The Capella Aquisgrana is an ensemble based in Aachen, Germany that plays the music from the 14th until the 18th century on historical plucked instruments.
The basic ensemble is composed of the instruments of the lute and guitar family – baroque mandolin, baroque guitar and mandolone – and is completed by other instruments like the travers flute, the viola da gamba and percussion instruments. The music is mainly taken from Spanish, Italian and English composers who made important contributions to the developement of the music for plucked instruments in Europe.
Marga Wilden-Hüsgen, director of the ensemble – has been professor for the mandolin at the music university of Cologne, departement Wuppertal, until she retired in 2007. She has taken care about the renaissance of playing the historical plucked instruments and has driven the rediscovery and care of the old playing techniques of those instruments.
The name of the ensemble “aquisgrana” is taken from the old latin name of the city of Aachen.
The Ensemble Capella Aquisgrana has recently published three youtube movies from a concert given in 2009 – this is a good occasion to listen to their music and hear and see some of the instruments.
Doen Daphné d’over schoone Maeght (J. v. Eyck) Ricarda Schumann und Marlo Strauß
von Jakob van Eyck
gespielt von: Ricarda Schumann und Marlo Strauß
Capella Aquisgrana – Ensemble für Alte Musik
Capella Aquisgrana: La morte de la ragione (anon. 16. Jh. Italy)
Flow my tears (Lachrimae Pavan) J. Dowland – Marga Wilden-Hüsgen u. Marlo Strauß
A CD recorded in 2009 will be published within the next weeks. You can find information about the ensemble and about the instruments played on their website.
Links:
Website Capella Aquisgrana: http://www.capella-aquisgrana.eu/
youtube channel Capella Aquisgrana: http://www.youtube.com/user/capellaaquisgrana