“Stadsmusikanter” in Aarhus

A new artistic development project at the Royal Academy of Music delves into the sources to rediscover and reenact the music played by the “Stadsmusikanter” (town musicians) of Aarhus in the 18th century.

Long before anyone had thought of the Music House, Vestergade 68, or Train, Aarhus was a music city with its own ” Stadsmusikanter”. In the 17th and 18th centuries, this term referred to musicians who had a monopoly on playing in the city, for parties, dances, church services, and more.

Through three concerts in January and February 2025, students and teachers from the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus will present different aspects of the town musicians’ work, as it might have unfolded in 1760s Aarhus: A high mass with a cantata (Sunday, January 26); a concert featuring art music (Saturday, February 8); and a concert with folk and dance music (Saturday, February 22).

Three Different Concerts – Three Different Examples
At the cantata mass on January 26 at 10:00 AM in Vor Frue Church, the New Year’s Day cantata “Vi himlens allmægtigste Herre” by Heinrich Ernst Grosmann will be performed. Grosmann (1732-1811) was a magister at Aarhus Cathedral School and cantor at Aarhus Cathedral.

The concert with art music from that time on February 8 at 3:00 PM in Vor Frue Church will feature a trio sonata by Carl Philip Emanuel Bach, a string arrangement of a flute quartet by Haydn, a symphony by Karl Friedrich Abel (1723-87), and an aria by Karl Heinrich Graun (1704-57). The repertoire is based on archival material from Count Frederik Danneskiold-Samsøe’s city house, and the concert will be introduced by Niels Christian Hansen, a music theory teacher at the conservatory.

The concert “Folk Music Echoes” on Saturday, February 22 at 7:30 PM at Fairbar will present music from a music collection from Boes near Skanderborg. The concert will be introduced by Niels Christian Hansen.

Town Musicians in Aarhus
A town musician was a royal-privileged musician who held a monopoly on providing music for both private and public events in cities and rural areas. The town musician had a number of apprentices and assistants under their supervision, with whom they performed. The repertoire ranged from classical art music and church music to popular dance melodies. It was typically the town musicians, as the professional musicians of the time, who introduced new instruments and styles, often in contrast to the more folk-oriented music culture.

This concert series is part of an artistic development project at the conservatory, where adjunct and violinist Nicolas Sublet, together with three colleagues and 28 students, is investigating and experimenting with archival material through these three concerts. The goal is to gain insight into the music life of the time and perhaps be inspired to new approaches to contemporary musical life.