Join us for the 2026 Seminar Series in Early Music Performance
Your invitation to the unique HPRS Seminar Series in Early Music Performance
Join the Highland Park Recorder Society for a very exciting year of online Seminars in Early Music Performance. We will learn from distinguished professors, musicologists, and leaders in the early music field, – Professors Adam Gilbert, Ph.D of USC in CA, Rainer Beckmann, Ph.D. of PA, Annette Bauer, PhD. from Germany and Montreal, Lewis Baratz, Ph.D. of PA, and Héloise Degrugillier, Ph.D. They are joining us from many parts of the country and Canada to lead us in exploring music from the 14th to 18th centuries.
Each of the seminars for 2026 include an historical lecture and an opportunity to play music that is sent in advance to all who register. Seminars are priced at $25 each. The Zoom sessions open at 7:15 PM EST for a meet and greet, and the instruction will begin at 7:30 PM EST.
HPRS Membership required for all Participants except for first-time attendees. For 2026 the membership is discounted from $50 to $30.
Schedule
September 15, 2025
Presented by Rainer Beckmann
A Leipzig Connection: Instrumental and Vocal Music by Schein, Calvisius, Fritsch, and Bach
Leipzig, the historic trade and university city in Saxony, was home to many of Germany’s most celebrated composers. A Leipzig Connection explores the musical ties between four influential figures active there in the early 17th to mid-18th centuries: Johann Hermann Schein, Sethus Calvisius, Balthasar Fritsch, and Johann Sebastian Bach. The program pairs spirited ensemble dances with engaging contrapuntal works, offering both historical insight and musical delight. Grounded in the rich stylistic and historical connections among these composers, the program promises to engage as much as it enlightens.
All are welcome! SATB Recorders, A=440hz
October 20, 2025
Presented by Adam Gilbert
A Century of Symmetry and Song (1430-1530) Part 1.
This class will trace a tradition of composers crafting songs from symmetrical patterns, including numerical symmetries in numbers of pitches, melodic symmetries like palindromes and passages that are identical to their own retrograde inversion, contrapuntal symmetries in which a voice is consonant against its own retrograde or retrograde inversion, and even magic squares in which all four permutations of a melody can be played simultaneously to make consonant counterpoint. These devices are hidden in lovely songs and compositions by three generations of composers from Gilles Binchois to Johannes, Ockeghem, Josquin Deprez, and Antoine Brumel.
November 3, 2025
Presented by Rainer Beckmann
French Sweets: Dance and Music in Louis XIV’s Paris – Featuring Airs, Gigues, Sarabandes, Chaconnes, and More
In Baroque France, music and dance were intricately linked, with dance at the heart of French opera during the reign of Louis XIV (1643–1715). At the center of this vibrant cultural world was Jean-Baptiste Lully, the composer who defined the musical landscape of both the royal court and opera for decades. Over time, stylized dances became integral to music-making in both grand and intimate settings, helping to shape the structure of the French Baroque suite.
This seminar will delve into several dances from Le Bourgeois gentilhomme (1670), Molière and Lully’s iconic comédie-ballet, alongside selected movements from Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s Concert pour quatre parties (ca. 1680/81), a captivating work originally composed for four viols of varying sizes. We will also explore simple yet poignant dance pieces from the secular cantata Le Concert (1690 or earlier) by Mademoiselle Laurent, a little-known composer with possible ties to the Court of Louis XIV.
All are welcome! SATB Recorders, A=440hz
December 1, 2025
Presented by Annette Bauer
Llibre Vermell - The Red Book of Montserrat!
We will explore music contained in the Llibre Vermell - aka the “Red Book of Montserrat”. This is a 14th century source, now bound in a red cover, associated with the shrine on the top of the mountain Montserrat near Barcelona in the Catalan-speaking part of Spain. Ten compositions survive, from monophonic songs accompanying round dances, to devotional prayers, to short rounds. The music was apparently specifically compiled to serve as music deemed appropriate to be sung by the pilgrims as can be gathered from the following paragraph, preceding the second piece:
Because sometimes pilgrims keeping vigil in the church of the Blessed Virgin of Montserrat want to sing and dance - and similarly on the square during daytime – and since it is not appropriate to sing there anything else than honourable and pious songs, above and below some have been written. They should be used neatly and frugally in order not to disturb those who persevere in prayers and pious contemplations, things all people who keep vigil should concentrate on and piously apply themselves to.
January 5, 2026
Presented by Rainer Beckmann
A Renaissance Three Kings Day Celebration: Spanish Motets and Villancicos by Victoria, Morales, and Guerrero
This seminar class explores the rich textures and vibrant rhythms of Spanish Renaissance music, as it delves into Epiphany-themed works by three of Spain’s most celebrated composers. Experience the intricate polyphony of Tomás Luis de Victoria, the luminous melodies of Francisco Guerrero, and the heartfelt expressions of Cristóbal de Morales, all adapted for recorders of multiple sizes. Celebrate the journey of the Magi and the festive spirit of the season through playing music that blends devotional depth with lively charm.
All are welcome! SATB Recorders, A=440hz
February 9 or 23, 2026
TBD
March 23, 2026
Presented by Annette Bauer
Music by Guillaume de Machaut (1300-1377)
Exploring music by the influential 14th-century French poet and composer Guillaume de Machaut (1300-1377). Guillaume de Machaut was a French composer and poet who was the central figure of the ars nova style in late medieval music. He was regarded as the most significant French composer and poet of the 14th century, and he is often seen as the century’s leading European composer. His life and death dates are even used in modern musicology to separate the ars nova from the subsequent ars subtilior style. An unprecedented amount of music survives for Machaut compared to his contemporaries, partially because he was personally involved in the creation of the beautifully crafted manuscripts that preserve his creative output. As a poet-composer, he also embodies the culmination of the tradition stretching back to the traditions of the troubadours and trouvères of earlier centuries.
April 6, 2026
Presented by Lewis Baratz
Topic TBD.
April 27, 2026
Presented by Héloise Degrugillier
Topic TBD.
May 4, 2026
Presented by Adam Gilbert
A Century of Symmetry and Song (1430-1530) Part 2.
This class will trace a tradition of composers crafting songs from symmetrical patterns, including numerical symmetries in numbers of pitches, melodic symmetries like palindromes and passages that are identical to their own retrograde inversion, contrapuntal symmetries in which a voice is consonant against its own retrograde or retrograde inversion, and even magic squares in which all four permutations of a melody can be played simultaneously to make consonant counterpoint. These devices are hidden in lovely songs and compositions by three generations of composers from Gilles Binchois to Johannes Ockeghem, Josquin Deprez, and Antoine Brumel. In Part 2 we will explore these devices in the songs of Binchois and anonymous composers, and ask ourselves whether their use of these devices can lead to our identifying the origins of the anonymous composers.
June 8, 2026
Presented by Rainer Beckmann
An Italian Journey: Madrigals, Dances, and Canzonas by Tromboncino, Ruffo, Maschera, Aleotti, and Mainerio
This seminar offers a historical exploration of Italian secular music in the 16th century, a period marked by significant musical innovation. We will contrast the lively, straightforward frottole of the early 1500s with the more expressive and refined madrigals of the century’s later decades. In addition, we will examine virtuosic instrumental works based on popular tunes (capricci) alongside pieces inspired by the polyphonic tradition of Franco-Flemish chansons (canzoni). The session will conclude with a selection of ensemble dances drawn from a range of sources, rounding out this rich musical journey.
All are welcome! SATB Recorders, A=440hz
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If you have any questions, please email me at recorderdonna@gmail.com
Sincerely,
Donna Messer, President
