Collegium Musicum

Collegium musicum means a college or university student ensemble performing on early Western European instruments. Usually these are instruments from the Baroque or Renaissance periods (1500 to 1750), but often Medieval and Classic period instruments are also used. The idea is to recreate and bring to modern audiences little-known and seldom-heard music of the more distant past - music other than the standard repertoire of orchestras and bands. Within today’s multicultural music departments, the Collegium is one of many “other” ensembles: Javanese gamelan, Gospel choir, Latin American groups, etc. These ensembles expose students and audiences to a wealth of music that would not otherwise be heard.

Collegium members are usually students who already sing or play proficiently. Many techniques from modern instruments can transfer easily to early instruments: piano to harpsichord and organ, clarinet and flute to recorder and krummhorn, cello to bass viol, guitar to Renaissance lute and cittern, trombone to sackbut, and violin and flute to their Baroque versions. Performance versatility is emphasized in the Collegium. Most players can learn to play several instruments because of the families of recorders, viols, keyboards, sackbuts. Often instrumentalists sing and singers learn to play an instrument. The UCR Music Department owns a large number of these and other early instruments which are all available for student use.

Collegium performing helps to broaden and develop students’ general musical skills. Prevailing one-on-a-part playing promotes musical independence and responsibility for your own part, and Collegium rehearsals often include a lot of sight reading. Emphasis on intonation (including different tunings) and dealing with instrument intonation refine aural sensitivity. Learning to read in other note values (half-note or whole-note beats) and in other clefs or music without barlines develop a more flexible musicianship (singing or playing by interval, for instance, instead of by fingering). Other elements of earlier music introduce new skills to the repertoire of modern performers: irregular rhythmic patterns and phrases, ornamentation and improvisation, varied articulation, new fingerings and bowing styles, other clefs, etc.

The UCR Collegium has existed since the middle 1960s and has been led by Prof. Fred Gable since 1968. Gradually, Janet Beazley, a PhD student in early music performance at USC and a professional recorder and flute player, is assuming full responsibility for the ensemble. Membership reached its height in the 1970s with 15-18 instrumentalists as members. It now is a smaller ensemble of versatile instrument players and an occasional solo singer. Its main contribution to music at UCR are the many off-campus concerts it performs as part of the Gluck Fellowship Program. Good performers may be appointed Gluck Fellows and receive financial aid for their participation in the Collegium.