online courses

Tuition

 

Courses on Notation, Repertoire & Performance, and History

Credit Fee
Modal Notation (Notation I) 350€
Mensural and Franconian Notation (Notation II) 350€

The Earliest Medieval Music Notations (850-1200)

 

350€

Ars nova Notation

 

350€
Melodic Ornamentation 350€
Melodic Improvisation 350€
The Cantigas of Santa Maria of Alfonso X: Context, Notation, Performance 350€
The Trouvère Chanson and its Performance 350€
The Estampies and Danses Royales of the Manuscript du Roi 350€
The Art of the Troubadour Song 350€
The Monophonic Repertoires of Medieval Paris 350€
Medieval Music History and Performance I (850-1150) 350€
Medieval Music History and Performance II (1150-1300) 350€
Medieval Music Iconography 350€
Research Techniques and Applied Musicology 460€

Voice & Instruments

Credit Fee
Medieval Singing I (Beginner): Carmina Burana – An Entry into Medieval Monophonic Song 390€
Medieval Singing II (Intermediate): Hildegard von Bingen: The Voice of Divine Inspiration 390€
Medieval Singing III (Advanced): Dit du chancelier Philippe – A Story of Notre Dame’s most Glorious Chancellor 390€
Vielle I: Basic Technique, Repertoires and Performance Practice 390€
Vielle II  (Intermediate): The Vielle in the Trouvère and Parisian Clerical Repertoires 390€
Vielle III (Advanced): The Vielle and Jerome of Moravia 390€

The Citole/Gittern I: Basic Technique and Repertoire

 

390€
Citole/Gittern/Psaltery II (Intermediate): Secular and Religious Songs and Dances 390€
Citole/Gittern/Psaltery III (Advanced): The Clerical Music Repertoire 390€
Medieval Harp I: Basic Technique and Repertoires 390€
Medieval Harp II: The Harp in 13th-Century France 390€
Medieval Harp III: The Harp and Anglo-Norman Repertoire 390€
Bagpipe/Pipe & Tabor II (Intermediate): A grant piperie – Dance Music for Wind Instruments 390€
Bagpipe/Pipe & Tabor III (Advanced): Et toute la mestrie – Expanded Repertoire and Technique for Wind Instruments 390€
Frame Drums I (Beginner): Basic Technique & Repertoires 390€
Frame Drums II (Intermediate): Rhythmic Accompaniment, Ornamentation, and Improvisation 390€
Frame Drums III (Advanced): Accompanying Dance and Women’s Song Repertoires 390€
Portative Organ I (Beginner): Discovering the Portative Organ: Basics of Playing 390€
Portative Organ II (Intermediate): Towards expressivity and flexibility 390€
Portative Organ III (Advanced): Organ Performance Practice in the Medieval Clerical Universe 390€

Enroll Now

Places are limited for each section, so sign up early.

The Medieval Music Besalú offers singers and instrumentalists the opportunity to study monophonic and polyphonic music composed between the 11th and 13th centuries.

Can I take courses for university credit without enrolling in the full specialist certificate program?

Yes, courses can be taken for credit individually without having to enroll in the full certificate program. You can transfer the credits later on should you decide to enter the full specialist certificate program.

How many credits do I have to take in the university specialist certificate program?

For the University Specialist Certificate on the Research and Performance of Medieval Music you will have to take a mixture of required (8 credits) and elective (7.5 credits) courses. Tuition is 3,900€ for the 15.5 credits.

What is the duration of the specialist program?

The certificate has to be completed within our “school year”, a nine-month period that spans between September of every year to June of the following year (example September 2022 – June 2023). For people enrolled in the program, the courses are open throughout this entire period.

Can I take courses for individual credit and then transfer them to the specialist certificate later on?

If you are not sure about enrolling in the program or you require more time, you have the option to take the courses over more than one year. However, you will have to pay the individual course credit fee (non-program). Then when you are ready to go for the specialist certificate, you will have to register in the University Specialist Certificate program. At this point you will pay the prorated program fee for the remainder of the credits you have not taken yet. (For example, if you have taken 10 credits singly, and then decide to go for the certificate, you would pay for 5.5 more credits at the discounted program rate.) Basically, any courses taken for credit through us will be transferable to the 15.5-credit specialist certificate once you enroll in the program.

Is it better to start by just taking some separate credits before joining the Specialist program?

Our recommendation is that students first take individual courses to get a taste of our program and to see the level of demand. This will also help you to figure out what is the best self-pacing for the type of work required. After you have taken some courses, then register to the Specialist program to validate your credits and earn the full degree.

After taking credits and joining the Specialist program, is there any extra work required to earn the degree?

Yes, if you are validating more than 6 credits, the university requires that you also produce some extra work. This work will be discussed between the student and the director of the program and it can be composed of research work or the creation of an essay, a full concert program proposal, or concert program notes on a specific subject.

If I have taken courses for non-credit at MMB in the past, can they be applied to the specialist certificate now?

Courses that we have offered in the past (pre-Spring 2021 only) without credit cannot be validated as credit through the University as per their rules. However, if you have already taken some required classes for non-credit, you can substitute it with another elective class as a one-time exception.

How do I pay for the University Specialist Certification Program or credit courses?

Payment for credit courses or the Specialist Certificate will be conducted directly through the University. 

Are there discounts for credit courses if I take more than one?

The tuition package for the specialist certificate already is reduced by 15% compared to if you take the 15 credits individually.

No discounts are available if you take the courses for credit individually (without being enrolled in the program.)

Can I take any course at any time?

No, only a handful of courses are available each semester. Please see the Course Schedule to see which courses are available.

Are the courses easy or difficult?

All courses are university-level courses and require a good amount of work from the student. In case of difficulty, the instructors are available to help participants resolve doubts and complete assignments.

How many single courses should I take in a term?

Due to the amount of work required, we recommend that students take only one course during their first term, and then one-three courses maximum during the following terms (four months terms).

How much knowledge of medieval music is necessary to take a MMB course?

Previous knowledge of medieval music is not necessary. What is required is to possess knowledge of modern music notation and basic music theory.

Do I need to audition to take any of the voice or musical instrument courses?

An audition recording is required to enter the medieval singing courses.
Musical instrument courses do not require audition. However, depending on the case, for these courses an audition recording might be requested in order to place you in the correct level course. 

How much work needs to be done in order to successfully complete a course and receive its credit(s)?

In order to successfully complete a course and receive the credit(s), participants must  submit all exercises and get them approved by the instructor. 

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