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Early Music Workshop: Plucked Strings and the History of Arrangement

A word often heard from proponents of the early music movement was authenticity (especially in the early years). Music should be played, they insisted, on the instrument(s) for which it was composed–ideally surviving original instruments of the period, or, at a minimum, faithful copies of those instruments. Even pitch, stringing materials, and much more, were often prescribed. “Arrangements? But why, with so much wonderful repertoire in its original form?”

But from the earliest surviving prints and manuscripts, we see that transcriptions formed a significant body of music–with composers going so far as to transcribe opera overtures for solo theorbo (or a 19th-century guitar)!

This workshop will explore historical examples of arrangements for plucked strings and invite participants to try playing surviving transcriptions as well as investigating how to make their own.

Schedule :

10 – 11am: Lecture on surviving plucked-string arrangements from the 1500’s to the 19th century.
11am to noon: Masterclass. Registered participants will be sent sample arrangements at least two weeks in advance, but are free to bring arrangements that they have found or made.
Break for lunch
1 – 2:30pm: Hands-on class on making arrangements. Sample works will be provided, but participants are encouraged to bring works of their own choosing. We will explore:
Finding works suitable for arrangement for your instrument
Selecting suitable keys
Tips on where ‘trimming the fat’ from a ‘candidate piece’ doesn’t hurt the finished product.
2:30 to 3pm: Question and answer session
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This workshop is available for students ages 14+
Registration is required

Early Music Workshop

Plucked Strings and the History of Arrangement

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