Intermedio
Italian Courtly Entertainments in the 16th Century
November 20 - 30, 2019
In sixteenth-century Italy, on festive occasions, elaborate musical and theatrical “Intermedii” were often inserted between the acts of plays. At courts such as Ferrara and especially Florence, these spectacles involved large numbers of voices and instruments, costumes, dancers, elaborate scenery and stage machines. In this 10-day LAMP Renaissance Academy, we will continue our series of academies dedicated to mastering the skills of musicians in the late 16th century (improvisation, articulation, rhetorical expression, gesture, ornamentation and more) in the context of these courtly entertainments. We will look at the history and practice of the intermedii, attempting to place them in a historical and cultural context. We will look at the many descriptions of intermedii and perform excerpts from some of the surviving examples. The faculty will consist of:
Suzie Leblanc – voice
Marie-Natalie Lacoursière – dance and gesture
Bruce Dickey – cornetto
Catherine Motuz – Renaissance trombone
Catalina Vicens – organ and harpishord