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Stile Antico – The Journey of the Mayflower “One small candle may light a thousand….”  So wrote William Bradford, a Pilgrim on board the Mayflower. In September 1620, the small band of religious puritans sailed to what would become New … Read More

Part of the furniture – the polyphonic masterpieces we take for granted A series of talks for SWEMF by David Allinson – Autumn 2020 In an occasional series of illustrated talks made for SWEMF, David Allinson takes a fresh look … Read More

OneVoiceCampaign is a grassroots campaign to save the UK’s Performing Arts.  Their website includes some interesting videos that are relevant for anyone organising musical activities. Their latest video is of an interview with Barbara Eifler – CEO of Making Music … Read More

SWEMF Chair’s Report 2020 (as delivered to the virtual AGM on 22/08/2020) None of us could have imagined, when we held our last AGM, the circumstances under which we would be meeting this year – and it’s hard to recall … Read More

Burghclere Baroque is an organisation formed by Theresa Caudle in 2020 to promote the performance and study of baroque music in the beautiful, peaceful surroundings of the village of Burghclere in rural North Hampshire. Chamber Days and Orchestral Days will … Read More

Consorts.co.uk is a new independent business supplying high quality ‘play-along’ recordings for the recorder playing community. It will be launching on the 29th August to coincide with the UK public holiday weekend. As a special opening offer, Consorts are offering free … Read More

I’ve created an exciting, high-quality, Netflix-like service for viol players which lets you stream videos and audio files of consort and baroque music missing one of the parts. Simply choose a piece and any part and you you can play … Read More

Play with us! As a lock-down project we are recording a series of consort pieces that you can play along with. Pick a part, and then choose the version that is missing your part so you can play along with us. … Read More

Medieval Cantiga Workshop – a Virtual Workshop for Everyone! I’m sure that you, like me, are missing our SWEMF workshops. So we have a treat for you: Alison Kinder, whose sessions for us in the past have delighted those who attended, … Read More

An update from David Hatcher on his project Consort Music Minus One There are now over 140 pieces available as Consort-Music-Minus-One tracks, ranging from two-part pieces by Agricola to a thirteen-part canon from the Eton Choirbook by Robert Wylkyinson, with … Read More

Early Music in Lockdown with Jamulus Meeting Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, at 6pm Most of us know that making music over the internet is not possible with systems like Zoom, (because of something called latency).  People have been recording their parts solo, … Read More

Beauchamp-Feuillet Notation Reading Classes with Philippa Waite As the coronavirus pandemic has forced the cancellation of the majority of classes this term, Philippa is now offering a series of 5 notation reading classes for different levels – Beginner/Improver/Intermediate & Mixed … Read More

Helen Hooker’s Virtual Consorts Including Byrd, Bach and Purcell With so many recorder players missing their consort playing right now I’ve been busy creating some virtual consort resources.  I’ve created a new page on my website where I will host … Read More

Well, what a change since the last Diary! – of course, the first and most important thing is to say that I hope you, and all your families, are safe and well, and that you’re finding ways to keep playing … Read More

Workshop directed by Tim Bayley Gloucester Cathedral, 29th February 2020 What a joyful day! Tim provided a fabulous programme of music on the theme of Exultate and Laudate, beginning with a piece for 24 parts, Handl’s Laudate Domine, that was … Read More

Cat on the Keys Music is a small publishing company producing scores and parts of music from the 16th to 19th centuries. Critical editions, performers editions and arrangements for a variety of voices and instruments are reasonably priced and offered as download for you … Read More

We all miss playing ensemble music, so we at The City Musick have spent several weeks remotely recording and preparing some of our favourite pieces for various combinations of wind, brass and reed instruments — so you can play along … Read More

In these difficult times we can’t make music with friends and colleagues so I’ve been digging out my solo flute music.  Flute playing was a popular pastime in the eighteenth century and a number of pocket-sized collections of music were published … Read More

Consort Music Minus One A new project for these distracted times, from David Hatcher (www.dhatcher.co.uk) Knowing that many of us are missing playing consorts with each other, David has made it possible for us to play in a consort with … Read More

Sing the Score with I Fagiolini https://www.youtube.com/playlist A new series of videos coming out once a week where a Fagiolini track is played with the score appearing simultaneously.  Currently we have two Monteverdi madrigals and you can play the thing … Read More

Viol player Alison Kinder, known to many in SWEMF, has started a YouTube channel which you can view, and subscribe to, here: https://www.youtube.com/user/gambaviolin/ The first video is also available below: This is the first video on a new channel for … Read More

As I write this the house is being battered by the high winds of Storm Ciara – how fortunate that we didn’t have a workshop scheduled for this weekend!  But before we know it, our spring and summer workshops will … Read More

Workshop Led by Eddie Upton Leigh, near Sherborne; 25th January 2020 This workshop, organised with admirable efficiency by Alison Suter, took place in the beautiful and well-equipped village hall in Leigh (pronounced ‘Lie’) near Sherborne.  This was a new venue … Read More

The Border Marches Early Music Forum (BMEMF) have lots of consort music available to borrow – see their website for further details, including the full list of music available:  BMEMF Music Library

Music on the Levels are looking for early music performers/groups who might be interested in taking part in an event – performers do get paid. Please contact somerset@swemf.org.uk with any suitable proposals. Music on the Levels Brings high-quality music to … Read More

Spring Term 2020 dates for Philippa Waite’s regular Baroque and historical dance classes in London, Bath, Cardiff and Exeter are now available online at: http://www.ukbaroquedance.com/classes/. In addition to regular classes, there will be a weekend Baroque dance workshop at Improver, … Read More

On Saturday 14th September 2019 a significant musical event occurred.   As part of the International Pipe and Tabor Festival organised by the Taborers Society, a consort of tabor pipes played in the historic Holy Trinity church in Stratford-upon-Avon (Shakespeare’s burial place) … Read More

Thanks to our energetic volunteer organisers, we have an interesting programme of workshops for you in the New Year. I’d like in particular to draw your attention to the January 25th event, which is rather different from our usual workshops … Read More

Directed by Peter Leech Backwell WI Hall, Backwell; 20th July 2019 Music at the Viennese Court of Emperor and Composer Leopold I Led by Peter Leech of Cardiff University, this workshop concentrated on the rich and thriving musical life of … Read More

Organised by Sylvia Davies and Dick Little Cheddar First School, Hillfield, Cheddar; 28th September 2019 Photos from the first session of the Baroque Playing Day 2019:  

SWEMF Chair’s report 2019 – as delivered at the AGM in July 2018-19 has been another successful year for SWEMF, with a number of innovations in addition to our more standard workshops. As the list on your agenda shows, we … Read More

Autumn Term 2019 dates for Philippa Waite’s regular Baroque and historical dance classes in London, Bath, Cardiff and Exeter are now available online at: http://www.ukbaroquedance.com/classes/. The first Exeter class will be on 6th September, with other classes starting the following … Read More

Vocal Traditions in Conflict by Richard Bethell Richard Bethell has just published his new book Vocal Traditions in Conflict: Descent from Sweet, Clear, Pure and Affecting Italian Singing to Grand Uproar.  His 400 page book, in full colour, is the … Read More

Palestrina For All: Unwrapping, Singing, Celebrating by Jonathan Boswell This new book on Palestrina is written for the general reader.  It describes large numbers of the works in accessible fashion, including many neglected treasures.  It addresses the history and explores … Read More

Directed by Tomós Watkins The Village Hall, Culmstock; 6th July 2019 An exploration of Vespers repertoire in the Southern European tradition for Voices and Portative Organ It was warm in the Culm valley on 6th July, when we gathered, just … Read More

Workshop directed by David Allison Gloucester Cathedral; 11th May 2019 Joint Workshop with BMEMF On a lovely sunny day, Gloucester Cathedral was looking wonderful, with the forecourt, previously simply a car park area, newly renovated. There were more treats in … Read More

Summer is looking very lively, with a bounty of festivals, summer schools and our own exciting workshops—two in July—to which to look forward. It’s got off to a great start both in terms of weather and early music, following the … Read More

There is a whole host of tempting workshops to choose from with this edition of the Diary. First we have a lovely new Devon venue for our singing day with Tomos Watkins; then we return to familiar territory in Backwell, … Read More

Workshop directed by Emma Hornby All Saints, Clifton; 5th May 2019 Part of the inaugural Bristol Early Music Festival What a contrast! When Emma Hornby ran a workshop on plainchant in 2015 there were 13 of us, supported by five … Read More

Workshop directed by Tim Brown The Salt House, West Bay, Dorset; 23rd March 2019 This was a new venue and a new tutor for 50 or so SWEMF members and friends at a very well-attended workshop. The new venue was … Read More

Workshop directed by Tim Bayley Gloucester Cathedral, 16th March 2019 Once again in the lovely setting of the Parliament Room at Gloucester Cathedral, we had a very successful day’s playing under the baton of Tim Bayley of the York Waits. … Read More

A Workshop for Singers directed by Peter Syrus St John’s Church, Glastonbury, 26th January 2019 One of the pleasures of SWEMF events is being introduced to little known composers like Peter Phillips. (For example, I have on computer file 3300 … Read More

And what, I hear some of you say, has the image from this Diary got to do with early music? It’s a good question, to which I might reply in one of two ways. Firstly, the classical myths are profoundly … Read More

I hope you’ve all got the date of the AGM in your diaries: it will be on July 20th in Backwell, at the workshop to be led by the ever-popular Peter Leech, our past Chair. There will be more details … Read More

There is always much to enjoy in the music of the festive season. Much of the best is early music, often partnered by contemporary pieces inspired by those forebears. The SWEMF new year will get off to a good start … Read More

Regular readers will recall that in our June Diary, I gave some details of the Bristol Early Music Festival being planned for next May at All Saints Church, Pembroke Road, Clifton. Arrangements have been proceeding over the intervening months, and … Read More

The website now includes the facility to submit events you think may be of interest to SWEMF members.  Events will be reviewed for suitability before they are published to the site.  

Until recently, Wales had no Early Music Forum of its own.  Wales Early Music Forum Cymru has been launched to remedy this! The inaugural workshop of the new Forum was held on 6 October in Sennybridge near Brecon – a … Read More

Directed by Graham Coatman St. Luke’s Church Bath, 7th July 2018 Splendours of la Serenissima – Lo Sposalizio del Mare Singing and Playing day for singers and players of recorders and other instruments, hosted by the Bath Society of Recorder Players. … Read More

What a sweltering summer!  My family and I are coming to the end of our sabbatical in Cambridge, where there has been no let-up and almost no rain for months. I’ve learnt to be like Greek island women, getting up early and doing … Read More

A workshop for voices directed by Tim Mirfin Thorverton, 28th April 2018 This was difficult music, and the 42 singers who attended St Thomas of Canterbury at Thorverton, under Tim Mirfin’s enlightening direction and Becky Stannard’s excellent organization, had to … Read More

Workshop directed by Tim Bayley Gloucester Cathedral, 21st April 2018 A whole day of playing ‘Loud Wind’ instruments: Shawms, Curtals, Cornetti, Sackbuts, Crumhorns; for some this would sound like hell, for others like heaven. When these instruments were first around … Read More

Consort Music from the court of Maximilian I A complete edition of National Library of Austria, Ms. 18 810 A new, unique edition by viol & recorder player David Hatcher of this important manuscript, containing 86 pieces in 3, 4 & 5 parts by many of … Read More

A workshop for singers and continuo directed by Peter Syrus Glastonbury, 3rd February 2018 When the leader of a day’s workshop on Schütz tells you that he ‘hates’ virtually all four-part choral works, it can make you wonder if you’ve … Read More

A workshop for Instruments Cheddar, 14th October 2017 We had fewer applicants for this event this year probably due to the fact that, being in October, the date coincided with other events. However, 16 players had a very enjoyable day … Read More

A workshop for voices and instruments on the music of the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) – directed by Gawain Glenton Keynsham, 23rd September 2017 This was the first workshop run by Gawain for SWEMF, but all of us present hope it … Read More

Workshop directed by Peter Leech Yatton, 8th July 2017 St Mary’s, Yatton, a few miles south of Bristol, is a venue worth revisiting; it has good facilities, reasonable parking, and is easily accessible for many members.  Peter Leech is a … Read More

Workshop directed by Alison Kinder Thornbury, 17th June 2017 NB: where voice parts are indicated below — SATB etc. — these are the composers’ original voicings, not necessarily as we performed the works, with instruments replacing voices rather than doubling! … Read More

Workshop directed by William Carslake Corsham, 20th May 2017 Corsham’s magnificent Georgian Town Hall was the setting for the SWEMF Workshop for Singers on May 20th. On the menu, a feast of favourites by Josquin, Mouton, Pierre de la Rue … Read More

Workshop directed by Frances Eustace West Bay, 25th March 2017 A glorious spring day in March, bright sunshine sparkling on the sea, wind whipping the trees around, we gathered in West Bay for a day of music from the Spanish … Read More

Workshop directed by Tim Bayley Gloucester, 4th March 2017 A goodly mixed band of recorders, shawms, dulcians, a sackbut and even a great bass crumhorn, met in the Parliament Room, Gloucester Cathedral, on Saturday 4th March 2017 under the excellent, … Read More

‘Something Borrowed…’ Refashioning in the Golden Age of English Church Music – Workshop for voices directed by Peter Syrus St Mary’s Church, Glastonbury, 28th January 2017 This intriguing title attracted 34 singers to the church hall of St Mary’s, Glastonbury … Read More