The Research and Development of an Italian 17th-Century Style Improvising Ensemble

自20世纪初以来，人们一直对前古典音乐着迷；在过去的五十年里，这种“早期音乐”运动变得非常流行，有大量的历史信息表演，用早期重建的乐器演奏。留给我们的大部分前古典音乐更多的是一个框架，而不是一个文字文本，类似于爵士乐中使用的各种草图，通常包含一个非常简单的旋律版本和暗示的和声。从这个框架出发，配备了熟练的即兴演奏技巧的音乐家将把草图修饰成一场复杂而个性化的表演。随着早期音乐表演的标准不断提高和变得更加冒险，表演者们现在已经准备好将他们的专业知识提升到另一个水平，通过改进他们的即兴技巧，将他们的草图转化为精湛的表演，并充分发挥这些丰富曲目的潜力。作为一名创意和表演艺术的AHRC研究员，我的研究项目的一个方面围绕着不寻常的和通常复杂的即兴形式，特别是在和弦乐器上，这在17世纪的意大利很常见。长颈琵琶，羽管键琴，小提琴，和“ cornetti ”的合奏会参加教堂的节日庆祝活动，在那里他们会创作集体即兴表演，当时的人将其描述为地球上的天堂音乐。通过我的研究项目，我的目标是通过建立一个合奏团来复兴这种艺术，本质上是一个“早期音乐大乐队”，致力于实验，表演和推广很少尝试的早期即兴创作形式。早期音乐是古典音乐中唯一具有即兴创作元素的领域之一，然而大多数现代实践者只是触及了可能的表面。我的目标是通过在古典音乐平台上创造音乐体验来纠正这种平衡，让公众参与到现场音乐发明所创造的兴奋中。在一套复杂的边界内，整个乐团同时即兴表演的概念既令人惊讶又令人兴奋。我们的起点是16和17世纪留给我们的关于即兴演奏的理论材料以及对17世纪早期模仿即兴音乐的意大利音乐的分析。我们的学术发现将用于启发我们的实际音乐创作。这里不会有“交叉”或“融合”：虽然我们可能会从现代即兴演奏家那里得到关于如何组织我们的练习和合奏技巧的建议，但我们不会依赖民谣、“世界”或爵士音乐家来为我们提供即兴演奏，而在早期即兴演奏的团体中，这种情况经常发生。这个项目激发了Marshall Marcus的想象力，他是伦敦南岸中心的音乐总监，致力于促进古典音乐领域的即兴创作。他提议在2009年10月举办“早期音乐即兴周末”活动，以更复杂的早期即兴表演形式为特色；我的合奏团将成为周末的焦点，向公众开放排练、音乐会和即兴创作工作坊。合奏团将由高水平的音乐家组成，他们都是经过精心挑选的，具有丰富的经验和即兴演奏技巧。我们将进行广泛的研究和开发，为这一突破性的事件做准备。我们的排练将被拍摄下来，以便在周末在中心的门厅里呈现一个纪录片，记录我们的过程。我的目标是在这段时间为乐团安排其他音乐会和工作坊，以接触更广泛的公众，并为我们提供进一步磨练技能的机会。我还打算专业地记录我们的排练和音乐会，希望在这段时间里制作一张我们最好的即兴材料的自费商业CD。

Since the early 20th century there has been a fascination with pre-classical music; in the last fifty years this 'early music' movement has become incredibly popular, with a wealth of historically-informed performances on reconstructed instruments from earlier eras. Much of the pre-classical music left to us is more a framework than a literal text, similar to the kinds of sketches used in jazz, generally containing a melody in a very simple version with suggested harmonies. From this skeleton the musicians, equipped with well-honed improvisation skills, will embellish the sketch into a sophisticated and personal performance. As the standards of early music performance continue to rise and become more adventurous, performers are now ready to take their expertise to another level by refining their improvising skills to transform their sketches into virtuosic performances and realise the full potential of this rich repertoire. As an AHRC Fellow in the Creative and Performing Arts, one aspect of my research project centres around the unusual and often complex forms of improvisation, particularly on chordal instruments, that were commonplace in Italy in the 17th century. Ensembles of long-necked lutes, harpsichords, violins, and 'cornetti' would participate in church feast-day celebrations where they would create group extemporisations which contemporaries described as heavenly music on earth. Through my research project I aim to revive this art by establishing an ensemble, essentially an 'early music big band', devoted to experimentation, performance and promotion of rarely-attempted forms of early improvisation. Early music is one of the only areas of classical music which has a built-in element for improvisation, and yet most modern-day practitioners have only just scratched the surface of what is possible. I aim to redress the balance by creating musical experiences on the classical music platform which involve the public in the exhilaration created by the invention of music on the spot. The notion of an entire ensemble improvising simultaneously within an intricate set of boundaries is both astonishing and exciting. Our starting point will be theoretical materials on extemporization left to us from the 16th and 17th centuries coupled with analysis of early 17th-century Italian music which imitates improvised music. Our scholarly findings will be used to inspire our practical music-making. There will be no 'cross-over' or 'fusion' here: while we may take advice from modern improvisers on how to structure our practising and ensemble skills, we shall not be relying on folk, 'world', or jazz musicians to provide the improvisation for us, which can often be the case in groups which feature early extemporization. This project captured the imagination of Marshall Marcus, Head of Music at London's Southbank Centre, who is devoted to promoting improvisation in classical music spheres. He has proposed an Early Music Improvisation Weekend in October 2009 which will feature more sophisticated forms of early extemporization; my ensemble will be a focal point of the weekend, presenting an open rehearsal, concert, and improvisation workshop open to the general public. The ensemble will consist of high-calibre musicians who have been hand-picked for their experience and improvisation skills. We shall undertake an extensive period of research and development to prepare for this groundbreaking event. Our rehearsals will be filmed in order to present a documentary which records our process in the foyer of the Centre during the weekend. I aim to secure other concerts and workshops for the ensemble around this time in order to reach a wider public and provide the opportunity for us to further hone our skills. I also intend to record our rehearsals and concerts professionally in the hope of producing a self-financed commercial CD of our best extemporized material over this period.