David Munrow Blows



David Munrow is one of our favourite people: clever, passionate, generous, multi-talented, his sudden death in 1976 was a tremendous loss, not only to Early Music, which he worked so hard to popularise, but to the world in general. People like David are in short supply: we can’t afford to lose them.







Not long before he died, David made a great television show called‘Early Musical Instruments’. Each week, he would talk about a group of instruments and he and his friends would demonstrate them. Despite the paucity of that description it is absolutely riveting viewing. 







The best bits are when David cuts loose on one of the many instruments that he was expert in playing – this may be music from antiquity, but David ensures it doesn’t sound like it should be in a museum. His enthusiasm and animation and immersion in the moment bring it all to life in the most vivid terms.



When David Munrow plays it, Early Music swings. No wonder he gets so puffed out.  


http://tomtittery.blogspot.co.uk/

REF   

Comments

  1. max23 August 2014 at 01:19

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Performance Practice of David Munrow and the Early Music Consort of London : Medieval Music in the 1960s and 1970s

  Student thesis : Doctoral Thesis › Doctor of Philosophy/Blogger Ref  http://www.youtube.Searle8 Edward George Breen Music This thesis focuses on the musical contribution of David Munrow and his Early Music Consort of London (EMC) to the so-called early music revival of the 1960s and 1970s. By exploring the notion of shared cultural space in performances of medieval music by leading ensembles of the time, this thesis seeks to isolate aspects of performance practice unique to the EMC. An assessment of literary sources documenting the early music revival reveals clear nodes of discussion around Munrow’s methods of presenting early music in concert performance which are frequently classified as ‘showmanship’ with a focus on more scholarly performance practice decisions only evident in the post-Munrow period. Close readings of these sources are undertaken which are, in turn, weighed against Munrow’s early biography to map out the web of influences contr...
Read more

Overview of the Munrow Archive

Image
Skip to Content List of Access Keys Search the website | Search the catalogue Cookie policy |   Search the archives Search our website Search our website Search our records Skip to content Home page A to Z index Search Visit us Help Complaints procedure Terms of use Contact us Access key details About us Education Records Information management Archives sector You are here: Home > Search the archives > Access to Archives > Records Access to Archives Part of the UK archives network   Royal Academy of Music Library   Papers of David Munrow Papers of David Munrow The entire contents of this catalogue are shown below. Browse the hierarchical structure instead Reference DM Covering dates 1908-1976 Held by Royal Academy of Music Lib...
Read more

Contemporaries of David Munrow Remember

Here, I thought it would be interesting to give out some of the testimonies of people who knew David Munrow well, and not so well. This collection will over a short period of time be expanded. But here comes the first testimony from Michael Laird who did alot of work for the Consort.... 1. Michael Laird.       I first met David Munrow in 1969. I was performing a  Bach B Minor Mass (Ithink) in Wolverhampton in 1969. A cheerful,energetic young man sitting  next to me on the bassoon introduced himself as David Munrow and asked immediately "do you play the cornetto?'' "What's that" I queried "Oh" David said "it's a wonderful instrument made of wood with holes and a trumpet type mouthpiece. You can buy one from Christopher Monk. I'll give you his number. They're not expensive. You'll be good at it. If you can learn it quite quickly I can offer you some recording sessions". So that was how we got to know each other...
Read more