EDITORIAL

The passing of pioneering figures - musicians Christopher Hogwood, Frans Brüggen, Gustav Leonhardt and Bruce Haynes, as well as harpsichord builder Martin Skowroneck and flute maker and recording engineer Andreas Glatt - all in the short space of the past couple of years might suggest that early music has reached its end, or at least entered a new phase. As we look back over the past forty-five years since the term 'early music' was trademarked in England by Early Music Shop founder Richard Wood, we may well ask if the movement's function and goals remain the same. Early music, which initially rode on the tailcoats of counterculture and actively disparaged the mainstream, has reached a high level of professionalism, and more than anything has become institutionalized. It now forms part of music training in conservatories around the world, as early-instrument orchestras proliferate and opera companies are increasingly turning to pre-romantic opera. For some, the professionalization of early music is an indication of its far-reaching impact, but to others the price paid is only too evident.