Summertime, and the livin' is . . .

. . . busy!!!

And way too early we've come to the end of our 2015-2016 season: the Eurotour was a whole lot of work and a whole lot of fun. The music of Iberia, England, the Lowlands, France, and Christmas produced a lot of memorable musical moments. We hope you enjoyed it and are eager to join us for the next season and music from Germany, the Middle East, Italy, and ... Christmas! Season subscriptions are already on sale and there's at least 6 reasons to join us as a subscriber! Get your season subscriptions now! Single tickets are also available online!

Meanwhile, we will be busy with the Texas Toot workshop at Concordia University (June 12-18, with faculty concerts June 14 & June 17), TEMP's tour to San Angelo and environs to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Mount Carmel Hermitage (we're performing a shorter version of last October's Medieval Pilgrimage concert), and the annual trek to New England for the Amherst Early Music Workshop for almost all of July. 

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Speaking of the Medieval Pilgrimage concert, it was nominated as one of the top 5 chamber concerts for the season by the Austin Critics' Table. Also, TEMP was nominated as one of the top ensembles, and we're in good company with La Follia Austin Baroque, ensemble viii, Conspirare, and Line Upon Line Percussion Ensemble! The awards are in a couple of weeks, so we'll keep you informed!

We hope to see you in September (Labor Day weekend) at our Pathways to Bach concert. Below are some audio teasers of what you can expect to hear. These pieces and more are on our Pathways to Bach CD.

Have a good summer and say hi if we run into each other at the air-conditioned movies, the air-conditioned grocery store, or the air-conditioned air conditioner store! 

-Danny

For more information, call 512-377-6961 and leave a message, or email info@early-music.org.

I would trade my beret for a café au lait

Or is it the other way around?

Ok, Dutch Treat was so much fun! Scary, but fun. All those cognates and words that look like they should be pronounced German style but they definitely shouldn't! Now it's on to Paris. There really is a story about the night train from Amsterdam to Paris—and maybe it'll appear on these pages before the concert...or maybe not! 

Anyway, what with our school concert at the TSVBI and taxes and preparations for next year and the Tallis Scholars [I'm sure you're all going to that!] and grant applications, it's a busy, busy week: So back to work for me!

More soon! 
-Danny

Paris City Limits: Chansons, Dances, and The Birds

Saturday, May 7, 2016 at 8PM
University Presbyterian Church, 2203 San Antonio Street

Sunday, May 8, 2016 at 3PM
First Presbyterian Church, 8001 Mesa Drive

Admission $30 general; $25 seniors (60+); $5 students (at the door only)
Tickets available in advance online or by cash, check, or credit card at the door.

For more information, call 512-377-6961 and leave a message,
or email info@early-music.org.

What better place to finish our 2015-2016 Eurotour than in Paris? Renowned for its popular music of France from the 16th and 17th centuries, Paris City Limits regales audiences with exciting dances, popular folksongs, dazzling chansons, and heartfelt songs of love and melancholy by the masters and by some relative unknowns!

Click on the birds!

There will be intimate chansons which deal with scenes of daily life: lovesickness, marital arguments, romantic friskiness, and more, and TEMP’s 19-voice chorus will perform large scale motets by masters such as Jean Mouton (Nesciens mater, for 8 parts) and Janequin’s spectacular musical chanson about the birds (Le chant des oyseaux) as well.

Lively dances by Attaignant and others feature our special guest artists Mary Springfels (viola da gamba), Peter Maund (percussion), and exhilarating Breton folk music rounds out the concert (yes, Cayla Cardiff will sing that song) as TEMP explores both the rustic and the sophisticated sides of Parisian and country life in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Our featured singers include countertenor Ryland Angel (New York), mezzo Erin Calata (Seattle), TEMP regulars Jenifer Thyssen, Meredith Ruduski, Cayla Cardiff, Stephanie Prewitt, Jeffrey Jones-Ragona, Thann Scoggin, Gil Zilkha, and more. The instrumental ensemble features our guest artists, as well as harpist Therese Honey, violinist Bruce Colson, our viol consort (Jane Leggiero, Stephanie Raby, John Walters), recorders (Susan Richter & Victor Eijkhout), and lutenist Scott Horton.

Venez, y’all!

For more information, call 512-377-6961 and leave a message, or email info@early-music.org.

Some call it Krokusvakantie

Happy Spring Break!

Once upon a time, a wise woman said to me, "Hey, Bub! Update your blog." She said that in the update, I should thank all the donors to our Amplify Austin campaign. (Did you know there were almost 70 donors who contributed between $10 and $500, totaling almost $6500, to TEMP? Incredible! Spectacular! Ongelooflijk!)

The wise woman (wijze vrouw) also mentioned that since our Dutch Treat concert is just around the corner, right after Easter, we should be practicing our Dutch/Flemish at every opportunity (kans), to which I said, "dat is de bedoeling" (that's the intention). 

Yep, a wise woman told me to do all that. So I did!

See you there! (Tot ziens!)
-Danny

Dutch Treat: The Golden age in the netherlands

Saturday, April 2, 2016 at 8PM
First English Lutheran Church, 3001 Whitis Avenue

Sunday, April 3, 2016 at 3PM
First Presbyterian Church, 8001 Mesa Drive

Admission $30 general; $25 seniors (60+); $5 students (at the door only)
Tickets available in advance online or by cash, check, or credit card at the door.

For more information, call 512-377-6961 and leave a message,
or email info@early-music.org.

The TEMP Eurotour continues in the Lowlands—what is now the Netherlands, Belgium, and northern France—which developed many of the foremost composers, musicians, and artists of the Renaissance and early Baroque.

The Lowlands were a scene of so many delicious things: Belgian waffles, for one, which are the summation of all things crispy, golden and delicious. But the Lowlands gave us much more than those golden delights of cuisine: They also made music that both guided and rivaled the rest of Europe in its artistry and appeal! With guests Mary Springfels (viola da gamba) and others.

From Amsterdam to Flanders and beyond, we’ll sample some of the best music from the courts and cathedrals, as well as street songs and dances that will have you tapping your toes!
Quietly. Inside your clogs. 

For more information, call 512-377-6961 and leave a message, or email info@early-music.org.

Has it already been a year? Amplify is already here!

Don't worry, though! Everyone can participate in Amplify Austin without much trouble at all! Tuesday, March 8, to Wednesday, March 9: 24 hrs, 6PM to 6PM—and the preferred time for giving to TEMP is 9:00–10:00AM Wednesday morning. Beat the rush! And, seriously, thank you for your support. We know there are many wonderful performing groups in Austin—thanks for including Texas Early Music Project in your list of groups to support! See below for instructions on how to help us get an early start on funding our next season.

Meanwhile, we are working on the upcoming concert of music by Dutch/Flemish/Franco-Flemish/Lowlands composers! So much fun! Dutch Treat: April 2 & 3. Het is zo leuk! Zulke mooie muziek!

More soon!
Danny

AMPLIFY TEMP!

Our challenge this year is twofold:

1. Funding: our goal is to raise $10,000 for the upcoming season. We have a LOT of new and exciting programs in store as well as the familiar ones you know and love, and we need your help to make this possible. Go to our Amplify page here to read more about it.

2. Social: We at TEMP have a personal goal this year: we want to reach at least 2,000 newcomers who have never heard of Texas Early Music Project. 
Here’s how you can help:

You can donate $25 (or more!) on TEMP’s page on Amplify Austin. Any Amount Helps! Here are some suggestions:

• $25-$199 can help cover program and ticket processing costs

• $200-$499 can help with travel expenses for visiting artists

• $500-$799 can provide a concert stipend for one of TEMP’s premier musicians

• $800-$1,999 can help us continue our educational outreach programs

• $2,000+ can help underwrite our 2016-2017 TEMP concert season and CD!

SCHEDULE YOUR PLEDGE NOW!

You don't have to wait until March 8 to participate! You can schedule your pledge now, and it will post on March 8! Just click on the "Donate now" button on the TEMP campaign page. Be sure to check the "Schedule for Amplify Austin Day" box on the donation form.  THIS IS SUPER IMPORTANT!  If you don't indicate this, the donation will process immediately and will not count towards Amplify Austin Day!

BONUS TIME:  9:00 AM ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, IS OUR PRIME TIME HOUR TO RAISE THE MOST MONEY OUT OF ALL THE NONPROFITS PARTICIPATING IN THIS CAMPAIGN! IF WE SUCCEED, WE GET OUR DOLLAR AMOUNT DURING THAT HOUR MATCHED BY AMPLIFY AUSTIN!

CREATE YOUR OWN CAMPAIGN PAGE!

You can also become an individual fundraiser for TEMP by creating your own campaign page on the Amplify Austin website and inviting family, friends, and colleagues to donate to your TEMP campaign. Go to the TEMP campaign page and click on "Create a Fundraising Campaign." 

BE A MEDICI - BUT NICER! AMPLIFY TEMP AND AMPLIFY AUSTIN!

Visit TEMP’s Amplify Austin page by clicking on the  button below and schedule your gift by checking the box for "Schedule for Amplify Austin Day."

We thank you for your generous support!

And then after the opera, TEMP Goes to the Blanton!

When: Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016, at 5:30pm
Where: Blanton Museum of Art, UT Austin
             200 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.,
             Austin, Texas 78701
Admission: FREE!

Paid parking is available in the Brazos Garage on Brazos Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Parking is $4, bring your ticket with you to the museum.

The Blanton Museum of Art's Beat the Rush is a series of gallery concerts in which musicians perform in response to the paintings, drawings, and sculptures on display. This month, Texas Early Music Project presents a program of music from and about 12th- and 13th-century Europe, in conjunction with the Blanton's exhibition The Crusader Bible. An ensemble of vocalists and musicians performing on instruments from the time period (vielle, rebec, harp, gittern, psaltery, and percussion) will perform troubadour works from southern France and trouvère songs from northern France (including one written by Richard the Lionheart after he was kidnapped while returning home from the Third Crusade) as well as music from northern Iberia, Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, and the original Carmina Burana manuscript.

Codex Buranus ("Songs of Benediktbeuern"), f94.

Enjoy these audio teasers from our newest CD, Unrequited Love: Troubadours of France & Spain:

For more information, visit the Blanton Third Thursday page and the Crusader Bible page.

Y'all come!
-Danny

On the 50th Day of Christmas my true love gave me ...

An opera for St. Valentine's weekend!

Image: A promotional graphic for Dido & Aeneas, courtesy of SDSU Opera.

And it's not just any opera; it's created (by Purcell, et al.) for 17th-century England and then re-purposed for you! You'll understand when you see it. Meredith (Ruduski) is the producer (and one of the six singers) and we have been planning a lovely and loving tribute to Purcell's music in a very non-intimidating manner. 

We hope you had a sweet, lively, restful, meaningful, I-just-want-some-time-off, tasty, football-filled (or not), Force-filled (or not) musical, let's-get-on-with-the new-year-already, enchanting Holiday season, no matter what you call it!

Thank you for your support with those end-of-year donations! You keep us going, you know!

Here is more news about the February opera!

-Danny

London City Limits: Opera on the Thames

Saturday, February 13, 2016 at 8PM
&
Sunday, February 14, 2016 at 3PM
Both at First Presbyterian Church, 8001 Mesa Drive

Admission $30 general; $25 seniors (60+); $5 students (at the door only)
Tickets available in advance online or by cash, check, or credit card at the door.

For more information, call 512-377-6961 and leave a message,
or email info@early-music.org.

The next stop on our Eurotour includes the stages and opera houses of 17th-century London as we pay homage to Henry Purcell, one of the most important composers in the history of music, with a comedic-yet-tragic, dramatic-yet-hilarious pastiche of beautiful Purcellian operas as well as some extraordinary gems from his predecessors Robert Johnson and Nicholas Lanier, who were pivotal composers in the earlier 17th century. Our tale, which will surely touch both your heart and your funny-bone, will be performed by a small period orchestra and six of TEMP's acclaimed soloists.

The best opera tells a story that is, if not totally (or even the slightest bit) believable, at least is one that we can connect with—either through the characters or the music. With this in mind, we weave a plot around music from Purcell’s operas The Fairy Queen, King Arthur, Dido & Aeneas, The Tempest, and some of his songs and dialogues. Our lively, witty, and loving pastiche of beautiful music contains some of the most popular and should-be-popular works from the world of early Baroque opera.

Some of the leading lights of early music, rising stars from New York Peter Walker (baritone) and renowned countertenor Ryland Angel, join TEMP core members Jenifer Thyssen & Meredith Ruduski (sopranos), tenor Jeffrey Jones-Ragona, and baritone Brett Barnes for this unique production. Violinists Stephanie Raby, Bruce Colson, violist Bruce Williams, Jane Leggiero (cello), Scott Horton (theorbo), and Austin Baroque Orchestra director Billy Traylor (harpsichord) comprise the period orchestra.

As an early Valentine present, treat yourself and your sweetie(s) to the beauty, brilliance, and passion of some of the most accessible opera excerpts in an intimate setting. We’ll tell a story that will warm your heart, make you laugh, and put your toes to tapping. The passion! The jealousy! The love! Will there be a happy ending? We aren’t sure, but there will be no recitatives and there will be super-titles!

For more information, call 512-377-6961 and leave a message, or email info@early-music.org.

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!

On the 11th Day of Early Christmas: A Favorite Through the Centuries

And here we are: It’s time to talk about the Lady Greensleeves, beloved cousin to the beloved Mr. Green Jeans, from “Captain Kangaroo.” They made popular the immortal hit, It’s not easy being green. Raise your hands if you believe this.

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The earliest source of the song we know as Greensleeves was a broadside ballad by Richard Jones in 1580; several more versions appeared shortly, with variants of title and text. There are references to the song in Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor and, by the end of the 17th century, the song had developed many variants in melody, harmony, and meter in versions by William Cobbold, John Playford, and others. Of course, the popular version for Christmas is What Child is This with lyrics by William Dix written around 1865. Our version is based around the mid-17th century version, The old yeare now away is fled and variations by Playford and Cobbold. Here is a excerpt of the song from our CD Stella splenends: An Early Music Christmas:

There are modern versions/variations by performers as varied as Jacques Brel, Leonard Cohen, Elvis Presley, Alvin and the Chipmunks, and…well, lots more.

An Early Christmas in 2 days. In Austin.
Alas, my love: Be there!

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