Instruments of the Eighteenth Century

Seminars run 1-2pm on Wednesdays, weeks 4-8 MT 2017, at the Bate

Collection of Musical Instruments, Faculty of Music, St Aldates
Week 4, Wednesday 1st November - Instruments of War
Eamonn O’Keeffe, University of Cambridge
Martial musicians proved indispensable to Britain’s Napoleonic-era war effort,
helping raise manpower, boosting morale and enhancing military relations
with civilians at home and abroad. By broadcasting sonic shibboleths of
patriotism, army drummers and bandsmen fanned the flames of the wartime
‘insurrection of loyalty’, providing all levels of society with opportunities to
enjoy instrumental music through regular open-air performances.
Military music also legitimized state authority and helped forge the British
nation, enabling domestic and colonial populations to envision their place
within a wider imperial community.
By opening our ears to contemporary voices, it is possible to appreciate that
military music was not frivolous window-dressing, but integral both to British
wartime culture and martial success.

Email alice.little@music.ox.ac.uk for info.

All welcome - no need to book in advance.
 Instruments of the Eighteenth Century
Seminars run 1-2pm on Wednesdays, weeks 4-8 MT 2017, at the Bate
Collection of Musical Instruments, Faculty of Music, St Aldates

Week 5, Wednesday 8th November - Instruments of Emancipation:

The changing uses and roles of keyboards in the eighteenth century
Francis Knights, Director of Studies in Music, Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge

The 18th century saw a number of very significant changes in the status of
keyboard instruments and their players. Makers of harpsichords, clavichords,
fortepianos and organs began to cater for an ever-growing market of wealthy
amateur players, including women.
By the end of the century, the solo keyboard recital was born, and the stage
set for the 19th century touring piano virtuosi who would achieve the
celebrity status that had previously been the preserve of violinists and opera
singers.
Live music examples using keyboards from the Bate Collection will support
this narrative.

Email alice.little@music.ox.ac.uk for info.

All welcome - no need to book in advance.
 Instruments of the Eighteenth Century
Seminars run 1-2pm on Wednesdays, weeks 4-8 MT 2017, at the Bate
Collection of Musical Instruments, Faculty of Music, St Aldates

Week 6, Wednesday 15th November - Instruments of Love:

The recorder as an instrument of love
Douglas MacMillan and Isobel Clarke
While brass and percussion are often linked with military scenarios, the
recorder is particularly analogous with pastoral, supernatural, and romantic
scenarios. Our paper will explore the representational use of the recorder as
an instrument of love, examining its use in public performance, as well as in
domestic music-making.
We will draw upon examples including Handel’s Acis and Galatea and John
Walsh’s publication of amorous operatic arias for solo voice with alternative
recorder transcriptions. Literary sources, including diary evidence, will be
also considered, and the paper will be illustrated with musical examples
played on recorders from the Bate Collection.

Email alice.little@music.ox.ac.uk for info.

All welcome - no need to book in advance.
 Instruments of the Eighteenth Century
Seminars run 1-2pm on Wednesdays, weeks 4-8 MT 2017, at the Bate
Collection of Musical Instruments, Faculty of Music, St Aldates

Week 8, Wednesday 29th November - Instruments of Status:

The flute in eighteenth-century Scotland
Dr Elizabeth Ford, University of Glasgow
Long associated with war and masculine sexuality, in the eighteenth century the
flute was also considered a symbol of wealth and leisure. The transverse flute was
the most popular instrument for gentlemen amateur musicians, as a sign of both
their wealth and financial ability to indulge such an expensive and cutting-edge
habit.
This presentation will explore the flute as a status symbol in eighteenth-century
Scotland, exploring flute players, their instruments, their repertoire, and what
ultimately what it meant to play flute in Scotland between about 1700 and 1810.
Flutes from the Bate Collection will be available to examine and play.

Email alice.little@music.ox.ac.uk for info.

All welcome - no need to book in advance.