WHAT'S ON AT MMITD 2025: 12-14 SEPTEMBER AT BOLTON CASTLE

〰️

WHAT'S ON AT MMITD 2025: 12-14 SEPTEMBER AT BOLTON CASTLE 〰️

Read on to find out about the CONCERTS, WORKSHOPS, TALKS, 1-2-1s, and anything else happening at MMitD 2024. You can click on the links to go to different sections.

NB: Everything on this page is included in the Festival Pass except for the Friday and Saturday Evening Concerts, Sunday Evening Party and the 1-2-1 Tuition; some workshops may also have charges for materials.
All timings remain subject to change.

This Year’s Concerts In St Oswald’s Church

Ma Vielle
Juliette Primrose, Alejandro Hernández, David Yardley
Friday 12th September, 1pm

A double vielle treat with two superb specialists: Juliette Primrose and Alejandro Hernández, plus the gorgeous voice of David Yardley. This programme especially celebrates the ‘fiddling monks’ of the. middle ages with music from Gautier de Coincy and Peter Abelard, as well as anonymous Latin songs and rondeli.

Tradition and Treason:
Imagining an aural tradition around medieval instrumental dance
Peppe Frana & Alessandro De Carolis
Friday 12th September, 3pm

The contemporary point of view tends to set a clear distinction between so-called art and folk music, ascribing to the first category the entire corpus of Western classical music and to the second almost all the musical experiences of cultures from abroad. The reality is a bit different: a constantĆdialectic between the artistic expressions of dominant and subordinate cultures, animated by a continuous and mutual appropriation of melodic materials, idioms and models. This concert explores. this dialectic with a focus on the dance music of the medieval period. .

Guts & Wire
Baptiste Chopin & Olivier Feraud
Saturday 13th September 1pm

Explore the sound of medieval strings on an amazing range of instruments:
psaltery, qanun, clavisimbalum, crwth, gittern, lute, rebab, fiddle…

This concert is all about the instruments and their sound and will focus principally on 14th-century repertoire.

Floyting All The Day
Fontanella Recorder Quartet
Rebecca Austen-Brown, Louise Bradbury, Sarah Humphrys, Annabel Knight
Saturday 13th September, 3pm

When Chaucer described his youthful Squire:

Syngynge he was, or floytynge, al the day,
He was as fressh as is the monthe of May

he painted the picture of a horseman, well versed in fashionable courtly skills, music being one of them.
The references to love and springtime were common themes in song of the medieval period.

Fontanella explore the world of the 14th and 15th century motet, rondeaux and mass by Machaut, Ciconia,
Dufay amongst others. This intricate vocal music, and the common practice of accompanying singers and
the instrumentalising of vocal music, would eventually provide the route for the recorder to become a
consort instrument in the Renaissance.

Tesoros sonoros del medioevo
Ensemble Vetera: María de Mingo (cítole) and Cristina Alís Raurich (portative organ)
Sunday 14th September, 1pm

Maris and Cristina will take you on a journey into instrumental music of the 13th and 14th centuries.
The portative organ and the citole were very popular instruments at this time.
When combined, they complement each other with very different timbres: one maintaining
colourful note sounds while the other adds rhythmic character and energy with the movements
of the plectrum. It’s a game of two that leads us to the beautiful and unknown.

This Year’s Chamber Concerts

  • Trouvere: 20 Instruments in 20 Minutes!

    Queen Mary’s Chamber, Friday 5pm

  • Jacob Heringman: Late Medieval Lute Music

    Queen Mary’s Chamber, Friday 5pm

  • Jerome McGuinness: The Vielle

    Queen Mary’s Chamber, Saturday 5pm

  • Paul Martin: Bagpipes & More

    Queen Mary’s Chamber, Saturday 5pm

  • REALLY IMPORTANT… Please note the applicable level for any given workshop. If it is marked INT/ADV that’s it will operate at a minimum intermediate standard and pace, and beginners will not find it suitable. If it is marked BEG then intermediate or advanced players will find it too basic. Don’t push your luck either way!

  • If you have a particular workshop you really must attend, book early - they can sell out.

  • Most workshops are 75 minutes. Festival choir rehearsals and beginner session are 60 minutes. The Harp Masterclass is variable depending on the number of participants.

Workshops

Instrumental Workshops

  • Recorder Workshop

    Friday 9am
    Play medieval rounds (En La Maison Dedalus, rounds from the Las Helgas ms, Talent m’es pris) with Rebecca Austen-Brown and Sarah Humphrys from Fontanella
    INT/ADV

  • Gittern and Medieval Lute

    Saturday 9am
    Plectrum technique for gittern and lute: overview of different techniques and the role of plucked instruments in medieval and late-medieval repertoires. With Peppe Frana.
    INT/ADV

  • Frame Drums

    Saturday 3pm
    Frame drums played with the hand are a feature in medieval iconography and in contemporary folk traditions. Get stuck into some techniques, with Marco Cannavo.
    ALL LEVELS

  • Medieval Wind Instruments

    Saturday 9am
    Creative insights into the technique of medieval wind instruments exploring the relationship between written repertoire and oral tradition.
    A seminar with
    Alessandro de Carolis

  • Medieval Harp

    Saturday 10.30am
    The ever popular Bill Taylor leads this beginner workshop on Medieval Song Tunes for Gut-strung Harps
    BEG

  • The Psaltery

    Sunday 9

    am
    An illustrated presentation and practical workshop on the psaltery, led by Baptiste Chopin
    ALL LEVELS

  • Beginner Shawm

    Friday 4pm
    Let Lizzie Gutteridge introduce you to the gentle art of shawm-blowing! Instruments supplied.
    BEG

  • Beginner Bagpipes

    Sunday 2.30pm
    Start your bagpipe journey with Paul Leigh - bagpipes supplied by The Bagpipe Society.
    BEG

  • Harp Masterclass

    Saturday 4-6pm
    Prepare a piece for feedback from Leah Stuttard. 30 minutes per participant, observers welcome.
    ADV

  • Jaw Harp

    Sunday 9am
    The jaw harp was undoubtedly more common than iconography suggests. With Paul Martin.
    ALL LEVELS

  • Festival Big Band

    Friday and Saturday 10.30am with option to rehearse Sunday 9am
    Work on ensemble pieces with Jude Reed for performance on Sunday. All instruments welcome. INT/ADV

Vocal And Other Workshops

  • Festival Choir One with Richard de Winter

    Friday, Saturday, Sunday 9.30am
    This iteration of the Festival Choir looks at the voice as an instrument. Forget all those pesky words and explore with the most fundamental instrument of medieval times… Attend all 3 sessions if possible, to be ready for the Sunday performance.

  • Festival Choir Two with Leah Stuttard

    Friday, Saturday and Sunday 11am
    Our second choir this year looks at songs about instruments, including In Seculum Viellatoris and Campanis cum cymbalis.
    You should attend all three sessions if possible, to be ready for the performance on Sunday

  • Dance Tunes Without Choreography

    Saturday 9am
    We have surviving instrumental dance music from the 12th-14th centuries but no choreographies. How best to construct plausible medieval dances for these tunes? A workshop with Gaita for dancers and musicians.
    BEG

  • Instrumentation and Dances

    Sunday 10.30am
    Following a suggestion in Ambrosio’s dance treatise, this workshop explores how instrumental choices might affect interpretation of the dance and musical arrangement. A workshop with Gaita for musicians and dancers
    INT/ADV

  • Make a Whistle

    Friday and Saturday 9am
    An opportunity to make a working whistle in plastic, with Terry Mann.
    NB you should make sure you can attend both workshops, to give plenty of time to complete your instrument (or make two!)

  • Reed Adjustment

    Sunday. 10.30am
    Scraping, adjusting, binding…
    Reed adjustment is an essential skill for double-reed players.
    Learn more in this practical workshop with reed maker and player Lizzie Gutteridge.

  • Self-Accompaniment

    Friday 10.30am
    harp player and singer David Yardley leads this workshop on accompanying oneself.
    Definitely one for the multi-taskers amongst us!
    INT/ADV

  • Medieval Mayhem!

    Saturday & Sunday 2pm
    Who knows what will happen? Music, dance, drama, anything is possible but it will definitely be fun.
    Suitable for all ages,
    with the inimitable Jude Reed
    ALL LEVELS

Talks

We have outdone ourselves this year with a packed programme of talks in the Great Chamber, with a huge wealth of information on medieval instruments on show over the weekend. Most talks are accompanied by visuals, or musical demonstrations, or even both, and are all included in the Festival Pass. Make yourselves comfortable! Talks are generally 45 minutes long and allow for a bit of discussion at the end.
Please note - a few talks remain to be listed here once content is finalised.

  • Philippe Bolton: Recorder Iconography

    Friday 12 noon
    Master recorder maker Philippe Bolton has intensively researched the iconography of the medieval recorder and shares his insights in this talk along with some amazing images!

  • Steve Tyler: Hurdy Gurdy History

    Friday 1pm
    Steve Tyler gives a musically illustrated tour of the development of the wheeled fiddle, from the organistrum to the present day. With Marco Cannavo, and a whole range of gorgeous instruments.

  • Nicholas Konradsen: Recreating The Organistrum

    Friday 2pm
    Nicholas Konradsen is the featured maker at this year’s festival, and has experimented with many medieval forms. Here he explores his recreation an organistrum.

  • Leah Stuttard: The Liber Saporecti

    Friday 4pm,
    Leah Stuttard discusses the Liber Saporecti of Simone de Prodenzani - a fascinating late medieval account of Christmas entertainment in which several instruments play named trecento songs.

  • Juliette Primrose: Vielle Treatises

    Friday 6pm
    In this illustrated talk, vielle player and researcher Juliette Primrose discusses what medieval treatises can tell us about vielle set-up and technique.
    Essential stuff for bow players!

  • Gill Page: Medieval Bells

    Saturday 12 noon
    Gill Page illustrates the history of bells, the most commonly illustrated percussion instrument in medieval iconography. And Paul Leigh of Trouvere accompanies. with some pleasing dings…

  • George Stevens: String Practicalities

    Saturday 3pm

    Essential listening for string players.
    Luthier George Stevens focuses on practical issues of setting up your instrument and troubleshooting any problems that may arise.

  • Eric Moulder: The Bolton Estate Shawm

    Sunday 1pm.
    Metamorphosis: From the tree to the instrument
    The mysteries of woods, with an emphasis on the instruments made from local Bolton Estate wood.

  • Nicholas Konradsen: Searching for the Sound

    Saturday 1pm
    In this illustrated talk, this year’s featured maker Nicholas Konradsen (what has he not made???) explores his approach to recreating historical instruments.

  • Amy Keller: Medieval Brass

    Saturday 2pm,

    New Cambridge Wait Amy Keller presents some of her researchon recreating historical brass. Amy has a very practical research approach - she has already made a trumpet!

  • Cristina Alis Raurich: The Organetto

    Friday 3pm
    This illustrated presentation by Cristina Alis Raurich will focus on her globally unique (!) reconstruction of a 13th century model of portative organ, and the organetto in general.

  • Oliver Feraud: Sound of Stones & Pictures

    Saturday 4pm
    Oliver Feraud discusses his archeomusicological approach to recreating medieval instruments focusing on historical context and organological modifications .

  • Baptiste Chopin & Olivier Feraud: The Monochord

    Sunday 12 noon
    Baptiste Chopin and Olivier Feraud present research on the monochord and medieval intonations - a project of the Lyon Conservatoire of Music & Dance

  • Lucille Brain - The Tromba Marina

    Saturday 3pm
    Lucille Brain gives a short illustrated talk on the Tromba Marina followed by a short performance. This is a fascinating instrument - called a trumpet, but stringed! No doubt Lucille will explain…

  • Lawrence Dodd: The Medieval Lute

    Sunday 2pm

    In this illustrated talk, Luthier Lawrence Dodd talks about medieval lutes and their construction.
    What sets them apart from
    later lutes?

1-2-1 Tuition

  • Recorder

    Recorder tuition this year is available from Rebecca Austen-Brown
    All levels

  • Voice

    Vocal tuition is available this year from Richard de Winter.
    All levels

  • Shawm

    Shawm tuition this year from Jude Rees or Lizzie Gutteridge
    All levels

  • Hurdy Gurdy

    Hurdy gurdy tuition is available this year from Steve Tyler.
    All levels

  • Harp

    Harp tuition is available this year from Bill Taylor. Beginner/
    intermediate

  • Medieval Flute

    Transverse flute tuition this year from Alessandro de Carolis. Int/Advanced

  • Medieval Bagpipes

    Bagpipes tuition available this year from Jude Rees or Jim Parr.
    All levels

  • Whistle OR Drum

    Whistle tuition this year from Terry Mann, also drums (frame, side etc)
    All levels

  • Vielle

    Vielle tuition at all levels available this year from Juliette Primrose.
    All levels

  • Gittern / Medieval Lute

    Gittern & lute tuition this year from Peppe Frana. Int/Advanced

  • Portative Organ

    Organetto tuition available this year from Cristina Alis Raurich.
    All levels

  • Psaltery

    Psaltery tuition at all levels from Baptiste Chopin

Instrument Makers

The Castle Stages

The Castle Stages are our venues for informal performances throughout the festival. Everyone is welcome on the Castle Stages - the only rules are

  • you must play all and only music from before the year 1500, and

  • you must register in advance.

Usually we have more than twenty different bands and individuals making their music on the Castle Stages, and if you’d like to join the roster, get in touch - we will be contacting all interested performers in April.

Everything Else!

Sessions

There’s so many opportunities for informal music-making at MMitD. Every evening starts with a led session from either Jude Rees or Terry Mann - just a great opportunity to get some tunes under your belt in a big friendly group. Then the session divides into louder instruments in The Whole Gamut Tavern and quieter instruments in the Castle Hearth - listen, jam along, lead a tune or two - everyone welcome!

Finale

Sunday afternoon sees the official Finale of Medieval Music in the Dales - a chance to

  • enjoy some of the things people have been up to over the weekend,

  • see if you’ve won anything in the (startlingly impressive) Festival Raffle,

  • be part of the Big Group Photo.

Last Night Party

… and then it’s time to get ready for the Sunday NIght Party in the Great Chamber and Solar. Candlelight, roaring fire, dancing, loads of music, bar - this is a medieval party like no other.

It’s become traditional to have a (strictly non-compulsory) fancy dress theme; the theme this year is of course INSTRUMENTS!

Admission is £8 (£4 to Friends and Participants) and places are limited, so be sure to book your place as soon as you can if you are planning to be around on Sunday night.