[Pt.V- Proj. 1] – Exercise ~ Listen to early music

Exercise ~ Listen to early music

Make an effort to listen to some early music, preferably live. There are a number of early music and Baroque ensembles (e.g. London Baroque, the Bach Players) who put on regular concerts. If you can’t get to a live concert, check the radio schedules for concerts of Baroque and Renaissance music.

Many towns and cities across the UK hold early music festivals. Some of these are superb events with a wide range of recitals, concerts, talks and workshops. Look on the internet to find out about any early music festivals in your region.

If you’re interested in early music, visit the website of the National Centre for Early Music in York http://www.ncem.co.uk where you’ll find a wealth of information and resources to follow up.

Choose a particular festival, event or concert (live or recorded) to write up in more depth. Make notes on the music, the performers, the early instruments used and your own response to some of the pieces performed. Write about 500 words.

Earlier this year I paid a visit to the Bach Museum in Leipzig and the various churches in which he worked. Looking at his manuscripts and listening to how the instruments from the era sounded was illuminating. The Bach Museum had a room where you could listen to his work performed on early instruments and you could solo and select what sections you wanted to hear. I spent a couple of hours in there and felt like I really learnt a lot from ‘building’ my own Baroque orchestra.