Music of the Medieval World

This beautiful Cantiga de Santa Maria provides an ideal framework for discussing core aspects of medieval harp playing. In this session, we will get to know the piece through both the original notation and a transcription, discuss fingerings for melodic playing, and explore different options for drone accompaniment.

[Claire Piganiol]

This session will examine evidence for harps accompanying dancing in the fifteenth century. We’ll learn 'This enderis night' from the Gresley dance manuscript, and explore ways to develop the dance into a performance. Participants will also become familiar with damping techniques and learn how to apply them. 

[Leah Stuttard]

The session will begin by recapping 'This enderis night' before moving on to ‘Rostibolli’, a beautiful Italian dance that changes metre and dance style in a very exciting way. We will also consider ways in which its simple melody can be accompanied, drawing on written-out examples from the fifteenth century.

[Leah Stuttard]

The 13th-century piece 'Mellis Stilla' is found in both French and English sources, in slightly different versions. It can be a great source of inspiration for harpists for several reasons. On the one hand, the vocal melody, with its short ornamental gestures, lends itself particularly well to instrumental playing. On the other hand, its simple, octave-based two-voice structure can serve as inspiration for approaching other pieces.
In this session, we will learn the English version of 'Mellis Stilla', continue our work on fingering and explore ornamental playing. We will also look at the relationship between the two voices, with the aim of expanding our toolbox of accompaniment techniques.

[Claire Piganiol]

This session will recap ‘Rostibolli’ and the fifteenth-century examples of polyphonic dances before moving on to ‘Prenés a gard’ from the Gresley dance manuscript. We will then explore how to create a performance from this very simple and repetitive (but nice and jolly) dance.

[Leah Stuttard]

This virelai by Guillaume de Machaut is a wonderful example of the work of one of the major musicians of the 14th century. This beautiful monophonic piece will allow us to discuss phrasing and interpretation while building on the work done in previous sessions.
In this session, we will get to know the piece through both the original notation and a transcription, and further develop our approach to accompanying monophonic music.

[Claire Piganiol]