Matthew Sping Academia
Lectures, Conference Papers and Talks
This section contains a selection of my lectures, conference papers, and talks reflecting my research in historical musicology. My work explores a range of topics, including early plucked string instruments, performance practices, and the broader cultural contexts of historical music traditions. Over the years, I have presented at various academic conferences and institutions, contributing to discussions on historical performance, music theory, and the interpretation of early music sources.
Tonbridge Talk
FarringdonTalk
Comedia and the lute (Nov 2024)
Toia tlak for Italian Soceity
Arc talk on Herschel
Lute Society Paper on Women and the Lute
Leeds conference 2023 – Tornament Culture
Bath Herschel Museum paper
Devon Baroque talk (2022)
Lute Soc talk (2022) on Songs from the Shows
Aural Diveristy talk
From Musicians to Astronomers (York Conference 2022)
Lully Lecture for Mel (May 2022)
Lute in Soctland – paper for Irish Harp Society (2023)
Lute Society Wilson lecture online 2022
Dance paper for Bill
From Musicians to Astronomers (York Conference 2022)
Clementi Conference Paper
Conference Paper, Animusic, Braga Portugal 19-21 July 2014, ‘A possible provenance andhistory for the Horniman Musuem’s 13-course ‘swan-necked lute. An instrument in ‘originalcondition’?
Conference Recital, Animusic Conference, Braga Portugal 19-21 July 2014,Awake my Lute: Renaissance songs with lute and vihuela from the Renaissance Courts of Europe.
Conference Paper, The Early Dance Circle Biennial Conference, 11 April 2014, to be published as ‘The Fleming Family’s dance school at Bath 1750-1800’. Early Dance Circle Conference Proceedings 2014
Conference Paper, BSECS Conference, St Anne’s College, Oxford University, 10 January 2014 ‘The Music of Bath’s Eighteenth-Century Pleasure Gardens’.
Conference Paper, Galpin Society and Gamba Society Joint Conference, Oxford, 25-30 July 2013. ‘The Bass Viol in the Mixed Consort’.
Conference Lecture Recital, Galpin Society and Gamba Society Joint Conference, Oxford 25-29 July 2013. ‘The Lute Made Easy. 27th July 2013.
Invited Speaker at Conference - Utrecht Lute Symposium (Utrecht Early Music Festival), 30-31 August 2013. ‘The Huygens/Gaultier correspondence: new light on Jacques Gaultier’s career at the English Court.’
Conference Paper at Georgian Pleasures Conference, 13 September, 2013, ‘Bath’s Grand Gala Concerts, a combination of pleasures ‘after the manner of Vauxhall’.
Georgian Pleasures Conference, September 12-13 September, Holburne Museum – joint convenor, Bath Spa Centre for History and Culture and Bath Spa for Musical Research.
Director of a fully researched concert ‘An Evening of Georgian Pleasures’, on 12th September at the Holburne Museum. All the music was edited and prepared by me from original sources.
Bath Spa University Research Forum paper, 06 November 2013, ‘The Wind Ensemble Music of Bath’s Pleasure Gardens’.
Conference Paper at the ‘Music in Eighteenth-Century Britain Conference’ at the Foundlings Hospital, 29 November 2013, ‘ James Brook’s 36 Select Pieces for a Military Band (1797) and the ‘normal’ music of the pleasure gardens’.
Conference Paper, BSECS Conference, St Anne’s College, Oxford University, 10 January 2014 ‘The Music of Bath’s Eighteenth-Century Pleasure Gardens’.
Conference Paper, The Early Dance Circle Biennial Conference, 11 April 2014, ‘The Fleming Family’s dance school at Bath 1750-1800’
Live interview and performance on In Tune, 9th September 2013, BBC radio 3, with Suzi Klein – discussing and performing music for ‘Georgian Pleasures’ with the Vauxhall Players.
Musical Direction and production of a new working musical score for the Beggar’s Opera at The Old Theatre Royal, Bath Spa Live and Bath Recitals Trust, 3 and 4th May, 2014.
‘Benjamin Milgrove, The Musical Toyman of Bath’, 28th Annual Conference on Music in Eighteenth-Century Britain, November 2012.
‘Music Shops and the Music Trade in Georgian Bath’ Conference Paper for BSECS conference, St Hugh’s College, Oxford Jan 2013.
‘The Songs of Alonso Mudarra’ conference paper. Medieval and Renaissance Conference, July 2012 Nottingham University.
‘The Music and Musicians of Bath’s Eighteenth-Century Proprietary Chapels’ Conference Paper read at BSECS conference Oxford Jan 2012, written up and published in University of Bristol’s Chombec News no.12.
‘The Provision of outside Music in the walks and gardens of Georgian Bath’, Bath Spa University Centre for History and Culture, Corsham Conference ‘Cosmopolitanism and Culture, April 2011 (written up online for Centre for Musical Research).
‘Eighteenth-Century Music in Bath’ Chombec Lecture Series, Bristol University, Victoria Rooms, May 3 2010.
`John Case, The musical aesthetics of an Elizabethan Oxford Academic (Paper for the First International Conference of the Cyprus Musicological Society, December 2003.
‘The Balcarres Lute Book’ Lecture Recital and Paper for National Library of Scotland Lecture Series, Edinburgh 11 Dec 2002.
`The Balcarres Lute MS’ Presentation at Toronto 2000
`The Mixed Consort Music of Richard Reade’(Paper for the Lute Society, April 2000)
`The Lute in Transition', 1600-1640 (NEMA York Conference, September 1999)
`Shakespeare's and Music'(Paper for the Cambridge International Shakespeare Summer School, July 1998)
`Music for Beggars and Kings' (Bath University Lecture Series, October, 1996)
`The Salmon/Locke Tuning Controversy' (Lute and Gamba Society One-day Conference of Matthew Locke. (5 November, 1995)
`Shakespeare's Music of the House', Cambridge International Shakespeare
Summer School, July 1995