The Historic Brass Society is pleased to announce that the 2020 Christopher Monk Award has been presented to Peter Holmes in recognition of his groundbreaking work in the field of music archaeology. His study, research, and instrument-making activities have helped open the sound-world of ancient Greece, Rome, Ireland and other lost civilizations. In 2013 Peter founded the European Music Archeology Project. His research, which includes making reconstruction instruments from antiquity, has led to recordings on the Delphian label in the UK. His work has been featured in the New York Times and elsewhere.
Latest News and Events
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The programme of the International Conference that will take place at the Venaria Reale Palace (Centro Conservazione e Restauro "La Venaria Rele") on February 20-21 is available for download. The works will be followed by a concert open to a wider public (Feb. 21st 17.30 h) in the Hall of Diana. The Hall is decorated with the original cycle of paintings (1659-1661) by Jan Miel which depict various phases of vènerie at the court of Savoy, showing about 20 circular horns. The paintings are quite possibly the earliest european iconographical source for the employment of circular horns in hunting.
The practice "The musical Art of Hunting Horn players" will undergo UNESCO evaluation in the year 2020 (for details on the application click here). The international application (Belgium, France, Italy and Luxembourg) refers to the nomination of the art in the UNESCO representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanities. In this phase the application only refers to the french hunting horn, trompe de chasse, but the common origin of the instrument and practice at 17th century europen courts hunting ceremonial, and the parallel impact in diffferent musical contexts, as art music, might involve, hopefully, a further more inclusive application.
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On April 17, 2020, the Historic Brass Society will be hosting the Symposium "Pond Life: British-American Crosscurrents over the Atlantic" in New York City in conjunction with John Wallace and The Wallace Collection brass ensemble. Paper proposals are warmly welcomed.
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Members are reminded that nominations for the next Christopher Monk Award should be received by the Chairman of the Christopher Monk Award Committee by February 1, 2020. Details of the award and the processes attached to it can be found under the ‘Awards’ tab of this site.
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12/10/2019
As the organization continues to grow and evolve, we are reaching out to members - present, past and potential - and to colleagues in the brass performance, research, instrument making and collecting community to ask for your input in shaping the future of HBS. We’d be grateful for ten to fifteen minutes of your time to complete the survey in the link below. It addresses HBS governance structure and terms, the HBS Journal, website and newsletter.
To make sure your voice is heard, please complete the survey by 10 February.
Please feel free to share the link to this survey and this email with any colleagues or friends whom you think might be interested. We want to hear from as many people who are interested in the history of brass instruments, brass literature, performance practice, etc. as possible, not just current and former members.
On behalf of the Board of the Historic Brass Society, many thanks for your help and all best wishes for the New Year.
Historic Brass Society Board Members:
Alexander Bonus
Stewart Carter
Jason Dovel
Sabine Klaus
Steven Lundahl
Arnold Myers
Jeffrey Nussbaum
Bradley Strauchen
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Update 2/25/20: There are only 5 open spots left at the Barclay trumpet-building course. Further information and registration can be obtained at the Cambridge Woodwind Makers website.
The 2020 edition of the trumpet-building course taught by Bob Barclay will again take place in Cambridge, UK, on July 4-8. As always, participants will make a reproduction of a 1632 natural trumpet by Hainlein. Further information on this educational (and fun) experience is available at the Cambridge Woodwind Makers website.