Historically Informed Performance (HIP) on period instruments is a movement which began in Europe in the 1960s. It is a performance style – previously referred to as Early Music – that embraces instruments and interpretations from the time of composition to create a vibrant sound like no other.

HIP is research-based, diving into the aesthetics of the period in which the music was conceived and performed. This includes finding expressive markings and annotations in original scores and treatises, comparing these to some of the earliest recordings of Classical and Romantic repertoire, and identifying supporting evidence in parallel disciplines of literature, theatre and the arts. 

To the listener, there is an immediately noticeable contrast between the HIP sound and that of mainstream orchestras.

• Different timbral relationships between wind, brass, string and percussion sections – for example, historical wind and brass instruments possess a slender sound quality that blends more readily with the delicate colours produced by gut strings.

• Articulations tend to be more pronounced.

• Vibrato is employed as an ornament or expressive device, rather than constantly.

• Players might introduce a slight glide – or portamento – between notes in Romantic works, evoking emotion.

• Musicians interpret phrases – particularly in solos – with considerable expressive and rhythmic freedom, and add ornamentation based on an advanced understanding of the harmonic progression. They vary these techniques from performance to performance, just as musicians would have done in the past.

LISTEN TO HIP

Listen to the Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra’s latest HIP recordings, bringing music off the page into vivid life.