Living History and Music Educational Outreach Programs
Two, one-hour educational programs are available in Renaissance and Early Baroque History and/or Music. These are offered either in conjunction with concert performances, or separately for hire. In addition, a week-long Baroque opera residency program is also available.
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The World Untun'd with soprano Carrie Henneman Shaw |
| The World Untun'd is a journey into the "straunge countrie" that was the world of Elizabethan and Jacobean England at the turn of the 17th-Century. Designed for history, art history, general music and classes on world cultures, the workshop focuses on the life experiences of the famous English lutenist and composer John Dowland. One of England's finest late Renaissance composers and lutenists, John Dowland led a diverse, interesting, and unusually self-revealing life for a Renaissance figure. Widely traveled and possessing a strong personality, Dowland was extremely forthright in expressing his personal opinions and observations in the prefaces of his popular publications of ayres for the lute, as well as in his private correspondence. Dowland's insecurities, perceived poor luck, and notable lack of Elizabethan tact help to put a very human face on life during the tumultuous dawn of the Baroque age in "merry" old England! Email info@philliprukavina.com or call 651-699-1808 for more information. | |
| Back to top | Topics discussed include: The World Untun'd: Madness and melancholy in "Merry Old England." Introduction to John Dowland (1563-1626), Lutenist to James I of England. Apprenticeship: The training up of the "musician class." The patronage system: Making a living as an artist in the world of the aristocracy. Entertainments: Street music, manor music, and music in the theatre. Musical instruments in a changing world: The new Italian Baroque style in England. Dowland's 'Grand Tour' and the politics of fame. Displacement: Charles I and the 'New French' style. |
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The plays of William Shakespeare are filled with music. He used dozens of songs and called for incidental music time and again to help usher his characters (and his audiences) through the complex emotional landscapes of his plays. Clearly, Shakespeare heard the music of his own culture as an important "second language" in his dramas, which he used to invigorate and deepen the effect of his art. Yet, unfortunately, there is not a single note of written music, for the songs or other music included in the historical sources of his plays. Over the years, the identification of Shakespeare's original music by scholars such as F.W. Sternfeld, Edward Naylor and, more recently, by musicologist Ross Duffin, have been highly dependent upon contemporary manuscripts of lute music. In fact, music in tablatures for the lute have been the primary resource in the recovery of the original music used in Shakespeare's plays. In The Search for Shakespeare's Music, students take a journey into the fascinating musical world of William Shakespeare. We'll listen to some of the music Shakespeare used and refers to in his plays and discover how his choices of may have been consciously intended to impart meaning to his audiences, not unlike today's film scores. We'll explore the musical influences that shaped Shakespeare's world, including identifying patrons and likely musical colleagues and acquaintances. We'll explore the various genres of music he used in his plays and look at some of the actual sources that contain the music a Renaissance audience would have heard attending a performance at Shakespeare's Blackfriars and Globe Theatres. Email info@philliprukavina.com or call 651-699-1808 for more information. |
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| Back to top | Topics discussed include: Music and music making in the Elizabethan theatre. Was Shakespeare a musician? Shakespeare's patrons and musicians in their employ. New (and old) musical instruments in a rapidly changing world. Music making at court and in aristocratic homes. "Shakespeare's Songbook": Examining the sources of Shakespeare's music. Hidden musical references and shared understandings The dawn of the Baroque Age and changing musical style |
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Henry Purcell's "Dido and Æneas" |
| Designed for classes in music performance and theatre, this week long residency invites students to experience professional music making in England, circa 1690. The culmination of the week long experience is the students' performance of Henry Purcell's famous hour long chamber opera Dido and Æneas.Lutenist Phillip Rukavina and soprano Carrie Henneman Shaw direct your students in a historically-informed, semi-staging of this beautiful and touching early English opera. In the process, the students learn the elements of English Baroque style, including the use of Baroque ornamentation, musical improvisation, realization of 17th century basso continuo, 17th century singing style, acting and gesture in early English opera, and much more.Email info@philliprukavina.com or call 651-699-1808 for more information. | |
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