What is "historically informed performance", why does it matter to musicians and audiences, and why is it taught at university?

What is historically informed performance, and why has this approach to music gained worldwide popularity? Historical or period performance is an attempt to recreate the sound of music from past eras using authentic instruments, performance techniques, and period-appropriate singing styles.

During the Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical periods, music was performed on instruments that either fell out of use by the 19th century or underwent significant changes, altering their sound dramatically. Additionally, musical notation at the time was often more of a framework, unable to capture the composer’s full intentions in detail. Musicians of the past left behind numerous theoretical and practical guides, offering insights into how their music should be performed.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, musicologists and performers laid the foundation for "historically informed performance," striving to recreate the authentic sound of historical music. Their research in source studies and organology revived historical instruments and performance practices. However, despite these efforts, interpretations often remain imprecise, leading to a "misinformed" tradition. Music from the past sometimes takes on characteristics it never had, while key principles of 16th —18th-century performance remain largely enigmatic.

So, is it worth continuing these seemingly futile attempts? What does delving into the complex world of historically informed performance practice offer modern musicians? Join us to explore these questions and more.

Lecturer

Alexey Panov is an organist, musicologist, and educator whose concert career began in 1981. Over his career, he has given over 1,000 solo concerts across Russia, neighbouring countries, and Western Europe.

Alexey is the organiser and participant of numerous Russian and international organ festivals, as well as a jury member for prestigious music competitions in Russia, Italy, Belgium, and France. He is also a board member of the International Union of Musicians, the St Petersburg Union of Musicians, and the Council of the Society for Music Theory.

As the editor-in-chief of the academic journal "Vestnik of St Petersburg University. Arts", he actively promotes scholarly work. Alexey Panov is the author of 85 academic and educational publications, including five monographs on the interpretation of early music, the theory and history of organ and keyboard art, and Western European musical source studies of the 17th — 18th centuries.

This lecture is part of the celebrations marking the 300th anniversary of St Petersburg University, Russia’s oldest university. The event will be held online in Russian with simultaneous Spanish translation.

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