Early Music America Spring 2013 - (Page 2)

Editor’snote W When I ﬁrst read Grant Herreid’s text for “‘Skillful Singing’ and the Prelude in Renaissance Italy” (page 25) my thoughts turned to an example from a totally different time and place: Wagner’s Die Meistersinger, the reimagining by a 19th-century genius of an art form that preceded him by 300 years. Herreid’s poetic prelude from Tasso praising the “skilled singer” preparing “his hearers’ souls for the harmony with sweet passages” exactly describes how Beckmesser introduces his second act song (except for the skillful part!) with a lute solo that outlines its melodic and harmonic contours. Then, at the end of the opera, when young Walther von Stolzing begins the overwhelmingly beautiful song that will win the prize (his beloved Eva), the orchestra takes over the role of lute and sets the mood for him with two long chords of foreshadowing sweetness. If at this point your heart is not pounding with anticipation, I would worry. Wagner is making Herreid’s point. In Die Meistersinger, Wagner serves the interest of youth. The centerpiece opera of this summer’s Boston Early Music Festival does the same. Gary Freeman’s “Almira: Handel’s Fountain of Youth?” (page 30) tells how the 19-year-old composer won fame and fortune with a score that served as a resource for many later works. And Freeman gives us an overview of how the rest of BEMF’s programming carries out the theme of “Youth, Genius, and Folly.” The characters in Die Meistersinger are musical amateurs—shoemakers, bakers, and the like—who aspire to creative honor in a festival-contest at the time of Johannestag, Midsummer’s Day (June 24). This summer around that same time, early music amateurs will be participating in workshops (“2013 Guide: Workshops and Festivals,” page 40), studying with masters in an effort to attain their own creative honor. It is wonderful to think that they are continuing a time-honored tradition. Two other articles recount experiences at summer workshops. In “What I Did at Summer Camp” (page 57), Lisa Terry presents three reports about success in introducing the viola da gamba to young people, and in “Teaching Recitative in Mexico” (page 72), August Denhard tells of working with young Mexican singers in 17thcentury vocal technique. Finally, Anne Shuster Hunter’s “Tempesta di Mare: Making a Splash with Fasch” (page 36) narrates how Philadelphia’s Baroque orchestra has been winning fame and fortune with the music of Johann Friedrich Fasch. Co-director Richard Stone speaks of his enthusiasm for Fasch: “He’s inventing his own musical language.… He really goes in his own direction.” Sounds a lot like Walther von Stolzing. * * * With this edition of EMAg, we say good-bye to Sally Mitchell, EMA’s long-time membership director. Sally was not listed on the EMAg masthead, but behind the scenes she had as much to do with the success of the magazine as anyone. With her active involvement in the early music world, Sally has been the vital link in watching out for the membership in our pages: guiding us with ideas for articles, fact-checking and proofreading, and developing new circulation initiatives. We will miss her greatly. Editor Benjamin Dunham editor@earlymusic.org Publisher Ann Felter ann@earlymusic.org Editorial Advisory Board Maria Coldwell Jeffery T. Kite-Powell David Klausner Steven Lubin Anthony P. Martin Advertising Manager Patrick Nugent ads@earlymusic.org Recording Reviews Editor Tom Moore recordings@earlymusic.org Book Reviews Editor Mark Kroll books@earlymusic.org Editorial Associate Mark Longaker emag@earlymusic.org Editorial Assistant Andrew Levy Early Music America (ISSN #1083-3633) is published quarterly by Early Music America, Inc., 2366 Eastlake Ave. East, #429, Seattle, WA 98102-3399. Subscription price (4 issues) Individual, U.S. and Canada $30; Institutional $80-$135; overseas add $10 for shipping and handling. Periodicals postage paid at Seattle, WA, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Early Music America, Inc., 2366 Eastlake Ave. East, #429, Seattle, WA 98102-3399. Copyright © 2013 by Early Music America, Inc., and its contributors. All rights reserved. Reproduction or translation of any work herein without the express permission of Early Music America or other copyright owner is unlawful. EMA Office About the time this issue will reach members and subscribers, on March 1, the ofﬁces of Early Music America will be moving from Seattle to Pittsburgh: 801 Vinial Street, Suite 300, Pittsburgh, PA 15212. Make sure to change your mailing records. 2 Spring 2013 Early Music America 2366 Eastlake Ave. East, #429 Seattle, WA 98102 206/720-6270 Fax: 206/720-6290 Toll-free: 888/SACKBUT E-mail: info@earlymusic.org www.earlymusic.org http://www.earlymusic.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Early Music America Spring 2013

Editor's Note
Reader Forum
Sound Bytes
Profile: Peter Nothnagle Early Music Engineer
Musings: Best of the Year
Recording Reviews
"Skillful Singing" and the Prelude in Renaissance Italy
Almira: Handel's Fountain of Youth?
Tempesta di Mare: Making a Splash with Fasch
2013 Guide: Workshops & Festivals
What I Did at Summer Camp
Book Reviews
Ad Index
In Conclusion: Teaching Recitative in Mexico

Early Music America Spring 2013