The Early Music Legend

Professor Jonathan Freeman-Attwood , Principal (Blog)- Posted on 12.05.2016 RAM I’ve just read an illuminating blog about David Munrow by Margaret Jones at Cambridge University, where a new display has opened to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Munrow’s untimely death on 15th May 1976. The Academy’s Library is fortunate to house the David Munrow Archive – a performance-centred archive, primarily of sheet music from performances given by Munrow’s Early Music Consort of London. I remember being part of the ‘purchasing team’ from the Academy when this went to auction in the early 1990s. Jeremy Summerly and I couldn’t believe our eyes – and, actually, Iaan Wilson (one of Munrow’s playing colleagues) was there too, picking out his parts from seminal recordings and shows. The archive also contains scores and arrangements for television and film productions, and some radio scripts. You can browse an online catalogue of the materials in the National Archives . The Academy’s Museum col...

In 1981, or thereabouts The Art of David Munrow appeared. It was a collection of some of his "best" pieces from his recordings if I recall correctly chosen by Gillian Munrow, and John Wilan (who acted as producer for some of his work) Here, are some quotes from an article that appeared in connection with the above. It was callled The Art of Genius by Michael Shmith, and was published in the Age which seems to be an Aussie publication. Schmith remembered DM on the BBC discussing the shawm as if... "..feeling drawn into sharing his love for the instrument, if only because he sound like an over-eager schoolboy, rushing into the room to show you the latest in his stamp collection." plus his "...over-exciting voice.." !!! Smhmith also mentions Pied Piper the radio programme which included subjects such as "Handel symphonies to Indonesian music". He noted that "I always found that Munrow never talked down to listeners but treated them...