We’re celebrating the harvest season on Harmonia. From pumpkins and cool breezes to the more spiritual aspects of remembrance and mortality, we’ve got bushels of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century tunes to put you in an autumn mood.

It’s witching hour as we explore the relationship between music and witchcraft in the historical imagination. We’ll hear depictions of witches singing and dancing, music connected to famous witch trials, and tunes that transmit witchy folklore.

Gather around, because we’re listening to folktales and fables! Musical storytelling has a long history beyond the dramatic stage, so follow along for tales of Aesop’s animals, magical beings, Robin Hood, and more.

We’re hitting all the right notes—as we explore the world of tuning systems from Pythagorean to the first temperaments of the Renaissance, which allowed musicians to go beyond the limitations of a single mode. Plus, our featured recording is A Monk’s Life by the Brabant Ensemble.

We often think of disguise as a deception of the eye, but this week on Harmonia, we’re exploring deception of the ear. For centuries, musicians have experimented with sonic trickery: to tell a story, to emphasize meaning, or just for fun. We’ll hear voices pretending to be instruments, instruments pretending to be each other, and more.

We're delving into the wealth of music based on mythological stories and legendary figures, from the earliest Italian operatic tragedies to playful cantatas and madrigals.

Orlando Gibbons, one of the premiere musicians in late Renaissance England, died 400 years ago in 1625. This hour on Harmonia, we’ll mark this anniversary by taking in the sounds of Gibbons’ England.

We’ve got our ear to the keyhole as our "Listening to Art" series explores sixteenth- and seventeenth-century images of music making in elite private spaces. We’ll take in a variety of sounds heard behind closed doors, from Jan Steen’s garden terrace to Henry VIII’s banquet hall.

This week on Harmonia, we’re continuing our Listening to Art mini-series with the sounds of 16th and 17th century public spaces: patrolling the city walls, heading to market with its melodious fishmongers and greengrocers, and dancing in the streets.

We’re celebrating the 500th birthday of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. We’re throwing a party featuring music by the birthday boy himself, his pals, and other surprise guests. Plus, a world premiere recording of Palestrina’s music by the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge.