Lyra Repertoire & Technique

This course will focus on compositions for lyra as well as exercises for bow, intonation, precision, trills and ornamentation.
 
Instructor Kelly Thoma will demonstrate and analyze how these compositions are interpreted on lyra – specifically that with sympathetic strings – in terms of style, technique, ornamentation, variations and approach. The repertoire will focus on contemporary compositions written for lyra in the past 40 years, with influences from various modal traditions as well as some older and traditional compositions that demonstrate the range of possibilities on the instrument. 
 
This course is for lyra players as well as students who play other bowed instruments, as long as they are fairly comfortable on their instruments. Students will be expected to learn about one piece per each three hour class. Learning will be done primarily by ear and through imitation, however scores will be used for select compositions.
 
Repertoire will include: “Gorgona” (Stelios Petrakis), “Apohairetismos” (Lefteris Menemenlis, Izmir, 1911, Kostas Mountakis, Crete, 1974), “Erotokritos” in 5/8 (traditional Crete), “Hamsi” (Kelly Thoma), “Batum” (traditional Georgia, Turkey), and “Ilie Mou Kosmogyrefti” (Ross Daly). Additionally, it will include a collection of Syrta: “Seliniotikos Syrtos” (traditional Crete), “Rethymniotikos Syrtos” (traditional Crete), and “Antis Na Sou Katarasto” (Thanasis Skordalos).