Knowledge or emulation? Considerations on the importance of the “unwritten” in the interpretation of early music
Vladimiro Vagnetti
Abstract
This article is a personal reflection on the importance of study of the primary and secondary sources for a choral director, and in general, for the performer who wishes to approach the historic repertories. In the first part I will deal with the importance of research as the point of departure for the construction of an informed interpretation. In the second, I will give some examples of how, through perusing secondary historic sources, we can not only understand early practice, but also propose original readings of medieval and Renaissance music.
