Seven Times Salt
A Brave Barrel of Oysters: the music of Samuel Pepys' London

Samuel Pepys, one of history's most prolific diarists and a secretary of the Royal Navy during the reign of Charles II, was a man of his time and enjoyed all the cultural delights of the Restoration. He frequently heard some of the finest musicians of his day and often enjoyed music-making with the very same musicians in his drawing room after dinner. With music and dramatic readings from Pepys' diaries, Seven Times Salt revives the bustling energy of Restoration London, as described by English Literature’s quirkiest and most beloved “man on the street”.

Karen Burciaga, violin and viol; Daniel Meyers, recorders; Joshua Schreiber Shalem, viol and Matthew Wright, lute. With special guests Michael Barrett, tenor and lute, and Kyle Parrish, narrator

La Donna Musicale
Devotion and Revenge: 17th and 18th-century women composers

La Donna Musicale’s program sets out to remind us that the emotions of the 17th & 18th century are not as different and distant from ours as we might think, and women composers of this era displayed their affection for both devotion and revenge. The vocal selections illustrate the historical development of Baroque music composed in Italy and France, as well as Rococo repertoire from the court of Prince Esterhazy. The instrumental music provides a sense of relief from the emotional intensity of the songs. The music of Marieta Morosina Priuli, Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre and Anna Bon are highlighted.

Sherezade Panthaki, soprano; Tracy Cowart, mezzo-soprano; Na'ama Lion, Baroque flute; Laura Gulley, violin; Ruth McKay, organ & harpsichord, and Laury Gutierrez, viola da gamba

Newton Baroque
Orphaned Musicians: Music of the orphans of Italy

Newton Baroque explores the history of the orphans of Naples and Venice who were frequently put in charity schools where they received excellent musical training. The well-known concertos of Antonio Vivaldi were written for the orphaned girls of the Ospedale della Pieta in Venice, while Francesco Durante taught and wrote music for the foudlings of Naples. Domenico Sarro received his musical training at an orphanage in Naples and wrote his vibrant recorder concerto in C major to be performed by an orchestra of orphaned children.

Lisa Brooke and Sarah Darling, violins; Jason Fisher ,viola; Dan Rowe, cello; Sarah Cantor, recorders; Andrus Madsen, harpsichord

Sprezzatura
Il Canzoniere: Italian madrigals on Petrarchan texts

Only one work on a Petrachan text by a contemporary composer survives, and it was left to composers of the
16th century to provide a musical framework for the literary brilliance of Petrach’s 366 poems. The repertoire provides a window into several cross-currents of literary and musical culture: the influence of Franco-Flemish musicians on Italian musical forms, the interaction of a new literary model with the emergence of the Italian madrigal, and the “proto-Baroque” qualities of text declamation that emerged in the madrigal in the latter half of the sixteenth century. Sprezzatura weaves these strands together with their performances of madrigals by Jacopo da Balogna, Adrian Willaert, and Cipriano da Rore.

Michael Barrett, tenor and director; Teresa Wakim, soprano; Lydia Brotherton, soprano; Martin Near, countertenor; Darrick Yee, bass

Les Bostonades
Die Kleine Kammermusik: flute and obbligato harpsichord literature of the High Baroque

This new program by Les Bostonades focuses on the often-neglected repertory for obbligato harpsichord. Quite unusual for its time, this type of composition signified the emancipation of the harpsichord as an accompanying continuo instrument and its emergence as a true partner in instrumental sonatas. In this concert, the flute will often accompany the keyboard in a reversal of more customary chamber music roles, featuring composers such as Joseph Bodin de Boismortier and Johann Sebastian Bach.

Teddie Hwang, Baroque flute and Akiko Sato, harpsichord

7 Hills Renaissance Wind Ensemble
Siglo de Oro: Music for wind band from Spain's golden age

Throughout most of the 16th century Spain was the dominant military and cultural power in Europe, possessing a strong army, incredible wealth pouring in from her New World colonies, and a series of kings who lavishly patronized the arts. The Spanish civic wind bands, or ministriles, were regarded as the finest in Europe; in addition, they had at their disposal some of the best music of the day, collected from native composers, the Low Countries, and Italy. In their debut SoHIP concert, Somerville’s 7 Hills Renaissance Wind Ensemble will perform a program of sacred and secular pieces from this zenith of Spanish polyphony.

Diana Brewer, sackbut; Elizabeth Hardy, shawm, dulcian, recorder; Frank Jones, dulcian; Rigel Lustwerk, cornetto; Daniel Meyers, sackbut, recorder; Catherine Meyer Stein, shawm, dulcian, recorder; Matthew Stein, shawm, dulcian; Daniel Stillman, shawm, dulcian, sackbut, recorder