York Early Music International Young Artists Competition 2015: EMS 26 July

[doversoul1]

Lucie Skeaping presents highlights of the York Early Music International Young Artists Competition

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b063d7mt

[Black Swan]

This years Young Artist Competition was as usual fantastic, hosted by Katherine Bott. I was there but am excited to have the chance to revisit the highlights on today's program.

[doversoul1]

This years Young Artist Competition was as usual fantastic, hosted by Katherine Bott. I was there but am excited to have the chance to revisit the highlights on today's program.

It indeed was fantastic.

We’ve had many excellent, informative and interesting programmes but I thought this was a very special and exciting programme. Not because it was a competition (I don’t like competitions of any kind) but I think because it was a gathering.

These musicians weren’t even born when the AAM started, and they grew up listening to and playing on gut strings and natural horns. It makes me feel old. Best wishes to all the participants.

It looks as if the EMS is closing down until September. I wonder what the new season of schedule will bring to us.

[DracoM]

I know we've been round and round and round this maypole, but can you help me with a working definition of the EMS''s use of the term 'Early'?

[Black Swan]

This is a controversial issue DracoM. I have had very intense discussions at the Early Music Festival with other supporters and Managers. The Festival Administrators seem to want to use a cutoff date of 1800. However, they are willing to allow HIPs as well. I have always used either the death of Bach or Handel as the end of EM. It is a shifting target and not well defined.

[DracoM]

Hmm. So what does that make music written before 1600?

[doversoul1]

Are you thinking of the Haydn Quartet in the competition?

This is only my guess and you probably know it. Do ignore if that’s the case.

The starting point of the Early Music Show must have been ‘pre-Classical’. I remember Lucie Skeaping referring to Mozart and Haydn as ‘too late for this programme’ or something to the effect. At least, I don’t think it was ever intended to be limited to the real early music, i.e. Renaissance and before.

I think things have become somewhat less simple in recent years, firstly because there have been many discoveries (rediscoveries?) of composers (and recordings of their works) who came after Bach and before Mozart/Haydn; Gluck is probably one of the biggest headaches from the point of the definition for the programme (and CPE Bach?). Secondly, these days, HIPP has extended well beyond the Baroque works. Do we think a historically informed performance of The Rite of Spring as early music?

As for the music written before 1600, personally, I am happy to call it early music unless there is a need for subdivisions: Medieval, Renaissance, (early / late or high) Baroque.

And for the Early Music Show, I would like it to be up to pre-Classical and from as early as the time when music was recognised as music.

[DracoM]

Wise words and caveats.
Thx to both.

[vinteuil]

I know we've been round and round and round this maypole, but can you help me with a working definition of the EMS''s use of the term 'Early'?

The Competition used to be run by the Early Music Network [EMN] before being completely taken over by the York EM Festival.

The definition used by the EMN for its activities, including the biennial Competition, was -

" ‘Early Music’ is to be understood as a conventional rather than a chronological term, and is here taken to mean historically-informed performance; particularly that on forms of instruments with which a composer would have been familiar and music performed with techniques and in styles which get closer to the composer’s original conception, or of particular later traditions of performance, than is possible if other approaches are employed."

So no chronological cut-off - more a question of Historically Informed Performance Practice.

[doversoul1]

That may be interesting in its own way but it does worry me to see the likes of the AAM moving on to the main stream repertoire. However, if this competition is anything to go by, the ‘true’ early music is well and thriving. I look forward to hearing the winner and many other young ensembles on the EMS and elsewhere.