Revoicing a ‘Choice Eunuch’: The Cornetto and Historical Models of Vocality | Dr Jamie Savan (Birmingham Conservatoire)

‘Imitate the human voice’ is a familiar exhortation to instrumentalists in the pedagogical literature of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. But what does it mean to imitate the voice in practical terms? To what extent does the ‘vocality’ of the cornetto extend beyond a simple comparison of tone quality – e.g. with ‘a boy’s voice’ (Luigi Zenobi, c.1600) or, more colourfully, with that of ‘a choice eunuch’ (Roger North, c.1695)? In this seminar, Dr Jamie Savan, Senior Lecturer and Associate Director of Research at the Conservatoire, as well as professional cornettist, will also explore ways in which particular attributes of vocality, such as solmization and transposition practice, are embodied in historical cornetto design, with live demonstrations on both hand-crafted and 3D-printed copies of historical instruments.

This talk is part of the Conservatoire public research seminar series that take place in the New Lecture Theatre at the Conservatoire. All welcome!