Collegium Musicum 90
Encyclopedia
Collegium Musicum 90 is an English
baroque orchestra
playing on period instruments. It was founded by violinist
Simon Standage
and conductor
Richard Hickox
in 1990 and was jointly directed by them (either together or separately) until the death of Hickox in November 2008.
Collegium Musicum
means something like musical guild and was used generically as the name of musical societies and ensembles in the baroque era, and is sometimes used similarly today by ensembles playing early music
.
Simon Standage was leader of baroque orchestra
The English Concert
under Trevor Pinnock
from 1973 to 1991, often performing as violin soloist, while Richard Hickox had an initial background as a Cambridge University organ
scholar and then became a conductor. Hickox founded the City of London Sinfonia and the Richard Hickox Singers in 1971 for the performance of Baroque music on modern instruments, for which Standage was concertmaster
, then went on to pursue a career as a choral conductor of the London Symphony Chorus
, as well as conducting large symphony orchestras and opera
.
Collegium Musicum 90 was founded to be a standing period instrument orchestra specialising in baroque
and early classical music which would enable Standage to direct regularly for the first time and Hickox to return emphatically to the baroque repertoire.
The orchestra has recorded extensively for Chandos Records
; Standage has directed violin concertos and concerti grossi with himself as soloist, and Hickox has directed large-scale vocal repertoire with the group. They have toured around Europe
and the United Kingdom
, and performed at the Proms and other music festivals.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
baroque orchestra
Baroque orchestra
The Baroque orchestra is the type of orchestra that existed during the Baroque period, commonly identified as 1600-1750. Its origins were in France where Jean-Baptiste Lully added the newly re-designed hautboy and transverse flutes to his vingt-quatre violons du Roy...
playing on period instruments. It was founded by violinist
Baroque violin
A baroque violin is, in common usage, any violin whose neck, fingerboard, bridge, and tailpiece are of the type used during the baroque period. Such an instrument may be an original built during the baroque and never changed to modern form; or a modern replica built as a baroque violin; or an...
Simon Standage
Simon Standage
Simon Andrew Thomas Standage is an English violinist and conductor best known for playing and conducting music of the baroque and classical eras on original instruments.- Biography and career :...
and conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
Richard Hickox
Richard Hickox
Richard Sidney Hickox CBE was an English conductor of choral, orchestral and operatic music.-Early life:Hickox was born in Stokenchurch in Buckinghamshire into a musical family...
in 1990 and was jointly directed by them (either together or separately) until the death of Hickox in November 2008.
Collegium Musicum
Collegium Musicum
The Collegium Musicum was one of several types of musical societies that arose in German and German-Swiss cities and towns during the Reformation and thrived into the mid-18th century...
means something like musical guild and was used generically as the name of musical societies and ensembles in the baroque era, and is sometimes used similarly today by ensembles playing early music
Early music
Early music is generally understood as comprising all music from the earliest times up to the Renaissance. However, today this term has come to include "any music for which a historically appropriate style of performance must be reconstructed on the basis of surviving scores, treatises,...
.
Simon Standage was leader of baroque orchestra
Baroque orchestra
The Baroque orchestra is the type of orchestra that existed during the Baroque period, commonly identified as 1600-1750. Its origins were in France where Jean-Baptiste Lully added the newly re-designed hautboy and transverse flutes to his vingt-quatre violons du Roy...
The English Concert
The English Concert
The English Concert is a baroque orchestra playing on period instruments based in London. Founded in 1972 and directed from the harpsichord by Trevor Pinnock for 30 years, it is now directed by harpsichordist Harry Bicket...
under Trevor Pinnock
Trevor Pinnock
Trevor David Pinnock CBE is an English conductor, harpsichordist, and occasional organist and pianist.He is best known for his association with the period-performance orchestra The English Concert which he helped found and directed from the keyboard for over 30 years in baroque and early classical...
from 1973 to 1991, often performing as violin soloist, while Richard Hickox had an initial background as a Cambridge University organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
scholar and then became a conductor. Hickox founded the City of London Sinfonia and the Richard Hickox Singers in 1971 for the performance of Baroque music on modern instruments, for which Standage was concertmaster
Concertmaster
The concertmaster/mistress is the spalla or leader, of the first violin section of an orchestra. In the UK, the term commonly used is leader...
, then went on to pursue a career as a choral conductor of the London Symphony Chorus
London Symphony Chorus
The London Symphony Chorus is a large symphonic concert choir based in London, England, consisting of over 150 amateur singers, and is one of the major symphony choruses of the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1966 as the LSO Chorus to complement the work of the London Symphony Orchestra...
, as well as conducting large symphony orchestras and opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
.
Collegium Musicum 90 was founded to be a standing period instrument orchestra specialising in baroque
Baroque music
Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...
and early classical music which would enable Standage to direct regularly for the first time and Hickox to return emphatically to the baroque repertoire.
The orchestra has recorded extensively for Chandos Records
Chandos Records
Chandos Records is an independent classical music recording company based in Colchester, Essex, in the United Kingdom, founded in 1979 by Brian Couzens.- Background :...
; Standage has directed violin concertos and concerti grossi with himself as soloist, and Hickox has directed large-scale vocal repertoire with the group. They have toured around Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and performed at the Proms and other music festivals.