Basil Lam
Encyclopedia
Basil Lam was an English early music
scholar and harpsichord
ist. A producer for the Third Programme of the BBC
since its inception in September 1946, Lam eventually became head of the classical musical division of the BBC
in the 1960s. He was best known for his contributions as a commentator on early and baroque music on BBC Radio 3
, particularly the series "Plainsong and the rise of European music" (1978-1979). He also played in several musical ensembles. Lam published many articles and books, specializing on Bach
, Handel
and Beethoven, and edited various musical scores, including editions of Handel's Messiah
and the lute music of Dowland.
Early music
Early music is generally understood as comprising all music from the earliest times up to the Renaissance. However, today this term has come to include "any music for which a historically appropriate style of performance must be reconstructed on the basis of surviving scores, treatises,...
scholar and harpsichord
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
ist. A producer for the Third Programme of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
since its inception in September 1946, Lam eventually became head of the classical musical division of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in the 1960s. He was best known for his contributions as a commentator on early and baroque music on BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
, particularly the series "Plainsong and the rise of European music" (1978-1979). He also played in several musical ensembles. Lam published many articles and books, specializing on Bach
Bạch
Bạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...
, Handel
HANDEL
HANDEL was the code-name for the UK's National Attack Warning System in the Cold War. It consisted of a small console consisting of two microphones, lights and gauges. The reason behind this was to provide a back-up if anything failed....
and Beethoven, and edited various musical scores, including editions of Handel's Messiah
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
and the lute music of Dowland.
Selected publications
- Beethoven String Quartets, BBC Music Guides, Vols 32-33, 1975.
- The collected lute music of John Dowland with Lute tablature and keyboard notation (with Diana PoultonDiana PoultonDiana Poulton was an English lutenist and musicologist. A leading member of the Early Music Revival and associate of Arnold Dolmetsch, she played a key role in the revival of the popularity of the lute and its music. She was married to the illustrator Tom Poulton.- References :*...
), 1974, 1978 and 1981, Faber. - Handel: A symposium (1954) Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, chapters on church and orchestral music. - Of German music: A symposium (1976), O. Wolff, chapter on the Classical Symphony.
- Authenticity and the St John Passion, Early Music, Vol. 5, 1977, pp. 45-49
External links
- Basil Lam archive, Royal College of MusicRoyal College of MusicThe Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
- March That Goes Out With a Lam, Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
- Review of Lam's performing edition of Handel's Messiah, Gramophone
- Quadrille with a Raven, memoirs by Humphrey SearleHumphrey SearleHumphrey Searle was a British composer.-Biography:He was born in Oxford where he was a classics scholar before studying — somewhat hesitantly — with John Ireland at the Royal College of Music in London, after which he went to Vienna on a six month scholarship to become a private pupil of Anton...