Seasons > 2010-11 Season > Concerts >

Stylus fantasticus

Thursday May 19, 2011, 8:00 pm

With William Dongois, cornetto — Italian and Austrian music from the 17th century

Athanasius Kircher, the author, inventor, and genuine universal spirit, described the Stylus Fantasticus (Fantastic Style) in his 1650 book Musurgia universalis as follows: “The fantastic style is particularly suitable for instruments. It is the freest of all the compositional styles. This way of writing music is unconstrained, linked neither to words, nor to a particular melodic subject. This style was invented to show off genius, and to teach the hidden secrets of harmony and musical composition.”

As the last concert of our 15 season, we present a varied and colorful program of 17th-centruy Italian and Austrian chamber music, which will feature improvisation in the fantastic style. All aspects, written or unwritten, of virtuosity will be explored. To the ensemble’s usual line-up of instruments will be added the cornetto. This instrument, whose sensual sound is rarely heard in these parts, will be played by our long-time collaborator, the French cornettist William Dongois.