Five Independent Sessions Led by John Prescott for Interested Adults
Illustration from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bach_family
John Prescott, Ph.D., will present another in his series of early music lectures this month. This five-day lecture series for interested adults will be on an entirely new topic, and this time it also will be held at an entirely new venue, St. Albert’s Priory, 5890 Birch Court, Oakland—conveniently located just 2 blocks from the Rockridge BART station. The lectures run 9:30 a.m. to noon, Monday, January 12, through Friday, January 16.
Dr. Prescott’s lectures have become a beloved institution for SFEMS members, as he has used his extensive scholarship, intelligence and wit to make early music and its historical context come alive for enthusiastic audiences. Over the past seven years, his well-attended, in-depth courses—always including many audio samples—have covered the biographies and works of such musical giants as Bach, Handel, Vivaldi and Telemann, as well as surveying entire periods or historical movements, including his recent series on the French baroque and last summer’s sessions on the transition from Renaissance to baroque music during the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
The new lectures will focus on the variety of contributions made by perhaps the most distinguished family in Western musical history, the Bach family, Johann Sebastian and his sons.
No family in the history of Western music has come close to the productivity and genius of the Bachs. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, this family produced composers and performers who shaped the culture of the German musical world and beyond. These lectures will focus on three of the most musically gifted sons of J.S. Bach. In some ways these musicians carried on the musical legacy of their father. In other ways, they consciously rejected it in favor of a more modern aesthetic. They were working in the fascinating and understudied transition between the baroque and Classical periods of music history. From the graceful simplicity of the Galante style to the emotional intensity of the Emphinsamkeit, the Bach sons both consolidated their rich musical heritage and blazed trails for future composers.
Day 1 of the lecture series will set the musical background to the Bach sons’ contributions by considering the teaching and example of their father, Johann Sebastian. Days 2, 3, and 4 will examine the character and contributions of his three main heirs: the firstborn, Wilhelm Friedmann Bach (Tuesday); the pathfinder, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (Wednesday); and the London Bach, Johann Christian (aka “John”) Bach (Thursday). Day 5 will trace some of the far reaching influence the Bach sons had on composers from Mozart to Beethoven, and beyond.
You may register for all five days or individually by day. Musical experience or ability to read music are not necessary. Come listen, learn, and join in the adventure! Tuition is $20 per lecture or $85 for the full week ($80 for SFEMS members). For further information and registration, contact Suzanne Siebert, 510-843-2425 or [email protected]. You also can download a PDF of the registration form; print it, fill it out and mail it in to Suzanne Siebert, 1828 Virginia St. Berkeley, CA 94703. Checks should be made payable to “SFEMS.”
As with Dr. Prescott’s previous lectures, proceeds from this course go to benefit the SFEMS Music Discovery Workshop and Youth Collegium, a week-long summer day camp that introduces children and youth to early music and Renaissance social history through music instruction and theater projects.
John Prescott is an affiliate of the San Francisco Early Music Society.
