Sound Heritage in Historic Houses
Sound Heritage aims to increase understanding of how music functioned in historic houses and to use this knowledge in creative ways to enhance the experience of visitors today. Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council in the UK, and led by Professor Jeanice Brooks (University of Southampton) and Professor Jonathan Wainwright (University of York), the network brings together scholars of domestic music-making, performers with an interest in historical performance practice, and curators and heritage sector professionals.
Since the network began in July 2015, we have run two successful study days at the University of Southampton and Chawton House Library, while our third study day will take place in November at Tatton Park in Cheshire. These study days have explored issues relating to the nature and location of music-related materials, conservation, and approaches to interpretation, as well as including musical performances and discussions to further develop the network’s activities.
A related symposium, Sound Heritage Ireland, will take place in October at the University of Limerick (see https://soundheritageireland.wordpress.com/ for more details) and Professor Brooks recently presented on Sound Heritage at the DEMHIST (ICOM) conference in Milan. As the network has an international reach, including participants from Ireland, USA and Australia, we would welcome hearing about any projects you are involved in that relate to music in historic houses.
Please visit our website (https://sound-heritage.soton.ac.uk), join our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/237445289966950/) or follow us on Twitter (@Sound_Heritage), where you can read more about some of the exciting interventions network participants have produced.