Description
Online concert and talk on the Musette, its history and repertoire, with our special guest Amanda Babington. She played the instrument live, showed us how it works and demonstrated the allure of its unique sonority. Drawing on her own research, she explained how a French instrument ended up in the West Highland Museum in Fort William (Scotland!).If you are wondering what the musette is …
Like all bagpipes, the origins of the Musette – an 18th century French instrument – are pastoral. Initially a simple, bellows-blown bagpipe played by shepherds in their fields, the Musette rose to prominence as an high-art instrument thanks to its patronage by Louis XIV. Its popularity extended to other royal circles, and Prince Charles Edward Stuart purportedly owned and played a Musette. Thanks to such patronage, composers competed to write for the Musette, and so it has a rich and varied repertoire. Like its aristocratic patrons, however, it fell out of favour towards the end of the 18th century, and remained unknown and unheard until its rediscovery in the 1960s. Even now the instrument is little-known beyond small circles of enthusiasts.
| Period | 15 Oct 2021 |
|---|---|
| Event title | Online concert & talk - Amazing Musette |
| Event type | Other |