Tuesday, January 29, 2013

An Introduction

Welcome!

This blog is dedicated to documenting the rehearsal and performance process of ten undergraduate students at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro who are working, many for the first time, in chamber ensembles on the music of Josquin des Prez.

Petrus Oppmeer's woodcut

A little background on Josquin (in case you were wondering)...

Josquin des Prez lived from around 1450-1521 and was one of the first super star composers. Courts courted him. Composers imitated him. Publishers and composers used his name to market and sell their music. Women fainted at the sight of him. Okay, I made that last part up, but he really was the Eric Whitacre of his day. He was born in the Franco-Flemish regions (read: Belgium-ish/France-ish) but traveled widely throughout what is now Europe. He wrote music for the church, music for the court, and music for having a good time. He also masterfully blurred those lines.

The Josquin Project includes ten music students who are working in small ensembles on some of Josquin's chansons and motets, including the famous Ave Maria (think music history class), which can be heard performed by the Tallis Scholars by clicking on the link. Leadership is shared by members of the ensemble and guided by me. At the end of our rehearsal and research process, we will be traveling to present a lecture-recital on various aspects of this music. The dissemination of this research is supported by the FTLC and the Department of Music Performance.

2 comments:

  1. This is a swell project. Our founder Harold Brown initiated c.1954 his students at H.S Music & Art (NYC) into Josquin' s Missa una Musque de Buscaya.
    You can hear them at:http://www.renaissancechorus.org/music.html
    We do have copies for rental. This is great for young voices!
    Best,
    Sig Rosen
    Renaissance Chorus Assn
    116 Pinehurst Ave.#B61
    New York, NY 10033
    212 740 4050


    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you very much for this resource!

    ReplyDelete