EarlyMusicNews.Org

"Orpheon wishes to open your eyes and ears to the marvelous world of string instruments of the Renaissance, the Baroque and the Classical Periods. The collection now contains over 170 instruments (viola da gamba, viola d'amore, violin, viola, violoncello, violone, baryton) and historical bows dating mostly from 1560 to 1780, all restored to their original playing conditions and placed at the disposal of members of the Orpheon Orchestra, Orpheon Consort, and professional musicians and university students from all over Europe for concerts, recordings, contests and study purposes. Its owner, Prof. José Vázquez of the University for Music and the Performing Arts Vienna holds that it is the living acoustical heritage - the sounds that these instruments produce for those living today - that interests us, and not their mere decorative flair as objets trouvés from aristocratic residences of our distant past. We wish to hear what these instruments have to say and we wish to learn from them about the manner of performance of their musical heritage from the Renaissance, the Baroque and the Classical Periods. "

Associated Sites:
Facebook: Orpheon Foundation Facebook

Tags: France-Orpheon

Added on: Apr 13, 2008 | Hits: 533

"Traquair House Scotland's Oldest Inhabited House 1107 - 2008 Dating back to 1107 it was originally a hunting lodge for the kings and queens of Scotland. Later a refuge for Catholic priests in times of terror the Stuart's of Traquair supported Mary Queen of Scots and the Jacobite cause without counting the cost. Today Traquair is a truly unique piece of living history welcoming visitors from all over the world, providing a magical and romantic setting for weddings, a stunning and inspiring venue for corporate groups and hosting a wide range of exciting tours and events throughout the year for all to enjoy. You can even stay here in our luxurious Bed & Breakfast accommodation. " There is an original Andreas Ruckers harpsichord (1651) located in the house -- Follow the following links on the site to view the instrument ... "What to see and do" --> "Tour of the House" (ed.)

Added on: Mar 02, 2008 | Hits: 397

"Home to the famous Jean de Boizard organ (1714) the Saint-Michel abbey has welcomed for the last several years, the most sought after artists of ancient music. The music coproduced by radio France MUSIQUE with the choreographic collection called TEMPERAMENTS, confirms the baroque destiny of the abbey in harmony with the site. The ancient and baroque music festival The festival has its roots in the restoration of the prestigious historical organ (1714) of the abbey church and the artistic activity that followed as a result since1984. The festival was started in 1987 with the important decision by Radio France and the Conseil General of the Aisne departement : Every Whit Monday the train of FRANCE MUSIQUE radio would, for a whole day of music, take several hundred Parisian music lovers to attend two concerts transmitted live on radio. " See website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 24, 2008 | Hits: 488

"The Colonial Music Institute conducts and promotes research and educational outreach in the fields of early American music and dance. Through its website the Institute offers information and resource materials for students and fellow scholars, as well as helpful publications and on-line databases for researchers and teachers. CMI’s mission features primary research enlightened by interdisciplinary scholarship, disseminated through scholarly writing, authentic performances, and sound recordings made to the highest standards.  … Our performers are David and Ginger Hildebrand"

Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 10, 2008 | Hits: 431

"This private collection, in Bristol, U.K., has grown in importance to be now one of the most significant in the British Isles. Nine of its early pianos are also on public display at the York Gate Collections in the Royal Academy of Music, London, where they are on permanent loan. Kenneth Mobbs, formerly Senior Lecturer in Music at the University of Bristol, U.K., has recently also retired from professional keyboard recital activity. He is now issuing CDs of recordings of himself playing on instruments in his collection, and of other recitals by him playing on modern piano and organ. Mary Mobbs, his wife, keen amateur musician and formerly professional harpsichord soundboard painter, has issued Letter Cards using photographs of some of the instruments she has decorated." See website for more info. (ed.)

Added on: Feb 02, 2008 | Hits: 470

"Hatchlands, a property of the National Trust, stands in a handsome, wooded park, landscaped by Humphrey Repton, and is just 23 miles from London. Splendid rooms designed c. 1758 by Robert Adam are furnished with the Cobbe Collection of Old Master paintings and composer instruments.

Alec Cobbe formed the collection of some 50 historic keyboard instruments during the last forty years, his purpose being to assemble instruments by makers who were highly regarded or patronised by composers. Eighteen of the instruments were actually owned or played by some of the greatest creators of classical music, such as Henry Purcell, Johann Christian Bach, Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Fryderik Chopin, Franz Liszt, Georges Bizet, Gustav Mahler and Edward Elgar - the largest group of such composer-related instruments to be seen in one place anywhere in the world.

The instruments are maintained in playing condition and are used for concerts. In 1997 they were given to the Cobbe Collection Trust, a charity which aims to enable musicians and audiences to hear music sounding as nearly as possible to what the composers themselves would have heard."

Added on: Feb 02, 2008 | Hits: 554

"Handsome 17th-century merchant's house with walled garden

• 'London's most enchanting country house' (Country Life)
• Exquisite 17th-century estate in the heart of Hampstead village
• Delightful walled garden with 300-year-old apple orchard
• Fine collection of European, Oriental and English porcelain
• Important collection of early keyboard instruments
• Rare examples of William and Mary needlework pictures

Added on: Feb 02, 2008 | Hits: 389

"The Claremont Colleges Digital Library (CCDL) was established in 2004/05 by the Academic Deans of The Claremont Colleges upon their approval of recommendations from cross-colleges Task Force. The CCDL is managed by the Library/Information Technology Unit of the Libraries of The Claremont Colleges. It draws upon the expertise and skills of the staff in that unit and benefits from the technology infrastructure and staff already in place and supporting the digital resources managed by the Libraries staff. Additional support and oversight is provided by an Advisory Committee comprised of faculty and staff from across The Claremont Colleges." ... (You will find some early music materials in this collection. ed.)

Added on: Jan 09, 2008 | Hits: 332

"REED is an international scholarly project that is establishing for the first time the broad context from which the great drama of Shakespeare and his contemporaries grew. REED examines the historical MSS that provide external evidence of drama, secular music, and other communal entertainment and ceremony from the Middle Ages until 1642, when the Puritans closed the London theatres. Although the project is based at Victoria University in the University of Toronto (an institution renowned for its scholarship in medieval and early modern culture), REED's internal governance is provided by an Executive Board of senior scholars in early drama and related fields. Its advisors and collections editors are drawn from Canada, the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. " ...

Added on: Aug 17, 2007 | Hits: 536

The Raymond Russell Collection of Early Keyboard Instruments was assembled by Raymond Russell (1922-1964) and donated to the University by his mother, Mrs Gilbert Russell, in 1964 after his death. The University has since added further early keyboard instruments. ...

Added on: Jun 22, 2005 | Hits: 378

The purpose of the Frederick Piano Collection is to give musicians and music lovers a chance to hear works by major piano composers, played on pianos such as those the composers knew, and for which their music was conceived. The Collection includes only grand pianos, by important makers whose instruments were highly regarded in their day, acquired in basically good condition, with most of their original materials intact (especially soundboards). It aims to match each instrument to a specific composer or generation of composers known to have used or preferred that make and vintage of piano. The period of pianos in the Collection extends from about 1790 to 1907, representing music from Haydn and Beethoven through the French Impressionists. ...

Added on: Jun 22, 2005 | Hits: 547

Edinburgh University Collection of Historic Musical Instruments (Edinburgh, UK)

Added on: Jun 22, 2005 | Hits: 443

CIMCIM is the acronym for Comité International des Museés et Collections d'Instruments de Musique (International Committee of Musical Instrument Museums and Collections) CIMCIM is one of 25 international committees of ICOM, the International Council of Museums, and was established in 1960. CIMCIM aims to promote high professional standards in the use and conservation of musical instruments in museums and collections. CIMCIM meets every three years during the ICOM General Conferences and in each of the other two years organizes a special meeting, usually including symposium papers and museum visits. Meetings are held in different countries of the world: recent venues have included Austria/Slovakia/Hungary, Norway, U.K., Belgium, Canada, Japan, U.S.A., Netherlands, Germany and Argentina. ...

Added on: Jun 22, 2005 | Hits: 478

Founded in 1973 on the campus of The University of South Dakota in Vermillion, the National Music Museum & Center for Study of the History of Musical Instruments is one of the great institutions of its kind in the world. Its renowned collections, which include more than 10,000 American, European, and non-Western instruments from virtually all cultures and historical periods, are the most inclusive anywhere. ...

Added on: Jun 22, 2005 | Hits: 414