Though small five- and six-part Harmonien were probably the most common wind ensembles until after 1800, the best-known example of Harmoniemusik is the wind octet. The octet of oboes, clarinets, horns and bassoons, sometimes with double bass or contrabassoon, was popularized by Emperor Joseph II during the 1780s. Joseph’s ‘kaiserlich und königlich Harmonie’ (k. k. Harmonie) was assembled in 1782 from wind players from his Burgtheater. Many similar groups subsequently appeared in the courts of other Viennese nobles such as Prince Alois von Liechtenstein, and further afield, particularly where Viennese influence was felt or Joseph’s favour courted.

The k. k. Harmonie was renowned throughout the empire…

Robert Percival discusses his new arrangements of Beethoven’s incidental music to Goethe’s play Egmont.

Emily Worthington and Robert Percival discuss the place of military “Bands of Music” - the English equivalent of the Austro-German Harmonie - in civilian life in the late 18th century.

Austin Glatthorn’s research focuses on the negotiation of music, politics, spectacle, and representation in Central Europe in the years around 1800. Specifically, he is interested in music at the crossroads of the old and new regimes, exploring the ways in which music articulated cultural and national identity during a seminal period of transformation in European (music) history. In this guest blog, he writes about how the disruption of the Revolutionary Wars contributed to the growing popularity of Harmonien.

Our 2017–18 season's programmes range from intimate chamber music to arrangements that chronicle the grand sweep of European history...

August might seem like an odd time for an end-of-year roundup. But for musicians, the sight of September looming on the horizon always has the whiff of 'back to school' about it.

Robert returns to the question of what a properly dressed, fully-historically informed Harmonie should wear; and are female players of historical instruments really an anachronism?

Whilst it may appear to have been quiet lately on the B&B blog, it certainly hasn't been quiet with B&B in general!

We spent the first week of April in the Shropshire town of Ludlow. Renowned today as a destination for foodies, Ludlow is the perfect place for B&B history geeks...