The Fairfax Ensemble Release First CD
A CD of Georgian musical entertainment has been released by The Fairfax Ensemble
The Fairfax Ensemble
A new CD of musical entertainment which would have been enjoyed in Georgian England by the Fairfax family of York, has been released this week by The Fairfax Ensemble.
The CD, which is called ‘An Evening at Fairfax House’, features Josephine Peach Square Piano, Amanda Crawley Soprano and Edwina Smith One-keyed Flute and was recorded in The Saloon at Fairfax House earlier this year.
The recording captures the style of a concert which might have been heard by family and friends in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century and highlights the very beautiful square piano owned by Fairfax House, made by Thomas Haxby of York in 1792. This instrument, built specifically for home music-making, is heard on the CD in solo and chamber works by Mozart, his father Leopold and son Franz Xaver, and their contemporaries J.C. Bach, Haydn, Thomas Linley and Matthew Camidge (organist at York Minster from 1799 until 1842).
In keeping with domestic entertainment of the time, there are operatic arias arranged for chamber ensemble, single movements from sonatas, pieces originally written for mechanical instruments, all with an emphasis on composers who lived in or visited England. Several of the items on the recording have been selected from music libraries in York’s Castle Museum and Shibden Hall near Halifax.
The idea of making this CD resulted from two concerts performed by the ensemble in May 2006 at Fairfax House to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Mozart. At this time The Fairfax Ensemble were privileged to be able to use the square piano, which, due to its fragility and historical importance cannot be played or even tuned on a regular basis. The concerts were so successful that the seed for the CD was sown.
An Evening at Fairfax House costs £9.95 (plus p & p) and is available from the Fairfax House Shop or by emailing edwina.f.smith@btinternet.com
The CD, which is called ‘An Evening at Fairfax House’, features Josephine Peach Square Piano, Amanda Crawley Soprano and Edwina Smith One-keyed Flute and was recorded in The Saloon at Fairfax House earlier this year.
The recording captures the style of a concert which might have been heard by family and friends in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century and highlights the very beautiful square piano owned by Fairfax House, made by Thomas Haxby of York in 1792. This instrument, built specifically for home music-making, is heard on the CD in solo and chamber works by Mozart, his father Leopold and son Franz Xaver, and their contemporaries J.C. Bach, Haydn, Thomas Linley and Matthew Camidge (organist at York Minster from 1799 until 1842).
In keeping with domestic entertainment of the time, there are operatic arias arranged for chamber ensemble, single movements from sonatas, pieces originally written for mechanical instruments, all with an emphasis on composers who lived in or visited England. Several of the items on the recording have been selected from music libraries in York’s Castle Museum and Shibden Hall near Halifax.
The idea of making this CD resulted from two concerts performed by the ensemble in May 2006 at Fairfax House to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Mozart. At this time The Fairfax Ensemble were privileged to be able to use the square piano, which, due to its fragility and historical importance cannot be played or even tuned on a regular basis. The concerts were so successful that the seed for the CD was sown.
An Evening at Fairfax House costs £9.95 (plus p & p) and is available from the Fairfax House Shop or by emailing edwina.f.smith@btinternet.com