IN STILE MODERNO
Faithful and Pious Heart:
Devotional Music in
Seventeenth-Century Italy
Friday, October 22, 7:30 pm
Brattleboro Music Center
Saturday, October 23, 7:30 pm
Good Shepherd Watertown - CANCELLED
Agnes Coakley Cox, soprano; Nathaniel Cox,
cornetto and theorbo; Parker Ramsay, harp;
Hideki Yamaya, theorbo and guitar
Bringing together the lightness of secular song with the gravity of religious themes, canzonette spirituali emerged in seventeenth-century Italy as a form of sacred vocal music intended not for the church, but for private devotion. With texts in the vernacular Italian, rather than Latin, these songs were often inspired by, or even parodied, the popular songs of the day—but together with the catchy bass lines and hummable melodies came texts that described the passion of Christ, the nature of the Trinity, or the path to Heaven. We present a selection from this little-heard repertoire, with works by Benedetto Ferrari, Domenico Mazzocchi, and others. Accompanied by the magical timbre of theorbo and baroque harp, and complemented by instrumental works for cornetto, harp, and theorbo,
these “spiritual songs” will make for an enchanting and unforgettable evening.
Agnes Coakley Cox,
soprano
Nathaniel Cox,
cornetto & theorbo
Parker Ramsay,
harp
Hideki Yamaya,
theorbo & guitar
Stay, Time:
Lute Songs of John Dowland
Friday, March 11, 7:30 pm
Brattleboro Music Center
and online!
Saturday, March 12, 7:30 pm
Good Shepherd Watertown
Agnes Coakley Cox, Sophie Michaux,
Corey Dalton Hart, Adam Simon, voices;
Nathaniel Cox, lute
“Stay, time, awhile thy flying,” writes John Dowland in one of the most beautiful songs of his collection A Pilgrimes Solace. It’s a wish we can all relate to—as children grow, parents age, or milestones slip by—if only we could pause time in its relentless flight!
In our spring concert, we’ll share the closest thing we’ve found to a pause button on life: the intimacy of four-part singing around a table. We’ll reconvene the ensemble from our 2019 program “Come again,” this time for a journey through the work of John Dowland from his Firste Booke of Songes (1597) to A Pilgrimes Solace (1612). Deepening our work as an ensemble on historical pronunciation and facsimile reading, we will explore themes of timelessness, aging, darkness, and light in Dowland’s beloved and evergreen songs. Join us to press pause for an evening and enjoy this repertoire, with all its humor, intricacy, and pathos.
Agnes Coakley Cox,
soprano
Sophie Michaux,
alto
Corey Dalton Hart,
tenor
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Adam Jacob Simon,
bass
Nathaniel Cox,
lute
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And please join us for our bonus concert of 2022, a collaboration with our friends Seven Times Salt!
Fair Phoenix: Tales of the Winter Queen
Friday, March 25, 2022, 8:00 pm
St. Anne’s in the Fields, 147 Concord Rd. Lincoln, MA
Sunday, March 27, 2022, 4:00 pm
Brattleboro Music Center
Agnes Coakley Cox, soprano; Corey Dalton Hart, tenor, recorder; Karen Burciaga, violin, tenor viol; Nathaniel Cox, cornetto, theorbo; Dan Meyers, recorder, flute, percussion; David H. Miller, bass viol; Matthew Wright, lute, bandora.
“Fair Phoenix” tells the remarkable story of Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia. Born in Scotland in 1596, Elizabeth later married Frederick V of the Palatinate, who ascended to the throne of Bohemia in 1619 only to be deposed the following year. Elizabeth’s brief reign earned her the nickname “The Winter Queen.” We follow The Winter Queen’s tumultuous life story with celebratory music from England on the occasion of her wedding in 1613, music borne of religious anguish during the Thirty Years’ War, and finally music of mourning and hope following Elizabeth’s exile from Bohemia and eventual return home in the first years of the Restoration.
For more information, please click here.
Our 2021–2022 concert venues:
Brattleboro Music Center, 72 Blanche Moyse Way, Brattleboro, VT
Church of the Good Shepherd, 9 Russell Ave, Watertown, MA
Plentiful street parking is available; the church is also accessible via the 71 bus.
COVID policies
All adult audience members must be vaccinated and adults and children over 2 must wear well-fitting masks. Thank you for your cooperation.
We will continue to monitor the public health situation carefully and, in partnership with our venues, may restrict audience size and/or enforce distancing according to the current situation. For those unable to join us in person, a livestream of the concert will be available.