We’re delighted to be welcoming PIVA back to Halsway for their 8th course exploring the Real Roots! of European traditional and renaissance music, both the music and the instruments. During this enjoyable and fascinating course, you will discover the world of late 16th century popular music as heard in both court and country. The focus of the course will be playing 4 or 5 part harmony but it doesn’t matter if you are new to this music or an experienced renaissance specialist; sessions will be adapted to suit all levels.
PIVA has decided, due to popular demand, that they will take a pause on their ‘Grand Tour’ of European roots music – and they will be staying over in Italy, as well as looking at how Italian music influenced English composers of the time.
PIVA will also play a public gig on the Saturday evening.
The core of the programme will consist of playing in 4 and 5 part harmony in a mixture of large and small ensembles, as well as a range of other options, including:
- Developing arrangements and making the music your own
• Ornamentation and improvisation
• Informal performance
• Individual coaching sessions, if required - Woodwind instrument ‘surgery’, if required
Who is it for?
Open to those new to early music, through to specialists.
The course is suitable for players of woodwinds, reed instruments, historical brass and strings (ancient and modern), as well as other instruments such as bagpipes & nyckelharpa. Please let us know your instrument(s) when booking your place, and we can check with PIVA if you’re unsure whether they will be suitable!
Thanks to The Bagpipe Society, there will be an opportunity to have a beginner’s session on their loan pipes.
Participants should be competent on their instruments and have a reasonable sight reading ability.
Arrive from 2pm on Friday and depart after breakfast on Monday morning.
Thank you so much for a transformative experience at Halsway Manor. It was a real pleasure to meet you all. We are still glowing with… well what ever it is that you glow with after such an event, and would love to come back another year. (2019 participant)
You make everything so hugely enjoyable for everybody, and I love that. There are no nerves and no tears! (2019 participant)
The Team
The members of PIVA – The Renaissance Collective have wide and diverse musical backgrounds and between them they have experience in playing renaissance, classical, and roots music. They bring all of these diverse musical influences together and fuse them with their knowledge of renaissance music and instruments. Below are some of the members of PIVA who will be attending the course.
David Jarratt-Knock – Cornetto, Recorders, Double Reeds, Bagpipes. David is constantly in demand in both the UK and abroad for historically informed performances of works such as Monteverdi’s Vespers and he has played with some of Europe’s leading ensembles, including The Gabrieli Consort, The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Ex Cathedra. He has worked with both the RSC and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, and performs regularly at the Historic Royal Palaces. David will be running some ‘loud wind workshops’ as part of this year’s course.
Eric Moulder – Renaissance woodwinds (curtal, shawm, rauschpfeife, crumhorn, recorder). Eric is PIVA’s founder and director of music. His passion for early music was inspired by the late David Munrow, amongst others. He has been an early woodwind player for many years and has performed with a number of ensembles. He is an internationally renowned maker and researcher in the field of historic woodwind instruments from the Renaissance period and his instruments are played by leading professional musicians and amateurs alike. He also provides many of the instruments played by PIVA as well as being responsible for creating many of the group’s musical arrangements.
Mary Mohan – viol, strings, percussion, voice and renaissance woodwind. Mary studied the flute from the age of 8, quickly getting to grade 5 and into the school orchestra. Then she discovered other instruments and nagged her mother for a cello. She was promised a cello if she got a distinction in her grade 5 flute exam, and the rest is history! Mary studied cello, flute, conducting and musicology at the University of Huddersfield and now works as an instrumental teacher and freelance musician teaching a range of instruments. Her biggest influence in recent years has been Jordi Savall, whose recordings have opened up a whole world of Medieval and Renaissance music. She also runs her own group, Archaedium, which specialises in medieval music.
Jane Moulder – Bagpipes and Renaissance woodwind. Jane Moulder is the resident bookworm of the group and, alongside Eric, she researches and develops PIVA’s repertoire and performance programmes. She is a freelance researcher and writer on music, dance and manners of the 14th to 18th Centuries. Jane runs Piper’s Publishing which has produced a number of successful historical music books. She also works for the National Trust as a historical interpreter specialising in the Tudor period. She balances all of these roles with working alongside Eric making historical woodwind instruments.
Jude Rees – Bagpipes and Renaissance woodwind, voice. Jude Rees is a professional oboist and woodwind specialist with extensive experience in classical, folk, contemporary and early music. As freelance multi-instrumentalist and sought-after session musician, Jude has worked with some luminaries of the folk world and has guested on numerous albums and live tours. She currently plays with BBC Radio2 Folk Award nominated Pilgrims’ Way and has played for theatre and television including the BBC and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Jude also co-runs a lively early music group for children in Warwickshire.