For a long time, romantic music was unaffected by the historically informed performance practice (HIP) movement. The interest in HIP has mainly sprouted from the so-called early music movement, which gained momentum around the 1960s. Gradually, this way of thinking has also extended to the classical and romantic period.
With the research project 'HIP XIX&XX', Labo XIX&XX wants to feed this rich and complex field with information available in the RCA heritage library. The project aims to develop a digital platform for historical performance practice in the 'long' nineteenth century (i.e. from 1789 to the First World War). This platform brings together the following elements:
- An extensive and unique collection of historically annotated scores, both nineteenth-century scores with annotations from that time, as well as older scores with nineteenth-century annotations, from the RCA library, which has not yet been disclosed and researched in relation to its performance-oriented qualities;
- Nineteenth-century publications with indications in the direction of performance practice (theoretical treatises, concert programmes, reviews);
- Ego documents with performance information (letters, notes, reports);
- Early sound recordings.
'HIP XIX&XX' herewith seeks to create a place for storing and sharing material from related projects, and thus act as a starting point for music researchers in various fields related to HIP of nineteenth century repertoire.