Paris in full bloom, with spice

Wow! You know, we almost scheduled a preview concert of our upcoming Paris City Limits program in actual Paris this summer, but then someone scheduled the Olympics there so we decided to wait and stay closer to home. I mean, the traffic alone deterred us. I know we could have waited until the Fall and we could do the Paris concert in Paris then, but we would miss some of the other important goings-on here in AusTex! Besides, I don’t know if you can get a latte aux épices de citrouille there, not that I’ve ever had a bona fide, certified PSL here. But that brings us to the heart of the matter:

It’s September, when we locals begins to look forward to the finer things of life, including cooler weather for several months at a time, so we can begin to enjoy outdoor spor… I mean musical activities and festivals and walks through the Hill Country on a cool autumn day and watch out for that cactus and there’s nothing like nature yes the wild mountain cedar then the sneezes and the rushing yes for the tissues yes then the beautiful country with fields of oats and wheat and buckwheat yessss I said buckwheat and yes I’ll have another buckwheat pancake and yes I would yes even as we see rivers and streams yes and culverts and wildflowers of all sorts of shapes and smells and… Whoa! What is that intoxicating aroma wafting through the junipers and cedars? Of course, it’s the perfume of the wild pumpkin spice!! I forgot, it’s September!! We’ve finally finished August, aka that long pre-pumpkin-spice month! 

Ok, I know I digressed, but I must go. I need to begin my search for you-know-what while I’m finishing up the work on our Paris concert (in Austin). Check out all the details below. I need to find a latte aux épices de citrouille, stat!!

—Danny

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Paris City Limits:
Circa 1550

Saturday, September 28, 2024 at  7:30 pm
&
Sunday, September 29, 2024, 3:00 pm
Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2111 Alexander Avenue

Hosted by Arts on Alexander on the campus of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 
2111 Alexander Ave, Austin, TX 78722.
Visit the Arts on Alexander 2024-2025 events on the AoA website.

Admission $35 general; $30 seniors (60+); $5 students with ID
Tickets available in advance online or by cash, check, or credit card at the door.

For more information, email boxoffice@early-music.org.

We’ve named our 2024-2025 season Reconnections: Reflections with friends, old and new. Our most recent Paris City Limits concert was almost exactly six years ago, and we all know that is a long time to be separated from a dear friend. How fortunate that the dear friend in question has such a rich history: Renowned for its popular music of France from the 16th and 17th centuries, Paris City Limits regales audiences with exuberant dances, popular folk songs, dazzling chansons, and heartfelt songs of love and melancholy by both the masters of the day and some relative unknowns.

Imagine a music festival that explores the rustic and sophisticated musical hits of 16th-century Paris and its environs. There are some top hits by Josquin and Lassus, some lyrics by the leading serious poet of the time, Pierre de Ronsard, as well as wondrously gentle and touching songs by Janequin and the new kid on the rue, Pierre Clereau. Then it will be time for some exuberant Breton dances to put a smile on your face and a tap in your foot.

There are dozens of chansons attributed to the master of the day, Josquin des Prez, and we will be performing four of them. Three of those four are for six parts, allowing the master to experiment with textures and harmonies. As the finale, TEMP’s 16-voice chorus will perform Janequin’s spectacular and picturesque chanson about the birds (Le chant des oyseaux). Enjoy the audio teaser from our Paris City Limits CD below.

Click/tap on the CD cover images to enjoy more audio samples
and visit our Recordings page to view all of our CDs.

Our featured singers for this year’s Paris City Limits include TEMP regulars Jenifer Thyssen, Adrienne Pedrotti Bingamon, Jenny Houghton, Cayla Cardiff, Page Stephens, Jeffrey Jones Ragona, Ryland Angel, and more. The instrumental ensemble features harpist Elaine Barber, violinist Bruce Colson, our viol consort (Mary Springfels, Kit Robberson, Joan Carlson, John Walters, and David Dawson), recorder player Susan Richter, and lutenist Héctor Alfonso Torres.

Venez, y’all!

TEMP 2024-2025 Season: Reconnections

Septemb... oops, October Song

Ah. The first almost chilly morning of the season. It seems like a long time since we've heard from you, old friend Winter. . . .

September and early October passed like a whirlwind, since, due to scheduling conflicts galore, our first two concerts of the season were only 3 weeks apart. Both Paris City Limits: Part Deux and 24 Italian Hits were fun and challenging; the performers rose to the occasion in both cases! Beautiful music (and some well-earned laughs in the case of 24 Italian Hits) were abundant. 

If you were to look at the season concert schedule, you might think that we will spend November just sitting on the couch, eating bonbons. In reality, we have two small concerts in College Station and Georgetown and the Texas Toot Early Music Workshop to keep us busy, to say nothing of planning & arranging for the Christmas concert and the rest of this ambitious season. Both of the run-out concerts (see details below) will be small versions of the Paris City Limits concert, with some added Medieval music for the concert at Southwestern in G'town. Please let your friends in these towns know about us!

The Texas Toot workshop, near Palestine, is still accepting applicants, both amateur and semi-professional, who want to study recorder, harp, lute, viols, and/or voice. It's in a lovely setting and is a good way to spend the weekend before Thanksgiving.

More in a couple of weeks about the Christmas concert and the remainder of our 19th season! Also, our new CD, Paris City Limits, 2016, from the 2015-2016 Paris City Limits concert will be available to purchase at the concerts and is now available for purchase online!

-Danny

Paris City Limits: c.1550

November 14, 2017 at 7:30pm
Sarofim Music Series: Texas Early Music Project
Alma Thomas Fine Arts Center
1001 E University Ave
Georgetown, TX 78626
Buy Tickets Online
Adults: $12.00; Seniors Over 63: $10.00
Students: $5.00 with identification

Sunday, November 12 at 6:30 p.m.
St. Thomas Episcopal Church
906 George Bush Drive,
College Station, TX 77840
Tickets $10/ $5 Students, at the door

TEMP visits Paris and environs to explore more of the popular music from the mid-16th century: exciting dances, dazzling chansons, and genuine songs of love and melancholy by the masters and by some relative unknowns.

There will be intimate chansons which deal with scenes of daily life: lovesickness, marital arguments, romantic friskiness, and more, with exhilarating Breton dances to balance the fare.

Fourteen of TEMP’s singers will perform Janequin’s spectacular musical chanson about the birds (Le chant des oyseaux). The 7 instrumentalists will perform on violins, viols, harp, recorder, percussion, and lute.

Enjoy the audio teasers from our Paris City Limits, 2016 CD below and download the College Station program notes here (G'town notes will be similar)!

Venez, y’all!

By the light of the silvery moon...

 er, sun — whatever that is....

View fullsize

Well, it's quite an adventuresome summer so far! In addition to great concerts and the chance to visit friends at Amherst Early Music Festival, there was a really nice walk with friends through Central Park on my birthday, there's an eclipse coming next week, and yes, we are concentrating on the good things in our best Tralfamadorian manner.

Speaking of good things: Our first concert, Paris City Limits, Part Deux, will be presented on September 16th & 17th. After a recount on all my fingers and toes, it has been determined that *this* is our 19th season (!) and our slate of concerts and events is really unusual and cool! We start with a return to our popular Paris City Limits repertoire with several new-to-us pieces by Sermisy & Janequin & others.  The "new" Janequin (La Guerre) is fantastic! Ne manquez pas! (Not to miss!)

"Total Eclipse" aria from Handel's Oratorio Samson.

A reminder for the eclipse: Whatever you do, don't buy any weird plants. We don't want a repeat of  last time. 

Due to the recent effects of Hurricane Harvey in our region, we have decided to forego having a Fall Fundraiser this year. We believe this event is not appropriate at this time, but we do look forward to having some great fundraising events in the future! In the meantime, please keep your thoughts and prayers to our fellow Texans in the Houston area. Thank you for your support of TEMP and in spreading the love of great early music in the greater Austin area and beyond.

Please join us for our first concerts of the season on Sept. 16 & 17!  Details of the Paris City Limits concert with ticket links are below. 

Laissez les bons temps rouler!
-Danny

Paris City Limits, part deux

Saturday, September 16, 2017 at 7PM
St. Martin’s Lutheran Church, 606W, 15th Street, Austin

Sunday, September 17, 2017 at 3PM
First Presbyterian Church, 8001 Mesa Drive, Austin

Admission $30 general; $25 seniors (60+); $5 students (at the door only with valid ID)
Tickets available in advance online or by cash, check, or credit card at the door.

Take advantage of preferred seating by purchasing Season Tickets!

For more information, call 512-377-6961 and leave a message,
or email info@early-music.org.

What better place to begin our 2017-2018 Time Pieces season than in Paris? Renowned for its popular music of France from the 16th and 17th centuries, Paris City Limits regales audiences with exciting dances, popular folksongs, dazzling chansons, and heartfelt songs of love and melancholy by the masters and by some relative unknowns!

There will be lively instrumental dances by Attaignant, Breton folk music, and chansons that deal with scenes of daily life: lovesickness, marital arguments, romantic friskiness, and more. TEMP’s 20-voice chorus will perform Janequin’s spectacular musical chanson about the birds (Le chant des oyseaux), as well as his even more stunning depiction of a battle (La Guerre) complete with trumpet calls, cannon fire and the cries of victoire!

Enjoy this audio sample of Le chant des oyseaux from our Paris City Limits CD:

And this traditional Breton ton-bale (instrumental dance) from the area of Redene from our May 2016 Paris City Limits concert: 

Featured in our concert are special guest artists Mary Springfels (viola da gamba), Peter Maund (percussion), countertenor Ryland Angel (New York) and mezzo Erin Calata (Seattle), who join TEMP’s regular choir and orchestra as TEMP explores both the rustic and the sophisticated sides of Parisian and country life in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Venez, y’all!

Season Subscriptions and Single Tickets are on sale now!

I would trade my beret for a café au lait

Or is it the other way around?

Ok, Dutch Treat was so much fun! Scary, but fun. All those cognates and words that look like they should be pronounced German style but they definitely shouldn't! Now it's on to Paris. There really is a story about the night train from Amsterdam to Paris—and maybe it'll appear on these pages before the concert...or maybe not! 

Anyway, what with our school concert at the TSVBI and taxes and preparations for next year and the Tallis Scholars [I'm sure you're all going to that!] and grant applications, it's a busy, busy week: So back to work for me!

More soon! 
-Danny

Paris City Limits: Chansons, Dances, and The Birds

Saturday, May 7, 2016 at 8PM
University Presbyterian Church, 2203 San Antonio Street

Sunday, May 8, 2016 at 3PM
First Presbyterian Church, 8001 Mesa Drive

Admission $30 general; $25 seniors (60+); $5 students (at the door only)
Tickets available in advance online or by cash, check, or credit card at the door.

For more information, call 512-377-6961 and leave a message,
or email info@early-music.org.

What better place to finish our 2015-2016 Eurotour than in Paris? Renowned for its popular music of France from the 16th and 17th centuries, Paris City Limits regales audiences with exciting dances, popular folksongs, dazzling chansons, and heartfelt songs of love and melancholy by the masters and by some relative unknowns!

Click on the birds!

There will be intimate chansons which deal with scenes of daily life: lovesickness, marital arguments, romantic friskiness, and more, and TEMP’s 19-voice chorus will perform large scale motets by masters such as Jean Mouton (Nesciens mater, for 8 parts) and Janequin’s spectacular musical chanson about the birds (Le chant des oyseaux) as well.

Lively dances by Attaignant and others feature our special guest artists Mary Springfels (viola da gamba), Peter Maund (percussion), and exhilarating Breton folk music rounds out the concert (yes, Cayla Cardiff will sing that song) as TEMP explores both the rustic and the sophisticated sides of Parisian and country life in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Our featured singers include countertenor Ryland Angel (New York), mezzo Erin Calata (Seattle), TEMP regulars Jenifer Thyssen, Meredith Ruduski, Cayla Cardiff, Stephanie Prewitt, Jeffrey Jones-Ragona, Thann Scoggin, Gil Zilkha, and more. The instrumental ensemble features our guest artists, as well as harpist Therese Honey, violinist Bruce Colson, our viol consort (Jane Leggiero, Stephanie Raby, John Walters), recorders (Susan Richter & Victor Eijkhout), and lutenist Scott Horton.

Venez, y’all!

For more information, call 512-377-6961 and leave a message, or email info@early-music.org.