Centre for Performance Science

Listening Gallery

Outputs

Recordings

The music employed in the Listening Gallery - much of which was especially recorded by RCM students and staff, using instruments from the RCM Museum and manuscripts from the RCM Library - comes from precisely those years, those cities, those spectacles represented by objects in the V&A's galleries. The music and the artefacts on display were typically commissioned by the same patrons, and to experience them
reunited enhances understanding of the periods, places, and people represented.

The variety of musical styles, genres, and instruments covered across European art and culture from 1000-1800 has required the consideration and application of a wide range of musicological sources. Moreover, the input provided by performers to early music scholarship has been essential, particularly for the earliest works where hands-on music making is often the best means of addressing interpretative and notation questions.

Music recorded for the Listening Gallery can be downloaded from the V&A's website:

Publications

Dennis F (2010), Scattered knives and dismembered songs: Cutlery, music, and the rituals of dining, Renaissance Studies, 24, 156-184.

Nuti G, Solomon A, & Williamon A (2009), The Listening Gallery: Integrating music with exhibitions and gallery displays, in A Williamon, S Pretty, & R Buck (eds.), Proceedings
of the International Symposium on Performance Science 2009
(pp. 341-346), European Association of Conservatoires (AEC).

Documentary series

Our documentary series offers a rare, behind-the-scenes glimpse into the processes, products, and impact of Listening Gallery knowledge transfer activities. Drawing on the experience of curators, performers, researchers, and recording engineers, the videos provide insight into the relevance of music to objects on display at the V&A, as well as the rehearsal and recording work of RCM musicians.

Additional recordings related to this object are available here »