– A Tale of Shaping Contemporary Musical Life
By Assistant Professor Nicolas Sublet
“The Town Musicians of Aarhus – A Tale of Shaping Contemporary Musical Life” is a multi-disciplinary project that explores the capturing cultural contributions of the Stadsmusikanter in and around Aarhus in the 1760s. It seeks to envision what shape their actions and programs could take on in a present day Aarhus, and to experiment with the possible potentials of this musical approach.
A Stadsmusikant was a royal-privileged musician in Denmark who held a monopoly on providing music for both private and public events in towns and rural areas. This system, fully established by 1660, was akin to a guild structure, with master musicians overseeing apprentices and assistants. Stadsmusikanter performed individually or in groups, offering a repertoire that spanned classical art music, church music, and popular dance tunes. Their work introduced new instruments, musical styles, and cultural norms, often contrasting sharply with rural traditions.
In its initial phase, I, along with twenty-eight RAMA students, Frederik Larsen (guitar), Niels Christian Hansen and Mo Yi (violin), reconstruct four musical events reminiscent of those held in 1760s Aarhus. Archival materials from Count Frederik Danneskiold-Samsø’s city house is employed for programming the « art music » of the time, while a music collection from Boes near Skanderborg will be utilized for more « popular music ».
Concerts:
30/11, 2024, 19:30, Symfonisk Sal, Musikhuset Aarhus (reminiscence of the link of stadsmusikant and apprentices)
26/01, 2025, 10:00 church service in Vor Frue Kirke, Aarhus (reminiscence of church-related activity)
8/02, 2025, 15:00 Vor Frue Kirke, Aarhus (reminiscence of art music concert)
February 2025, (reminiscence of a popular baroque music event)
Building on this research and on the analysis of the practical revival of the Stadsmusikant, the second phase involves a reflective process where students and teachers identify adequate strategies to engage musically with contemporary Aarhus. These results will be tested during at least 2 concerts in April and May.
