8-15 August 2026 SPECIAL REPERTOIRE WEEK
Welcome to the Borgias - Spanish Influence on Rome & Souther Italy
Josquin Desprez – Juan del Enchina - Juan Cornago - Constanzo Festa
The Renaissance Workshop Summer School 2025 will take place in the historic town of Wolfenbüttel, home to Michael Praetorius and Johann Rosenmüller. Also Johann Theile, Reinhard Keiser, Johann Adolf Hasse, Carl Heinrich Graun, Wilhelm Friedemann Bach and many other great composers were linked to this most important art loving court. Today it is known for the Herzog-August-Bibliothek, one of the greatest libraries in the world. The churches were Praetorius and Rosenmüller worked and are buried still stand and the town is absolutely charming, nothing more then a short walk away.
Valencian Popes Alonso de Borja (Calixtus III) and Roderic Llancol i de Borja (Alessandro VI), uncle and nephew, held the papacy from 1445 - 1503. They brought musical innovation and new instruments to Italy (viola d'arco & vihuela) and by starting to discover the arts and ruins from antiquity they can be seen as the founders of the Renaissance in Rome.
Certainly the situation was unique, since Sicily and the Kingdom of Naples were under Aragonese rule since 1442 when the last French Angevin rulers were expelled. Calixtus was with 76 years quite old when he became Pope but maybe that was a reason for his election - the Roman cardinals wanted a 'do nothing candidate'. But he became know as a strong surporter of the Hungarians in their fight agains the Turks and for ordering a re-trial for Joan of Arc at which she was posthumously vindicated. He also appointed his Nephew Rodrigo to the highest administrative post in the Vatican for life, who became Pope himself in 1492.
Our team of teachers for the Special Repertoire Week:
Ariel Abramovich - Vihuela & Renaissance lute
Laila Salome Fischer - Voice & Renaissance guitar
Michael Dollendorf - Renaissance flutes, recorders, viols and harps
Compared to other Italian and European cities Rome was a totally run down village that nobody would have looked at, if there had not been the Vatican and the papacy. Venice, Milan, the Tuscan cities and Naples were all bigger, richer and much more important. And it was always on the edge of a civil war between the ruling families, foremost the Colonna and the Orsini.
The Catalan influence on the artistic developement can not be overestimated and it lasted much longer than the papacy of Alessandro VI. His lifelong enemy Giuliano della Rovere, who became pope after Alessandro's death, kepped Juan del Encina as the predominant composer and continued the systematic collection of antics, bringing the Vatican Museums and the re-building of St. Peter on it's way.
The Borgia's reputation was mostly ruined by fantastic stories of poison, murder, incest etc. These were invented by their Roman adversaries, often years after Rodrigo's death. Very little can be authenticated. Most likely he didn't father any children - the younger Borgias were nieces and nephews. That didn't keep producers back to make two long series for televion, which create some nice pictures but contain very little truth.
We recommend to read: G.J. Meyer - The Borgias - The hidden history.
We'll be working at 408 Hz and at 460 Hz since we have matched sets of recorders, flutes and viols at these pitches, exactely a whole step apart for easy transpositions. For the wind players we provide these consort instruments. The lute players should tune to 408 or 430 Hz and have a capo to get up to 460 Hz. Dieter Schossig can make these capos. Please measure the width of our lute neck at the second fret and place an order not later than 8 weeks before you need it. Or if you have short scale instruments you can string them up for 460.
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Registration ends on 15 June 2026 but we work on a first come first serve basis. The number of participants is limited to six per instrument. Please sign up early. It helps us a lot with the planing ...
Once we received your registration form and payment, we send you the bulk of the music, so you can prepare for up to one year.
Each class needs four participants to make it happen, the maximum number is six. This is to ensure intense work. We reserve the right to cancel the class if there aren't enough registrations. In this case the full amount will be refunded. Participants can also cancel until 15 June 2026 and get a refund. If you have to cancel thereafter, you are free to send somebody else to take your spot and replace you but we can't pay you back.
The workshop starts with a reception at 4:00 pm on Saturday 8 August at the Prinzenpalais, and some ensemble playing with everybody. There will be a guided tour through town at some point. Visits to the famous Herzog-August library and the Palace Museum should be arranged during lunch breaks. The Prinzenpalais has no weelchair access. If you have special needs, please tell us before you register and we see how we can accommodate you. Classes are 9:30 am - 1:00 pm and 2:30 - 6:00 pm. The Summer School ends 1:00 pm on Saturday 15 August.
Price: the Renaissance Workshop Summer School is € 630,- for the eight days. Active participants only. There is no such thing as 'just sitting in as a listener'.
Sign up: your are registered after we received your registration form and your money transfer.
Getting there: Wolfenbüttel is a 10 minutes train ride south of Braunschweig. If you fly into Berlin it takes about two hours to get there, from Hannover it's just an hour.
Staying there: There is a Jugendgästehaus, a Bundesakademie, many hotels, holiday apartments and a campground. Please arrange for your own housing according to your needs and budget. Jugendgästehaus is very nice and close to the Villa Seeliger and the Rosenmüller church, the Hotel Bayrischer Hof is the most central, the Park Hotel the most fancy.... your choice....