Wednesday, November 13, 5:00-6:00 PM
Location: Children’s Wing
Music for Baroque Harp and Viola da Gamba and from the late Renaissance and early Baroque
The Italian Triple harp, with its three rows of parallel strings, was a favorite in courts and cathedrals of Europe from the sixteenth to early eighteenth centuries, and has continued to this day as the instrument of national pride in Wales. Harp was used either alongside or instead of lute, harpsichord, or organ in continuo, and composers such as Monteverdi and Handel wrote elaborate harp solos into their operas and oratorios.
The viola da gamba, also called bass viol, was the premier bowed string instrument in Europe from the latter half of the 16th century through the 17th century until it fell out of fashion in the middle of the 18th century. While prominent composers such as J. S. Bach, Telemann, and Couperin composed solo pieces for the bass viol, most of the large repertoire for the instrument was written by musicians who were also performers of the instrument. The large pitch range of the instrument allows it to be used as a solo instrument as well as bass accompaniment.
Elaine Barber is principal harpist of Austin Symphony, and performs early music with Texas Early Music Project and Austin Baroque Orchestra and jazz with the Alex Coke/Carl Michel septet. A bit of a harp fanatic, she’s also artistic director of the only Girl Scout troop anywhere made up entirely of harpists.
David Dawson has enjoyed a career in music performing a wide range of different styles of music from classic rock, jazz, western swing, to the classical symphonic repertoire. For the past 30 years, he has pursued an interest in historical performance practice of European music prior to 1800 on both the double-bass and viola da gamba.