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The Musick Cabinet is a name that describes the approach to the music we play. Musick with a "k" is an old spelling of the word, frequently used in the 16th, 17th, 18th and even 19th centuries. It implies that we seek out old, interesting pieces from the byways of musical history. The word cabinet has several dictionery definitions and associations. A music cabinet is a piece of furniture designed as a chest of many shallow drawers for storing sheet music. Some fine examples were made in the 19th century. Which drawer shall we open today? What rare examples of the composer's art shall we bring to life? A cabinet of curiosities was usually a glass-fronted cabinet for displaying a variety of interesting objects. This could be a personal collection or those items that would not fit into other categories in a museum. In our case it implies our collection of old renaissance, baroque, classical and out-of-the-way modern instruments. Strange sounds. What grouping of instruments shall we use today? A cabinet could be an entire small room devoted to exhibition of objets d'art. A cabinet was a private small chamber in an old house, usually situated just off the owner's bedroom. Only the most honoured guests, friends and confidants were invited there. It is the origin of "cabinet government", as the monarch would invite only the most senior ministers and advisers into the cabinet or privy chamber. The word implies that we are friends, that we meet to play in each other's houses and our music is often suited to small scale, intimate surroundings. A cabinet is the name for a variety of milk shake made with ice-cream to be found in Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts. I like the sound of that one!! |
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