Early Music Program

The Five College Early Music Program offers opportunities to engage with sounding history through classroom courses and a variety of ensembles exploring musics from the Middle Ages through the Baroque, and beyond.

About

In Spring 2024, the Early Music Program (EMP) celebrates the music of Shakespeare’s England! A classroom course and performing ensembles explore the music for voices and instruments that the Bard himself might have heard. The semester culminates in a collaboration with Mount Holyoke’s Department of Film, Media, and Theater presenting Shakespeare’s As You Like It, April 18-21.

Offered through the Five College Consortium, the EMP gives students the chance to explore repertoires of the past through both scholarly and performative lenses. Classroom courses introduce students to early musics, considering their notation, unwritten musical practices, and social and cultural contexts by studying written and iconographic original sources, organology, and scholarly literature. Ensembles allow students to experientially learn about these repertoires, putting into practice the evidence surrounding their performance. Historical dance classes offer a complimentary and enriching embodiment experience. Students may also take private lessons with skilled practitioners in historical performance. The Five College EMP invites noted performers to work with students, from masterclasses and coachings to multi-day residencies. These guests provide invaluable windows into the professional early music world and offer a wide range of perspectives.

The Arthur Loeb Early Music Instrument Collection provides an integral part of the EMP experience - that of performing on a period or period-replica instrument. Our collection includes bowed strings (baroque violin, viola, cello; rebecs; vielle; and violas da gamba in various sizes); plucked strings (lutes, harp, psalteries, gittern, citole); keyboards (harpsichords, organs, hurdy-gurdy); winds (recorders, flutes, cornettos, crumhorns, cornamuses, rauschpfeife, gemshorns); brass (sackbuts); and percussion (tabors, tambourine). Those participating in the EMP, whether through ensembles, lessons, or potentially even classroom courses, may request and receive approval from the Director to sign-out one or more instruments. 

Founded in 1979, the EMP has enjoyed the leadership of wonderful early music performer/scholars including Thomas Forrest Kelly, Robert Eisenstein, and Michael Barrett. The program begins a new era under incoming Director Dr. Allison Monroe.

Allison Monroe Biography

Allison Monroe performs, researches, and teaches historical musical repertoires on period instruments. She specializes in music from the medieval era through the early 19th c., playing vielle, rebec, harp, psaltery, and violin and viola from Renaissance through classical styles, as well as singing. Her performing credits include the Newberry Consort, Boston Camerata, Bach Akademie Charlotte, Indianapolis Early Music Festival, Piffaro, Apollo’s Fire, Atlanta Baroque Orchestra, Les Délices, Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra, Seattle Baroque Orchestra, and Washington Bach Consort.

As a scholar, Allison programs, researches, and prepares repertoire for concerts, recordings, outreach ventures, and residency activities through a variety of creative outlets. She co-founded and serves as Artistic Director for Trobár, a Cleveland-based band of voices and instruments dedicated to bringing medieval music to modern audiences. Alongside a regular season in Cleveland, Trobár tours, performs residencies, issues a free monthly podcast called Trobár Talks, and looks forward to releasing its first album in 2024. With colleague Cynthia Black, Allison recorded a soon-to-be-released album of classical violin and viola duets. She also directed and performed on Fair and Princely Branches, an album of music for the Jacobean princes, released in 2020.

From 2018-2023, Allison taught at Case Western Reserve University, where she previously earned a Doctor of Musical Arts in Historical Performance Practice. During her employment at Case, she variously coached the medieval and Renaissance ensembles, directed the Baroque Orchestra, oversaw the Kulas Instrument Collection, and taught medieval performance practice.

Allison embarks upon a new chapter of her teaching career as the recently-appointed Director of the Five College Early Music Program. She will chart a vision for the program, teach academic courses, organize activities and ensembles, run the Collegium and other ensembles, offer private instrument lessons, and oversee the Arthur Loeb Early Music Instrument Collection. The Five College Consortium also fosters wonderful opportunities for interdisciplinary and inter-college collaboration that Allison looks forward to exploring further.

Faculty and Instructors

Allison Monroe, Five College Collegium, Program Director
Nona Monahin, Renaissance/Baroque Dance
Meg Pash, lute, Lute Ensemble, Dance Band, Renaissance/Baroque Dance, 17th-century Song Seminar, mixed ensembles
Alice Robbins, viola de gamba, Baroque cello, string ensembles, mixed ensembles

Courses and Ensembles

Note that if you don't see classes from all campuses currently listed, they will appear as the campuses release their course schedules for the semester. The five campuses release their schedules on different dates. Visit this page for specific dates.

Spring 2024 Early Music Courses

Subject Course # Sect # Course Title Instructor(s) Institution Meeting Times
HACU 0218 1 Music in Shakespeare's England Allison Monroe Hampshire College 02:30PM-03:50PM W;02:30PM-03:50PM F
MUSIC 143H 01 Early Music Chamber Ensemble Allison Monroe Mount Holyoke College -
MUSIC 143H 02 Early Music Chamber Ensemble Margaret Pash Mount Holyoke College -
MUSIC 143H 03 Early Music Chamber Ensemble Margaret Pash Mount Holyoke College -
MUSIC 143H 04 Early Music Chamber Ensemble Margaret Pash Mount Holyoke College -
MUSIC 143H 05 Early Music Chamber Ensemble Alice Robbins Mount Holyoke College -
MUSIC 143H 06 Early Music Chamber Ensemble Allison Monroe Mount Holyoke College -
MUSIC 143H 07 Early Music Chamber Ensemble Allison Monroe Mount Holyoke College -
MUSIC 143H 08 Early Music Chamber Ensemble Allison Monroe Mount Holyoke College -
MUSIC 147A 01 Five College Collegium Allison Monroe Mount Holyoke College T 04:30PM-06:30PM
MUSIC 147F 01 Early Mus:Ren/Baroq. Dance II Nona Monahin,Margaret Pash Mount Holyoke College TH 07:15PM-08:45PM
MUSIC 151V 01 Ind. Perform. Study: Rec/Wind Instructor To Be Announced Mount Holyoke College
MUSIC 151V 02 Ind. Perform. Study: Rec/Earl Instructor To Be Announced Mount Holyoke College
MUSIC 151W 01 Ind. Perform. Study: Ld Winds Instructor To Be Announced Mount Holyoke College
MUSIC 151X 01 Ind. Perform. Study: Lute Margaret Pash Mount Holyoke College
MUSIC 151Y 01 Ind. Perform. Study: Erly Str Alice Robbins Mount Holyoke College
MUSIC 578 01 Collegium Musicum Allison Monroe UMass Amherst TU 4:30PM 6:30PM

Five College Collegium

In Spring 2024, the Collegium will meet for the first half of the semester at UMass, Music 578-01, presenting a concert there in Bezanson Recital Hall on March 10, 7:30 pm. The second half will meet at Mount Holyoke, Music 147A, with performances of As You Like It, April 18-21.

Collegium is the flagship ensemble of the Five College EMP, combining musical forces for larger-scale works from the medieval, Renaissance, or baroque. This season (2023-24), the Collegium rotates its rehearsal location between the Five Colleges every half-semester, ensuring equal access to students at all institutions. Interested students should contact Dr. Monroe amonroe@mtholyoke.edu for more information and/or to schedule an audition.

If Collegium is meeting at your home institution in a given half semester, you may register (with instructor approval, after audition) through your college’s registration system. Otherwise, please use the Five College cross-registration system.

Early Music Chamber Ensembles

Mount Holyoke College MUSIC-143H

Chamber Ensembles provide smaller, conductorless groups for performing musics from the medieval through baroque eras. Through weekly coachings, EMP faculty help students gain musicianship and chamber-music-making skills applicable to any repertoire. Their expertise in historical repertoires and performance practices guides students towards making informed musical decisions, developing leadership skills, and becoming more confident musicians.

Offered Chamber Ensembles may vary semester to semester, depending on student interest, faculty availability, and any planned special projects or collaborations. These may include, but are not limited to:
 

Baroque Ensemble is open by audition only to experienced modern violin family string players (violin, viola, cello and bass) as well as harpsichordists familiar with figured bass. Use of baroque bows, and instruments when possible, introduce students to their unique capabilities. Covering repertoires from approx. 1600-1750 in Europe and the Americas, the ensemble familiarizes students with performance practice and playing techniques based on contemporaneous treatises. Baroque Ensemble may collaborate with other ensembles, such as Cornetts and Sackbuts, Lute Ensemble, Renaissance Voices, Viol Consort, or Wind Band. Led by Alice Robbins.

The sackbut is probably the instrument which differs the least from its modern evolved counterpart - the trombone. The cornetto, on the other hand, has no modern counterpart. Students may borrow both from the Loeb Collection. Cornetts and Sackbuts perform primarily European music circa 1550-1650. An early music specialist coaches them in historical performance practices. 

Open to beginning through advanced players of lute and guitar (any style). There are a limited number of lutes available, and guitarists will find it easy and fun to make the transition to lute while playing renaissance songs, dance music, and improvising renaissance-style over familiar chord progressions. Lute Ensemble may collaborate with other ensembles, such as Baroque Ensemble, Cornetts and Sackbuts, Renaissance Voices, Viol Consort, Violin Band, or Wind Band. Led by Meg Pash.

Medieval ensemble is open to vocalists and instrumentalists. Registration is by approval from the coach, usually pending an informal audition. Singers work on historic pronunciations in original languages, which may include Latin, French, Occitan, Italian, English, Spanish, German, and more. Because few students come into the ensemble already playing medieval instruments, most instrumentalists will borrow from the Instrument Collection. Some amount of rehearsal time will be spent learning new skills on instruments new to them. Repertoires may range from the 11th to the 15th centuries primarily from Europe, including chant, monophonic song (Latin, troubadour, trouvére, etc), instrumental music, chansons, and other types of polyphony. In preparing the ensemble, the coach may touch on issues of notation, iconography, accompanimental techniques, contemporaneous treatises, tuning, medieval music theory and pedagogy, vocal technique, and relevant cultural/societal background.

Renaissance Voices is open by audition only to students with a significant singing background, such as past or current private lessons or extensive experience in ensembles. This one-on-a-part ensemble explores vocal repertoires from Europe and the Americas circa 1400-1650, both sacred and secular, courtly and popular, and everything in between. Singers work on historic pronunciations in original languages, which may include Latin, French, Italian, English, Spanish, German, Polish, and more. In preparing the ensemble, the coach may touch on issues of notation, vocal technique, ornamentation, text, pronunciation, tuning, and relevant cultural/societal background. Renaissance Voices may collaborate with other ensembles, such as Baroque Ensemble, Cornetts and Sackbuts, Lute Ensemble, Viol Consort, Violin Band, or Wind Band.

Music as it was played for dancers in the 16th to 18th centuries, and adapted for concert music by composers from Monteverdi to Bach, from pavan and galliard to minuet, sarabande, and gigue.  Open to intermediate and advanced players of recorder, flute, violin, viola, cello, viola da gamba, lute, and guitar. Led by Meg Pash.

For advanced singers, and players of continuo instruments including lute, guitar, harpsichord, viola da gamba, and cello. 17th-century solos, duos, and trios, including English lute songs, French airs de cour, and Italian arias. Led by Meg Pash.

All levels, beginner to advanced, grouped by experience. Opportunity to study and play Renaissance Viol consort repertoire for 3-6 viols (treble, tenor, bass). Beginning classes will learn basic Viola da Gamba technique and will be able to play simple consort pieces by semester end. Instruments are available for enrolled students. Viol Consort may collaborate with other ensembles, such as Baroque Ensemble, Lute Ensemble, Renaissance Voices, Violin Band, or Wind Band. Led by Alice Robbins.

Violin Band performs one-on-a-part music for violin family instruments (violin, viola, and bass violin or cello) from primarily Europe circa 1550-1650. Repertoire may include dance music, consorts, consort songs, and appropriate vocal music. The ensemble familiarizes students with historical performance practices and playing techniques, all while using Renaissance bows. Violin Band may collaborate with other ensembles, such as Cornetts and Sackbuts, Lute Ensemble, Renaissance Voices, Viol Consort, and Wind Band.

Wind Band performs repertoires from Europe circa 1400-1650, primarily in whole consorts. That is, generally the whole ensemble plays the same type of instrument in various sizes: a consort of crumhorns, or of recorders, or of cornamuses, etc. Wind Band may collaborate with other ensembles, such as Lute Ensemble, Renaissance Voices, Cornetts and Sackbuts, Viol Consort, or Violin Band.

Early music chamber ensembles are administered through Mount Holyoke College. If you are not a Mount Holyoke student, please use the Five College cross-registration system.

Historical Dance

Sixteenth- through eighteenth-century European social dance, contemporary with the eras of Elizabeth I and Shakespeare in England, the Medicis in Italy, Louis XIV in France, and colonial America. The focus will be on learning the dances, supplemented by historical and social background, discussion of the original dance sources, and reconstruction techniques.
Crosslisted as: DANCE-127

 

Continuation of Renaissance and Baroque Dance I. Sixteenth- through eighteenth-century European social dance, contemporary with the eras of Elizabeth I and Shakespeare in England, the Medicis in Italy, Louis XIV in France, and colonial America. The focus will be on learning the dances, supplemented by historical and social background, discussion of the original dance sources, and reconstruction techniques.
Crosslisted as: DANCE-128

 

Renaissance/Baroque Dance I and II are Mount Holyoke College classes. If you are not a Mount Holyoke student, please use the Five College cross-registration system.

 

Individual Performance Study (private lessons)

Individual performance study (private lessons) is administered through Mount Holyoke College. If you are not a Mount Holyoke student, please use the Five College cross-registration system.

Some examples of instruments that may be studied privately include:

  • Recorder
  • Baroque flute/traverso
  • Lute
  • Medieval strings
  • Viola da gamba
  • Violin/viola/cello
  • Voice

Inquiries and Auditions

If you’re interested in participating in the Early Music Program, please contact program director Allison Monroe at amonroe@mtholyoke.edu, or you can email the relevant ensemble director for more information or to schedule an audition. We look forward to hearing from you!