{"id":4343,"date":"2020-09-12T18:05:15","date_gmt":"2020-09-12T18:05:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amateurmusic.org\/info\/?p=4343"},"modified":"2020-09-24T00:09:59","modified_gmt":"2020-09-24T00:09:59","slug":"blogpostearlymusic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amateurmusic.org\/coda\/blogpostearlymusic\/","title":{"rendered":"A New Way to Perform Old Music"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This is a guest post by Nancy Friedman<\/a>, an AMN volunteer.<\/em><\/p>\n\t

You\u2019ve played Bach, Vivaldi, and Haydn for years on your modern instrument. But have you ever wished to play that music in historically-informed style \u2026 without investing in costly period instruments?<\/p>\n

Now you can! Throughout October, Amateur Music Network is presenting Early Music for Modern Instruments<\/i>, a series of online workshops for skilled amateur musicians taught by early-music mentors Elizabeth Blumenstock<\/a> (violin), Eric Zivian<\/a> (piano and fortepiano), and William Skeen<\/a> (cello).<\/p>\n

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Elizabeth, Eric, and William<\/p><\/div>\n\t

\u201cWith most of us still stuck at home, there\u2019s never been a better time to expand our musical horizons,\u201d says AMN founder and director Lolly Lewis. \u201cIf you\u2019ve worked hard on the standard classical path, you know the repertoire. Now you can learn new tools and approaches from early-music specialists that will give you even more appreciation of the music you love.\u201d<\/p>\n

What makes early music different from modern music?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The history of music is a history of technology\u2014and of loudness. \u201cBefore the early 19th century, smaller ensembles were the rule. Large concerts were rare, outside of opera, and art music was mostly a private thing, something for the homes of wealthy patrons,\u201d Lolly says. \u201cIt didn\u2019t need to be very loud because audiences were small.\u201d<\/p>\n

That changed in a big way in the early 19th century, as instrument technology improved. Orchestras were getting larger and wind instruments could freely modulate and stay reliably in tune. Composers began writing virtuosic concertos to be played with the larger orchestras: \u201cThe solo artist needed to project over that big ensemble sound,\u201d Lolly explains. Violins, violas, and cellos, the primary solo instruments, had to adapt to handle more string tension. Their bridges were raised to create more resonance; necks were set at a steeper angle; bows were redesigned with a concave curve to allow more tension in the hair.<\/p>\n\tVideo embed code not specified.\n\t

Baroque (left) and modern violin. Via A415 blog<\/a>. <\/p>\n

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Baroque and modern violin bows, via Vermont Violins<\/a>.\"\"<\/p>\n\n\t

\u201cNow we have big, lush string sections and big wind and brass sections with a huge sound,\u201d says Lolly. \u201cThat\u2019s what \u2018classical\u2019 music sounds like to us\u2014but it\u2019s not how it sounded three centuries ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

When she isn\u2019t managing AMN, Lolly is a recording producer. Her interest in early music was sparked in the 1990s when her studio, Transparent Recordings<\/a>, worked with Bay Area early-music specialists the Artaria Quartet. \u201cIt was completely new to me,\u201d she recalls. \u201cI knew it sounded different from modern music, in the intonation and a generally more muted sound, but then I realized that the dynamic range was turned upside down! Instead of emphasizing loudness, there\u2019s a potential for exploring a vast expanse of subtlety that\u2019s almost unlimited. That was really exciting for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Modern instruments aren\u2019t just louder: they\u2019re also able to play reliably in tune in any key. \u201cIt all changed with the piano,\u201d Lolly says. \u201cUnlike its ancestor the fortepiano, the modern piano has true \u2018equal temperament\u2019\u2014the tuning doesn\u2019t vary across registers and tonal centers. This results in a manufactured tuning system that\u2019s equally out of tune in all keys. Sounds weird, but we\u2019ve become so accustomed to it that this is what our ears are comfortable with now.\u201d Once pianos set the standard, other instruments followed suit.<\/p>\n\t

The evolution of the piano, via Merriam Music<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Professional early-music specialists invest in original or replica instruments\u2014a good bow alone can cost many thousands of dollars. But skilled amateurs can adapt their modern instruments\u2014and their technique\u2014to explore the phrasing and articulation of historical style. The limitations of instruments in the past are now opportunities for discovery for the players of today. <\/p>\n

Join us in October to explore some exciting new approaches to familiar and beloved works of music. <\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

NOTE: If you already have Baroque equipment, that\u2019s great! You\u2019ll love working with these great mentors, too.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is a guest post by Nancy Friedman, an AMN volunteer. You\u2019ve played Bach, Vivaldi, and Haydn for years on your modern instrument. But have you ever wished to play that music in historically-informed style \u2026 without investing in costly period instruments? Now you can! Throughout October, Amateur Music Network is presenting Early Music for Modern Instruments, a series of online workshops for skilled amateur musicians taught by early-music mentors Elizabeth Blumenstock (violin), Eric Zivian (piano and fortepiano), and William…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4353,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[23,13,18,22,14],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nA New Way to Perform Old Music - Amateur Music Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Nancy Friedman interviews AMN founder Lolly Lewis about our Early Music for Modern Instruments series in October.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/amateurmusic.org\/info\/blogpostearlymusic\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A New Way to Perform Old Music - 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