The diary for 2021
The following events took place.
5 January 2021 @ 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm
David Allinson: on the theme of Epiphany
A welcome return visit – via Zoom – replacing the “live” workshop we had hoped (pre-Covid) that David would lead for us in November 2020. More details nearer the time.
16 February 2021 @ 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm
An introduction to 16th century facsimile – a repeat of Alison Kinder’s 2020 online course for SEMF, with two new live Zoom tutorials. Session 1.
Alison Kinder’s recent online course for SEMF on playing or singing from facsimile was fully booked with a waiting list, so we’re delighted she’s agreed to repeat it.
18 February 2021 @ 8:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Patrick Craig: Music for Ash Wednesday
Another Zoom session with Patrick Craig in which he will present music associated with Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent – forty days representing Jesus’s time in the Wilderness. The music for this day is both contemplative and challenging.
Allegri’s Miserere is the most famous of many important settings of this substantial penitential psalm. We shall also hear less well known explorations of Psalm 51 by Byrd, Josquin and White. Some of the most striking motets for this day focus on the ancient sentence from Psalm 3 used at the signing of the cross with ash on the forehead – Remember that thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return. Morales dazzles with his inventive take on this and will lead our journey through the music of Lent, a journey which will be nourished with art and poetry along the way.
2 March 2021 @ 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm
An introduction to 16th century facsimile – Session 2 of Alison Kinder’s online course for SEMF
This is the second of the two (new) live Zoom tutorials for Alison Kinder’s course on playing or singing from facsimile. The course is a re-run of her course for SEMF late last year, which was fully booked with a waiting list. The first tutorial is on 16th February.
13 April 2021 @ 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm
David Allinson on the Salve Regina chant and its settings
The Salve Regina chant is the seasonal antiphon after Easter and David will look at ways in which composers such as Josquin, Guerrero and Victoria have incorporated it in their music. May is the month of Mary, which makes this topic especially timely.
For this workshop David will be looking at more pieces than usual and will certainly be including Josquin’s setting, see full score from cpdl.org (version a5, edition Biazek, original pitch).
More information will be sent out nearer the time.
(Note – this is not a sing along session as such, but what you do (muted!) while he plays the music is up to you!)
Please note also that there is a limit of 100 on participants – if you want to take part, don’t delay.
17 June 2021 @ 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Josquin 500 – linking heaven and earth
A Zoom session with Patrick Craig marking the 500th anniversary of the death of Josquin Des Prez.
You may have noticed that this year is the 500th anniversary of the death of Josquin des Prez, the founding father of renaissance polyphony. SEMF is marking this with a zoom session from Patrick Craig. He will celebrate this anniversary with a tour of Josquin’s mass settings, many of which he has sung, along with some of his dramatic motets.
Join us at 8 o’clock on Thursday 17 June for this fascinating and uplifting experience.
17 July 2021 @ 10:30 am – 5:30 pm
Live workshop for instruments with Emily White
Headcorn
This (live) Renaissance workshop for instruments is open to cornetts, sackbuts, curtals/dulcians, recorders, viol and violin family, plucked continuo. Pitch is A=440. Violin family players do not need to have a baroque instrument. The music will be subject to the forces available, we hope to include a Kyrie Eleison by Andrea Gabrieli and one or more pieces by Lambert de Sayve.
11 September 2021
POSTPONED: live workshop for voices with David Allinson
We regret that this event has been postponed. A new date for this live choral workshop will be announced in due course.
Meanwhile, we have asked David Allinson to give another of his excellent Zoom talks for us. This is likely to be on a weekday evening in early autumn.An announcement will be posted about this when we have more details.
22 September 2021 @ 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm
‘Before the ending of the day’ with David Allinson online
Polyphony for Compline
Compline is the final service of the day in the Christian monastic tradition, said or sung just before the community retires for the night. With its poetic words invoking sleep and praying for protection, Compline can be a meditative, spiritual experience, whatever one’s beliefs. In this live talk David will look briefly at the origins of the service before examining 16th century phonic settings of hymns, responsories and antiphons such as Te lucis ante terminum by Thomas Tallis, In manus tuas by John Sheppard and Salva nos by Jean Mouton. The music is richly melodic, drawing on plainchant, full of consolation and warmth.
6 November 2021 @ 10:30 am – 5:00 pm
Josquin 500 with Patrick Craig
Scaynes Hill
Patrick has chosen three beautiful Marian motets, three Agnus Dei from Josquin’s mass settings, and the Qui habitat a 24. He will no doubt inspire us with his informative talks about these works on the day. Voices: all voices welcome Open to all instruments, including: Cornetts, sackbuts, curtals/dulcians, recorders, viol and violin family, plucked continuo. Violin family players do not need to have a baroque instrument.
Pitch: A440.