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Course begins February 26, 2026
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Live sessions with the instructor each week from 6:00 - 8:00pm Eastern U.S. time
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All sessions are recorded so you can watch them at your convenience
Sacred Sounds: English Chant and Devotion
In this session we explore English sacred music from early chant to regional innovations. We'll study Sarum chant to see how the English church personalized continental traditions and learn how notation preserved sacred melodies, structured worship, and influenced moral and spiritual life. Lastly, we'll discover the role of music in monastic and parish settings, showing how sound educated, inspired, and sanctified communities.
Secular Song and Instrumental Music
In this session discover England’s secular and instrumental music. We examine the Robertsbridge Codex for the earliest notated keyboard pieces and explore musical instruments used in courts and villages. Learn how secular and instrumental music moved bodies, expressed emotion, and provided entertainment, revealing the power and social role of music beyond sacred spaces.
Polyphony, Innovations, and the English Manner
The final session examines English polyphony and manuscripts such as the Old Hall Manuscript. We'll learn about the Contenance angloise, England’s sweet consonances admired across Europe, and explore music for courts, civic ceremonies, and festivals, showing how English composers innovated while influencing continental styles.
Meet your Instructor
Sonja Maurer-Dass
Dr. Sonja Maurer-Dass is a Canadian musicologist and harpsichordist. She holds a PhD in Musicology from The University of Western Ontario (London, Ontario, Canada) and a master’s degree in Musicology specializing in late medieval English music from York University (Toronto, Ontario, Canada). Sonja has taught Baroque music history at McMaster University (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada) and undergraduate tutorials on different topics in musicology and music theory at The University of Western Ontario. Her work has been published in the Medieval Magazine, Ancient History Magazine, Ceræ: An Australasian Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies, and Medievalists.net