DIY Polyphony – Tim Braithwaite
Over the past 30 years, the Dutch ensemble Cappella Pratensis has specialized in the music by Josquin Desprez and other polyphonic composers from the 15th and 16th century. In their DIY Polyphony workshop, you explore the structure of these works: to better perform polyphony, you must understand how the music is built. And the best way to get it under your skin is: Do It Yourself! Cappella Pratensis’ simple and practical introductions to polyphonic singing will open up new worlds for you and your music practice. For those who are interested in practicing at home, they are working on some video/audio tutorials.
Session leader Tim Braithwaite, a member of Cappella Pratensis, showcases different ‘super librum’ polyphonic singing techniques and briefly explains their historical context. Together, you will discover how they work and get a chance to practice them. The ensemble plans to record some plainchant in rhythmic forms, following Tinctoris’ Art of Counterpoint, so that you can exercise on extemporizing the music from home.
Cappella Pratensis has a long-term educational partnership with the Flemish Musica Impulscentrum voor Muziek (BE).