Course leader : Brice Sailly

Objectives :

– Discovering the history, music and instruments of the Baroque era
– Developing the listener’s ear
– Experimenting with the sensorial approach to the instrument
– Broaching the notion of playing together

The project :

The Bestiary allows for a playful approach to the harpsichord and Baroque music in a general way, taking inspiration from the naturalist culture of the Age of Enlightenment. Nature is represented in the works performed as well as in the instrument itself: the plectra made of feathers, the ram’s silk springs, and the different species of wood used in the construction of a harpsichord.

Visiting a classroom, the harpsichord becomes a time machine, a musical paint box, a poetic artefact, work of the most meticulous know-how rooted in a long history. It becomes the medium by which students rub shoulders with art music in an everyday setting: their classroom.

Workshops :

Duration : 45’/session in groups of 15
Number of sessions : 2-4
Number of musicians : 1-2
Public : pupils aged 4-10