Revelry & Refinement: Medieval Band Camp
–
About Revelry & Refinement: Medieval Band Camp
Join Emily and Arngeir, from period instrument ensemble Amyas, for a fun and inclusive introduction to playing and singing medieval repertoire for all instrumentalists and singers.
What is the course about?
Explore the wealth and variety of musical timbres and textures found in music of the 12th-15th centuries.
This course is an introduction to the fascinating world of medieval music. You'll learn songs and dances from the 12th to the 15th centuries, in the styles of the countries they originated in. You'll also have the opportunity to see, hear and try a variety of the exciting period instruments including shawms, bagpipes, recorders, hurdy-gurdy, lutes, gitterns and percussion. Some sessions will focus on making musical arrangements, improvisation and ornamentation, and there will be have-a-go sessions available on period instruments for modern players/singers.
This course will be taught at A=440Hz
What will you learn?
In a gentle mixture of large group and one-to-a-part sessions, you’ll learn songs and dances from the 12th to the 15th century, in their national styles and traditions. You'll learn songs and dances from different European countries, learning the different styles and possible instrumentation, since medieval music was not 'scored' for particular instruments. You'll also look at arranging the music to work for our ensemble by embellishing the melody, working out what accompaniment to use and improvising appropriately.
By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:
- Sing or play a few songs/dances from medieval Europe and know where to find the music
- Use different arrangement techniques in order to 'make the music your own'
- Know what instruments are appropriate for the music of different countries
Start developing your ideas for ornamentation and improvisation
How will the course be taught?
Playing will be at pitch A=440Hz .You’ll learn together in large and small groups, with plenty of one-to-one feedback from your tutors.
Who is the course for?
The course is for instrumentalists and singers at all ability levels - Learner, Improver, Confident and Skilful, as outlined in the Benslow Guide to Ability Levels.
You will need to be able to sight-read to a basic level and be willing to try some improvisation.
Will music be provided and do you need to prepare or bring anything?
No preparation required, although the music will be available in advance. Hard copies of the music will be available on the course. Please bring your instrument(s) or voice, a notebook and pencil.
What we need from you
Let us know if you have any additional instruments you'd be comfortable playing on the course. You might be asked to bring them along!
The tutors on this course were absolutely excellent. They circulated a good amount of material beforehand so we had a chance to look at it, and also produced additional material during the course. They were very friendly, interesting and knowledgeable and pitched the level of expertise just right for the group, so it felt very relaxed.
