On the 12th Day of Christmas: Parting is such sweet sorrow; time for hot chocolate!

A Loth to depart was the common term for a song sung, or a tune played, on taking leave of friends in Elizabethan times. The popular tune, of unknown origin, was treated to a number of settings, both vocal and instrumental, and the tune and text were referred to in a number of plays in the 17th century. In modern times, the New York-based early music group Ex Umbris sang an arrangement of Loath to depart by Grant Herreid at the end of their performances. Our friend and colleague Tom Zajac was a co-founder of Ex Umbris; about thirty musicians and two hundred congregants sang and played Loath to depart for Tom at his memorial service in New York City, November 6, 2015. We are including Loath to depart near the end of the concert as a tribute to Tom and also as a reminder that we love the Christmas concert and are loath that it's coming to a close!

c. 1600 Cambridge University MS Dd.2.11 fol 9 (lute tab).

Sing with thy mouth, sing with thy heart,
Like faithful friends, sing Loath to depart;
Though friends together may not always remain,
Yet Loath to depart sing once again.

And, I’m loath to say, we are the end of our 12 Days of Christmas factoid per day thing; it has been fun. We think you’ll enjoy the concerts even more, of course.

Please join us at An Early Christmas. www.early-music.org

Click to buy tickets to our Christmas concerts on Dec. 11, 12, & 13!

Early Music Pop-Up for a Cause, April 12!

Benefit Concert in Support of Tom Zajac

(Frequent Guest Artist with Texas Early Music Project and the Texas Toot)

When: Sunday, April 12 at 3:30pm
Where: First Presbyterian Church, 8001 Mesa Drive, Austin, TX
Tickets will be available at the door only: Suggested donation of $20, payable with cash or check (made out to Tom Zajac); we cannot accept credit cards for this concert.

Many of you know Tom Zajac (recorder, percussion, bagpipe, sackbut) from his frequent performances with Texas Early Music Project and from his teaching and performing at the Texas Toot. Help us help someone who has long been a friend of Early Music in Texas while he recovers from medical procedures: He is making good progress, but we can help the process go much more speedily and maybe even more enjoyably! 

Members of La Follia Austin Baroque, the Saint Cecilia Music Series of First Presbyterian Church, the Texas Toot, and Texas Early Music Project team up to present an invigorating concert of music for a Spring afternoon to benefit Tom. The sooner he is well, the sooner he'll be back on the concert stage in Austin. 

There will be no pop-up food trailers, but we'll be dishin' out scrumptious tunes to sate your early music appetite!

See www.early-music.org or call (512) 377-6961 for more info. 
(If you would like to donate but can't attend the concert, please write me at
artistic_director@early-music.org for mailing directions!)

-Danny

Y'all Come!