music on the viola da gamba. An obsession with the instrument’s most obscure 16th and 17th century repertoire is a recurring theme in his work, whether in devising baroque performance installations for the Victoria & Albert museum, or in collaboration with the Appalachian fiddler Cleek Schrey, or creating new electronic works with Icelandic composer Valgeir Sigurðsson.
Inspired by Liam's performance? Why not take a look at our viols here!
Liam’s solo performances frequently combine old viol music with new works written for him by composers such as David Lang, Nico Muhly, and Edmund Finnis, among many others. His membership in Icelandic record label and artist collective Bedroom Community has led to the release of two massive studio-based works: Donnacha Dennehy’s 40-minute long Tessellatum for multi-tracked viol and viola (with Nadia Sirota), and Valgeir Sigurðsson’s Dissonance, a 23-minute deconstruction and explosion of a Mozart string quartet using many layers of Liam’s improvisation. Find out about all upcoming performances and projects on his website or on Facebook!
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"This is my post as a grandparent who is missing her grandsons and grown-up children in the 9th week of lockdown; the representation of the rocking cradle in part 2 makes me remember them as babies. It's also for parents who've been working at home, as well as looking after children, to give them 2 minutes to reflect, relax and remember those innocent, trouble free days. I love this piece and hope you do too."
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You can find all of the following tenor recorders here ➡️
Keyless Tenors:
- Mollenhauer Canta in pearwood - £333.50
- Moeck Rondo in maple - £345
- Kung Studio in cherrywood - £485
- Mollenhauer Denner in pearwood - £450
- Moeck Rottenburgh in maple - £462.50
Double C/C# Keyed Tenors:
- Mollenhauer Canta in pearwood - £465
- Moeck Rondo in maple - £510
- Mollenhauer Denner in pearwood - £610
- Moeck Rottenburgh in maple - £662.50
- Kung Superio in pearwood - £845
Comfort Tenors:
- Mollenhauer Canta in pearwood - £675
- Moeck Rondo in stained maple - £740
- Mollenhauer Denner in pearwood - £785
- Moeck Rottenburgh in maple - £785
Knick Comfort Tenors:
- Mollenhauer Canta in pearwood - £755
- Moeck Rondo in stained pearwood - £799.50
- Kung Sinor tenor in cherrywood - £795
We're partnered with Team Recorder's Sarah Jeffery for some videos and live streams. Here is the second video comparing recorders made of different woods!
All the recorders Sarah has compared in the video can be sent on approval and bought from us. And what's more, there is free worldwide shipping on all of them!
Don't miss our live stream on Tuesday 5th March at 17.00 (BST) where you can ask Sarah questions about tenor recorders and comfort tenors!
Find out which tenor recorders Sarah will have with her by clicking the link below.
Want to find out more about any of the recorders Sarah played? Browse all 17 of them here!
]]>All the recorders Sarah has compared in the video can be sent on approval and bought from us. And what's more, there is free worldwide shipping on all of them!
Moeck Rondo in maple
Moeck Rottenburgh in boxwood
Mollenhauer Canta in pearwood
Mollenhauer Denner in boxwood
Küng Studio in maple
Küng Superio in boxwood
Don't miss our live stream on Tuesday 5th March at 17.00 (BST) where you can ask Sarah questions about these recorders and much more!
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The new harpsichord kit from Bizzi is the best harpsichord kit yet. Once built, you will have your own Bizzi Studio Harpsichord. And thanks to the instructional DVD which comes with it, it has never been more simple!
Bizzi was founded in 1975 by Guido Bizzi and specialises in the production and restoration of historical musical instruments. Their manufacturing principles are based on the greatest harpsichord makers of the past; high quality combined with great efficiency and incredible productivity.
The following video from Guido and Lorenzo Bizzi is an introduction to their Studio Harpsichord Kit and what making it entails. It is completely possible for a novice to build this kit, but it is advised to have a certain inclination for crafting and a small amount of knowledge about what a harpsichord is.
Watched the video and got inspired to make one? Why not order this kit - after all what better project is there to start during these times!
➡️Studio Harpsichord Kit by Bizzi
Decided that making a harpsichord from this kit is not for you? No matter, we have the Studio harpsichord already made by Bizzi!
]]>Carving of an angel playing a vielle in Lincoln cathedral.
One medieval source, Tractatus de Musica written by Jerome of Moravia around 1280-1300, describes the vielle as more important than the rebec. This source gives instruction for both secular and religious playing. This usage is supported by iconography that depicts both humans and angels playing the instrument.
As one of the most popular instruments it is associated with amateur and professional players, and was also a courtly instrument. It is particularly suited to the accompaniment of song, but was no doubt used to play dance music as well.
There are only 3 surviving vielles from the medieval period: one dated from the 14th century that was excavated in Poland and two found during the excavation of the Mary Rose. However, due to size and features there is some doubt among musicologists as to whether these were vielles, rebecs or something else!
From contemporaneous sources, writings and iconography, so know the vielle had the following features:
Jerome of Moravia's Tractatus de Musica is the only existing medieval source on the vielle's tuning that has been found. He gives three different tunings:
Due to the notation of medieval music (the whole gamut was only two and a half octaves) he used the lowest note 'ut' (G) as the bottom or lowest note.
Tuning 1: d, G, g, d', d' | Tuning 2: d, G, g, d', g' | Tuning 3: G, G, d, c', c; |
During the medieval period there was no set pitch. Therefore we should concentrate on the intervals for these tunings, and keep those, rather than focussing on the notes. This is supported by the Renaissance theorist Johannes Tinctoris who gives the tuning as "unevenly in fifths and unisons".
In terms of playing the vielle it is an universal assumption that it is only played in first position (the left hand doesn't have to shift up the fingerboard). The bourdon can be played with the bow or plucked with the left-hand thumb.
For more on playing the vielle we recommend our publication by Clare Salaman - Introducing... the Vielle: A Practical Start to the Instrument
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Our Featured Hurdy Gurdy
We're delighted to have for sale this second-hand Hurdy Gurdy after Saunier by Christopher Eaton. This is a rare opportunity to purchase a left-handed instrument by this maker, who is no longer taking commissions. Click here for more info!
What is a Hurdy Gurdy?
The hurdy-gurdy, also known as the vielle, is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by the friction of a wheel against taut strings. Hurdies have varying number of strings, with 6 being the most common:
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No Autumn playlist based around Early Music (well, mainly) could go without Vivaldi's Autumn from The Four Seasons. We've included three recordings, each offering a different view on the famous work: a more traditional recording from Il Giardino Armonico, alongside Red Priest's theatrical arrangement and to end, Max Richter's mesmerising re-composition.
Many composers have been inspired by the seasons, with the theme offering an obvious set. Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach composed four lieds based on each of the seasons in his Geistliche Lieder. Henry Purcell includes four arias in The Fairy Queen based on the seasons in Act IV. Markus Zahnhausen composed four pieces for his Signs of the Seasons. Although these are not Early Music, these contemporary compositions have become popular pieces for recorder players.
Keeping with the theme of Autumn and the time of year, we've included some sacred vocal music based on harvest: Greene's Thou Visitest the Earth and J.S. Bach's Cantata Es wartet alles auf dich, BWV187. Maurice Greene is a lesser known English Baroque composer, however during his life he was organist at St. Paul's Cathedral and the Chapel Royal, Professor of Music at Cambridge University and Master of the King's Musick. J.S. Bach needs less introduction!
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