EarlyMusicNews.Org

“St. Paul, Minn. — The five 'summiteers' have been studying with and teaching one another for 20 years or so. They get along pretty well in spite of having worked all over the globe and developed some very specific ideas on how the lute is to be played best.

“Mark Brown talks to Geoff Smith, whose reinvention of the piano allows players to alter the tuning of notes either before or during a performance Link to this video

For a non-pianist, the idea of a microtonally fluid piano might seem either no big deal or baffling. But this weekend a composer will reveal the result of a 10-year mission – nothing less than the reinvention of one of the most important instruments in western music.

“The building of keyboard instruments began over 300 years ago. The development started with the organ and the Harpsichord, continued through the pianoforte, and reached its high point with what today is known as the modern grand piano - which remains until now virtually unchanged. (The Golden Years of grand piano construction were between 1825 and 1925).
  

39th Annual
AMIS Meeting
Library of Congress
Washington, DC
May 26 to 29, 2010

“The Library of Congress will host the 39th annual meeting of the American Musical Instrument Society from May 26 to May 29, 2010.

“As the UK’s academy of sciences and the world’s oldest science academy, we want people all over the UK to join with us in celebrating 350 years of scientific achievement and endeavour.

An article on “The Influence of Leather in the Fortepiano Evolution in the XVIII and XIX Centuries” by Gustavo Adrián DEFEO F.S.L.T.C.

The Fortepiano origin
I can imagine most of the presents will have many questions on my presentation: First of all
what is the relation between Leather and the Fortepiano? Why here in the Palazzo della
Signoria? Let’s look back three centuries ago in this same room, during the baroque period, the times of the Great Prince Ferdinando de Medici.

Observations on the Development of Wood Screws in North America by Christopher White, Mellon Fellow, Furniture and Frame Conservation Lab, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Currently: Project Conservator Arizona State Museum

“The following is the result of research conducted between September 2004 and August 2005 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Physical characteristics of a series of wood screws from the museum’s collection of 18th and 19th-century American furniture are summarized and their characteristics related to curatorial-assigned dates of fabrication and to a chronology of screw manufacturing techniques.

“Through the generosity of Jack Schuman of Phoenix, Oregon and Dorinda Schuman of Sun City West, Arizona, residents of southern Oregon, visitors to the region and students and faculty at SOU will soon have access to the Schuman Collection of Musical Instruments, one of the world's largest and most unique private collections of musical instruments, which will be housed in the Music Building on the SOU campus.

“by Greg Benson '11  | November 5, 2009

When Music Professor Ruth Griffioen suggested to Evan Callaway ‘12 that he spend his scholarship money building a six-foot-tall instrument that lost popularity after the 17th Century she was joking. However, the computer science major and music minor said he "took it more as a challenge than as a joke."

“Live music blended with astronomy?

Not usually, but a great fit Sunday afternoon at the Registry Theatre when Nota Bene Period Orchestra (local Baroque music ensemble under the leadership of Borys Medicky) and the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (Kitchener-Waterloo chapter) teamed up to present a most unusual performance — part concert, part lecture, part visual display.

“Real Chopin: The Complete Works of Fryderyk Chopin on historical instruments is a project realised on historical instruments from Chopin's times: pianos by Erard (Paris, 1849) and Pleyel (Paris, 1848). 

“In 1845, Abel Siccama submitted a patent illustrating 4 different flutes.  One of them was the flute with which his name is now linked, although he at first called it the  Diatonic.  Thousands of these have been made by Siccama and other makers, assuring him of a permanent place in flute history. 

While unclear if period organs do exist in the collection at the newly formed Chinese Museum, the existence of such an institution may prove interesting to our readership. 

“ XIAMEN, Fujian Province -- Two giant pipe organs have made the journey of thousands of miles from an English church and an American city to a small Chinese island, where locals can now enjoy "the sound of heaven". 

“Oct. 12 (Bloomberg) -- A flute that once belonged to Frederick the Great was played in concert for the first time in 250 years last Saturday.

An interesting article on Peter Sykes (Cambridge, MA, USA) and his instrument collection published in the Boston Globe.

Follow this link to view the article: Peter Sykes (Boston Globe)

“New York City -- The fifth biennial Baroque Flute Artist Competition is for outstanding performers on baroque flute/traverso. Six semifinalists will be selected on the basis of their recorded preliminary auditions to compete at the convention.

“A conference of special interest to organists, harpsichordists and fortepianists will be held September 19-20, 2009, in Tacoma, WA.  It is sponsored by the Western Early Keyboard Association (WEKA) in association with Christ Episcopal Church and Pacific Lutheran University. 

The year 2009 is the occasion to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Josef Haydn’s death. We know his clavichord, an instrument by Johann Bohak (Vienna, 1794), now in the Museum of the Royal College of Music in London. As Haydn’s relation with our instrument has not been put much in evidence until now, we will take the opportunity of this Symposium to further our knowledge on the interpretation of his works on the most expressive of the keyboard
instruments.

The eighteenth century was also a period in which the trend towards louder sonority saw the progressive growth of the fortepiano, after its invention by Bartolomeo Cristofori. This genial inventor took the harpsichord as a starting point; some decades later, the German instrument builders followed the same path, but starting from the clavichord, and invented the square piano. Fifty years ago, the growing interest for the ancient fortepiano was directed almost exclusively towards the grand fortepiano, considering the square piano as a “second class” instrument, similar to our modern upright piano. The second aim of this meeting is to deepen this theme and to give back to the square piano its rightful place in the history of the musical instruments, a place demonstrated by its rich iconography.

As usual, our central topics will not be our unique field of activity, and we will also dedicate time to other themes.

It is our great pleasure to welcome so many of you this time and to wish you a pleasant and fruitful sojourn in Magnano.

Laura Tivendale, aged 26, has won First Prize in the 9^th Broadwood Harpsichord Competition, held at The National Trust’s Fenton House, London, on 11^th and 12^th May, using instruments from the historic Benton Fletcher Collection of Early Keyboard Instruments. For the Competition, Laura, a recent graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, played three instruments in the collection: the 1664 Hatley virginals, the 1600 Vincentius virginals and the 1761 Shudi harpsichord. Her prize includes the final gala recital in the 2009 Concert Series at Fenton House, on Thursday 13^th August, when she will play the large and elaborate Shudi & Broadwood Harpsichord (1770) and one of the smaller instruments in the Collection. Additionally, she will be offered engagements at the Cobbe Collection at Hatchlands (Surrey), at Finchcocks (Kent) and at the Russell Collection (Edinburgh) in 2010.

“Gustav Leonhardt, the renowned harpsichord player, organist and conductor, has been awarded the Medal of Honour for the Arts and Sciences. Queen Beatrix gave him the medal during a ceremony at her private residence, Huis ten Bosch, in The Hague. Mr Leonhardt, 80, teaches the harpsichord at the Amsterdam Conservatory and is the organist of the capital's main church, the Nieuwe Kerk.“

Visit website for more information. (ed.):   Royal award for musician Gustav Leonhardt

“

The International Baroque Institute at Longy offers a comprehensive program for professional and pre-professional singers and players of Baroque violin, cello, recorder, traverso, oboe, viola da gamba, harp, lute and harpsichord, taught by an unparalleled international faculty. Other instrumentalists or continuo players are welcome to participate in chamber ensembles or the institute orchestra. The seminar features eight full days of master classes, ensembles, orchestra sessions, continuo coaching, concerts, lectures and projects, and opportunity for public performances. To provide the highest level learning experience, we select our faculty from among the finest performers and teachers in the field of Baroque music.

The Venice-Dresden Connection: A Seminar on Baroque music of Italy and Germany.
Friday, July 24, to Sunday, August 2, 2009

“ .. . As beautiful, authentic sounds fill the Fountain Court, the work of period artists are a feast for the eyes as well. The organ—with its 600 pipes and lavishly carved, painted and gilded 22-foot case—is the centerpiece of a new installation that highlights over 30 major Baroque paintings and sculpture from the Gallery's permanent collection. ..“

Visit website for more information. (ed.) : University of Rochester - Memorial Art Gallery - Italian Baroque Organ

“A message from Borys Medicky, Artistic Director of Nota Bene Period Orchestra:

Dear Friends,

After eight years and more than fifty successful concerts in Waterloo Region and Guelph, we find ourselves in a serious financial situation. As a result, we had to make changes to the final two concerts of our 2008-2009 season. We will now be finishing the season on May 16th with a fundraiser and a concert of Baroque Favourites:

Bach, Double Violin concerto; Marais, a suite from Alcyone
Purcell, a suite from the Fairy Queen; Telemann, "La Bizarre," an orchestral suite
Handel, a trio sonata; Purcell, a solo keyboard suite

In 2010, Viols in Our Schools & the GambaCast will host the First Internet Viola da Gamba Composer's Project which seeks composers to write new works for unaccompanied 7-string bass viol to be presented in a New Music recital performed by Phillip W. Serna at Valparaiso University in the Spring of 2010.  Video and audio content will be created and owned by the composer with distribution promotional  use on the GambaCast video podcast. The Project and the composer(s) could each use the content to promote the work(s).
 
To learn more about the Viola da Gamba Composer Project, please visit www.violsinourschools.org & www.thegambacast.org.
 
Please contact Dr. Serna by email: phillip@violsinourschools.org for information on how to submit your proposal.

SOUTHEASTERN AND MIDWESTERN
HISTORICAL KEYBOARD SOCIETIES
“KEYBOARD MUSIC AND COLONIAL PHILADELPHIA”

JOINT CONFERENCE AT TEMPLE UNIVERSITYPHILADELPHIA--MARCH 12-14, 2009

Philadelphia has changed a bit from this 18th-century image--but it is still home to many of America’s most treasured historic sites. Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance will be our host as we gather to hear papers and performances in a variety of o­n-campus as well as historic settings.

FRINGE EVENTS:

Ed Mauger, well loved for his "Philadelphia o­n Foot," adventures, will lead custom historical tours o­n Thursday afternoon (3 pm: "Colonial High Life") and Sunday morning (10 am: "Ben Franklin's Musical Philadelphia"). Advance and last-minute sign-ups are available. Cost is $15 per person/per tour.