Andrew Hurst ~ unique artistry
characterised by chameleon musicality
Andrew Hurst ~ unique artistry
characterised by chameleon musicality
Take a look around this site to find what suits your interest, whether it’s mainstream classical guitar and lute performances, event background music, Arts Festival special programmes, lesson availability, compositions, arrangements, ethnic themed music provision, charity concerts...
“1000”
years of music
~ A programme for Arts Festivals from September 2024 ~
The year 1066 marks a pivotal moment in the tapestry of history, as William of Normandy's audacious conquest of England sets in motion a seismic shift in the Anglo-Saxon world.
“....This Norman invasion inaugurated a period of profound transformation across the realm. William's victory at the Battle of Hastings introduced Norman culture, language, and governance to England. The feudal system was established, reshaping the social and economic landscape, while the Norman influence on architecture, language, and law wove new threads into the fabric of English identity. This wave of change, initiated by William's ambition and military prowess, forever altered the course of English history, laying foundational stones for the nation it would become....”
Each musical development is characterised using playing styles specific to the period
“1000” opens with a Fanfare from Caen Castle, a Ballad from Bayeaux, and embarks on a journey through European medieval music, English Tudor and Elizabethan music, through to European Baroque music, processing right through Classical, Romantic, and Impressionistic periods, to open out the familiarity of film and chart music, culminating with original composition work of Andrew’s, with music very much “of our present time”
* the programme may have interchangeable items covering this expanse of time *
About
About
Andrew
Andrew
The Royal College of Music building is an inspiration in itself, overlooking the Royal Albert Hall, South Kensington
Andrew studied classical guitar, piano, lute, and composition at the Royal College of Music for 5 years as a Junior Exhibitioner, and 5 years as an Under-Graduate / Post-Graduate, obtaining teaching and performing diplomas along with a BMus (hons) degree.
Teachers adding to the study mixture, with links to their ongoing work, where possible:
Charles Ramirez, - John Williams, - Carlos Bonnell, - Robert Sutherland, - Jacob Lindberg, - Gary Carpenter, - Anthony Milner, - Mary Woolmer,, - Michael Fields, - Robert Spencer
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
in educational support as a teacher
Andrew is a constantly learning and growing musician and teacher, taking professional development seriously, through Enfield Arts Support Service and Essex Music Services' In-House Professional Development Programmes, as well as a classroom teacher Graduate Training Programme to increase awareness on learning styles and pitched deliveries, along with his own specific questioning of approaches and content, together with ongoing study of conveying creative teaching maxims. As this website develops, an increasing amount of didactic material will be made available.
Discussions on various topics will begin to appear:
- Methods and reinforcements of memorisation
- How to enable accuracy and speed and how the two work together
- How to define what makes the style of music
- How to get comfortable to improvise - and how to improvise
- How to improve in reading your instrument’s notation
- Defining your own learning style
- How to encourage your teacher (yes, it works both ways!) to take your learning style into account
- How any notation acheives communication of music (and what is missing)
~ An endless list to come...! ~
“1000” ~ the development of music in England from 1024 ~ 2024
Instruments: Lute, Classical Guitar, Piano, Electronic Keyboard (orchestral timbres), Electric Guitar
Programme outline:
Music from Normandie - Accession of William I - 1066
Fanfare de Caen - A Hurst - 2017
Ballade de Bayeux - A Hurst - 2017
Music post Empress Mathilde (Devizes Castle) - c.1130 - 1192
Ja Nuns Hons Pris - Richard Cœur de Lion
Music emerging after the Black Death c.1350
Douce Dame Jolie - Guilliame de Machaut
Music from Henry VIII - c.1509
Pastyme with good Companie - Henry VIII
Music in Europe during Golden Age of Elizabeth I - c.1540 - 1597
Air - John Johnson
Galliard - Anon (Italy)
Fantasie (in the style of Ludovico the harpist) - Mudarra (Spain)
Go fro’ my window- Anon (Folger / Shakespeare)
Queen Elizabeth Her Galliard - John Dowland
Earl of Essex His Galliard - John Dowland
Lachrymae Pavin - John Dowland
Music from the Baroque era - c1720-1750
Excerpts from I Staggione - Vivaldi
Music from Late Classical / Early Romantic period - c1801-08
Moonlight Sonata Mvt 1 - Beethoven
Pastoral Symphony Mvt 1 - Beethoven (arr. Hurst)
Music from the Romantic period - c1847-49
Waltzes Op69, 1 and Op64, 1 - Chopin
Music from Impressionism - 1888-91
Arabesque 1 - Debussy
Music from WWI and WWII
Nimrod - Elgar (arr. Hurst)
Music from Film and Charts - 1970/71
Cavatina - Myers (arr. Hurst)
Life on Mars - Bowie (arr. Hurst)
Music from a potential film score - 2024
Oushi-Machi (from Cookie Cutter Island album) - Hurst
This programme is delivered with engaging connecting narrative, adding to the drama and context of the musical developments
Location / email
Wessex, England
request via email
Social media
Tag me in photos / videos
@andrewhurstmusic
Creativity
This page is under construction to eventually include links to:
- classical guitar arrangements of piano works (e.g., Clair de Lune, Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata)
- classical guitar arrangements of contemporary songs (e.g., Life on Mars, various Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel, Whiter Shade of Pale, Fragile, Shape of My Heart, Bohemian Rhapsody)
- “Epic” arrangements of unusually large scale works, (e.g., Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony, Pink Floyd’s “The Wall”, “The Fellowship of the Ring” soundtrack and many more.
- Andrew’s compositiions over many years
- Andrew’s new compositions and current projects
Instruments offered for Recitals, Entertainment situations, Ambience creation
Classical guitar
Renaissance lute / Archlute
Piano
Sitar (tablas) / Gu-zheng (shakuhachi-Xiao)
Electronic keyboard for “soundscaping”