International Conference
The Harpsichord in the 16th Century II
"Per Aures ad Animum"
Bologna, October 26 – 29, 2023

Conference Schedule:
Venues:
*Conservatorio Giovan Battista Martini.
*Museo Internazionale e Biblioteca della Musica. *Museo di San Colombano - Collezione Tagliavini
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Registration:
Registration for live and online participation is required.
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Fee:
No registration fee.
All expenses are to be covereded by the participants.
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The conference will take place from Thursday, 26.10.23, at 14:00 until Saturday, 28.10.23, at 18:00.
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Excursions to historical instruments and collections will take place on 29.10.23
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Download the schedule here:
Thursday, 26.10.
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14.00–16.00: Opening – (Sala Bossi, Conservatorio)
-Welcome
-Presentation of the publication: Augusta Campagne and Markus Grassl (eds.) ‘Universum rei harmonicae concentum absolvunt.’ Das Cembalo im 16. Jahrhundert / The Harpsichord in the 16th century (Vienna: mdwPress, 2023)
-Keynote Lecture Ian Pritchard: ‘Entrano sul Festin tutti d'acordo, Con un Liuto in tuon dell'Arpicordo,’ The Arpicordo in Early Modern Venice
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16.30 – 18.15: Papers – (Museo della Musica)
-Pier Paolo Donati: Origini e caratteristiche dei cembali all’ottava bassa in uso tra cinque e Seicento.
-Martin Kirnbauer: Why build an archicembalo? Attempt at a response according to Nicola Vicentino.
-Luigi Collarile: Nicola Vicentino, Inventor of New Chromatic-Enharmonic Keyboard Instruments.
19.00–20.30: Guided Tour – (San Colombano)
Guided Tour of the 16th century antique instruments (registration required).
Friday, 27.10.
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9.30–10.30: Workshop – (San Colombano)
Maria Luisa Baldassari, Augusta Campagne, Catalina Vicens.
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11.00–14.00: Masterclasses – (San Colombano and Conservatorio)
Fabio Antonio Falcone and Ian Pritchard.
15.00–16.45: Papers – (San Colombano)
Eduardo Bellotti: The Rhetoric of Invertible Counterpoint in the Sixteenth Century: Between Keyboard Pedagogy and Performance Practice.
Vania Dal Maso: Bassi ostinati e formule ornamentali nell’Intabolatura nova di varie sorte de balli, Venezia 1551 (I-Bc R.178)
Jane Hatter: Transgressive Skills: Musical Knowledge and Performance in the Self-Portraits of Sofonisba Anguissola.
17.00–19.30: Presentations – (San Colombano)
Paola Erdas: Antonio Valente - Intavolatura de Cimbalo, Napoli 1576 on Rucellai Virginale and Sansevero Harpsichord (Video).
Sébastien Wonner: Andrea Gabrieli and the Venetian colorito.
Mario Aschauer: The Merulo Toccata in Codex Vienna, Minorite Convent 714.
Susanne Abed-Navandi: Harpsichord music by Marco Facoli (1588) as a source of inspiration for performances at standup comedy events of the 21st century.
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Saturday, 28.10.
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9.30–10.30: Workshop – (San Colombano)
Maria Luisa Baldassari, Augusta Campagne, Catalina Vicens.
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11.00–14.00: Masterclasses – (San Colombano and Conservatorio)
Fabio Antonio Falcone and Ian Pritchard.
15.30–18.00: Papers
Gabriele Rossi Rognoni and Jola Pellumbi: ‘Sons of Many Fathers’: Keyboard Instruments in Context.
Markus Grassl: Stringed Keyboard Instruments at the Courts of the Austrian Habsburgs in the 16th Century.
Darryl Martin: From Italy to England - the changes to Italian instruments used by English players.
Francesco Nocerino: Alessandro Fabri e i suoi allievi. Protagonisti dell’arte “de zimbararo” a Napoli.
Sunday, 29.10.
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10.30 – 11.30: Guided Tour of the Museo della Musica (registration required).
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12.00 – 13.30: Guided Tour of San Colombano (registration required).
Workshop and Masterclasses:
Registration is open for active participation in the masterclasses (led by Fabio Antonio Falcone and Ian Pritchard) and the workshops (Maria Luisa Baldassari, Augusta Campagne, and Catalina Vicens).
Each participant will take part in all activities.
Masterclasses:
Ian Pritchard and Fabio Antonio Falcone
Conservatorio Giovan Battista Martini di Bologna &
Museo di San Colombano - Collezione Tagliavini
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27 - 28 October 2023
11:00 - 14:00
Masterclass participants will participate in sessions with both teachers. The works' selection will be downloadable soon.
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Works by Antico, Cavazzoni, Segni, Luzzaschi, Valente, Macque, Trabaci, Mayone, Pasquini a.o.
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Workshop:
Sound and technique in 16th-century plucked keyboards
Museo di San Colombano - Collezione Tagliavini
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Joined workshop led by
Maria Luisa Baldassari
Augusta Campagne
Catalina Vicens
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27 - 28 October 2023
09:30 - 10:30
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In the workshops, Maria Luisa Baldassari, Augusta Campagne, and Catalina Vicens will work on practical and technical elements of playing 16th-century music on antique plucked keyboard instruments from the Tagliavini Collection. These elements include the interaction between the physiognomy of the player and the keys, hand positions, fingerings, and the relationship between text and fingering. Some exercises for the masterclass participants will be provided before the workshops.
Practical information:
Fee: €100
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Includes:
Participation in two workshop sessions and two masterclass sessions.
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Separate registration for the conference is not necessary.
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Travel and accommodation to be arranged by the participants.
Application requirements (includes participation in both masterclasses and workshops):
-Please send a brief CV and a video of 3-10 minutes with music written between 1500-1650.
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The video should be unedited and show the hands of the player. It does not need to be high quality.
Antique renaissance keyboards of the Tagliavini Collection
The following antique instruments will be used for the workshop and masterclasses
Spinetta tipo arpicordo attr. to Alessandro Trasuntino (Venice, ca 1540)
C/E* - c''' / Do1 - Do5
Pedals C/E* - H
*Short octave
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Harpsichord by Nicolò Albana (Naples, 1584)
G/H* - f'''/ Sol0 - Fa5
*Short octave
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Spinetta a pianta rettangolare by Alessandro Fabri (Naples, 1598)
C/E* - c''' / Do1 - Do5
*Short octave
Spinetta a pianta rettangolare attr. to Alessandro Fabri (Naples, late 16th c. - early 17th c.)
C/E* - c''' / Do1 - Do5
*Short octave
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Anonymous clavichord (Italy, late 16th c.)
C/E* - c''' / Do1 - Do5
*Short octave
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Spinetta a pianta rettangolare by Onofrio Guarracino (Naples, 1663)
C/E* - c''' / Do1 - Do5
*Short octave
Call for papers
Submission deadline:
30.04.2023
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harpsichordconference16@gmail.com
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The conference will be held in hybrid format
After the successful conference “Universum rei harmonicae concentum absolvunt” The Harpsichord in the 16th century held in Vienna 2021, a second conference concentrating on Italian music, will be taking place in Bologna in October 2023.
This conference aims to bring together interested scholars, performers and instrument makers/restorers to further the exploration of the repertoire and its appropriate instruments. The three days will include papers, masterclasses and workshops on antique harpsichords as well as on modern copies.
We invite proposals for papers (20 minutes) and papers with live musical examples (30 minutes). We particularly encourage proposals on style, repertoire, and performance practice, as well as organology and (the history of) instrument building, the dissemination, musical function, and cultural significance of plucked keyboard instruments. The conference languages will be English and Italian and all the presentations will be streamed. Although it is possible to present virtually, we encourage live presentations.
Please submit proposals and direct questions to harpsichordconference16@gmail.com before 30.04.2023. For papers, submit an abstract of no more than 300 words as a Word Document in an attachment. For papers including live musical examples, additionally submit the program information and a representative recording as an attached file or link. All proposals should include a short biographical statement of max. 100 words including institutional affiliation (if applicable) and email address. Notification of acceptance will be made by 30.05.2023.
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Organizing committee and collaborators
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Conservatorio Giovan Battista Martini (Bologna)
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Museo di San Colombano – Tagliavini Collection, Genus Bononiae (Bologna)
In cooperation with the
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University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (Department of Musicology and Performance Studies and Department of Early Music)
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Museo internazionale e biblioteca della musica di Bologna
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HipER Musical Heritage
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Organizing committee:
Maria Luisa Baldassari (Conservatorio G. B. Martini)
Augusta Campagne
Catalina Vicens (Museo di San Colombano – Tagliavini Collection)
Scientific committee:
Mario Aschauer
Frances Fitch
Markus Grassl
Massimiliano Guido
Francis Knights
Joel Speerstra
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