Historically accurate music

Here’s an interesting thing I was reminded of on the radio this morning.  Sometimes I listen to the classical music station for Boston.  I really like classical music and like to laugh at the fact that their advertising is geared more towards people with over $1 million in the bank as well.

 

This week is their compare / contrast week and this morning as I was listening, they were talking about the differences between classical music as it is played now compared to how it would have been played originally.  I’ve heard this before but was just reminded of it again this morning.

 

In the 17^th and 18^th centuries, music such as was composed by Vivaldi was performed in small chambers for high class royalty.  The composition was originally intended to have a much different sound than what we hear in today’s modern orchestras.  The instruments are much different.  The violin, for example, now has metal wound strings and a different bow.  This is not entirely for improved durability.  It was done to make the instrument louder and be able to “hit” notes faster and harder at the onset of the note.  Original violins had fiber strings and very “round” notes, meaning that you couldn’t really easily produce a short heavy hit note.  Most notes sounded more like “WOW” notes…. You know  wwwWWWAAAAaaaawwww… they had a much rounder sound.  Thus the music we hear now is much different.

 

There are several groups out there, but the one I heard this morning is called Tafelmusik.  Their intent is to produce historically accurate music that sounds more like what the composer intended.  I’m gonna check them out.