Harmonia Early Music

Week of June 3

New Music, Early Music

Harmonia invites you to open your ears as we listen to music from the distant past alongside related music by living composers from several recently released recordings: the Brisk Recorder Quartet plays music by Sweelinck and contemporary music inspired by Sweelinck; New York Polyphony sings a 2009 paraphrase a 14th-century Machaut rondeau; Accordone performs a piece from a 21st-century chamber opera on Baroque period instruments, and much more. Tune in!

Week of June 10

Gifts for Father’s Day

We’re celebrating Dads this week on Harmonia. We’ll feature traditional music from Scotland, and medieval music from the region of the Rhine River. Plus a featured release of Tudor and Jacobean music by the ensembles Stile Antico and Fretwork. What does all of this have to do with fathers? You’ll see. (Repeat of June 4, 2012) LISTEN HERE

Week of June 17 (REVISED)

A Musical Tour of Ferrara

This week on Harmonia, we’ll travel to city of Ferrara, exploring sounds of its renaissance. We’ll also pay tribute to a pioneer in the field of early music, Gustav Leonhardt, who passed away in January 2012, and we’ll hear “new music” from 17th-century Italy on a featured release by the ensemble Quicksilver. (Repeat of April 2, 2012) LISTEN HERE

Week of June 24

Celestial Sirens

We’ll hear music from Occitan courts, Italian stages, and the cloisters of Mexico. With the Newberry Consort, we’ll unearth rarely heard devotional music written for women. We’ll also hear music inspired by the muse Euterpe and look back to the age of the Odyssey on a featured release by the ensemble Les Délices. (Repeat of January 21, 2013) LISTEN HERE

Week of July 1

Catchy Tunes: Gloria tibi Trinitas

We’re solving an antiphon mystery this week on Harmonia. It seems that every composer worth his salt in England from the mid-16th to the end of the 17th century composed at least one, and sometimes many pieces titled “In nomine.” We’ll find out why, as well as explore the sackbut as part of our “Listener’s Guide to the Renaissance Consort.” (Repeat of July 30, 2012) LISTEN HERE

Week of July 8

Love’s Guises

This week on Harmonia, we’re exploring the many faces of love. In its various guises, love is tender, desperate, misguided, sweet, jealous, confusing, funny…you name it! We’ll hear music with all these elements, plus a featured release of 18th-century Portuguese love songs. (Repeat of February 11, 2013) LISTEN HERE

Week of July 15

A Musical Tour of London

Harmonia takes a whirlwind musical tour of London. We’ll see how royal patronage helped composers flourish through the centuries, and we’ll take a peek at some of the city’s oldest and most renowned musical centers, including St. James’s Palace and Westminster Cathedral. Last stop: London’s British Library and a featured release by Corina Marti. (Repeat of September 10, 2012) LISTEN HERE

Week of July 22

A Musical Tour of Prague

Harmonia tours the musical centers of 17th- and 18th-century Prague. Along the route, we’ll unravel the city’s intricate tradition of liturgical music, revel in instrumental masterworks by Czech natives and foreign visitors, and hear excerpts from operas premiered within the city. We’ll end our journey with a brief visit to 17th-century Leipzig on our featured release, “Sacred Music by Sebastian Knüpfer.” (Repeat of January 2, 2012) LISTEN HERE

Week of July 29

Musical Tour of Nuremberg

We’ll visit the German city Nuremberg this week on Harmonia, focusing on music from some of city’s most important music publications. Plus, we’ll hear music from a medieval minnesinger, and more. (Repeat of July 9, 2012) LISTEN HERE

Week of August 5

Musical Tour of Madrid

This week on Harmonia, we’re on a musical tour of Madrid, a city where Roman, Visigothic, Jewish, Moorish and countless other traditions converged. We’ll also celebrate the spirit of Armenia on a featured recording by Hesperion XXI that showcases the talents of Armenian musicians. (Repeat of February 18, 2013) LISTEN HERE

Week of August 12

Music for Celtic Saints

On Harmonia, we’re exploring music written for saints associated with Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Plus, we’ll focus on the harp in our Listener’s Guide to the Renaissance Consort, and we’ll hear music from a recent recording by the ensemble Atalante. (Repeat of March 11, 2013) LISTEN HERE

Week of August 19

Marcel Pérès: Musician, Musicologist, and Medievalist

Harmonia focuses on the work of Marcel Pérès. We’ll also explore the viola da gamba as part of our “Listener’s Guide to the Renaissance Consort” and witness the birth of the baroque cello on a featured release by Les Basses Reunies. (Repeat of June 4, 2012) LISTEN HERE

Week of August 26

Beasts and Bestiaries

Harmonia goes where the wild things are as we delve into music inspired by the beasts within. We’ll hear of crickets and cuckoos in songs of medieval and Renaissance Europe, as well as a setting of Saint Francis of Assisi’s Canticle of the Creatures, and a featured release inspired by medieval bestiaries. (Repeat of August 8, 2011, revised) LISTEN HERE