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Faculty Members
featuring
Jennifer Carpenter, Mary Springfels,
Al Cofrin, and Therese Honey


The Summer Toot is privileged to offer an outstanding faculty of both local and guest instructors for our participants. This section includes biographical information for each of the individuals or ensembles teaching at the Toot this year. We also show the classes that each instructor will teach, with a brief description of the material and class level.

Faculty by Last Name: Faculty by Instrument:

Jennifer Carpenter
Al Cofrin
Carol Deihl
Therese Honey
Daniel Johnson
Susan Richter
Frank Shirley
Mary Springfels
Hector Torres
... and more

Recorders: Lute and Harp: Viols and other Bowed Strings: Voice: Ensemble, Medieval, Reeds:

Jennifer Carpenter — Recorders (back to top)

At the Texas Toot Summer 2022, Jennifer Carpenter will teach:
Puzzling Polyphony: Canons are constructed from a single theme and at times, an enigmatic set of rules. The hidden, mesmerizing logic of these pieces has fascinated performers for centuries. For many composers creating puzzle canons was part of their convivial social lives. Perhaps it was the musicians' equivalent of passing notes back and forth during class! We'll examine some creative puzzles from the Medieval through the Romantic eras, figure out how to solve them, and enjoy playing through their solutions. Upper intermediate - advanced players, recorders and viols.
What Madness!: Renaissance and Baroque poets and composers notoriously and lavishly illustrated the depths of madness and regret in their works. Composers that have gone mad? Sure, we've got those, too! Explore their guilt, their madness, their drunkenness, and their sadness in music that is nothing less than beguiling and delightful. Intermediate and up players, recorders and viols.
Music of the People: Folk Tunes from Near and Far. Travel to various parts of the world and learn some of their musical traditions! Attend a festive cèilidh in Scotland, play delightful Hungarian folk tunes, be challenged by a seductive Argentinian tango, and enjoy some American bluegrass and traditional tunes. Each day we'll discover the idioms that make these folk tunes distinct and enjoy learning a bit about different musical cultures. Intermediate and up players, recorders and viols.
(Siesta class) Tantalizing Trios (with a bit of Technique): Through the magic of Glen Shannon's frequently witty and always fantastic compositions, we'll sharpen selected aspects of recorder ensemble technique. We'll use a set of Glen's trios designed to focus on particular recorder techniques, and remind ourselves how wonderful it is to have live ensembles again! Intermediate and up recorder players.

Al Cofrin — Medieval, Ensemble (back to top)

At the Texas Toot Summer 2022, Al Cofrin will teach:
15th c Loud Band: This class will address 15th c repertoire using loud band instruments. This will include the set pieces for ballo dances as well as Italian Bassa Dance tenor lines. Sackbuts and double reeds, intermediate and up.
13th c. French Estampies and Dances: This class will cover all the known instrumental dances from the Chanson de Royal manuscript. Musicians will explore the different ways that the dances can be played and interpreted. All soft instruments, all levels.
16th c. Dances from the Orchesographie Manuscript: This class will cover the various forms and arrangements of French dances from the Arbeau manuscript. All soft instruments, all levels.
(Siesta class) 15th c European Dance music: This class will address the repertoire performed for specific dances from the Ebreo and Gresley manuscripts. All soft instruments, intermediate level.

Frank Shirley — Recorders (back to top)

At the Texas Toot Summer 2022, Frank Shirley will teach:
Music by J. S. Bach on Recorders Upper Intermediate recorders.
Renaissance Canzonas from Germany and Italy Intermediate recorders.
Fun Arrangements (including the William Tell Overture) All level recorder players.

Susan Richter — Ensemble, Reeds (back to top)

At the Texas Toot Summer 2022, Susan Richter will teach:
Loud band with polyphony (no dancing here!): 3- to 5-part music for shawms, dulcians, sackbuts. Loud band instruments, particularly the sackbuts and dulcians, are well-suited to the more vocal phrasing of 15th and 16th-century polyphonic music. Intermediate and up players of Renaissance double reeds and sackbuts.
Learn to play together: Easy-to-low intermediate pieces for recorder players who are new to the experience of playing in a consort. Also good for those just switching to learn either F fingerings or C fingerings. Learn to listen to one another and the group; how to follow a leader, keep your place (or find it when you get lost!), start leading a group, improve your group's rhythmic precision and intonation. Lower intermediate recorders.
(Siesta class) Krummhorn ensemble! Bring your own krummhorn(s) and other buzzies — cornemusen, racketts, kortholts, even dulcians (there will be no sharing instruments around). And we will play some pieces that are NOT in the (in)famous Konklave books! Intermediate and up players of the buzzy instruments.
(Siesta class) Gemshorn ensemble!: The enchanting sound of these limited-range instruments (fingerings similar to recorders) will be highlighted in the extensive collection of arrangements prepared by our own Harold Poelchau. Bring your own gemshorns, or come ready to borrow one from the available sets that people are bringing. We will be sure to sanitize the instruments before the session, and there will be no sharing instruments around. Intermediate and up players familiar with recorders.

Mary Springfels — Viola da gamba (back to top)

At the Texas Toot Summer 2022, Mary Springfels will teach:
The Faithful Shepherd: Settings by Wert, Marenzio and Monteverdi of stanzas from Guarini's Il Pastor Fido. Voices and viols, Upper intermediate and higher.
Fortune's Wheel: Meditations on the Goddess Fortuna in the Renaissance. Obrecht to Senfl. Viols, Upper intermediate and higher.
The Name of the Game: Virtuosic In Nomines by Gibbons, Ward, Weelkes, etc. NB: Instructor plays the plainchant. Viols, Advanced.
(Siesta class) Shall We Tanz: Pavan/Galliard Sets by Thomas Simpson, Georg Englemann, Brade, et al. Advanced viols, violins.

Carol Deihl — Viols (back to top)

At the Texas Toot Summer 2022, Carol Deihl will teach:
It just takes two!: Inspired by not being able to play with larger consorts during the plague, we will explore duets in various viol sizes, and various difficulty levels. Morley, Jenkins, Dowland, Ferrabosco, Coprario, and the ever-popular anon! Intermediate and up viols.
Italian fun: Sonatas by Gussago (1608) in 4 parts. Rich sonorities, carefully controlled textures - Gussago's beautiful Northern Italian pieces were played on a variety of instruments. This edition is scored in treble and treble down clefs. All instruments, intermediate and up.
Beginning Viol: Learn to play the viola da gamba from the very beginning, hone your skills if you've already begun, try a new size or clef, or bring your questions and problems. Viols in various sizes will be available to play in class; please email info@toot.org to inquire. All welcome!
(Siesta class) Dancing with the (Praetorian) Stars: Michael Praetorius composed lively 4-part settings of many of the most popular dance melodies of the day to include in his famous publication Terpsichore (1612). Let us "reverance" a selection of these stars! All instruments, intermediate and up.

Hector Torres — Lute (back to top)

At the Texas Toot Summer 2022, Hector Torres will teach:
Lute song and Italian monody (with Danny Johnson) Intermediate and higher lutes and voices.
Lute and harp ensemble: music for plucked instruments in consort. Lutes and harps, all levels.
Lute song (with Danny Johnson) Intermediate and higher lutes and voices.

Therese Honey — Early Harps (back to top)

At the Texas Toot Summer 2022, Therese Honey will teach:
TBD.

Daniel Johnson — Voice and Ensemble (back to top)

At the Texas Toot Summer 2022, Danny Johnson will teach:
Lute song and Italian monody (with Hector Torres) Intermediate and higher lutes and voices.
Lute song (with Hector Torres) Intermediate and higher lutes and voices.

     
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