You’re set to play William Lawes’ ‘Harp Consorts’ with three friends. But first answer the big question: which harp are you going to use? The decision touches on cultural politics and fraught matters of historical performance.
For Lawes’ ‘Harp Consort,’ No Right Answers Read More »
Rayner Taylor, by his training and contacts, brought to the cultural landscape of the nascent United States the highest levels of musical education and stylistic perspective. Taylor composed chamber music that catered to the growing musical marketplace (sonatas, popular arrangements, songs) and also larger-scale symphonic works.
Rayner Taylor and the ‘Immigrant School’ of the Early Republic Read More »
She’s remembered for a letter the great Tartini sent her, a key document on 18th c. violin technique. But Maddalena Lombardini Sirmen was herself an inventive composer, and this is the first historical performance CD of her engaging Violin Duets Op. 5.
CD Review: You’ve Got Mail—a Forgotten Violinist Gets Her Due Read More »
After two pandemic years, the Viola da Gamba Society of America returned to an in-person Conclave, and almost 200 viol enthusiasts attended. One satisfied gambist filed an one-the-scene report.
A Happy Return at Viola da Gamba Society’s Conclave 2022 Read More »
Peter Bassano’s story goes back 500 years, when five Bassano brothers were hired by Henry VIII as court musicians. In the late 1960s, Peter joined David Munrow in London’s exploding early-music scene. He describes it as “an electric shock going through me.”
