The Ides of April.

Is that a thing, or not? Discuss.

Hmmm April 15. Seems like I’m supposed to be doing something important today. I mean, I do recall that on March 15, I made sure to avoid going to the Roman Senate, but I have this stabbing feeling that I’m missing something about today. So I made a little list of possibilities.

I do recall that I wanted to let you all know that you should check out TEMP’s Musical Taco that is coming out tomorrow, April 16. It’s monumental: Our 100th Taco! We started making them during the COVID 19 lockdown so we could provide a little solace, humor, news, and music for you while we were working remotely. (The idea was Mary Ashton’s, I’m pretty sure!) We made them weekly for several months and then moved to every two weeks, and now we mostly get them to you every two weeks. ’Ish. Sometimes.

So then, in an effort to avoid thinking about what I was supposed to do on April 15, I got curious and counted the number of blogs we’ve released since we started doing these. To my astonishment, I discovered that this might be the 114th blog. Yes, I lost count.

And so then, forgetting that April 15 was something I was even supposed to be concerned about, I decided to count the number of concerts that TEMP has given. The answer: Not enough. To that end, I’m glad to announce TEMP’s next concert, the final one for the 2023-2024 Season. It’s Italian all the way, with lots of ‘firsts’ involved. See details below!

And, as we said way back in 2014 before a similarly-themed concert:

Preservare il passato. Arricchire il presente. Coinvolgere il futuro.
Si tratta di musica antica in una luce completamente nuova. Unisciti a noi.

Meanwhile, I guess I’ll find out on April 16 what it was that I forgot to do on April 15.

Saluti!
–Danny

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Italia mia:
Diverse Voices of the Late Renaissance

Saturday, May 11, 2024 at  7:30 pm
&
Sunday, May 12, 2024, 3:00 pm
Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2111 Alexander Avenue

Hosted by Arts on Alexander on the campus of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 
2111 Alexander Ave, Austin, TX 78722.
Visit the Arts on Alexander 2023-2024 events on the AoA website.

Admission $35 general; $30 seniors (60+); $5 students with ID
Tickets available in advance online or by cash, check, or credit card at the door.

For more information, call 512-377-6961 and leave a message,
or email temp@early-music.org.

Through the happy union of musicology and live performance, we can now present music to you that was not available or even known just a few short years ago. Due to recent research, we are able to present madrigals by Maddalena Casulana, the first woman composer to have an entire book of her music published. Some of her music wasn’t discovered until quite recently, so we are fortunate to have this timely opportunity. Likewise, music by the first published Black composer, Vicente Lusitano, hasn’t been available to us until the last few of years. His mastery of Renaissance polyphony and inventiveness create a wonderfully rich and beautiful architecture of sound. Although he has been in our sights for quite some time, this is the first program in which we can really explore music by Salomone Rossi, Italian Jewish violinist and composer who, like Monteverdi, was a transitional figure between the late Italian Renaissance period and early Baroque. This should give just an idea of some of the incredible musical diversity available in Italy, the heart of the Renaissance, from about 1538 until about 1638, when tastes and styles transitioned from the Renaissance aesthetic to the beginnings of the Baroque.

In addition to these brilliant but relatively unknown composers, we will feature both chamber and large-scale choral works by Monteverdi, excerpts from La Pellegrina, (the 1589 extravaganza created for an important Medici wedding), and intimate or casual pieces that are suitable for the end of our 2023-2024 Street Songs season. And we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to sing the stirring title piece, Italia Mia, by Philippe Verdelot.

Our 20-voice choir will also provide the vocal soloists for the concert, and will include Jenifer Thyssen, Jenny Houghton, Shari Alise Wilson, Jeffrey Jones-Ragona, Page Stephens, Adrienne Pedrotti Bingamon, Ryland Angel, and others. TEMP’s small orchestra of viols, violin, and plucked strings will feature Mary Springfels, Therese Honey, and theorbist Héctor Torres.

Join us as we explore 100 years of a variety of the delicious tastes of Italy
(not including some of those favored by Lucrezia Borgia…)

Click on the image above to  buy tickets now!

Scorching Hot Valentines…

Codex Buranus, München: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Clm 4660, f. 72v

…for my Friend, Billy Pilgrim

My “Spidey sense” tells me that it’s Valentine’s Day! Dang, I didn’t put up a tree or anything. Didn’t send any cards. Bought no prezzies. Didn’t think of putting up any lights, although I guess I could finally take down my Halloween decorations. Then again, Halloween is just around the corner, I think, so I may as well leave them up. That reminds me that my email used to be @soon.com, in honor of the curious relationship I have with time. I’m thinking about changing my ways. Maybe next year or so. You know: ’ish.

Anyway, since it’s Valentine’s Day, then that means we have must have a concert coming up. Or perhaps we already did it? Nope, nope, I’m pretty sure we haven’t done it because I’m really looking forward to it. I do remember that I haven’t experienced the joys of a live Medieval Carmina Burana concert in about 6 years, so it’s still on the way. And speaking of love poetry for Valentine’s Day, those 13th-century poets wrote some scorchers! Carmina Burana is just full of them! You should send Billy Pilgrim an earnest/scorching hot Valentine. Maybe it will entice him to come home from Tralfamadore.

I bet there will be details below. I should look at the details too, so I don’t schedule taking down my Valo-ween decorations at the same time.

But you should watch the video of our December Joy & Light concert before it goes away on Feb 26 and then come to the Carmina Burana concert shortly after that. One can never celebrate too many holidays at the same time.

And Happy Valentine’s Day!
–Danny

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THE ORIGINAL CARMINA BURANA:
FORTUNE’S SLIPPERY WAY

Saturday, March 2, 2024 at  7:30 pm
&
Sunday, March 3, 2024, 3:00 pm
Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2111 Alexander Avenue

Hosted by Arts on Alexander on the campus of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 
2111 Alexander Ave, Austin, TX 78722.
Visit the Arts on Alexander 2023-2024 events on the AoA website.

Admission $35 general; $30 seniors (60+); $5 students with ID
Tickets available in advance online or by cash, check, or credit card at the door.

For more information, call 512-377-6961 and leave a message,
or email info@early-music.org.

Neil deGrasse Tyson mentioned the 13th-century manuscript Carmina Burana on his documentary TV series, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey! What he didn’t say was that it contains unabashedly joyful and passionate songs about love, spring, mythology, love, dancing, drinking, love, flirting, philosophy, and…love!

Although Carmina Burana was given wide name recognition in 1937 by the composer Carl Orff, whose cantata of the same title popularized some of the Medieval texts and brought its existence into the light, the original version deserves just as much attention. With images of the cycle of the seasons and melodies which were often based on the most popular tunes, polyphony, and dances from Western Europe at the time, the songs of Carmina Burana reflect the lives of the 12th- and 13th-century Bavarian monks and students who collected and/or composed the pieces in this famous anthology. The poems, at once sensual and refined, satirical and sincere, offer a fascinating glimpse into life in the late Middle Ages. There are songs of love and flirtation, verses in praise of good food and good wine, diatribes against gossip and jealousy, odes to mythical heroes—all of these and much more are found in this extraordinary compilation of songs, dances, and chants.

The music is as varied as the texts, with melodies that are memorable and hummable. There are melodies clearly influenced by chant, by popular tunes, or by dances—sometimes all within the same song. Some of the selections from the Carmina Burana are among the most popular of TEMP’s medieval repertoire: Veris dulcis in tempore, sung by women, is both haunting and joyful in its exultation of springtime and the importance of love; Sic mea fata canendo solor is an exultant ode from a young man as he thinks about his love and describes his feelings in delicious detail! Did we mention that this concert is rated PG-13?

TEMP will feature some of its favorite soloists, including Jenifer Thyssen, Cayla Cardiff, Jenny Houghton, Jeffrey Jones-Ragona, Page Stephens, Ryland Angel, and others. Our 10-piece medieval orchestra with its enchanting timbres and delightful combinations features medieval fiddles or vielles, oud, early harps, psaltery, recorder, and more. Of particular interest will be the northern European string instruments kantele and jouhikko, played by Viktoria Nizhnik.

Prepare for the arrival of spring with this rousing look at Medieval passions!

Click on the image above to  buy tickets now!

Joy, Light, & Everything Pumpkin Spice

Welp, we all know what’s about to happen, right? I’m gonna make a reference to the artificial jet lag created by the time change and that I kinda like it. And then I’m gonna say something like “it must be that time of year for another sweet potato curry, washed down with a pumpkin stout, and then chased by a slice of pumpkin cheesecake” or somesuch.

So let’s just cut to the chase, shall we?

Time’s a’wastin’ because I need to be finalizing the music for our Joy and Light concert in December and preparing for the Fall Texas Toot workshop in East Texas and trying to make time to watch our London City Limits concert video because we spent a lot of time on the concert and the audio/video editing and it’s pretty danged good! You should watch it. Details are on our website.

So, you see, rather than go on and on about not being able to find any pumpkin spice contact lens solution, I’m gonna get back to work! And think about the pumpkin spice ice cream I might have during a break.

See details about about our upcoming Joy and Light concert below!

And Happy Thanksgiving!
–Danny

P.S. Don’t forget: TEMP CDs make great holiday gifts! Purchase CDs at our concert venue or order from our Recordings page!

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Joy and Light: Delights of the Season

Saturday, December 9, 2023 at  7:30 pm
&
Sunday, December 10, 2023, 3:00 pm
Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2111 Alexander Avenue

Hosted by Arts on Alexander on the campus of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 
2111 Alexander Ave, Austin, TX 78722.
Visit the Arts on Alexander 2023-2024 events on the AoA website.

Admission $35 general; $30 seniors (60+); $5 students with ID
Tickets available in advance online or by cash, check, or credit card at the door.

For more information, call 512-377-6961 and leave a message,
or email info@early-music.org.

Join Texas Early Music Project for its annual multilicious feast of diverse holiday music through the ages. Cultures across the centuries have celebrated this season of expectation and rebirth, and we are contributing our share with medieval chant and joyous carols, magnificent motets, sweet Celtic songs, exuberant folk-tunes, and more.

 Much of the music for this concert comes from Southern Europe, including folk tunes from France that have remained popular through modern times as well as newly written pieces based on French chant. The enchanting Sephardic songs that we have chosen for the Chanukah section come from Turkey and Morocco. In addition, we will present music by the “newly discovered” Vicente Lusitano, a mixed-race Portuguese composer. Active in the 16th century, Lusitano has been described as the first published Black composer.

 In addition to the haunting motet for 5 voices by Lusitano, we have created a “medley” on the popular 14th-century tune In dulci jubilo (also known to modern carolers as Good Christian Men, Rejoice), using settings by different composers of the German Renaissance and Baroque: Michael Praetorius, Hieronymus Praetorius, and Dietrich Buxtehude. The settings range from verses for 2 parts, 3 parts, and so on, up to 12 different parts.

 The British Isles are represented by a variety of popular ballads and folk songs from England and Scotland, all penned by that long-lived composer, Anonymous. As usual, there will be a few pieces composed and arranged in the last few years using some of the styles of Medieval and Baroque repertoire.

 Tim O’Brien, David Lopez, Cayla Cardiff, Erin Calata, Page Stephens, Jeffrey Jones-Ragona, Jenny Houghton, Ryland Angel, Adrienne Pedrotti Bingamon, and Jenifer Thyssen are among the featured soloists, and we are happy to have both acclaimed harpist Therese Honey and kantele virtuoso Viktoria Nizhnik featured in our small orchestra.

 Join Texas Early Music Project for a splendid and enriching evening of music. Encompassing 700 years of festive creativity and beauty, this music is sure to delight your ears and warm your heart. We coined a new word to describe the concert: multilicious!

Click on the image above to buy tickets now!

A Day in the Life of the Market

“Buy my fine singing Glasses” from The Cryes of the City of London Drawne After the Life, by Marcellus Laroon (London, 1687)

Well, it finally happened; I knew it was coming and just kept putting it off. It was time to go shopping and I knew that pandemonium and chaos would engulf me for a while. But it was necessary. It was necessary to buy some fair bone lace, some cambric, buskins, doublets, and small coals. I also needed to find a cooper and to talk to the town crier about my old lost mare.

It was indeed as loud and unruly as I feared, with all sorts of vendors trying to entice me to buy oysters and haddock and sprats and cowcumbers and marking stones and raspis and … well, the variety was interminable. But — you know, after a while I sorta zoned out and listened to the wonderful harmonies that were being created by all this din and spontaneous vocal advertising. I eventually found all the items I was seeking and gave the crier my notice about my horse. Then I left, went to Wheatsville, and I bought some organic yogurt, some Ceylon cinnamon, an espresso (double), and got some victuals at the deli. Altogether a successful venture.

“Twelve pence a peck oysters” from The Cryes of the City of London Drawne After the Life, by Marcellus Laroon (London, 1687)

I must say I was reminded of this wonderful piece by Richard Dering, The City Cries from the early 17th century, in which he depicts a similar scene at the London street markets in c. 1615. Of course, the vendors don’t all ‘yell/sing’ at the same time; Dering lays the whole thing so you can hear the individual characters, all supported by a consort of viols.

Whoa! Such serendipity! TEMP happens to be performing that piece in its season opener October concert! You should check it out; I hope to be there! It’s also TEMP’s 25th concert season, a momentous occasion! There’s more info below.

I think I’ll go to the market again today. I need to talk to the chimney sweep.

New oysters, anyone?

—Danny

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London City Limits: Town & Country

Saturday, October 7, 2023 at  7:30 pm
&
Sunday, October 8, 2023, 3:00 pm
Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2111 Alexander Avenue

Hosted by Arts on Alexander on the campus of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 
2111 Alexander Ave, Austin, TX 78722.
Visit the Arts on Alexander 2023-2024 events on the AoA website.

Admission $35 general; $30 seniors (60+); $5 students with ID
Tickets available in advance online or by cash, check, or credit card at the door.

For more information, call 512-377-6961 and leave a message,
or email info@early-music.org.

Thanks to boosts from popular culture on television and in movies, more people than ever are aware of and interested in the very important Tudor courts of Henry VIII and his daughter, Elizabeth I. During the time they ruled England—more than 90 years, from 1509 until 1603—England’s influence in the world increased dramatically and English musical and artistic culture became more prominent. Our concert picks up towards the end of Elizabeth’s reign and concludes during the second reign of the House of Stuart, at the end of the 17th century. This repertoire for voices, viols, and lutes fashions a colorful account of life in and around London for almost 100 years. This is music from the streets, the theater, the Tudor courts, and the cathedrals. Also, in honor of the 400th anniversary of the passing of one of Britain’s most important composers, we will have choral pieces by William Byrd (1543–1623). 

In those times, shoppers at street markets around the world would have heard various vendors hawking their wares with unique cries and slogans. In the later years of Elizabeth I and beyond, a popular style of composition came about that combined quite a number of these oral advertisements into notable compositions, both comedic and informative, while still being delightful. Richard Dering’s The City Cries presents a full day in the life of the market with more than 70 distinct characters/vendors represented by 13 singers in our performance.

We will have graceful songs and dances from Shakespearean productions and courts, vocal pieces suitable for singing in private homes, and more sophisticated pieces for the professional singers in the courts and cathedrals. These pieces are composed by well-known madrigalists such as Thomas Morley, Thomas Weelkes, Thomas Campion (I detect a trend), and others.

Enjoy these audio teasers from our CD Building Bridges to the Past, which will also be in London City Limits! 

A little later in the century, there are the social and political commentary songs, mostly ballads from the Pills to Purge Melancholy, a collection of broadsides and ballads. Some of the poems broach the issue of groups of people who are suppressed in order to elevate other groups, simply because the “powers that be” could, in fact, do so. The most dramatic piece of the concert is probably The Cloak’s Knavery, another ballad that speaks of political malevolence that leads to societal ills.

Although she performs with us so often she could be considered to be a regular, she’s still our special guest: viola da gamba superstar Mary Springfels (New York Pro Musica, Waverly Consort, Sequentia, the Newbury Consort, and more) will lead our consort of viols. Likewise, countertenor/tenor Ryland Angel joins us again and will perform solo and small ensemble works, along with other soloists Jenifer Thyssen, Cayla Cardiff, Jeffrey Jones-Ragona, Jenny Houghton, Adrienne Pedrotti Bingamon, Page Stephens, and others.

Help us celebrate our 25th Season!

Click on the image above to buy tickets now!

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Going on Pilgrimage…

…and I have nothing to wear!

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Pilgrim's outfit belonging to Stephan Praun (1544-1591). Germanisches National Museum

Greetings, and many thanks to all who have written to congratulate us on getting the services of that renowned designer of the finest haute couture pilgrimage-wear, Yves de St. Jaime-en-el-Cielo-con-Diamanté, who has sent some preliminary photos of the gorgeous smocks we will all be wearing on this and other pilgrimages.

All of his designs will be replete with staffs, rosaries, and scallop shells, which have traditionally been the symbol of a pilgrimage to the tomb of St. James the Apostle in Santiago de Compostela. (Click on the image to enlarge.)

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Sadly, due to supply chain issues, we will not be able to supply everyone with their very own Tarta de Santiago, the traditional almond cake that is available for pilgrims at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Feel free to make and bring your own cake!

A veces se gana, se pierde algo. (You win some, you lose some.)

Don your most fashionable pilgrimage gear and come to our Medieval Pilgrimage concert! Details below.

—Danny

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Medieval Pilgrimage in Iberia

Saturday, May 13, 2023 at  7:30 pm
&
Sunday, May 14, 2023, 3:00 pm
Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2111 Alexander Avenue

Hosted by Arts on Alexander on the campus of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 
2111 Alexander Ave, Austin, TX 78722.
Visit the Arts on Alexander 2022-2023 events on the AoA website.

Admission $35 general; $30 seniors (60+); $5 students with ID
Tickets available in advance online or by cash, check, or credit card at the door.

For more information, call 512-377-6961 and leave a message,
or email info@early-music.org.

View fullsize

Map showing the pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela.

There was never a more popular time for religious pilgrimage than during the Middle Ages. In those times, people made long and dangerous trips, lasting months or years, in a search for spiritual meaning or fulfillment or as an act of penance. Several of the most important sites of pilgrimage during the Middle Ages were located in what is now northern Spain. 

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Llibre Vermell: Stella splendens

The Llibre Vermell (it was discovered in a red binding in the 19th century, and therefore is called the Red Book) comes from the monastery at Montserrat in Catalonia. Some of the music is sophisticated, but some of it was intended to be sung by the pilgrims themselves and included chants, rounds, folk songs, circle dances, and polyphony. We will also perform music from the Cistercian convent in Burgos (Las Huelgas Codex), Las cantigas de Santa Maria from the royal court of Alfonso X, and selections from Codex Calixtinus, from the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia.

Enjoy these two Llibre Vermell audio teasers from our related CDs: Stella splendens and Sacred.

A company of fourteen women singers explores the music of pilgrimage in Medieval Spain. This music celebrates the richly transparent timbre of treble voices in unison or in polyphonic settings, making the most of sweet consonances and pungent dissonances. Mary Springfels (vielle and citole) joins the ensemble and the TEMP Medieval orchestra of vielles, harps, recorder, and oud. Featured soloists include Jenifer Thyssen, Cayla Cardiff, Gitanjali Mathur, Page Stephens, Laura Mercado-Wright, and more! An an extra-special bonus, local luminary Tim O’Brien will provide a little background information and personal reflections from his pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago.

Click on the image above to buy tickets now!

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Now what was the name of that movie?

You know the one…

It’s just on the tip of my brain! It reminds me of fútbol/soccer but it’s a movie… It’s from the early 90s and it has that actor—she’s in most of Wes Anderson’s movies and she makes everything more interesting.

You know the curse they always talk about: “May you live in interesting times”? I wonder: Are “interesting times” in a movie also a curse? (It turns out not to be a Chinese curse but rather a misquoted statement from a British statesman in the 1930s.)

Oh right! And the movie we’re talking about is based, at least partly, in Britain. And it is interesting, not only because of that actor, but also because of its relationship with linear time, something we have explored several times in concerts! Hmmm. I wonder if that actor sings, because she would be great in our ‘It’s About Time’ programs; she’s too busy, I know, but she does look exceedingly authentic in Renaissance clothing! Oh! And that movie is set in the Renaissance! At least partly. And it’s called Orlando!

So very interesting, because our upcoming concert is also set in the Renaissance, and it’s called Orlando, too! Sadly, Tilda Swinton couldn’t be in it…

At any rate, check out the details of our Orlando! below. Come to our “Return to the Renaissance”concert!
-Danny

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Orlando!
Music by di Lasso for Voices & Viols

Saturday, February 11, 2023 at  7:30 pm
&
Sunday, February 12, 2023, 3:00 pm*
Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2111 Alexander Avenue

*We are happy to present preconcert music beginning about 2:15 pm before the Sunday concert by a consort of student viola da gamba players from Woodcreek Middle School in Humble, TX. They are featured in the January, 2023 edition of EMAg, The Magazine of Early Music America.
Viols of the Creek
Pedro Funes, Director

Hosted by Arts on Alexander on the campus of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 
2111 Alexander Ave, Austin, TX 78722.
Visit the Arts on Alexander 2022-2023 events on the AoA website.

Admission $35 general; $30 seniors (60+); $5 students with ID
Tickets available in advance online or by cash, check, or credit card at the door.

For more information, call 512-377-6961 and leave a message,
or email info@early-music.org.

Orlando di Lasso (aka Orlande de Lassus, Roland de Lassus, etc.) was one of the most prolific and versatile composers of the late Renaissance or any other musical era. As indicated by the variations on his name, he was astonishingly mobile: He was from the Lowlands, worked in Italy for at least ten years before returning to Antwerp via France and perhaps England, and then settled in Bavaria for the remainder of his life, although he continued to travel extensively. He was one of the rare composers equally adept at the truly silly and the utterly solemn.

His motets and masses were among the most diverse and exceptional of the entire continent, with subjects varying from the transcendent to the eccentric. Even in motets with standard Biblical texts, the range of expression and harmonic approach of his normal style made the typical become extraordinary.

Although sacred music dominates his extensive output of music, di Lasso was also a master of the styles and genres of secular music. He wrote with equal facility in each language in all the prominent secular forms of the time, including Italian madrigals and villanelle, French chansons, and German lieder. He wrote with equal facility in each language and with the “local flavor,” reflecting the many places he lived, and yet maintained his personal expressiveness and skill. Some of his secular compositions are serious and emotionally powerful while others are downright silly, ribald, risqué, and lots of fun!

A small choir of 20 voices will perform some of his best, most brilliant, stunningly beautiful works in varying combinations, including large scale pieces for 8 and 12 parts, and will include solos by Gitanjali Mathur, Jenifer Thyssen, Laura Mercado Wright, Cayla Cardiff, Ryland Angel, and more. For a change of pace, sonically speaking, we will have a four-part viol consort, featuring Mary Springfels.

Join Texas Early Music Project as we Return to the Renaissance
and the music of a truly cosmopolitan composer.

Click on the image above to buy tickets now!

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The sound of one hand clapping for a series of realizations

Ya know, it’s hard to put one past me. I’m very observant. I’ve noticed a few things. Like, not too long ago, I noticed they were playing the World Series. Clue A. And then I noticed that all my clocks were wrong. Clue 2. And then, as I was shivering in my apartment at teatime, I noticed I was having some very good pumpkin spice tea to go along with my pumpkin bread and realized with a premonition-like chill that I was going to have some butternut squash dal and curry for supper and that I was going to wash it down with pumpkin stout. I think those count for Clues 3 and D. Maybe E, too.

“Obviously,” I said assuredly, “it’s my favorite time of the year and that means we must have our annual Christmas/Holiday concert coming up soon.”

So check out the blurb below (after you check out the video and graphics that Allison comes up with to illustrate this) and we’ll see you at the grocery store, standing in line to buy Thanksgiving sustenance, and then we’ll see you at An Early Christmas in December!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving and see you at the concerts in December!
-Danny

P.S.: There is no truth to the rumor that I use pumpkin spice contact lens solutions. That is absurd. The stores have been out of that for months. Maybe next year....

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An Early Christmas

Saturday, December 10, 2022 at  7:30 pm
&
Sunday, December 11, 2022, 3:00 pm
Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2111 Alexander Avenue

Hosted by Arts on Alexander on the campus of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 
2111 Alexander Ave, Austin, TX 78722.
Visit the Arts on Alexander 2022-2023 events on the AoA website.

Admission $35 general; $30 seniors (60+); $5 students with ID
Tickets available in advance online or by cash, check, or credit card at the door.

Take advantage of preferred seating and other perks by buying season tickets!

For more information, call 512-377-6961 and leave a message,
or email info@early-music.org.

Join Texas Early Music Project for its annual multilicious feast of diverse holiday music through the ages. Cultures across the centuries have celebrated this season of expectation and rebirth, and we are contributing our share with medieval chant and joyous carols, magnificent motets, lively Celtic songs, exuberant folk-tunes, and more.

Most of the music for this concert comes from Northern Europe and the British Isles. We’ve chosen pieces from Medieval England and France that glimmer with the transparency of the styles of the period. Renaissance Netherlands, England, and France give us both glorious polyphonic and appealing chordal ambiance. A little Baroque music from France and England will leave us with memorable (and recognizable) tunes. Although several of the pieces were written by the long-lived Anonymous, some composers of note are Praetorius, Scheidt, Sweelinck, and the “newly discovered” Vicente Lusitano, a mixed-race Portuguese composer. Active in the 16th century, Lusitano has been described as the first published Black composer.

In addition to the haunting motet for 5 voices by Lusitano, we have created a “medley” on the popular 14th-century tune Resonet in laudibus (also known as Joseph lieber, Joseph mein), using music by different composers of the German and Polish Renaissance for each verse. This unique, brand-new arrangement is for full choir and our small Renaissance orchestra. It is remarkable to hear how composers who worked in geographic and temporal proximity to each other set the different verses and sections.

As usual, there will be a few pieces composed and arranged in the last few years using some of the styles of Medieval and Baroque repertoire, and we will be presenting a short set of traditional and Sephardic music for the Chanukah celebration.

Tim O’Brien, Joel Nesvadba, Cayla Cardiff, Jeffrey Jones-Ragona, Jenny Houghton, Ryland Angel, Adrienne Pedrotti Bingamon, and Jenifer Thyssen are among the featured soloists, and we are happy to have both acclaimed harpist Therese Honey and kantele virtuoso Viktoria Nizhnik featured in our small orchestra.

Join Texas Early Music Project for a splendid and enriching evening of music. Encompassing 700 years of festive creativity and beauty, this music is sure to delight your ears and warm your heart.
And you can use our new word, multilicious!

Click on the image above to buy tickets now!

Did you enjoy this post? Give us a “like” below, leave a comment, and/or share with friends!

The Eagle Loved a Good Quodlibet!

Dürer, Self-portrait, Study of a Hand and Pillow, 1493

I remember being a fan of Albrecht Dürer’s work when I was mere polywog of a music student. Anytime we listened to music from Renaissance Germany, one of Dürer’s works was likely to grace the cover or be prominently placed in some part of the album notes (which were reasonably sized, since they were LPs!) And then in Europe, I saw his self portrait and saw that outsized thumb and felt real kinship with him; no I don’t have an overly large thumb, but I was a polydactyl at birth and my right thumb is a bit, um, odd, as a result of the surgery to remove that extra thumb. And so I wondered if he felt the same amount of pain that I did when I would catch a baseball slightly wrong and it would hit my thumb in just the wrong place…holy-moly!, and he probably didn’t have a mitt as good as mine. Anyway, if he did, he has my sympathies.

The other thing that I should mention about this concert is that when I saw the New York Pro Musica in concert in at Texas Tech in 1970 (or ‘71?), the program they did was very similar to the program that we are doing. It was from Renaissance Germany and it was heavy on music by Ludwig Senfl, at any rate, and I remember falling in love with the song Ach Elselein, which we are doing, of course. Also, one of the viol players on their tour was on her first tour with them: Mary Springfels! And she’s in our concert as well!

So come to our concert, and 1) hear both gloriously extravagant and calmly intimate music by Senfl and his teacher, Heinrich Isaac; 2) say hi to our frequent guest, Mary Springfels; 3) try not to think too much about Dürer’s freakishly large thumb; 4) hope that I don’t hit my right thumb on a music stand or something, because when I hit it in just the ‘right’ spot where there’s a bit of nerve lurking just under the surface, I’m likely to say something very unconcert-like.

Did I mention that Sara Schneider will be our pre-concert lecturer and we will be offering pre-signed copies of her book? The Eagle and the Song Bird is about the subject of our concert, Emperor Maximilian I, and members of his court, including our friends Senfl and Dürer (she doesn’t mention his thumb.) Click on the book image to pre-order your signed copy now!

See the details below and we hope to see you there!
-Danny

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When Max was Emperor
Musical Splendor for the Holy Roman Court

Saturday, October 8, 2022 at  7:30 pm
&
Sunday, October 9, 2022, 3:00 pm
Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2111 Alexander Avenue

Hosted by Arts on Alexander on the campus of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 
2111 Alexander Ave, Austin, TX 78722.
Visit the Arts on Alexander 2022-2023 events on the AoA website.

Admission $35 general; $30 seniors (60+); $5 students with ID
Tickets available in advance online or by cash, check, or credit card at the door.

Take advantage of preferred seating and other perks by buying season tickets!

For more information, call 512-377-6961 and leave a message,
or email info@early-music.org.

Our first full concert of the 2022-2023 season explores early Renaissance music from the courts of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor from 1508-1519. Though he was known as “the last knight,” he was also an ardent supporter of the arts and sciences, and his royal court reflected his interests, whether with music, visual arts, philosophy, cartography, literary arts, and more. 

In the same ways that Albrecht Dürer represented the visual arts in the royal court, there were two musicians who epitomize the musical life of Maximilian’s empire. The Flemish master Heinrich Isaac and his student, the Swiss-born Ludwig Senfl, were both active as court chapel masters to Emperor Maximilian’s Hofkapelle, whether in Innsbruck, Augsburg, or other places that the Emperor and his court traveled for numerous imperial congresses or for seasonal changes. 

Maximilian’s royal children, Margaret and Philip, inherited his passion for music. Both supported excellent chapels in Brussels and Mechelen, with musical masters such as Antoine Brumel, Pierre de la Rue, Jacob Obrecht, and others. We will sample a few strikingly intense pieces from these satellite courts as well as many pieces from Maximilian’s own imperial chapel. One of the striking and virtuosic works in the program will be Iaaac’s six-voice motet Virgo prudentissima. Composed by Isaac in 1507 while he was in Constance for the imperial Reichstag of that year (which was organized to prepare for the coronation of Maximilian I as Holy Roman Emperor), this amazing motet has grandeur, polyphonic complexity, and textural diversity, but never loses its forward motion or becomes static. 

The music splendor of Maximilian’s Holy Roman Court will be interpreted by eighteen singers, a consort of viols, two lutenists, and three sackbut (early trombone) players. As a special treat, we will have a pre-concert lecture by Sara Schneider, host of KMFA’s “Early Music Now”, TEMP Board member, and author of the historical novel The Eagle and the Songbird, which is about the Emperor and members of his retinue, both historical and fictional. 

Pre-concert Lecture:
Leaving Innsbruck: On the Road with Kaiser Max and his Musicians
Saturday, Oct. 8 at 6:45 PM & Sunday, Oct. 9 at 2:15 PM

Emperor Maximilian I (1459-1519) ruled from the saddle as he traveled all over his empire: modern-day Belgium, Germany, and Austria. And wherever he went—court, cathedral, or battlefield—his musicians went with him! We'll follow him on some of his travels, and learn about the ways music enriched life and was used as a political tool at the imperial court.

Remember what they say: “Life is a quodlibet, old friend!”

COVID Protocols

TEMP will be adhering to all State and City regulations, as well as guidelines from the CDC concerning masking and social distancing, as well as the requirements of our venue. We urge you to buy your tickets in advance, as the audience size will be limited so that the audience can be safely distanced. The audience is strongly requested to be masked at all times; we will have masks available for your use as well. Please feel welcome to contact us with questions or concerns.

Click on the image above to buy tickets now!

Did you enjoy this post? Give us a “like” below, leave a comment, and/or share with friends!

A special bargain!

Available for only a short while, 3 for the price of 11...

Coming Soon!

☞

Coming Soon! ☞

So you know how some blogs are really just like infomercials, designed to lull you into complacence, sort of like hypnosis, before they creatively entice you to buy something that you didn’t know that you needed? Or maybe it’s the other kind of informercial that’s swinging for the fence with every word, with every phrase designed to make you buy something that you didn’t know that you needed and you should buy it now, and you do, just so they’ll stop talking!?!??! Or maybe it’s the kind that is designed to confuse, as though they don’t really know what they’re selling, but it turns out to be a stealthomercial about something kinda different from what you thought it might might be.

Well, we would never do that, you know! We will just come right out and say that you really, really need to come to our Convivencia concert in May. (See the details below!)

And for the low, low price of whatever a ticket costs, we will throw in, absolutely free, a chance to win a CD in our post-intermission drawing.

This is one of our more cherished repertoires, with concerts from 2004, 2005, 2010, and 2015. We are eager to present the 2022 version to you, with special performers and a special guest lecturer. See? Not much stealth involved there at all!

If you wish to attend the Saturday, May 14, lecture and performance, you’ll need to buy your tickets in advance, either online or via phone at 512-377-6961. Due to the requirements of our venue, tickets cannot be sold at the door.

Please join us for our final program of the season!
–Danny

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Convivencia: The Three Worlds of Renaissance Spain

with special guests
Julie Slim, singer
Mary Springfels, viols

Special Guest Scholar & Lecturer: Professor Edwin Seroussi,
Director of the Jewish Music Research Centre at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Pre-performance lecture one hour before the concert begins.

Saturday, May 14, 2022, at  7:30 pm; 6:30pm pre-concert lecture
Temple Beth Shalom, 7300 Hart Lane
Tickets for Saturday’s performance must be purchased in advance online or by phone: 512-377-6961
Admission $30 general; $25 seniors (60+); $5 students (with ID)
&
Sunday, May 15, 2022, at 3:00 pm; 2:00pm pre-concert lecture
Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2111 Alexander Avenue

Admission $30 general; $25 seniors (60+); $5 students (with ID)
Tickets available in advance online or by cash, check, or credit card at the door.

For more information, call 512-377-6961 and leave a message,
or email info@early-music.org.

Convivencia means coexistence.

In our season finale, we explore many of the cross-cultural ties and themes that connected the three great cultures of early Spain: Muslim, Jewish, and Christian. Convivencia illuminates the lives and emotions of the inhabitants of Spain in the early Renaissance musically and poetically.

The swirling and sensuous rhythms and intricate melodies of Arabo-Andalusian and Sephardic music alternate with courtly, sometimes boisterously exuberant works of the Spanish masters such as Juan del Encina, Cristóbal de Morales, and others from the Spanish courts. Glimpses of daily life and cultural interactions are lovingly presented through songs and dances from the 15th and 16th centuries, performed on reproductions of historical instruments.

TEMP is pleased to welcome popular Lebanese-American singer, songwriter, and recording artist, Julie Slim, in her first performance with us. She is well known to Austin audiences through her performances with the Threshold Choir, her own group Julie Slim & RendezVous, and Bereket (the UT Middle Eastern Ensemble). Julie is a multitalented musician, skilled in jazz, Middle-Eastern styles and languages, composition, percussion, and much more, with an eclectic background in performance and commitment to collaboration and connection.

We are also proud to present our Special Guest Scholar & Lecturer, Professor Edwin Seroussi, Director of the Jewish Music Research Centre at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. A pioneer in the study of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern musical cultures and traditions, Professor Seroussi was awarded the 2018 Israel Prize in the music category. He has also won the Joel Engel Prize for Life Achievement in Jewish Music Research, Tel Aviv Municipality. Professor Seroussi received his PhD in Music from UCLA.

TEMP is always proud to present our core musicians, such as soloists Gitanjali Mathur, Cayla Cardiff, Jenny Houghton, Daniel Johnson, David Lopez, Ryland Angel, Tim O’Brien, and 9 more singers. Besides our guest instrumentalist, well-known local performers such as Elaine Barber, John Walters, Josh Peters, and others will perform on a variety of Medieval and Renaissance instruments such as oud, psaltery, harp, rebec, vihuela, viols, recorder, and sackbuts.

Click on the CD images below to listen to audio teasers!

Join us for our final concert of the season in Renaissance Spain when we say ¡Adiós, que tengáis un buen verano! and then prepare to attend our first concert of the 2022-2023 season in Renaissance Germany, with music from the court of Maximillian I, and we will say Hallo und hurra, es ist fast Herbst!

COVID PROTOCOLS

TEMP will be adhering to all State and City regulations, as well as guidelines from the CDC concerning masking and social distancing, as well as the requirements of our venue. We urge you to buy your tickets in advance, as the audience size will be limited so that the audience can be safely distanced. The audience is strongly requested to be masked at all times; we will have masks available for your use as well. Please feel welcome to contact us with questions or concerns.

Join us as we are gaderen: gathering again!

Click on the image above to buy tickets now!

Did you enjoy this post? Give us a “like” below, leave a comment, and/or share with friends!

I knew I shouldn't have worn shorts on Tuesday…

…because on Wednesday it was 55 degrees colder and then it got to be 60 degrees colder! Remind me to avoid tempting the Weather Channel–since it controls the weather, of course–next year. Or ever.

Anyway, we are puttering along, working on the May Convivencia concert, planning all the concerts for next season, working on grants, wrapping up the creation of our first newsletter (due out next week), and just generally not taking it easy, because All The Things Must Be Done.

And Amplify Austin Day, hosted by I Live Here I Give Here, is happening in a few days. See the details below!

Remember, even if you don’t live here, you can give here. Since TEMP is expanding its reach via videos on YouTube and other formats, you can support us from afar. Even from abroad. Or from around the corner.

More soon!
-Danny

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AMPLIFY TEMP!
6 PM CST MARCH 2 — 6 PM CST MARCH 3

Amplify Austin Day, hosted by I Live Here I Give Here, is Central Texas' biggest day of giving, and we are excited to participate once again! As you know, we've been thrilled to perform in person this year! We are so grateful for all that we've been able to accomplish thanks to a supportive, wonderful community. We humbly request your continued support as we continue to fulfill our important mission—to preserve and advance the art of Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and early Classical music—in new and creative ways.

Please visit our Amplify page to read more about it.

Here’s how you can help:

Your #amplifyaustin gift made anytime from now through March 3 allows us to:

• employ artists who have lost most, if not all, of their work this past year; 

• explore novel ways to deliver high quality performances and education to an audience no longer bound to Austin's city limits;

• grow and mature as an organization that is evolving with the times; and

• qualifies us for a variety of matching funds, listed on our Amplify page.

Early giving is open now, and every gift matters. But making your donation during the event time frame means your donation is AMPLIFIED by a community that supports its nonprofits.

We'd like to take a moment to specifically point out the "LoveTitos" match: In honor of its 25-year anniversary, Tito’s Handmade Vodka is working with I Live Here I Give Here to spread love and goodness throughout our hometown. Just be sure to enter #LoveTitos in the public message box at check out, and Tito's will add an extra $25 to your donation! They've allotted $25,000 to this match (Three cheers for Tito's!), but it will go fast. 

NO NEED TO WAIT: DONATE NOW!

WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT!

Awww, I forgot to mention Robert Burns's Birthday

Portrait of Robert Burns by Alexander Nasmyth, 1787, Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

So, I don’t know about you, but when I think about a ceilidh, I think of a gathering, usually informal, with fun, often-times impressively good music from Ireland and/or Scotland [and/or other places, I guess, but that’s for a different blog.]

And since I’m thinking of a fun time with dance and music and Ireland and/or Scotland, then I’m likely to be thinking of something to drink, which means Guinness (or some other dark stout. And if it’s a day that ends in ‘y’, then it’s probably pumpkin stout that I’m thinking about. But that’s for later.)

But then if I think of a stout in Ireland or Scotland, I’m likely to start thinking about jovial pubs I’ve been to and enjoyed, and how that helps to complete the picture.

But then when I’m thinking of pubs, I can’t help but think of pubs from some movies and how they seem like fun—but then suddenly, they don’t seem like fun at all, like when everyone tells you that you should leave, you don’t have time for a Guinness, and they don’t have room for you. But at least they take the time to give you helpful warnings like “Go! Stay on the road. Keep clear of the moors. Beware the moon, lads!” and other things that might not immediately make sense.

Hmmm. Where was I? Oh, right! So our upcoming Celtic Crossings concert isn’t exactly a ceilidh, but there will be songs and dances from Scotland and Ireland, but there won’t be any stout, Guinness or otherwise. And though some of the dances and songs might be sort of casual, like one might find in a pub, we won’t be advising you to “Keep clear of the moors and beware the moon,” since there won’t be a full moon that weekend; so the chance of a werewolf sighting is low.

See you at the concert. BYO Haggis, but no food is allowed in the sanctuary!
-Danny
P.S. Rabbie Burns’s birthday is January 25!

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Celtic Crossings

Saturday, February 12, 2022, at  7:30 pm
&
Sunday, February 13, 2021, at 3:00 pm
Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2111 Alexander Avenue

Admission $30 general; $25 seniors (60+); $5 students (at the door only)
Tickets available in advance online or by cash, check, or credit card at the door.

For more information, call 512-377-6961 and leave a message,
or email info@early-music.org.

Scottish ballads from the 18th century have been a part of TEMP’s core repertoire since the late 90s. With musical sources dating from the 16th–18th centuries featuring poems by Robert Burns and an exciting roster of other poets, the concert will give wonderful insight into the people who created this very popular and accessible music.

Even the English held Scottish ballads in high esteem and our own Benjamin Franklin adored these songs and considered them the height of great art. (We are performing one of his favorites!) Scottish ballads are renowned for their evocative, heartfelt, and humorous aspects, but also for their beautiful and expressive melodies.

Some of the songs provide a glimpse into historical or cultural events (Frennet Hall), while others create immediate visceral emotions with strong connections to the land (The Banks of the Devon). And there are plenty of love songs to go around! There will be some stirring dance pieces from Ireland and Scotland as well.

Click on the CD images below to listen to audio teasers!

TEMP’s soloists for this concertare Jenifer Thyssen, Cayla Cardiff, Jenny Houghton, Jeffrey Jones-Ragona, David Lopez, and Tim O’Brien, as well as frequent guest artist, Ryland Angel. Harpist Therese Honey will perform a solo or two and will be joined by TEMP core players Marcus McGuff (flute), Bruce Colson (violin), John Walters (mandolin), Héctor Torres (lutes and guitar), Carolyn Hagler (cello), and will feature kantele player Viktoria Nizhnik from Karelia! Hey, people traveled back in those days, too.

Come enjoy these enchanting pieces with musical links to another time and place that still lives! 
BYO haggis.

Hosted by Arts on Alexander on the campus of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2111 Alexander Ave,
Austin, TX 78722

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COVID PROTOCOLS

TEMP will be adhering to all State and City regulations, as well as guidelines from the CDC concerning masking and social distancing, as well as the requirements of our venue. We urge you to buy your tickets in advance, as the audience size will be limited so that the audience can be safely distanced. The audience is strongly requested to be masked at all times; we will have masks available for your use as well. Please feel welcome to contact us with questions or concerns.

Join us as we are gaderen: gathering again!

Click on the image above to buy tickets now!

Did you enjoy this post? Give us a “like” below, leave a comment, and/or share with friends!

It's beginning to feel a bit like…

…Concert Time!

Overheard at the grocery store:

A (answering cell phone, loudly in speakerphone mode): Hey, I’m at the store, what’s up?
B (yelling into his phone): What do you want to do tonight?
A (also yelling) I dunno. What do you want to do tonight?
B: Well we could see what’s streaming on WhateverFlix.
A: Nah, we’ve done that the last 18 months.
B: Well, ok, whatever you want is fine with me.

Enter person C, friend of A:

C: Hey, A, I was in produce and heard you talking with B. Listen, I don’t know about tonight, but on December 11 or 12, you should go to the TEMP An Early Christmas concert.
B (even louder): Well, cool beans, sounds like a good plan! So, A, where do you want to go for dinner before the concert?
A: I dunno. Where do you want to go for dinner before the concert?
C (walking away sheepishly, muttering to nobody in particular): And take your phone off speaker in the grocery store.

It’s just a thought. Read all about the concert below!
-Danny

P.S.: Hope to see you at the concert! All phones will be silenced.

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An Early Christmas

Saturday, December 11, 2021, at  7:30 pm
&
Sunday, December 12, 2021, at 3:00 pm
Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2111 Alexander Avenue

Admission $30 general; $25 seniors (60+); $5 students (at the door only)
Tickets available in advance online or by cash, check, or credit card at the door.

Take advantage of preferred seating and other perks by buying season tickets!

For more information, call 512-377-6961 and leave a message,
or email info@early-music.org.

Join Texas Early Music Project for its annual multilicious feast of diverse Christmas music through the ages. Cultures across the centuries have celebrated this season of expectation and rebirth, and we are contributing our share with medieval chant and joyous carols, magnificent motets, lively Celtic songs, exuberant folk-tunes, and more.

Almost all of the music for this concert comes from Northern Europe and the British Isles. We’ve chosen pieces from Medieval England and France that glimmer with the transparency of the styles of the period. Renaissance Netherlands, England, and France give us both glorious polyphonic and appealing chordal ambiance. A little Baroque music from France and England will leave us with memorable (and recognizable) tunes. Although most of the pieces were written by the long-lived Anonymous, some composers of note are Dufay, Sweelinck, Handl (not Handel), and St. Godric of Victor, who died in 1170. In addition to a few pieces composed in the last few years using some of the styles of Medieval and Baroque repertoire, we will be presenting a short set of music for the Chanukah celebration!

Encompassing more than 700 years of humanity’s hope, love, and joy, TEMP puts its distinctive stamp on the intangible essence and passion of Christmas, with arrangements for solo voices, small chorus, harp, violin, mandolin, viols, lute, and Karelian chromatic kantele.

Tim O’Brien, Cayla Cardiff, Jeffrey Jones-Ragona, David Lopez, Jenny Houghton, Ryland Angel, Meredith Ruduski, and Jenifer Thyssen are featured soloists, and we are happy to have both acclaimed harpist Therese Honey and kantele virtuoso Viktoria Nizhnik featured in our small orchestra.

Join Texas Early Music Project for a splendid and enriching evening of music. Encompassing 700 years of festive creativity and beauty, this music is sure to delight your ears and warm your heart. And you can use our new word, multilicious!

Hosted by Arts on Alexander on the campus of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2111 Alexander Ave,
Austin, TX 78722

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COVID PROTOCOLS

TEMP will be adhering to all State and City regulations, as well as guidelines from the CDC concerning masking and social distancing, as well as the requirements of our venue. We urge you to buy your tickets in advance, as the audience size will be limited so that the audience can be safely distanced. The audience is strongly requested to be masked at all times; we will have masks available for your use as well. Please feel welcome to contact us with questions or concerns.

Join us as we are gaderen: gathering again!

Click on the image above to buy tickets now!

Did you enjoy this post? Give us a “like” below, leave a comment, and/or share with friends!

Do you remember this scene?

You know the one from Monty Python and the Holy Grail in which the peasants are all muddy and working in the field are generally, you know, oppressed? I always think of that scene when we’re preparing a concert from that time period in England. As luck would have it, that’s what we’re doing now, because this weekend we have our first concert with real, actual humans in our vicinity since February 2020. Huzzah, y’all!

This season’s ‘theme’ is gathering again. Because, you know, we are. And for this concert, which is partly in Middle English, it’s gaderen: gathering again. (Jonathan Riemer has some of The Best ideas.! You can download our season brochure here.)

However, we are gathering again safely, following the protocols: We will be encouraging distancing, so that you and your pod of friends can sit with a little distance among other pods. We will also be strongly requesting that you wear your masks during the concert. We will have some special masks for you, as well. Please read our Covid Information below and on our 2021-2022 Season page.

Also, we are releasing a reissue of the CD of the concert that was the inspiration for this concert. Mirie it is! Early Middle English Songs was part of our “3rd Annual Mid-Winter Festival of Music” in 2001 and was based on the research that Judith Overcash Acres conducted during her studies at Case Western Reserve University, where she earned a Doctoral degree in Historical Performance Practices in 2001. So, you can take home a companion volume, as it were, to this weekend’s concert. (Seven of the eighteen pieces on our new concert were also in the 2001 concert, so it’s not a direct copy.) You can visit the Mirie it is! CD page to listen to audio samples and purchase the CD now for $21, shipping included! We hope that you will also want to get the Mirie it is 2021 concert recording when we release it as well! 🙂

We hope to see you at the concert on either Saturday, Oct. 2 or Sunday, Oct. 3. We will not be quoting Monty Python and the Holy Grail and will reference it only 1 or 2 times at the most.

Gaderen!
–Danny

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Mirie it is!
Medieval English Music

Saturday, October 2, 2021, at  7:30 pm
&
Sunday, October 3, 2021, 3:00 pm
Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2111 Alexander Avenue

Admission $30 general; $25 seniors (60+); $5 students (at the door only)
Tickets available in advance online or by cash, check, or credit card at the door.

Take advantage of preferred seating and other perks by buying season tickets!

For more information, call 512-377-6961 and leave a message,
or email info@early-music.org.

For its first in-person concert since February, 2020, TEMP is presenting music from really olde England in the 12th century through around 1450, well into the early Renaissance. There are only a handful of Middle English songs from before 1350 that have remained extant, and TEMP is performing eight of them. The music and texts in the Medieval repertoire of the concert deal with daily life, faith, the turning of the seasons—especially the joyful arrival of Spring and Summer and the specter of the advancing dreariness of Winter.

The Renaissance portion of the concert includes works by two of England’s most important composers, Leonel Power and John Dunstable, as well as anonymous motets in honor of famous individuals like St. Augustine of Canterbury and the martyr priest, Thomas à Becket. Most early Renaissance polyphony is for three parts, and it was just awesome enough to be all the rage on the Continent as well, and it even had its own name: the contenance angloise, or the English manner.

Our “return” concert has the single lines of the Medieval repertoire, the rich harmonies of the contenance angloise, and a couple of delightful Medieval English dances, performed by vielles, harps, recorder, and psalteries.

Our special guests are tenor Christopher LeCluyse, who is one of TEMP’s founding members, and frequent guests Ryland Angel (tenor and countertenor) and Mary Springfels (vielle and citole). They are joined by ten singers (including soloists Cayla Cardiff, Gitanjali Mathur, and Shari Alise Wilson) and four instrumentalists.

Hosted by Arts on Alexander on the campus of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2111 Alexander Ave,
Austin, TX 78722

COVID Protocols

TEMP will be adhering to all State and City regulations, as well as guidelines from the CDC concerning masking and social distancing, as well as the requirements of our venue. We urge you to buy your tickets in advance, as the audience size will be limited so that the audience can be safely distanced. The audience is strongly requested to be masked at all times; we will have masks available for your use as well. Please feel welcome to contact us with questions or concerns.

Join us as we are gaderen: gathering again!

Click on the image above to buy tickets now!

Did you enjoy this post? Give us a “like” below, leave a comment, and/or share with friends!

There's a kind of hush…

You know that weird feeling when you’ve completed a task and you’ve marked it off your ‘to do’ list and then a few hours later, like at 3AM, your eyes pop open and you’ve realized that you left out something integral to the task, or maybe it was actually due last week, or maybe you didn’t do it at all but that you just dreamed that you did in your first dream cycle that very night? And then you can’t get back to sleep and you refuse to get up to check because, well, that would just be silly; so instead, you practice your Sicilian Defense in your head for your next chess match thinking it will put you to sleep…

Yeh, me neither. I don’t play chess.

I do organize concerts, though, in one format or another. Our last one for our 2020-2021 Season is coming right up! It’s a doozy. Study up on Boccaccio!

See below for more info on our upcoming Tales from the Decameron: A Video Premiere!

Arrivederci!
-Danny

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TALES FROM THE DECAMERON:
A VIDEO PREMIERE

Premiere for TEMPster Members:
Friday, May 7, 2021, 8:00 PM

Premiere for the general public:
Saturday, May 8, 2021, 8:00 PM

The video will be viewable through Thursday, May 20, 2021 at 11:00 pm.
Tickets must be purchased by 9:30 pm on Thursday, May 20, 2021.

Admission: $5 Student/Supporter; $15 Fan; $25 Friend; $50 Patron

The general admission price is the Fan category, $15. If you are struggling financially due to the Coronavirus situation, take advantage of our lower-priced Student/Supporter offer. If you are able to pay a little more, and can help someone else pay less, please do so with the Friend and Patron prices. 

Tickets available in advance online. For those who purchase tickets prior to May 6, an email will be sent to you with video access instructions. Please check your spam folder. After May 6, the video access will be given in your ticket confirmation email and tickets.

TEMPster Members will receive an email with video access; you will not need to purchase tickets to view the concert video.

For more information, call 512-377-6961 and leave a message,
or email boxoffice@early-music.org.

For its final video concert of the season, TEMP will present stories from an extremely timely source: The Decameron, by Giovanni Boccaccio (1313–1375). The book is structured as a frame story containing 100 tales told by a group of young adults who shelter in a secluded villa just outside Florence in order to escape the Black Death during the 1348 epidemic. The librettist for our production is Dr. Larry Rosenwald, Anne Pierce Rogers Professor of American Literature and professor of English at Wellesley College; he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2020 for his wide-ranging work in literary criticism. TEMP’s Artistic Director, Daniel Johnson, and Dr. Rosenwald have presented versions of this project live in three earlier productions in 1995 in Massachusetts, 1996 in Austin, and 2007 in California. Popular ATX actor Marc Pouhé, finalist in the Best Actor category in the 2021 Austin Chronicle’s annual “Best of Austin” poll, is our Narrator.

 Among the subjects in the stories in Boccaccio’s novel include: the power of fortune; examples of the power of human will; love tales that end tragically; love tales that end happily; clever replies that save the speaker; tricks that women play on men; tricks that people play on each other in general; examples of virtue, and much more. TEMP will depict several of the tales from The Decameron by means of narration, actors, and music, with TEMP’s singers and instrumentalists performing Italian music from the time of Boccaccio. Some of the more important composers featured in the video premiere are Gherardello da Firenze (c.1320-1362/3), Lorenzo da Firenze (d. 1372/3), and Francesco Landini (c.1335-1397). In addition to a few new TEMP performers, some of the featured musicians are singers Jenifer Thyssen, Cayla Cardiff, Shari Alise Wilson, Tim O’Brien, Ryland Angel, David Lopez, Jeffrey Jones-Ragona, and more. Instrumentalists include Bruce Colson and John Walters on vielles, Elaine Barber (harp), and Josh Peters on oud. We are pleased to include stylish minimalistic costumes and props, created by Juli Orlandini, which greatly add to the overall mood and style of the characters and the stories.

 A short lecture by KMFA’s Sara Schneider will present a bit of historical background to The Decameron and the music of the period before the action begins in earnest, and we catch up with our intrepid group of characters, which has fled Florence to escape the plague.

 As one might expect, there are similarities between the ways that people entertained themselves during the Black Plague 700 years ago and the ways that we do during the time of Covid-19. Creativity and metaphor are in ample usage in both worlds.

Please join us as we reconnect with you through the magic of music.

Click on the image above to buy tickets now!

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Here's a busy bee week. No murder hornets.

For real, TEMP has a busy, busy week. Last week we were shivering, a couple of days ago we were sweating, for the next 9 days we are caffeinating!

The premiere of the Fresh Take, Baroque episode is this Saturday, Feb. 27 and all three Fresh Take episodes are available until March 4.

March 4 also happens to be the beginning of Amplify Austin, which almost every arts group and other non-profits depend on, especially this year when this things have been so…let’s face it: so weird. We could just be really verklempt about the whole situation or we and our muses could think up creative ways to stay in touch with you and make new friends, and get to see our colleagues (safely) from time to time to make some music! It’s worked out that we chose path #2, and so we do need a little assistance continuing that journey, and for some reason I feel compelled to call that assistance “Amplify”!

Now, where was I? Oh yes…

And then Night Music!, Episode 3 premieres on March 7. Gitanjali Mathur and I will be bringing you lullabies and other songs of comfort from Croatia and the Karelia province of Russia.

So in summation: See a nice movie about Baroque music history, Amplify, and then relax with soothing night music. And enjoy having no murder hornets.

-Danny

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AMPLIFY TEMP!
6 pm March 4 — 6 pm March 5

We know it's not news: arts organizations, both in Austin and beyond, are being forced to adapt to the realities of this time. Rest assured that, with your help, TEMP IS UP TO THE CHALLENGE, offering exceptional virtual performances and educational content this artistic season. We humbly request your support as we seek to continue fulfilling our important mission—to preserve and advance the art of Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and early Classical music—in new and creative ways!

Please visit our Amplify page to read more about it.

Here’s how you can help:

Your #amplifyaustin gift made anytime from now through March 5 allows us to:

• employ artists who have lost most, if not all, of their work this past year; 

• explore novel ways to deliver high quality performances and education to an audience no longer bound to Austin's city limits; and 

• grow and mature as an organization that is evolving with the times.

Donations made through Amplify Austin between now and March 5 also qualify for matching funds from Tito's Vodka, so your gift goes even further! Thank you for the vital support you give to us, and to the greater Austin arts community. Your generosity is invaluable.

NO NEED TO WAIT: donate NOW!

WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT!

Welp. Time for some B'roke.

We knew it was gonna get cold and there might be some snow. So far, so Texas. And then well, you know. I hope everyone is slowly but surely getting back to whatever version of reality we think of as “normal,” because that’s already somewhat Abby-normal.

We delayed things by a week, of course, since many of us didn’t have electricity, or internet, or both, and/or no water with which to make ourselves presentable for a premiere. So, the 3rd episode of Fresh Take (Baroque) premieres this Saturday (Feb 27) at 8pm CST and Night Music! Episode 3, with musical guests from Croatia and Karelia, premieres March 7. See the deets below!

And there were lovely scenes of unbothered snow and icicles hanging from places that are generally icicle-less, and it reminded me of one of my favorite songs:

I love winter in the springtime (when it's snowing!)
I love winter in the fall.
I love winter in the summer (when it's too hot to do anything at all)
I love winter, oh yes, I love winter (except when there's no heat at all.)

[See The Avalon Jazz Band arrangement of I Love Paris here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hU_X6Vr1MY ]

Stay safe and sane—see you (virtually) soon!
-Danny

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Fresh Take: Music History Reimagined

Fresh Take will highlight key aspects of the history of western music from around 1200 to 1750, utilizing music recorded by TEMP musicians for this production, as well as selected examples from TEMP’s CDs. Each episode (Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque) will include musical examples, narration with humorous asides, catchy details, and engaging graphics that will be appealing to students of all ages. Produced by Meredith Ruduski and Sara Schneider!

Episode 3 (Baroque Period) Premiere:
Saturday, February 27, 2021, 8:00 pm Central Time
All Fresh Take videos will be viewable through Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 11:00 pm Central Time.
Tickets must be purchased by 9:30 pm on Thursday, March 4, 2021.

Admission: $5 Student/Supporter; $15 Fan; $25 Friend; $50 Patron
TEMPster Members do not need to purchase a ticket!

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Night Music! An online Mini-Series with Gitanjali Mathur, Daniel Johnson, & Guests

DUE TO UTILITY OUTAGES IN TEXAS, WE ARE DELAYING THE PREMIERE OF NIGHT MUSIC EPISODE 3 UNTIL MARCH 7 AT 8:00PM CST

Formatted in talk-show style, Night Music! will offer short programs of calm and respite, focused on lullabies and the diversity of lullaby styles in cultures around the world. Our guests for Episode 3, Viktoria and Yakov Nizhnik from Karelia (Russia) and Valentina Črnjak and Marko Ščrbak from Croatia, sing and play lullabies and songs of comfort.

Night Music! Episode 3 Premiere:
Sunday, March 7, 2021, 8:00 pm Central Time
The Episode 3 video will be viewable through Friday, March 12, 2021 at 11:00 pm Central Time.
Tickets must be purchased by 9:30 pm on Friday, March 12, 2021.

Admission: $5 Student/Supporter; $15 Fan; $25 Friend; $50 Patron
TEMPster Members do not need to purchase a ticket!

Did you enjoy this post? Give us a “like” below, leave a comment, and/or share with friends!

What's the plan then?

So, I was watching a scene from the brilliant “Shaun of the Dead” for the 100th time, or so, and I had an idea! What if we made a musicology movie, but since ‘Shaun’ has already dealt with the Zombies and got his girlfriend back, we can leave out the drama and the Zombies? Instead, we’ll have humor, edu-tainment, music, and a lot more music. And some more humor. And then a little more music and a lot more humor. And still no Zombies.

Ok, that’s not really how the idea for our upcoming Fresh Take: Music History Reimagined video episodes got started, but it’s better than the real way.

“What do you wanna do?”
“Oh, I don’t know, what do you wanna do?”
“I dunno - hey, what if we make a musicology movie? We’ll have Sara Schneider and Meredith Ruduski in it! It’ll be great!”
“What’s the plan then?”

So, please join us for Fresh Take! (See all the deets below.) Guaranteed Zombie-free!
-Danny

P.S. Tune in to KMFA 89.5 FM on Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 9:00 pm CST and listen to my interview with the host of Classical Austin, Dianne Donavan!

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Fresh Take: Music History Reimagined

Episode 1 (Medieval Period) Premiere:
Saturday, February 6, 2021, 8:00 pm Central Time

Episode 2 (Renaissance Period) Premiere:
Saturday, February 13, 2021, 8:00 pm Central Time

Episode 3 (Baroque Period) Premiere:
Saturday, February 20, 2021, 8:00 pm Central Time

The videos will be viewable through Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021 at 11:00 pm Central Time.
Tickets must be purchased by 9:30 pm on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021.

Admission: $5 Student/Supporter; $15 Fan; $25 Friend; $50 Patron
TEMPster Members do not need to purchase a ticket!

The general admission price is the Fan category, $15. If you're struggling financially due to the Coronavirus situation, take advantage of our lower-priced Student/Supporter offer. If you’re able to pay a little more, and can help someone else pay less, please do so with the Friend and Patron prices. 

Tickets available in advance online. For those who purchase tickets prior to Feb. 4, an email will be sent to you with video access instructions. Please check your spam folder. After Feb. 4, the video access will be given in your ticket confirmation email and tickets.

TEMPster Members will receive an email with video access; you will not need to purchase tickets to view the concert video.

For more information, call 512-377-6961 and leave a message,
or email boxoffice@early-music.org.

Fresh Take: Music History Reimagined

Think of this as a painless musicology movie, starring Meredith Ruduski and Sara Schneider! Fresh Take will highlight key aspects of the history of western music from around 1200 to 1750, utilizing music recorded by TEMP musicians for this production, as well as selected examples from TEMP’s CDs. Each episode of the video (Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque) will include a quick historical, often hysterical, overview before launching into the musical examples, narration with humorous asides, catchy details, and engaging graphics that will be appealing to students of all ages.

UPDATE: Due to technical difficulties, we need to divide the content into three separate video episodes. The first episode, premiering Feb. 6, will cover the Medieval Period (around 1100 to around 1400). The second episode, The Renaissance Period, around 1430 to around 1600, will premiere February 13th. The third episode, premiering Feb. 20, will cover the Baroque Period (around 1600 to around 1750).

Click on the image above to buy tickets now!

Did you enjoy this post? Give us a “like” below, leave a comment, and/or share with friends!

Eine Kleine Night Music

Happy Belated New Year!

Ok. That’s the post.
Bye!
-Danny

PS: In my dreams last night, I worked on three (3) separate TEMP projects! Each section was very distinct, and I knew which project I was working on. By coincidence, I’m sure, TEMP has three (3) projects on the stove right now: 1) Tales from the Decameron, 2) Fresh Take (not Fresh Steak!), and 3) Night Music!, Episode 2.

Hmmm. I wonder if there’s some connection there?

Join us on Sunday, January 24, for Episode 2 of Night Music!, in which Gitanjali Mathur and I interview Gil Zilkha about his golf game and his his recent hole-in-one! And some lovely music! See the details below!

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NIGHT MUSIC!
Episode 2

Premiere:
Sunday, January 24, 2021, 8:00 pm CST

The video will be viewable through Friday, Jan. 29, 2021 at 11:00 pm.
Tickets must be purchased by 9:30 pm on Friday, Jan. 29, 2021.

Admission: $5 Student/Supporter; $15 Fan; $25 Friend; $50 Patron

The general admission price is the Fan category, $15. If you're struggling financially due to the Coronavirus situation, take advantage of our lower-priced Student/Supporter offer. If you’re able to pay a little more, and can help someone else pay less, please do so with the Friend and Patron prices. 

Tickets available in advance online. For those who purchase tickets prior to Jan. 22, an email will be sent to you with video access instructions. Please check your spam folder. After Jan. 22, the video access will be given in your ticket confirmation email and tickets.

TEMPster Members will receive an email with video access; you will not need to purchase tickets to view the concert video.

For more information, call 512-377-6961 and leave a message,
or email boxoffice@early-music.org.

Night-Music! An Online Mini-Series with Gitanjali Mathur, Daniel Johnson, & Guests

Night Music will offer six short programs of calm and respite, focused on lullabies and the diversity of lullaby styles in cultures around the world. The second episode of Night Music features conversation with Gil Zilkha, one of Austin’s hardest working bass-baritones, and Gil sings two Hebrew songs from his childhood and describes how the songs came into being.

Click on the image above to buy tickets now!

Did you enjoy this post? Give us a “like” below, leave a comment, and/or share with friends!

On the 291st Day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Yes, I know it seems like yesterday when we were talking about Halloween and then I went and skipped Thanksgiving altogether, but I definitely wanted to be sure to wish you a Happy Hanukkah on this, the 2nd day of the Festival of Lights, before I get too, too busy with the release of our next concert video. And then I would blink and it would be January or February, and I would have forgotten, so I’ll do the rest of it now too! Merry Christmas, Joyous Kwanzaa, and Happy New Year. And while you are celebrating all the above, please watch our soon-to-be released video, An Early Christmas: A Video Premiere! See the details below!

Y’all stay safe and sane!

-Danny

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AN EARLY CHRISTMAS:
A VIDEO PREMIERE

Premiere for TEMPster Members:
Friday, December 18, 2020, 8:00 PM

Premiere for the general public:
Saturday, November 19, 2020, 8:00 PM

The video will be viewable through Friday, Jan. 1, 2021 at 11:00 pm.
Tickets must be purchased by 9:30 pm on Friday, Jan. 1, 2021.

Admission: $5 Student/Supporter; $15 Fan; $25 Friend; $50 Patron

The general admission price is the Fan category, $15. If you're struggling financially due to the Coronavirus situation, take advantage of our lower-priced Student/Supporter offer. If you’re able to pay a little more, and can help someone else pay less, please do so with the Friend and Patron prices. 

Tickets available in advance online. For those who purchase tickets prior to Dec. 17, an email will be sent to you with video access instructions. Please check your spam folder. After Dec. 17, the video access will be given in your ticket confirmation email and tickets.

TEMPster Members will receive an email with video access; you will not need to purchase tickets to view the concert video.

For more information, call 512-377-6961 and leave a message,
or email boxoffice@early-music.org.

We are happy to present our first pre-recorded video concert of the 2020-2021 season. Partly because it was fun to work on and create and partly because it’s for Chanukah and Christmas, so, you know: Presents might be involved!

This is our favorite concert of the year, so please join us as we explore the intangible essence of Christmas and Chanukah though the ages, with music from Medieval England, Renaissance France, and more. TEMP puts its unique stamp on beautiful and joyful carols, chants, dances, and traditional songs with innovative arrangements for solo voices, small ensembles, harp, violin, flute, viols, and lutes, on video for the first time.

Featured soloists include Jenifer Thyssen, Shari Alise Wilson, Meredith Ruduski, Laura Mercado-Wright, Ryland Angel, Tim O’Brien, David Lopez, Daniel Johnson, and Cayla Cardiff. We are especially pleased that special guests Viktoria Nizhnik (kantele) and Darrel Mayers (guitar) could join us as well.

Early Music Now Host and Producer, Sara Schneider, will also present a personally crafted lecture during the video, with readings, historical notes, and fun factoids interspersed between sets of music.

Please join us as we reconnect with you through the magic of music.

Click on the image above to buy tickets now!

Check out our new CD: Lullay, Lullay: An Early Christmas!

Did you enjoy this post? Give us a “like” below, leave a comment, and/or share with friends!

Happy Halloween! Ok, belatedly.

Happy Belated Halloween.

So, yes, it was indeed our plan to release our next concert video before Halloween—I just knew that our webscribe Allison would have some fun images to accompany the blog that would precede the release of the video. Alas, that was not to be, because I had to watch all my old Halloween film faves to get in the spirit of the season: Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Gene Wilder, and Rocky horror Picture Show and more. A lot more. In fact, I’m still watching.

But the new concert video is being released next Saturday — thank goodness it’s not on Friday the 13th! — and there’s a lot of really beautiful music: wonderful singing and terrific playing, and very few of us are wearing scary masks. So if you’re ready for Halloween to be over, you don’t have (much) to fear. Not much.

It’s going to be beautiful, and it’s Monteverdi and Cavalli. 3 out of 3 is pretty good!

See below for more info on our upcoming The Student Becomes the Master Video Premiere, including our trailer!

-Danny

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THE STUDENT BECOMES THE MASTER:
MONTEVERDI & CAVALLI IN VENICE
A Video premiere

Premiere for the general public:
Saturday, November 14, 2020, 7:30 pm

The video will be viewable from Nov. 14 through Thursday, Nov. 19 at 11:00 pm. Tickets must be purchased by 9:30 pm on Thursday, Sept. 19.

Admission: $5 Student/Supporter; $15 Fan; $25 Friend; $50 Patron

The general admission price is the Fan category, $15. If you're struggling financially due to the Coronavirus situation, take advantage of our lower-priced Student/Supporter offer. If you’re able to pay a little more, and can help someone else pay less, please do so with the Friend and Patron prices. 

Tickets available in advance online. After the purchase of a ticket an email with video access instructions will be sent to you on Nov. 12.

Subscribers to the 2019-2020 Season and those who purchased individual tickets to the March concert will receive an email about your tickets; you will not need to purchase tickets to view the concert video.

For more information, call 512-377-6961 and leave a message,
or email boxoffice@early-music.org.

We are happy to announce that TEMP returns again from its pause after the onset of Covid-19 to present a pre-recorded video of the music that was to have been presented in our May concert, with music by Claudio Monteverdi and his protégée, Francesco Cavalli.

Claudio Monteverdi was already a musical master in the 16th century, but he and student Francesco Cavalli also created musical wonders in the 17th century with ravishing works for the cathedral, the court, and the opera. For our final concert of the 2019-2020 season, we will focus on splendid pieces for soloists, duets, and small ensembles from their operas and songs from the 1640s and 1650s. Filled with beauty, desire, loss, and healthy injections of humor, these songs are microcosms of the opera ‘scene’ in Venice in the middle of the 17th century. Featured soloists include Jenifer Thyssen, Gitanjali Mathur, Laura Mercado-Wright, Ryland Angel, Tim O’Brien, Meredith Ruduski, Shari Alise Wilson, and Cayla Cardiff.

Early Music Now Host and Producer, Sara Schneider will also present a personally crafted lecture during the video, interspersed between sets of music. The video will also present art from the 16th and 17th centuries and evocative photography.

Sixteen of TEMP’s singers and players recorded this music live in Austin in September and remotely from England. Our production team has worked since then to create a seamless video of music, speech, and art ever since, a path that would have seemed impossible just a few months ago, but is now the wave of the (temporary) present.

Please join us as we reconnect with you through the magic of music.

Click on the image above to buy tickets now!

Did you enjoy this post? Give us a “like” below, leave a comment, and/or share with friends!