About this episode

Donald Macleod explores the significance and history of music attributed to anonymous composers.

Donald Macleod explores a rich and varied body of music gathered under a single name: Anonymous. Bringing together works whose creators were never recorded, later forgotten or deliberately obscured, the podcast traces how music can circulate and endure without a clear author. With contributions from Professor Lisa Colton and Professor Fay Hield, there is a focus on how anonymous works have been preserved, collected and sometimes reshaped over time, from medieval polyphony and early modern song to folk traditions passed down through generations. Along the way, questions emerge about authorship, ownership and how we listen to music when its origins are uncertain or shared. Music featured includes: Romance Anonimo (arr. Yepes) from Jeux interdits Horn Concerto in E flat major Three Medieval Dances: A que as cousas coitadas; Il Trotto; La Quarte Estampie Royal Shallow Brown Dances from Le Concert Royal de la Nuit (1653) Three Modinhas from 18th Century Portugal Neapolitan Songs: Barcarola napoletana; La favola dell'uccello grifone La Messe de Tournai: Gloria; Credo The Cruel Mother The Bull Ring Vaughan Williams: English Folk Song Suite Three Dances (arr. Praetorius) Attrib…

People in this episode

Host: Donald Macleod

Guests: Professor Lisa Colton, Professor Fay Hield

Topics covered

• anonymous music
• authorship
• music preservation
• medieval music
• folk traditions
• music history

Keywords

• anonymous
• music history
• medieval polyphony
• folk music
• authorship
• music preservation
• composers

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Romance Anonimo, Horn Concerto in E flat major, Three Medieval Dances, Shallow Brown Dances, Three Modinhas, Neapolitan Songs, La Messe de Tournai, The Cruel Mother, The Bull Ring, Vaughan Williams: English Folk Song Suite

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