harmonia

While incarcerated at Fleet Prison, English composer William Cornysh wrote a long poem, "A Treatise between Information and Truth," which drew upon many musical metaphors to explain how and why he was falsely imprisoned. This week on Harmonia, we’ll explore the life and music of William Cornysh II, 500 years after his death.

Sometimes we need a good cry. Music can provide a space for mourning and lament for both personal sadness and religious observation. This week on Harmonia, we’ll be exploring musical settings of the Book of Lamentations. We’ll hear uses of this text in traditions from Tisha b’Av to Tenebrae.

Join us on a bohemian escapade of sorts, as we explore baroque music composed by violinist Philipp Jakob Rittler and trumpet virtuoso Pavel Josef Vejvanovský. Plus, festive Baroque music for trumpets and strings on our featured recording by Ars Antiqua Austria.

When Christian IV of Denmark visited his brother-in-law James Stuart in England, they threw some raucous, wild parties . . . so, it’s no surprise that King Christian’s fondness for the British Isles informed his musical patronage. This week on Harmonia: renaissance music from the court at Copenhagen.

This week on Harmonia: music associated with coffee and coffeehouses. Grab a cup of your favorite brew as we travel from Constantinople to Leipzig, London, Paris, and back again, hearing sounds of different coffeehouses from the 16th to the 18th centuries.

Now is the month of Maying, and English madrigalists weren’t the only ones singing about it! This week on Harmonia, we’ve got music for that marvelous time when winter is long gone but the hottest days have yet to chase us back indoors. Join us for a wide range of May songs, tunes on spring flowers and gentle breezes, and a seasonal feature from Fretwork and The Sixteen.

We're exploring how Renaissance musicians captured the sounds of animals in their music as we take a trip through a musical zoo. Along the way, we’ll hear the beautiful calls of the Nightingale, see the mighty crocodile, and hear a choir of all the animals singing together.

We’re exploring the sounds of our musical bird friends. Hold on to your cats and open your windows as we listen to music inspired by the cuckoo, a bird whose simple call has been recognized as the onset of spring and summer from the medieval period onwards. This summery bird’s unusual behaviors are also the subject of songs about human relationships.

We're taking a journey across Europe to explore the many types of dances that inspired music from the 16th to 18th centuries. Along the way, we’ll hear stately pavanes, lilting allemandes, and playful polonaises.

There’s an antiphon that features in the masses for Easter Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. Its words begin: “This is the day the Lord has made,” and ends with a joyous Alleluya. This hour, exultant music for Easter.