182: Giovanna Barbati (Partimento and Improvisation on the Cello)
Nikhil Hogan Show
Today I speak to cellist and viola da gamba player Giovanna Barbati, whose repertoire extends from early to contemporary music and who has a special interest in improvisation. She appears frequently as a soloist, she plays her own music and has given the first performance of a number of works for solo cello. She has recently recorded the complete works for cello by Francesco Supriani (Da Vinci CD) with the ensemble Les amies Partimentistes. We discuss improvisation upon a ground, Francesco Supriani's diminution technique works, partimento and the cello, music theory/composition, and more!
info_outline
144: Sietze de Vries (Classical Improviser, Organist)
Nikhil Hogan Show
Professor Sietze de Vries, famed for his mastery in classical improvisation, joins the show to talk about his education, training, approach to music, music education, and demonstrates classical improvisation in multiple styles, and time periods.
info_outline
158: Nicholas Baragwanath (Hexachordal Italian Solfeggio)
Nikhil Hogan Show
Professor Nicholas Baragwanath, author of the groundbreaking "Solfeggio Tradition" (published by Oxford University Press), returns to the show to talk about Hexachordal Italian Solfeggio. This was the method of solfege instruction that was employed at the famed 18th-century Neapolitan Conservatories, using 6-note overlapping hexachords, instead of the usual 7-note systems we use today. Professor Baragwanath answers popular questions and demonstrates solfeggio in numerous settings, from beginner lessons to more advanced examples.
info_outline
157: Ewald Demeyere (Fedele Fenaroli's Partimenti and Pedagogy)
Nikhil Hogan Show
Professor Ewald Demeyere returns on the show to discuss his critical edition of Fenaroli's partimenti collection and discusses Fenaroli's approach to pedagogy and partimento realization.
info_outline
154: Partimento Panel (Gjerdingen, Sanguinetti, van Tour, Cafiero)
Nikhil Hogan Show
In this episode, I am joined by eminent professors Robert O. Gjerdingen, Giorgio Sanguinetti, Peter van Tour, and Rosa Cafiero, in a special panel session about the subject of partimento. We discuss the history of its modern research, the definition of partimento, why partimento died out, the problem with modern harmony instruction in conservatories today, the practical applicability of partimento in modern times, the future of partimento, and more.
info_outline
174: Niels Berentsen (1300-1500 Polyphony | Improvising Vocal Counterpoint)
Nikhil Hogan Show
I talk to Professor Niels Berentsen about the beginnings of improvised counterpoint, the reconstruction of incomplete music by Johannes Ciconia, computational analysis of counterpoint, teaching 15th/16th century canon, improvisation in the classroom at the Haute école de musique, the long history of improvisation models, and more. Niels has taught the theory and performance of medieval and Renaissance music at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague since 2011. He received his PhD from Leiden University in 2016. Since 2018 he is professor of improvised counterpoint at the Haute École...
info_outline
167: Solfeggio Panel (Baragwanath, Gjerdingen, IJzerman, van Tour)
Nikhil Hogan Show
Today we have a special episode dedicated to Solfeggio, featuring Professors Nicholas Baragwanath, Job IJzerman, Robert O. Gjerdingen, and Peter van Tour. The famed students of the 18th-century Neapolitan conservatories undertook an extensive 3-year course of hexachordal solmisation using guidonian syllables before they were allowed to touch an instrument. This excellent training preceded partimento and written counterpoint studies. We discuss all aspects of this pedagogy, whether it is worth learning today, its benefits, and answer numerous audience questions.
info_outline
177: Robert O. Gjerdingen (Music Schema Theory)
Nikhil Hogan Show
I'm delighted to share this interview recorded yesterday with the great Professor Robert O. Gjerdingen, focusing greatly on Music Schema Theory as revealed in his groundbreaking 2007 monograph "Music in the Galant Style". In addition, we discuss Roman Numeral Analysis, Harmonic Function Theory, Hugo Riemann, Tonality, Dahlhaus, and Schenker, and he answers numerous audience questions, enjoy!
info_outline
156: Peter Schubert (Palestrina, Fux, Counterpoint)
Nikhil Hogan Show
Intro Start St. Pius X's Motu Proprio "Tra Le Sollecitudini" How did the Council of Trent affect Gregorian chant? What do you think of Organum and composers like Léonin and Pérotin? Johann Joseph Fux Knud Jeppesen Did Palestrina improvise or play the organ? Bach played on the accordion The Lute Exultate iusti by Viadana, sung by the Sistine Chapel in 1925 Historically Informed Performance Practice Has improvised counterpoint pedagogy become more prevalent in today's university music curriculums? Professor Schubert's YouTube Channel/s 19th century counterpoint Nadia Boulanger ...
info_outline
141: Job IJzerman (Harmony, Counterpoint, Partimento)
Nikhil Hogan Show
Intro Start Refinements in approach to teaching with "Harmony, Counterpoint, Partimento" since last interview Understanding the patterns in the book as "pure sounds" Domenico Scarlatti: Sonata K. 82 Thinking of cadences as schema and things that are polyphonic rather than modern terminology like PAC or IAC Joseph Haydn: "Surprise" Symphony No. 94 Thinking of 3-part harmony as complete instead of 4-part harmony missing a voice? Antonio Vivaldi: La Primavera Where do you typically take your musical examples from in the book? Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 43 ("Mercury"), 4th mvt How does...
info_outline0:00 Start
1:34 How has the book, "The Solfeggio Tradition", been received? 6:43 Italian solfeggio explained in 4 minutes
11:41 Should children delay singing solfeggio until their voice has broken?
14:15 Did 18th-century plainsong sound more like galant music rather than medieval music?
16:10 What about Palestrina?
19:35 An example of a lesson in Italian solfeggio
22:33 How do you learn to accompany a melody line by sight with the correct harmony?
28:00 How do you follow the rules of counterpoint when switching between hexachords?
32:33 How do you know when there is a change of syllable vs a continuation of a melisma?
34:57 Does the appoggiatura take the target note's syllable or have its own?
36:20 Up 4th Down 5th Bass Motion in Italian Solfeggio
37:19 Mozart improvisation solfeggio lesson (K. 545)
41:19 Notation is the curse of the modern musician
48:02 Did Mozart know Italian solfeggio?
51:10 Why did the Germans complain about the Italians keeping solfeggio as a trade secret?
53:11 Were violinists like Paganini, Corelli and Vivaldi familiar with Italian solfeggio?
57:11 Did the Italian Maestros abandon teaching solfeggio syllables if the students struggled with pitch?
59:11 Did Italian solfeggio completely die out in the 19th-century?
1:00:49 Did Italian musicians think of the bass in terms of solfeggio syllables?
1:05:56 What was the 18th-century Italian understanding of Keys and Tonality?
1:09:02 What are good solfeggio manuscripts to practice to with and how much proportion of time is spent worrying about syllable placement vs actual singing?
1:12:10 Do we have access to 18th-century plainchant that doesn't sound like medieval music?
1:17:19 Is there any value to practicing solfeggi exercises with "Ah" even if we don't know which syllables to use?
1:18:45 What are your favorite solfeggi collections?
1:19:46 What's your opinion on Johann Fux and his method of teaching counterpoint?
1:21:19 What do you think of Nicola Sala's counterpoint treatise?
1:22:39 How does your solfeggio expertise inform the way you would teach partimento?
1:25:08 Are those manuals of singing by maestros who changed to Fixed Do still useful for learning diminution?
1:25:57 What's the state of Italian solfeggio research today?