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The Early Music Institute at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music
provides a comprehensive program in the study of historical
performance on original instruments of music before ca.1800,
supplementing performance with research and theoretical studies,
leading to degrees at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.
The faculty consists of internationally known performers who
specialize in the performance of early repertory. The EMI is
fortunate in enjoying university-wide academic support from
disciplines as diverse as musicology, computer studies, literature,
medieval studies, and fine arts.
The program includes private lessons in voice and on historical
instruments along with extensive solo and ensemble performance
opportunities. Academic courses are designed to provide an
understanding of the many practical and theoretical areas essential
to performance of medieval, renaissance, baroque, and classical music (e.g.
improvisation, ornamentation, articulation, basso continuo,
solmization, historical notation, bibliography, organology, etc.).
Research is encouraged, and opportunities for research are provided
both in academic courses and in elective special projects. The
faculty of the Early Music Institute makes every effort to
accommodate a student's specialized interests without losing sight
of a broader commitment to artistic excellence and scholarship.
The student body comprises about 50 graduate students and a smaller
number of undergraduate students majoring in early instruments and
voice from many countries of North and South America, Europe, Africa, Australia, and
Asia. In addition, all activities of the EMI are available to the
approximately 1500 music students majoring in standard practice
areas, providing a healthy interaction between the disciplines.
As several of our visiting European colleagues have pointed out, a
high standard of early music instruction may be found in many
places, especially in Europe, but the rare thing about IU is the
student's access to extraordinary resources, the opportunity to
study music in its broader cultural context and the ability to weave
the academic and performance strands together into a meaningful
whole. Another observation has been that many Conservatories have
commuting faculty and sometimes commuting students as well, which
makes it difficult to offer such a well-rounded educational
experience and to have major ensembles of such calibre.
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