Crawford Young Explained

Crawford Young is an American lutenist and musicologist residing in Basel, Switzerland. He is the director of the Ferrara Ensemble, Ensemble Project Ars Nova, Shield of Harmony, and is a long time accompanist of Andreas Scholl.[1] [2] [3]

Life and career

Robert Crawford Young graduated in 1976 from New England Conservatory in Boston, where he played classical guitar, lute, and tenor banjo. At Stanford University, he came in 1977 into contact with Thomas Binkley from 1978-1981 was active with Sequentia of Benjamin Bagby and Barbara Thornton in Cologne as performer on the lute and gittern. Since 1982, Young has taught medieval lute and medieval music performance practice at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis,[4] where he also performs.[5] In 1982, Young was a founding member of Ensemble P.A.N. (Project Ars Nova), along with Laurie Monahan (mezzo-soprano), Michael Collver (countertenor and corno muto)[6] and first performed in Paris in 1982. For their American debut in Boston in 1984, Shira Kammen (bowed strings) and John Fleagle (tenor and medieval harp) joined the group. The group ceased to perform in 1999, following the death from cancer of John Fleagle.[7]

The Basel-based Ferrara Ensemble was founded almost simultaneously with Ensemble P.A.N., in 1983. Since the ensemble includes students at the Schola Cantorum, membership is fluid. Members have included: Randall Cook (viola d’arco, vielle), Lena Susanne Norin (contralto), Kathleen Dineen (soprano), Debra Gomez (harp), Stephen Grant (baritone), Norihisa Sugawara (lute), Marion Fourquier (harp), Miriam Andersen (mezzo-soprano, harp), Masako Art (harp), Raitis Grigalis (baritone), Els Janssens (mezzo-soprano), Eve Kopli (soprano), Jessica Marshall (viola d’arco), Eric Mentzel (tenor), Karl-Heinz Schickhaus (dulce melos).[8]

Young is considered by many to be the premier interpreter of repertory for Medieval and Renaissance lute.[9]

Publications

Recordings

With Ensemble P.A.N. (Project Ars Nova)

With Ferrara Ensemble

With Shield of Harmony

Notes and References

  1. [Ross W. Duffin]
  2. James Jolly Gramophone Classical Good CD Guide 2002 p1258
  3. Musical America: directory issue 1999 p160
  4. Web site: Dozierende Prof. Crawford Young SCB (in German) . 5 March 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150725204151/http://www.scb-basel.ch/index/112789 . 25 July 2015 . dead .
  5. A Rooley ed. Early lute facsimiles: Fruhe Lautentabulaturen im Faksimile 2006
  6. Web site: Michael Collver . 5 March 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080517145714/http://www.bostoncamerata.org/bio/mcollver.html . 17 May 2008 . dead .
  7. Web site: Cohen . Joel . John Fleagle . The Boston Camerata . 27 September 2021 . 17 May 1999.
  8. Web site: Ferrara Ensemble Discography . www.medieval.org . 27 September 2021.
  9. Rubbers . Benjamin . The University of Lubumbashi between the Local and the Global: Dynamics, Management, and Future of University Education in the Democratic Republic of Congo . Canadian Journal of African Studies . January 2004 . 38 . 2 . 318–343 . 10.1080/00083968.2004.10751288 . 142308766 . 27 September 2021.
  10. ed. Tess Knighton, David Fallows 1997
  11. DHM 77038 Gramophone July 1990
  12. Elizabeth A. Davis A basic music library: essential scores and sound recordings Music Library Association 1997 p181
  13. reissue without sung texts and translations
  14. Peter Hugh Reed American record guide Volume 38, Issues 1-2 1998 p255
  15. Medioevo musicale: bollettino bibliografico della musica medievale, Volumes 6-7 2003 p367
  16. Tracks 3,4,5,6,8 2000, 2,7,9,10 2008, track 1 2009