2012 John Prescott Lectures

July 30-August 3, 2012

"Baroque and Beyond: the Music of Telemann and his Successors"

John Prescott

John Prescott, Ph.D., who gives pre-concert music lectures, workshops, discussions, and seminars on classical music, will present a five day course (9:30-noon) on "Baroque and Beyond: the Music of Telemann and his Successors" in conjunction with the SFEMS Music Discovery Workshop held in Berkeley at the Crowden Center for Music in the Community. All interested adults are welcome.

Georg Philip Telemann stands at the gateway between the Baroque and Classical eras. This course will explore many of the treasures of this highly prolific and inventive composer and how he influenced the following generations leading up to Haydn and Mozart.

While his contemporary J.S. Bach perfected the older baroque forms and musical vocabulary, Telemann helped lay the groundwork for the generation of composers who would usher in the era of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. In this course, we will enjoy many of the gems of this incredibly prolific and inventive composer. Along the way, we will discuss the social and cultural milieu of mid-eighteenth century Germany particularly the vital cosmopolitan center of Hamburg where Telemann flourished. We will also discuss the important changes in musical style in which Telemann participated and which he helped bring about. Then we will turn to a discussion of the composers who followed in his footsteps, most notably his Godson C.P.E. Bach. Finally we will examine how the legacy of Telemann and his contemporaries flowered in the music of the classical era first with Haydn and then Mozart.

No previous musical experience is necessary. Come listen, learn, and join the adventure. Students may register for all five days or individually by day. As with prior years, the profits from John’s course will be used by SFEMS to help subsidize the Music Discovery Workshop for children.

Daily Schedule

July 30. A Musical Banquet: Telemann's sumptuous instrumental music.
July 31. Telemann master of the cantata: a final flowering of Baroque sacred music.
August 1. Tears and laughter: the many worlds of Telemann's secular vocal music.
August 2. Towards the classical style: Telemann's influence on C.P.E. Bach and his contemporaries.
August 3. The classical flowering: Haydn and Mozart as Telemann's heirs.

About John Prescott

JOHN PRESCOTT received his M.A. and Ph.D. in musicology from U. C. Berkeley. Prior to this, he received his B.A. magna cum laude in Music and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa from Carleton College (MN). He has been the recipient of a number of academic honors, including the British Marshall Scholarship for two years of study at St. John’s College in Cambridge, England. He also studied at Oxford University’s Worcester College. Dr. Prescott has written extensively on the music of Handel. He wrote his Doctoral dissertation on John Stanley, the 18th-century blind organist, conductor, violinist and impresario.

Dr. Prescott has taught music courses at U.C. Berkeley and music theory at The Crowden School (Berkeley, CA), and was the musicologist for the San Francisco Elderhostel Arts and Humanities Program.

Details

Dates: July 30 - August 3
Time: 9:30-Noon, M-F
Place: Crowden Center for Music in the Community, 1475 Rose Street at Sacramento, Berkeley
Fees: $20 per day, or $85 ($80 for SFEMS members) for the full week

This information is all on the brochure.
To register, download and print the registration form, fill it in, and send it in as instructed.

Contact Us

Please direct all questions to Suzanne Siebert 510/843-2425, or dschweter@comcast.net.

We hope to see you this summer!

Last updated 04/07/2012.