Starts at 9:00am
Every March 21, Johann Sebastien Bach’s birthday is celebrated with a day (often extending to a week or more) of early music events all over Europe. Galway Early Music joins the party along with the other members of the Irish Early Music Network.
In 2022, Galway Early Music partnered with Coole Music and Arts to bring the outstanding Palisander Recorder Quartet to Galway to give an exclusive workshop to the Coole Music Whistleblowers Recorder Ensemble.
In one and one-half hours, the young musicians prepared four pieces to perform (with the Palisanders) for their parents. In the process, they learned how to play with dynamics on an instrument that can't really play loud or soft, memorised a Renaissance dance and danced while performing it, tried the unusual technique of playing two recorders at the same time, and learned the delightfully named Frog Galliard.
The Whistleblowers were familiar with the soprano, alto, tenor and bass recorders. However, the recorder family is much bigger than that, and they were introduced to the tiny garklein (16-17cm), the slightly larger sopranino, and the wonderful six-foot high great bass (and that isn't the biggest bass, it was just the biggest one they had with them).
The Palisanders were fun, inspiring, great communicators, and masters of their instruments. A wonderful experience for us all, Whistleblowers, teachers and organisers!
Details of the 2023 event(s) will be announced anon!