Uncommon Practice

NMC is excited to present a concert of new works performed entirely on instruments associated with “early music.” We’ll coax new sounds out of anachronistic keyboard instruments like harpsichord, clavichord, and portative organ; predecessors to orchestral strings such as viola da gamba and medieval vielle; and throwbacks to the middle ages like psaltery, recorder, and organistrum (the grandfather of the hurdy gurdy). These instruments existed in a world before the “common practice” period of western classical music. They are the ancestors of the carefully refined arsenal of instruments today’s musicians take for granted. Their strange and raw sounds harken back to a time when musical rules were less rigid and experimentation was the norm — which is where NMC composers feel most at home.

This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.