Musicians In Ordinary Podcast

Louise Hung plays Orlando Gibbons' Galiardo Fantasia of Foure Parts from 'Parthenia or the Maydenhead of the first musicke that ever was printed for the Virginalls (in England at least), composed by three famous masters: William Byrd, Dr. John Bull and Orlando Gibbons' was probably printed in 1613. Audio production by Matthew Antal.

'Parthenia or the Maydenhead of the first musicke that ever was printed for the Virginalls (in England at least), composed by three famous masters: William Byrd, Dr. John Bull and Orlando Gibbons' was probably printed in 1613 probably as part of the celebrations for a royal wedding. MIO's Artistic Director John Edwards talks to keyboardist Louise Hung about pitch and temperament - how early keyboards were not tuned the same way a modern piano is. We then hear Louise Hung perform Gibbons' Fantazia in Four Parts.

Louise Hung plays John Bull's Pavana and Orlando Gibbons' Galiardo and The Queenes Command from 'Parthenia or the Maydenhead of the first musicke that ever was printed for the Virginalls (in England at least), composed by three famous masters: William Byrd, Dr. John Bull and Orlando Gibbons' was probably printed in 1613. Audio production by Matthew Antal.

'Parthenia or the Maydenhead of the first musicke that ever was printed for the Virginalls (in England at least), composed by three famous masters: William Byrd, Dr. John Bull and Orlando Gibbons' was probably printed in 1613 probably as part of the celebrations for a royal wedding. MIO's Artistic Director John Edwards talks to Prof. Deanne Williams about the plays by Shakespeare, Beaumont and Fletcher and others, and masque performances during the run up to the marriage of Frederick, Count Palatine and Elizabeth Stuart. We then hear Louise Hung perform music by Bull and Gibbons from the book.

Louise Hung plays William Byrd's Earl of Salisbury’s Pavan and Galiardo Secundo from 'Parthenia or the Maydenhead of the first musicke that ever was printed for the Virginalls (in England at least), composed by three famous masters: William Byrd, Dr. John Bull and Orlando Gibbons' was probably printed in 1613. Audio production by Matthew Antal.

'Parthenia or the Maydenhead of the first musicke that ever was printed for the Virginalls (in England at least), composed by three famous masters: William Byrd, Dr. John Bull and Orlando Gibbons' was probably printed in 1613. As the chief counsellor in the last years of Queen Elizabeth I’s reign and the first years of James I’s, Robert Cecil, the Earl of Salisbury was at the centre of a web of political patronage, artistic patronage, and a web of spies that seems to have included musicians. John Edwards and Louise Hung talk about Salisbury’s patronage of the arts, especially the art of music, his musical instrument collection and his collection of musicians. At the end of the chat you’ll hear Louise play William Byrd’s Pavana Earl of Salisbury and Galiardo secundo from Parthenia. Further reading: Patronage, Culture and Power: The Early Cecils ed. Pauline Croft and John Dowland by Diana Poulton.

Louise Hung plays William Byrd's Preludium and Galiardo Mrs. Mary Brownlo from 'Parthenia or the Maydenhead of the first musicke that ever was printed for the Virginalls (in England at least), composed by three famous masters: William Byrd, Dr. John Bull and Orlando Gibbons' was probably printed in 1613. Audio production by Matthew Antal. Virginal made by Matthew Redsell after an instrument by Johannes Perticis in the Royal Ontario Museum.

'Parthenia or the Maydenhead of the first musicke that ever was printed for the Virginalls (in England at least), composed by three famous masters: William Byrd, Dr. John Bull and Orlando Gibbons' was probably printed in 1613. MIO's Artistic Director John Edwards talks to harpsichordist Louise Hung about the terminology of plucked string keyboard instruments in the Elizabethan and Jacobean period, how they make their sound, the association of the virginals with young women in our period and the techniques and fingering which they used and which Louise deploys to get the characteristic sprightly articulation in Mary Brownlow’s Galliard and the spectacular passage work in the prelude by Byrd, both of which you’ll hear at the end of our chat.

Deanne Williams is professor in English at York University, a Fellow of the Centre for Renaissance and Reformation Studies and a member of the College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists of the Royal Society of Canada. She was dramaturge for our production of Comus, has written extensively on girl performers in the Early Modern Period and dedicates a chapter to Milton’s character of The Lady in her book Shakespeare and the Performance of Girlhood published by Palgrave. In this episode she discusses what she learned about Milton, Comus, The Lady and the Brothers in preparing our performance. Visit https://musiciansinordinary.ca/episodes to click through the series and download mp3s to add to your music playlist.

Director Heather Davies and theorbo player and artistic director John Edwards chat about the music in John Milton's masque Comus and especially about the dance music of masques in general, and the dances of William Lawes which we used in our production. Visit https://musiciansinordinary.ca/episodes to click through the series and download mp3s to add to your music playlist.

Director Heather Davies and theorbo player and artistic director John Edwards chat about the music in John Milton's masque Comus and especially about the original songs by Henry Lawes. Visit https://musiciansinordinary.ca/episodes to click through the series and download mp3s to add to your music playlist.

Actor Bethany Jillard chats about playing the part of The Lady, a role first played by Alice Egerton, the teenaged daughter of the Earl of Bridgewater, and the similarities and differences between preparing for this role from John Milton's Comus and her experience playing Shakespeare’s women. Visit https://musiciansinordinary.ca/episodes to click through the series and download mp3s to add to your music playlist. As a company member with the Stratford Festival in Canada for five seasons, Bethany’s credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Beaux’ Stratagem, Othello, The Three Musketeers, Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, Richard III, The Little Years, Dangerous Liaisons and Peter Pan. Regional credits include Othello (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); The Seagull, After Miss Julie and the world premiere of Gone with the Wind (Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre); How It Works, The Little Years and Cake and Dirt (Tarragon Theatre); My Name Is Rachel Corrie (Theatre PANIK); A Man of No Importance (Acting Up Stage Company); That Face (Canadian Stage Company/Nightwood Theatre) and Tough! (Factory Theatre). Her film and television credits include If I Were You with Marcia Gay Harden (Paragraph Pictures), Murdoch Mysteries (Shaftesbury Films), Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures (The Movie Network), Rookie Blue (ABC) and I Love You ... But I Lied (Lifetime). She is a graduate of the University of Toronto and The Birmingham Conservatory for classical theatre training. Ms. Jillard moonlights as a singer in the band Notes from Underground alongside her husband, Aaron, who is her rock, her inspiration and her joy.

Director Heather Davies discusses the special challenges of the masque form, Milton’s verse and the rehearsal process in the time of covid with John Edwards. Visit https://musiciansinordinary.ca/episodes to click through the series and download mp3s to add to your music playlist. Heather Davies was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba and grew up in Toronto, Ontario. She’s trained as a dancer, singer, actor and musician and has worked professionally since her teens. Heather moved to the UK to continue her actor training; she lived and worked in theatre there for 18 years. In 2001 she began focusing on directing full-time when she joined the Royal Shakespeare Company as a resident director, working there for nearly three years. She returned to Canada in 2007 to attend the MFA- Theatre program at York University, graduating in April 2009. From September 2009 to February 2011 she was the Artistic Associate at The Grand Theatre in London Ontario. She continues to enjoy directing, writing, teaching and adapting in the UK and across Canada. In 2017 Heather became the first Artistic Director of The Ryga Festival, (inspired by renowned Canadian writer, George Ryga) in Summerland, BC and directing Colours in the Storm at the Grand Theatre in London, Ontario. In 2018, as well as returning to Summerland, Heather’s stage adaptation, Judith: memories of a Lady Pig Farmer, (based on the original novel, Judith, by Alberta writer Ardith Van Herk), will premiere at the Blyth Festival. Other projects in development include Silverfish (an original play about economic migration) and the stage adaptation of Night Desk, (novel by George Ryga).

The second Corant in F from Royal Consorts Set 9 by by William Lawes (1602-1645) is played by The Musicians In Ordinary string band led by Christopher Verrette, 1st vln. with Patricia Ahern, 2nd vln. Felix Deak and Laura Jones, violas da gamba and John Edwards, theorbo. The saraband was a fast vigourous dance when first introduced to the dance suite from the guitar repertoire. We used the Set in F for the dances of the Egerton children in our performance of John Milton's masque Comus. Visit https://musiciansinordinary.ca/episodes to click through the series and download mp3s to add to your music playlist.

The second Corant in F from Royal Consorts Set 9 by by William Lawes (1602-1645) is played by The Musicians In Ordinary string band led by Christopher Verrette, 1st vln. with Patricia Ahern, 2nd vln. Felix Deak and Laura Jones, violas da gamba and John Edwards, theorbo. Another Corant from the suite we used for the dances of the Egerton children in our performance of John Milton's masque Comus. Visit https://musiciansinordinary.ca/episodes to click through the series and download mp3s to add to your music playlist.

The third Alman in F from Royal Consorts Set 9 by by William Lawes (1602-1645) is played by The Musicians In Ordinary string band led by Christopher Verrette, 1st vln. with Patricia Ahern, 2nd vln. Felix Deak and Laura Jones, violas da gamba and John Edwards, theorbo. We used Lawes' Royal Consort Set 9, a dance suite heavy in Almans, the favourite dance of court masque, as the dances for the Egerton children for our performance of John Milton's domestic masque Comus. Visit https://musiciansinordinary.ca/episodes to click through the series and download mp3s to add to your music playlist.

The first Corant in F from Royal Consorts Set 9 by by William Lawes (1602-1645) is played by The Musicians In Ordinary string band led by Christopher Verrette, 1st vln. with Patricia Ahern, 2nd vln. Felix Deak and Laura Jones, violas da gamba and John Edwards, theorbo. We used Lawes' Royal Consort Set 9 as the dances for the Egerton children for our performance of John Milton's masque Comus. An Alman type dance is usually followed by a faster triple time dance in Jacobean court masques. By Lawes’ time the French influence of the courante can be heard in such dances. Visit https://musiciansinordinary.ca/episodes to click through the series and download mp3s to add to your music playlist.

The second Alman in F from Royal Consorts Set 9 by by William Lawes (1602-1645) is played by The Musicians In Ordinary string band led by Christopher Verrette, 1st vln. with Patricia Ahern, 2nd vln. Felix Deak and Laura Jones, violas da gamba and John Edwards, theorbo. We used Lawes' Royal Consort Set 9 as the dances for the Egerton children for our performance of John Milton's masque Comus. The Alman or Allemande was the staple dance for Stuart court masques. Visit https://musiciansinordinary.ca/episodes to click through the series and download mp3s to add to your music playlist.

The first Alman in F from Royal Consorts Set 9 by by William Lawes (1602-1645) is played by The Musicians In Ordinary string band led by Christopher Verrette, 1st vln. with Patricia Ahern, 2nd vln. Felix Deak and Laura Jones, violas da gamba and John Edwards, theorbo. We used Lawes' Royal Consort Set 9 as the dances for the Egerton children for our performance of John Milton's masque Comus. The Alman or Allemande was the staple dance for Stuart court masques. This alman is labelled 'Aire' in some sources. Visit https://musiciansinordinary.ca/episodes to click through the series and download mp3s to add to your music playlist.

A Pavan in F from Royal Consorts Set 9 by by William Lawes (1602-1645) is played by The Musicians In Ordinary string band led by Christopher Verrette, 1st vln. with Patricia Ahern, 2nd vln. Felix Deak and Laura Jones, violas da gamba and John Edwards, theorbo. The stately Pavan was used as an entrance dance in the 16th and 17th century and we used this as an 'overture' for our performance of John Milton's Comus. Visit https://musiciansinordinary.ca/episodes to click through the series and download mp3s to add to your music playlist.