Ian Harrison | Steve Player | Gesine Bänfer
The musicians of The Early Folk Band, all leading performers of ‘early’ music, have come together for a new project: the reconstruction of early folk music. Coming from England, Sweden and Germany the musicians bring with them the traditional music of their own countries as well as an enormous practical experience of the music of the middle ages, Renaissance and Baroque.
They have won Grammys, Globale Ruths (Germany’s top World Music prize), the Anders Zorn silver badge, and prizes from the Bruge Early Music Festival, the Rencontres des Maîtres-Sonneurs (France) and the German Rock and Pop Awards.
Ballads, songs and dances from the British Isles, Scandinavia, Germany, Spain and Italy form the basis of the group’s repertoire. Sources include early printed editions and manuscripts from the 13th to the 19th centuries as well as material learnt from traditional singers and the group’s own compositions and arrangements. ‘Folk music’ has always influenced ‘art music’ and vice versa. The vision of the band is to bridge the gap between early and folk music for the 21st century. Renaissance and Baroque music from the south and traditional music from the north join in a unique European musical experience. Like the wind, music knows no boundaries in space and time.