Medieval & Renaissance Instruments
Donation protected
Hi! I'm Scott Roth, the organizer for Musica Antiqua Sydney. We are a Community Early Music Ensemble based in Sydney, Australia with a focus on Medieval and Renaissance compositions from the 13th to early 17th centuries. Our members consist of talented performers and students from the local area who love the earlier repertoire and want to share it with the world! We can't do this on our own though. We need your help to purchase period instruments so we can perform the music the way it was originally intended.
More about us
Our ensemble began in March 2014 when I sent an email to an SCA mailing list looking for renaissance and medieval musicians to perform with. I had performed in university early music groups in the U.S. during the 90s, and really missed being part of such a happening scene. Following that email, I was introduced to another enthusiast, and over the next few months, we gradually picked up enough members to accompany the University of Sydney Madrigal Society Choir at their 15th anniversary concert in October! Here's a song from the CD we recorded with them - the instruments come in half-way through.
We truly love what we do, and feel very fortunate to be able to explore the repertoire that we have. We would like to take our skills to the next level by completing our conversion to all period medieval and renaissance instruments.
Instruments required
Crumhorns - about $2,000 for a set (ATTB)
Renaissance Recorders - Alto and Tenor - $500 each
Bass Recorder - $2,500 for wooden Renaissance model
Lutes - average $2,500 each
Cittern - $1,000+
Viol da Gambas - $1,500 - $3,000 each
Vielles - $500 - $1,000 each
Organetto - $4,000+
Citole - $500+
As you can see, period instruments made of wood can be quite pricey. Although a few of us are employed, family and living expenses make saving up extremely difficult. The college students of our ensemble are simply unable to afford a new instrument of any kind.
How we will use the money
Instruments purchased immediately will be those we most desperately need to create a more authentic sound i.e. Crumhorns, Bass Viol, Bass Recorder, and Lutes. As you can see from the videos, a few of us already have at least one period instrument that will work for now. The guitars need to be replaced with lutes/cittern/citole (depending on the composition performed), and the double bass should be swapped with a Bass Viol da Gamba for better balance with softer period instruments.
Our plans for the future
We would like to put on more concerts and do more recording! Renaissance and medieval music is some of the most challenging and beautiful to perform, and we look forward to sharing it with you!
More recordings
More about us
Our ensemble began in March 2014 when I sent an email to an SCA mailing list looking for renaissance and medieval musicians to perform with. I had performed in university early music groups in the U.S. during the 90s, and really missed being part of such a happening scene. Following that email, I was introduced to another enthusiast, and over the next few months, we gradually picked up enough members to accompany the University of Sydney Madrigal Society Choir at their 15th anniversary concert in October! Here's a song from the CD we recorded with them - the instruments come in half-way through.
We truly love what we do, and feel very fortunate to be able to explore the repertoire that we have. We would like to take our skills to the next level by completing our conversion to all period medieval and renaissance instruments.
Instruments required
Crumhorns - about $2,000 for a set (ATTB)
Renaissance Recorders - Alto and Tenor - $500 each
Bass Recorder - $2,500 for wooden Renaissance model
Lutes - average $2,500 each
Cittern - $1,000+
Viol da Gambas - $1,500 - $3,000 each
Vielles - $500 - $1,000 each
Organetto - $4,000+
Citole - $500+
As you can see, period instruments made of wood can be quite pricey. Although a few of us are employed, family and living expenses make saving up extremely difficult. The college students of our ensemble are simply unable to afford a new instrument of any kind.
How we will use the money
Instruments purchased immediately will be those we most desperately need to create a more authentic sound i.e. Crumhorns, Bass Viol, Bass Recorder, and Lutes. As you can see from the videos, a few of us already have at least one period instrument that will work for now. The guitars need to be replaced with lutes/cittern/citole (depending on the composition performed), and the double bass should be swapped with a Bass Viol da Gamba for better balance with softer period instruments.
Our plans for the future
We would like to put on more concerts and do more recording! Renaissance and medieval music is some of the most challenging and beautiful to perform, and we look forward to sharing it with you!
More recordings
Organiser
Scott Roth
Organiser
Haymarket NSW
