Abstract
Mead discusses a piece from the 2025 Conclave Faculty Concert: Johannes Schultz's Passamezzo Moderno, a set of ten polychoral dance variations for double choir, first published in 1617. The work, performed by 24 viol players, showcases Schultz's skill in blending different textures--from dense eight-part writing to lighter echoed passages. Two of the variations can stand alone as quartets, and he offers them in this form for readers to play separately or together. She also explains the passamezzo moderno, a popular 16th-century Italian dance whose chord progression became a foundation for improvisation and composition--eventually evolving into the 12-bar blues. She encourages creative exploration of these variations, even suggesting recording one part and playing along with it, noting the enduring legacy of this chord sequence in classical, folk, and popular music.