Dr. Rupert Tills work with the European Music Archaeology Project has been funded through the EU Culture Programme receiving a 5 year €2 million grant, with about 8 partners from different countries involved. Dr Till says: ‘I will be setting up a music archaeology record label, and recording perhaps Greek instruments in a temple, Roman instruments at Pompeii’s theatre or prehistoric instruments in chamber tombs. I will also be creating multimedia exhibits for a touring exhibition, which will travel across Europe, for example to Rome, Berlin, France, Portugal, Spain etc. EMAP will develop a free-to-enter multimedia touring exhibition and accompanying programme of workshops and performances which will visit ten venues in eight countries between May 2015 and November 2016. The exhibition covers the origins and evolution of European music from Prehistory to still-surviving music traditions and will be supported by a website, TV documentary, recordings and other activities.
The programme will create accurate reconstructions and working models of ancient instruments computer models of selected archaeological sites, their acoustics and soundscapes, outreach media such as books, CDs and videos, workshops and performances and a multimedia exhibition. The presentation will be designed to appeal to the general public, using the latest presentational techniques and the accompanying support materials will be presented at three different levels: adult, school-age and pre-school. The adult material will be designed to bring together generations, empowering older citizens help the younger ones to explore the musical experiences of their parents’ and grandparents’ generation and understand their experiences of shared European culture.
A Trust will be set up to continue the work of the project into the future. It will establish a lasting flagship for ancient European music culture and the development of a supra-national sense of citizenship through a deeper awareness of Europe’s interconnected past, achieved through the power of sound, even after the end of the funded project.’
Acoustics and Music of British Prehistory Research Network 