Music for viols, recorder, and computer
For centuries musicians have borrowed old tunes to create new works of their own. From the fiddler improvising on a popular song for dancers, to the church organist elaborating on a well-worn hymn tune, to classical composers building symphonic movements on a theme by an earlier composer, to the jazz musician soaring on the wings of a melody once heard on grandma’s radio – musicians transformed old songs with their own styles, skills and tastes giving them new life for new audiences. This tradition not only keeps alive tunes from long ago, but it helps us connect to those musicians who came before us (some many centuries before us!) and who are part of our shared musical history.
In modern times musicians still borrow music from previous eras in their compositions and, with the advantage of technology, have blended in found and manipulated sounds and even created new sounds – first with tape recorders and now also with digital recording and manipulation.
In today’s performance many of the compositions we will play are built on simple melodies from earlier times. Some of the melodies are so old that nobody really knows the original source of them. And for some of the earlier compositions much is left up to the performer in terms of instrumentation and even how the piece is performed, so every performance you hear of these pieces will be different. And finally, we offer our own take on some of the pieces utilizing the virtual modular synthesizer software VCV Rack.
Ellen Cooper – Tenor Viol, Recorder, VCV Rack
Anne Lazarides – Treble Viol, Bass Viol
Robbie Link – Bass Viol
Wednesday evening programs at Carol Woods are generally free and open to the public however they reserve the right to limit events to residents only if there is a marked increase in Covid or flu in the area.
January 3, 2024 7:30 pm