Music In Art
Music is our oldest social activity. It crosses divides of age, race, gender, class, religion and is inherently social: A birthday isn’t properly marked without the communal singing of ‘Happy Birthday’ and music underscores our traditions and music identifies us culturally. Surviving historical manuscripts give us a really good overview of what music was played at any given period in history, but it is through works of art that we can see how music affected people’s lives – how they would have enjoyed it, who would have played it. Music in Art looks at how the depiction of musical instruments from the Middle Ages to the 18th century evolves, focusing on instruments that Sophie plays, so as well as looking at images by artists such as Bruegel, Bosch and Hogarth she gives musical demonstrations on replicas of the instruments depicted.
Not All Bagpipes Are Scottish!
How many times have you heard someone say ‘I don’t like THE bagpipes?’ But my question is WHICH bagpipes? Of course they usually mean the Scottish Great Highland bagpipes but, while the Highland pipes certainly dominate the bagpipe landscape, they are by no means the only one. In the British Isles alone historically we have about 10 different kinds of bagpipe and they are to be found all throughout Europe from the Middle Ages to the present day. Whether you’re playing the gaita, piva, musette, dudelsack, cornemuse, cabrette, sackpipa or any of a whole world of bagpipes, this varied instrument entertains both high and low society and today regional bagpipes are a key touchstone in folk traditions. So whether you’re a medieval Italian shepherd, an 18th century French aristocrat or the official piper to the Duke of Northumberland, you certainly know that not all bagpipes are Scottish!
The Book, The Devil and My Uncle’s Bagpipe
This lecture looks at the story of a remarkable book published in 1539 called In Chaldaicam Lingua. It was published by Theseo Ambrogio who had been the Pope’s enforcer of doctrine, with the Lord’s Prayer and selected psalms translated into multiple languages for missionaries to use. However Ambrogio also had an eccentric uncle who was an inventor and had invented a brand-new kind of bagpipe….that no one wanted to make, so he died with his vision mostly unrealised. Feeling that his uncle’s legacy shouldn’t be forgotten, Ambrogio included the designs for his uncle’s bagpipe in his new book of prayers. As well as the details of a seance he held with the devil…complete with the devil’s reply!
Sophie Matthews is a musician and her interest in this book came through the musical side. As part of the lecture she has a reconstruction of the uncle’s bagpipe to play for you, as well as an original copy of the book.
