Make Music Day with Ars Lyrica Houston

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Make Music Day is an annual celebration that occurs each June 21, when people in more than 1,000 cities around the world make music together on the summer solstice. In 1982, Jack Lang and the staff of France’s Ministry of Culture created a new kind of musical holiday they called Fête de la Musique, which means both “festival of music” and “make music”! They imagined a day where free, live music would be everywhere: street corners, parks, rooftops, gardens, storefronts, and mountaintops. Today, Make Music Day has become an international phenomenon, with millions of musicians of all styles, all ages, and all skill levels reimagining their cities as stages, and using music to spread joy to their communities. And Make Music Day is spreading quickly in the United States.

Celebrate Make Music Day with Ars Lyrica with a virtual concert of music for theorbo with Michael Leopold. What is a theorbo? It’s like a guitar with its neck stretched out! The theorbo is a member of the lute family and was developed in the 1580’s as an accompaniment instrument. Builders and musicians wanted an instrument with a wider range than the lute: the theorbo has eight bass strings on its extended peg box as well as treble strings on the fingerboard.

French Music Meets Theorbo with Michael Leopold
Broadcast premiere: 5 pm on Facebook and YouTube

Join Ars Lyrica musician Michael Leopold for a special segment exploring the theorbo and its solo music from France. He discusses how and why the theorbo came into existence at the end of the 16th century and what makes it such a unique member of the lute family. The theorbo was widely used in France in the 17th century, mainly as an accompaniment instrument, but there was also a trove of rich and beautiful solo music written for theorbo. Michael Leopold guides audiences in a deep dive into the culture and history of France and connects them with the repertoire of French early music for theorbo.

French Music Meets Theorbo premieres on Facebook and YouTube at 5 pm tonight. You can watch right here, or if you want to leave a comment, you can watch on Ars Lyrica’s Facebook or YouTube channel.