Alison Crum (born 23 November 1949, in the United Kingdom), is an English

viol The viol (), viola da gamba (), or informally gamba, is any one of a family of bowed, fretted, and stringed instruments with hollow wooden bodies and pegboxes where the tension on the strings can be increased or decreased to adjust the pitc ...

player.

Biography

She got her first viol while studying music at

Reading University The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...

, and went on to study at the

Royal Conservatory of Brussels The Royal Conservatory of Brussels (french: Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles, nl, Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel) is a historic conservatory in Brussels, Belgium. Starting its activities in 1813, it received its official name in 1832. Provid ...

with

Wieland Kuijken Wieland Kuijken (; born Dilbeek, 31 August 1938) is a Belgium, Belgian musician and player of the viola da gamba and baroque cello. Biography Kuijken started his career in music in 1952 with the Brussels Alariusensemble of which he formed part un ...

and, later, with

Jordi Savall Jordi Savall i Bernadet (; born 1 August 1941) is a Spanish conductor, composer and viol player. He has been one of the major figures in the field of Western early music since the 1970s, largely responsible for popularizing the viol family of ...

at the

Schola Cantorum Basiliensis The Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (SCB) is a music academy and research institution located in Basel, Switzerland, that focuses on early music and historically informed performance. Faculty at the school have organized performing ensembles that have ...

. She has made around ninety recordings - mostly with

the Consort of Musicke The Consort of Musicke is a British early-music group, founded in 1969 by lutenist Anthony Rooley, the ensemble's Artistic Director. Members of the group have included such well-known artists as sopranos Emma Kirkby and Evelyn Tubb, alto Mary Nich ...

, the Dowland Consort, Musica Antiqua of London, and the

Rose Consort of Viols The Rose Consort of Viols is an English ensemble of viol players who perform mainly early consort music, including works by Orlando Gibbons, John Dowland, and Henry Purcell. They have performed around the world at many events, have appeared a n ...

- but also featuring as a soloist on two discs of

Marais Marais (, meaning "marsh") may refer to: People * Marais (given name) * Marais (surname) Other uses * Le Marais, historic district of Paris * Théâtre du Marais, the name of several theatres and theatrical troupes in Paris, France * Marais (com ...

, and more recently with

Laurence Cummings Laurence Cummings (born 1968, Birmingham) is a British harpsichordist, organist, and conductor. He is currently music director of the Academy of Ancient Music. Biography Cummings was educated at Solihull School, Christ Church, Oxford and th ...

, on a recording of the three

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

gamba sonatas, and playing Italian virtuoso divisions on renaissance viols with Musica Antiqua on their 'Word Play' CD. She is President of the Viola da Gamba Society of Great Britain, and is Professor of Viola da gamba at

Trinity College of Music Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance is a music and dance conservatoire based in London, England. It was formed in 2005 as a merger of two older institutions – Trinity College of Music and Laban Dance Centre. The conservatoire has ...

in London. She directs many courses for viol players, including the International Viol Summer School, attracting players from all over the world, and has had published a series of graded music books centred on her highly acclaimed textbook 'Play the Viol' - now in its fifth reprint. Her second book, 'The Viol Rules' was published in November 2009.

Discography

* ''Bach; Viola da gamba sonatas'' (Signum SIGCD 024) * ''Marais; Greatest Masterworks'' (Naxos 8.550750 and 8.553081) * ''Buxtehude; Jubilate Domino'' (Meridian CDE 84332) * ''Elizabethon Christmas Anthems'' (Amon Ra CD-SAR-46) * ''Lawes: Consort music for Viols, Lutes and Theorbos'' (Naxos 8.550601) * ''Tomkins: Consort Music for Viols and Voices'' (Naxos 8.550602) * ''Gibbons: Consort and Keyboard Music'' (Naxos 8.550603) * ''Byrd: Consort and Keyboard Music'' (Naxos 8.550604) * ''Jenkins: All in a Garden Green'' (Naxos 8.550687) * ''Dowland: Consort Music and Songs'' (Naxos 8.553326) * ''Purcell: Fantazias'' (Naxos 8.553957) * ''Elizabethan Songs and Consort Music'' (Nazos 8.554284) * ''Four Gentlemen of the Chapel Royal'' (DXL 1129) * ''John Ward Consort Music: Upon a bank with roses'' (CPO 999 928) * ''Alfonso Ferrabosco: Consort Music'' (CPO 999 859) * ''Ah, Dear Heart'' (Woodmansterne 002-2) * ''Lachrymae'' (Amon Ra CD-SAR-55) * ''Born is the Babe'' (Woodmansterne 001-2)

References

External links

Alison Crum's website

Rose Consort of Viols's website

Trinity College of Music biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crum, Alison 1949 births Living people Schola Cantorum Basiliensis alumni Royal Conservatory of Brussels alumni English viol players British performers of early music Women performers of early music English expatriates in Switzerland English expatriates in Belgium