Instrument loans

A common problem for students at music colleges and elsewhere in the UK has been the unavailability of suitable instruments for authentic performance. While many institutions have some instruments available for students to use, virtually none have sufficient to equip an entire period orchestra.
Courtesy of grants from bodies such as the Arts Council and the Foundation for Sport and the Arts, Bath Baroque has acquired (or is in the process of acquiring) a full set of modern reproductions of original Baroque and Classical instruments. These are available on loan to student members.

James "Shem" Mackey's bass violin, based on the reconstructed Andrea Amati "The King" cello

Bath Baroque gets new set of instruments

The commissioning of the Bath Baroque string section instruments as reported in "The Strad".

London violin maker James "Shem" Mackey has been commissioned to make a set of 13 new stringed instruments for the period instrument orchestra Bath Baroque.

The orchestra, which was founded in 1995 by trumpeter Andy Webb, reserves half its places for students to enable them to become familiar with early music repertory. Most of them do not have their own instruments and the commission is part of a plan to provide the whole orchestra with period instruments.

Webb, who dreamed up the idea after a trip to the Utrecht Early Music Festival, believes the new instruments will make an enormous difference to Bath Baroque. Making the transition from modern to Baroque set-up is particulary difficult for string players, he says, so the earlier they start on a period instrument, the better.

The commission is for eight violins, two violas, two cellos and a bass. Mackey is using a variety of models, including Stradivari, Andrea Guarneri and G.B.Guadagnini. he has already started work on the first quartet and hopes to complete the project within the next two years.