Discover the fascinating life and work of the 9th-century composer and abbess Kassia of Constantinople, the earliest composer with extant music.
Too Clever to be Empress: Kassia of Constantinople & the Bizantine Chant
Sounds of the Ottoman Empire: Music & the Sublime Porte
Discover the fascinating musical heritage of the Ottoman Empire, including their exotic instruments and their different musical forms. Listen to examples of the music performed at one of the most sophisticated court palaces during the Renaissance and the Baroque: the Sublime Porte, the seat of Ottoman political life in Istanbul.
A Monk’s Life
Explore the daily life of a monk and the different musical forms that dominated medieval sacred music. Learn about the four dialects of plainchant, and listen to some of the most beautiful music of the medieval era.
The Songs of Poulenc & Britten
Explore the songs for voice and piano of Francis Poulenc and Benjamin Britten, two of the most influential composers of the 20th century.
The Songs of Verdi & Wagner
Explore the other side of these two giant figures of Romantic Italian and German opera: their songs for voice & piano. Both Verdi and Wagner composed a number of pieces to be performed in the most intimate atmosphere of the musical salon, and both showed their musical genius in the creation of these chamber music gems.
The Operas of Verdi & Wagner
2013 marks the joint bicentenary of two of the most influential opera composers of the 19th century. Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner came to epitomise Italian and German Romantic opera, respectively. In this course we compare and contrast the very different oeuvres of this two giants of the opera world.
A Selected Discography:
Dame Gwyneth Jones sings Wagner
Coloratura Spectacular: Joan Sutherland, Sumi Jo & Marilyn Horne
Jerry Hadley & Thomas Hampson: Operatic Duets
Wagner: An Introduction to Der Ring des Nibelungen
Twilight Of The Gods – The Ultimate Wagner Ring Collection
The Best Opera Album In The World… Ever!
Luciano Pavarotti: King of the High C’s
Joan Sutherland: The Art of the Prima Donna
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde (Highlights)
A Selected Bibliography:
The Faber Pocket Guide to Wagner
The Lives Of The Great Composers: Third Edition
The Golden Century of Italian Opera from Rossini to Puccini
Opera and Its Symbols: The Unity of Words, Music, and Staging
Wagner’s “Ring”: An Introduction to The Ring of the Nibelung
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Opera
Church Music in Reformation England
The turbulent decades following Henry VIII’s rupture with Rome, and the subsequent changes under Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I, prompted dramatic changes in the musical landscape of the 16th century. Through listening to excerpts from the sacred music of Taverner, Tallis and Byrd, among others, discover how Tudor composers adapted their works and literally ‘changed their tunes’ to suit the rapidly moving political and religious climate.
A Selected Discography
The Lily and the Lamb/Anonymous 4
Taverner: Missa Mater Christi Sanctissima/The Sixteen
Tallis: Spem in Alium /The Tallis Scholars · Phillips
Byrd: Mass for Five Voices/Christ Church Cathedral Choir
Renaissance – Music For Inner Peace/The Sixteen
Music of the Sistine Chapel: Allegri, Palestrina, Morales, Desprez
The Operas of Benjamin Britten
2013 commemorates the centenary of Benjamin Britten’s birth. After the success of Peter Grimes in 1945, Britten became the most influential opera composer in post-war England. Discover the great stage works of this Suffolk-born composer by focusing on some of the best operatic works in the English language.
A Selected Bibliography:
The Operas of Benjamin Britten. Edited by David Herbert
The Faber Pocket Guide to Britten; by John Bridcut
A Selected Discography:
Britten: Peter Grimes
Britten: Albert Herring (Bedford, Northern Sinfonia, Gillett, Palmer)
The Songs of Liszt & Mahler
In this day-course we focus on the art songs of both composers: from the cosmopolitan outlook of Liszt’s German, French & Italian songs, to Mahler’s song cycles and his re-working of German folk melodies.
The Baroque Recorder and its repertoire
In this course we explore the versatility and beauty of the Baroque Recorder, from early 17th-century consort pieces, to the sonatas and concerti written by the great Baroque composers: J S Bach, Handel & Vivaldi. We also discover the extended modern repertoire written for the instrument.
A Selected Discography
17th-Century Italian Recorder Music – La Fontegara Amsterdam
Venezia 1625 – Maurice Steger and Ensemble
Armonia di Flauti – Flanders Recorder Quartet
Recorder and Lute – Clas Pehrsson & Jakob Lindberg
Baroque Recorder Music – Amsterdam Loeki Stardust Quartet
Telemann: Recorder Duets, Vol.1. Clas Pehrsson & Dan Laurin
The Songs of Debussy
Debussy was not only one of the most influential composers of French mélodie, but he also heralded the advent of modernity in Western music. 2012 marked the 150th anniversary of Debussy’s birth. In this day-course we explore his influence in the music of the turn of the 20th century by focusing on his art songs.
A Selected Bibliography:
‘A French Song Companion’ by Graham Johnson & Richard Stokes
‘The Interpretation of French Song’ by Pierre Bernac
‘A History of Song’ edited by Denis Stevens
‘The Lives Of The Great Composers’ by Harold Schonberg
A Selected Discography:
Véronique Gens ~ Nuits d’étoiles (Mélodie françaises)
Gerard Sousay, baritone. Lieder and Melodies
ABRSM Songbooks & Vocal Scores
The Art of Song Grade 6 Medium Voice
The Art of Song Grade 6 High Voice
The Art of Song Grade 7 High Voice
The Art of Song Grade 7 Medium Voice
The Art of Song Grade 8 High Voice
