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HISTORICAL PERFORMANCE

Musical instruments have changed significantly over the centuries, so mastery of period instruments, which vary greatly and lack the uniformity of their modern equivalents, requires virtuosity and versatility. The musicians who play these instruments are difficult to replace. 

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Jan Couchet the Elder (Flemish)
Chordophone-Zither-plucked-harpsichord, circa 1650; Courtesy of The Met Museum

The rich array of excellent UK period-instrument ensembles – ranging in size from trios to full orchestras – perform in leading music venues and festivals across the country and abroad, bringing a freshness of approach and variety to the classical music landscape.

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Piero di Cosimo's Perseus Frees Andromeda, 1510-1515 (Uffizi)

OAE INSTRUMENTS

Some musicians play the original instruments, or faithful replicas, for which the music was composed at the time. Discover some of the amazing instruments played by musicians from the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.

"Like a tuba that's been bottled" - the Ophicleide
03:00
The Cornett: The premier wind instrument of the 16th Century
02:51
The Napoleonic Long Drum
01:30
The first time a harp was used in a Symphony
01:48
Recreating a concert from 1897
03:03
The rarely seen Lirone - 'heaven's hoover'
03:00
Why Berlioz Wanted Sea Sponges on the Timpani
01:39
A Rare 16th-Century Viola with Gut Strings - with Timothy Ridout
02:45

PERIOD INSTRUMENTS

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