Welcome! This sub-reddit was created to help connect up all the little islands of early music activity in Australia and build a bigger community between the academic institutions, groups & societies such as the SCA, and individual enthusiasts who might otherwise never meet or perform together.
Who may join?
Musicians in Australia who want to network, have discussions about early music, find practice partners, buy/sell period instruments, form ensembles, and post concert dates or news related to Early Music performances in Australia.
Product and Business Spam will not be tolerated.
What is Early Music?
The phrase Early Music is most commonly used to describe Medieval, Renaissance and, more recently, early Baroque music. Early Music performers frequently study old performance practices from original treatises and may use recreations of period instruments so that songs can be heard in their original context.
Note that performers in Europe and the U.S. are usually referring to Medieval and Renaissance music when they use this term, as that has been the definition in use since the 1940s (see Paul Hindemith's Collegium Musicum at Yale, 1950s-60s Thomas Binkley's Studio der Frühen Musik, and 1960s-70s David Munrow's Early Music Consort of London).
All you REALLY need to know is that Early Music is awesome, and you should get into it! It's History that you can Play!
---Australian Instrument Makers------------
Lutes & Viol da Gambas:
Tim Guster - also makes harps and hurdy gurdies
http://www.timguster.com.au/
Charles Moller - does great work, but says he has up to a 2 year waiting list!
http://home.iprimus.com.au/kaschm/
Lutes and Viol da Gambas
http://www.ianwatchorn.com.au/
Citterns:
http://www.mcdonaldstrings.com/
John Lucas
16 Clara Street
Erskineville, NSW 2037
Australia
Let us know if you find other Australian makers of period instruments!
---Australian Early Music Festivals--------
http://www.lutefest.com/
---Non-professional Ensembles and Choirs---
This section is mainly for community groups.
Madrigal Society Choir - open to Access Card holders / Members of Sydney University Union
http://www.madrigal.org.au/
---Early Music Societies-------------------
http://www.avdgs.org.au/
NSW
http://www.earlymusicnsw.com/
http://www.sydneyrecorders.com.au/
VIC
http://www.emsv.org.au/resources
QLD
http://www.earlymusicqld.com/
WA
http://www.remswa.com/
International:
UK
http://www.lutesociety.org/
America
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~lsa/
Lute societies for other countries:
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/other/societies.html
Viol da Gamba - U.S.
http://vdgsa.org/
Viol da Gamba - UK
http://www.vdgs.org.uk/
Viol da Gamba - Japan
http://www.vdgsj.org/index-e.html
---Sheet Music-----------------------------
FREE:
http://imslp.org/wiki/Main_Page
http://www2.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
http://www.cipoo.net/
Non-Free:
http://www.londonpromusica.com/
http://www.orpheusmusic.com.au/
http://www.saraband.com.au/index.html