La Basse de Violon
(2022)
author(s): Blanca Leticia Martín Muñoz
published in: KC Research Portal
About this exposition
Nowadays we can find a vast amount of information about the history of the cello. But do we know anything of its larger ancestor? What was its purpose in the music scene in France in the 17th century? And why did it disappear?
Little attention has been paid to the basse de violon, an instrument of great importance before the arrival of the cello.
In my presentation, I will discuss these questions as well as other matters that concern the basse de violon, starting with what is it, going through its development, its role as a solo instrument, and as the bass of the ensembles, and finishing with the reasons for its decay and ultimately complete disappearance in France.
Also, as part of my artistic presentation, I will base my conclusions by using videos of my experimentations on a surviving basse de violon from 1715 and a cello from the 19th century.
The Unplayable Notes of JS Bach
(2015)
author(s): Oonagh Lee
published in: KC Research Portal
Today there is little doubt that the oboe was one of Bach's most favoured instruments, and that it was an instrument with which he was extremely familiar. Yet, in spite of this, Bach composed numerous works which includes notes that are not playable on the model of oboe that we know were used during his lifetime. Why did Bach write notes that are generally regarded today as unplayable, or perhaps rather ‘unperformable’ due to the quality of both sound and intonation when produced on a contemporary copy of a historical instrument? This is a problem which has been somewhat confined to the footnotes of Bach scholarship but it nonetheless poses very important and relevant questions for the historical oboist, and in fact potentially for the Bach musician and scholar at large.