Wot No Bars 2 with Tutor David Hatcher

A second workshop for singers reading from facsimile, following on from the highly successful one 2 years ago. Beginners welcome!

We’ll be looking at Isaac’s Missa Virgo Prudentissima a6, from the beautiful BSB Mus. Ms. C. Isaac had already composed the piece by the beginning of the century as it was almost certainly one performed by the joint choirs of the Emperor Maximilian I and of his son, Philip the Fair, when they met in Innsbruck to hold funeral rites for Maximilian’s brother-in-law, Hermes Sforza of Milan, on 26th September 1503. Each choir sang in turn during two consecutive services. At the first, the Burgundian choir performed Pierre de la Rue’s requiem mass and at the second, Maximilian’s choir (probably) sang the Missa Virgo Prudentissima. The lavish copy in Mus. Ms. C was a gift from Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria to the Palsgrave of Neuberg and contains both Isaac’s mass and de la Rue’s Requiem.

The void mensural notation is extremely clear and will present all the usual (surmountable) challenges, including perfect and imperfect tempus, colouration, a selection of ligatures and, of course, text placement – all of which will be very ably explained by David! It should be a challenging but very rewarding day; the sense of achievement from managing to sing from music as it was notated over 500 years ago makes it well worth the effort.

Tutor

David Hatcher is well known to MEMF and other EMFs. He studied viola da gamba with Charles Medlam and recorder with Philip Thorby at Trinity College of Music, London and began his career based in England, touring to America, Israel, France, Germany and the Netherlands. He has broadcast for both the BBC and independent radio and television. In 1987 he moved to Japan where he was to remain for the next nine years, taking an active part in that country’s flourishing early music scene.

He now lives in Leominster and has appeared with many other period orchestras and ensembles. He has taught regularly on summer schools and is in demand as a tutor for many weekend and day courses. He has taken part in a number of large-scale projects, including Damon Albarn’s opera “Dr Dee”, “The World Encompassed” (Fretwork) and performing and recording with I Fagiolini in their hugely succesful interpretation of Striggio’s 40-voice mass. David is a member of the Linarol Consort of Viols, specialising in early 16th century consort music.

Booking is now open.