Brighton Early Music Festival 2006

The theme of the 2006 Brighton Early Music Festival is music and dance from Spain, Portugal and the New World. (Written/compiled by Ian Mursell/Mexicolore)

Tunkul and friends outside Brighton Museum (Click on image to enlarge)

On Saturday October 14th. the performing group Tunkul offered a highly unusual opportunity for some 25 local children to explore the rhythms and sounds that the Aztecs may have played in their ceremonies, with a collection of hands-on wind and percussion instruments that ranged from two-tone wooden tongue drums to large vertical skin drums, and from clay whistles to conch shell horns.

Brighton children go Aztec! (Click on image to enlarge)

Tunkul performing at BREMF 2006 (Click on image to enlarge)

Those taking part in the workshop in Brighton Museum presented a rehearsed piece as part of the public performance later in the afternoon in the Unitarian Church.

The Unitarian Church reverberated with chanting and drums! (Click on image to enlarge)

Tunkul’s performance at the Unitarian Church included music, chant, song and film projection.

‘Aztec’ music may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but much fun was had by all... (Click on image to enlarge)

The performance illustrated some key elements in Aztec public ceremonies: dedications to the 4 cardinal directions, pulsating rhythms growing steadily in volume and energy, dancers moving monotonously in an anti-clockwise direction round the musicians, a chant dedicated to ‘Mother, Father, Earth, Sun...’

Participants’ ages ranged from 5 to 15... (Click on image to enlarge)

Ian directs the musicians (Click on image to enlarge)

Brighton Early Music Festival website