Early music

Old music called European musical styles from different eras ago in 1750. It comprises the music of the Middle Ages, the music of the Renaissance and Baroque periods, but not the ancient times. ( For the music of the Middle Ages and before, the term " early music " is used. )

Old music is essentially a domain of specialized musicians and ensembles as special historical musical instruments and a lot of technical and practical knowledge of music history, of instruments, playing techniques, tuning systems, etc. must be to find out how the music of earlier eras might have sounded.

The attempts of the reconstruction is based on visual documents and musical texts (see notations). Old music has been passed down relatively seamlessly in England from generation to generation. Nevertheless, the music changed through the process of passing ( Tradierens ).

Ars Antiqua and " Early Music "

Already in the Middle Ages there was a distinction between " age" and " new music ". As of 1320, the now subdued style of music as Ars antiqua ( old art 'or ' music ' ) was referred to and celebrated henceforth composed new music, the Ars nova as the overcoming of this old style.

However, the now common concept of early music is not the name of outdated music. On the contrary, early music is considered a valuable asset (or even as a corrective ) of the standard repertoire of bourgeois music culture as it takes place in the great concert halls of the world. Again and again committed musicians from the early music scene pulses in the classical-romantic repertoire, if they are willing to change the lines. Due to the background of experience of early music new hearing impressions of long-known works are possible.

Early Music and the bourgeois musical culture of the 19th century

With the emergence of the bourgeois concert life in 1800, a repertoire began to emerge, which largely left the pre-classical music aside and concentrated on the newly created compositions.

The works of Johann Sebastian Bach were indeed studied after his death in 1750 by other composers, but no longer listed for a broad audience. Only since 1829, the performance of the St. Matthew Passion by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, his works were re- estimated by the musical public.

The romanticism and historicism played an essential role that the fascination for music of past eras reflected in the music practice. Again and again, composers have gone to significant predecessors. In the musical life but the performances of the music of past eras had otherwise played no role, since you looked each obsolete.

To perform early music as possible with historically correct sound is - with the exception of England - in Europe again only a concern of the 20th century. The term " early music " in general gained since the reform movements of the 1920s in importance, as in the course of the revival of historical performance practice reinforced replicas were made and used by original instruments. The early music movement saw itself as contrast and corrective to the traditional concert repertoire. The sonority of early music, no matter how it was conceived, was definitely in sharp contrast to the late-romantic tonality and fullness of tone colors.

Rediscovery and challenges

Important milestones of the rediscovery of ancient music were:

• Revival of Johann Sebastian Bach's St. Matthew Passion by Felix Mendelssohn in 1829, about 100 years after the first performance in Leipzig;
• The complete works of JS Bach, in 1851 started the followed many other so-called monument expenditure in the 19th century;
• Historicist compositional practice such as in Ottorino Respighi
• The return to music and instruments of the 16th and 17th century in the context of youth music movement in the 1920s, which the migrant bird movement a form of protest against the similar - in this case artistic - Establishment was (so-called gamba movement, even fiddles, tines, recorders and Others instruments);
• With the establishment of the Cappella Coloniensis in 1954 begins the breakdown of today's so-called historical performance practice as a foundation for a science-based exploration of early music. The transmitted simultaneously in Cologne's WDR contributions to the history of early music helped parallel the practical experiments in the orchestra area to unexpected popularity.
• Already in the 1950s also began the work of the conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt in the field of Bach interpretation, however, found under him until 1957 with the Concentus Musicus Wien first concerts on period instruments instead.

Study and training

Switzerland

An undergraduate music practical full-time study for the music of the Middle Ages is in Switzerland at the Schola Cantorum in Basel - offered - the Academy of Ancient Music in Basel.

Germany

Graduate studies in early music are offered in Germany at the following universities: University of the Arts Bremen, Hochschule für Musik " ​​Carl Maria von Weber" Dresden University of Music and Theatre " Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy " Leipzig University of Music Trossingen, School of Music " Franz Liszt" Weimar, University of Music Würzburg. A two-year vocational or study-related training to traditional Early Music is offered at the academy Burg Fuersteneck.

Austria

In Austria, there are courses for Early Music at the following academic institutions: Anton Bruckner Private University Linz, Johann Joseph Fux Conservatory in Graz, University of Music and Performing Arts Graz, Salzburg Mozarteum University ( in Innsbruck ), Vienna Conservatory.