International holidays - European Day of Early Music

Ancient Music Day is an annual international holiday celebrated on March 21 The main goal of concerts, conferences, anniversary events, and shows is to revive interest in authentic culture The organizers organize performances in all countries of Europe, America, Africa, Australia, and Japan Early music includes works by composers of the Middle Ages (500–1400), as well as the Renaissance (1400–1600) The Baroque style (1600–1750) is sometimes included in this category Melodies and vocal parts are early music, if both the repertoire and performance are fully consistent with traditions Early music is inseparably linked with other forms of art - dance, theater, architecture The extensive repertoire covers events dating back more than a thousand years Some works are widely known to the public But a significant part of the masterpieces of the medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods is still waiting for its “finest hour” The revival of early music began in the 50s of the twentieth century “Retro” ensembles appeared in Europe Musical groups accurately recreated medieval compositions For scoring, ancient instruments were used, tuned using forgotten technologies The ensembles used authentic interpretations of musical notation, copied the musicians' seating arrangements and vocal techniques The first day of medieval music was celebrated in 2013 The initiator of the establishment of the annual holiday was Peter Pontwick, one of the directors of the European Network of Early Music (Reseau Europeen de Musique Ancienne) March 21 was chosen for two reasons This is the date of birth of Johann Sebastian Bach and the first day of astronomical spring beginning in the Northern Hemisphere In the 21st century, ancient melodies have become popular all over the world International organizations and public foundations have emerged that devote their activities to this area The holiday has become a formal occasion that unites connoisseurs of ancient music from all continents Now the festive events are organized by more than 100 coordinators from almost all European countries, government agencies - the French Ministry of Culture, the European Broadcasting Union Some areas are supervised by the European Commission Local, regional, and national media take part in the project Every year a new ambassador becomes the “face of the holiday” The organizers choose a famous person who has achieved significant success in popularizing ancient music For example, in 2020 Rachel Podger became an ambassador, in 2021 - Olga Pashchenko The section of the official website dedicated to the holiday – https://wwwearlymusicdayeu/, contains a list of planned events You can view a list of events related to one of the participating countries Many concerts are broadcast live This is a great opportunity for busy people to experience living culture Ancient Music Day is an attempt to rethink traditional values, to understand the sources of inspiration of composers and great performers of the past Unknown pages of the historical musical heritage of Europe are opening up for a wide audience The living energy of ancient melodies fills all listeners and participants with strength, harmony, and a sense of beauty!