The Muffat Collective Story
The Muffat Collective specialises in the historical performance of Baroque music, seventeenth- and eighteenth-century music that is full of passion, vitality and energy.
The word Baroque is taken from the nineteenth-century Portuguese “barocco” meaning “misshapen pearl” - a critique of the highly ornamented and decorated art and music of the past.
The Misshapen Pearl
But it is the misshapen pearl, not the perfectly shaped pearl, that has the most stories to tell.
Now a term of endearment, the “misshapen pearl” reflects the intricate beauty of this music and its basis in improvisation, in speech and in the gamut of human emotions.
The Muffat Collective aims to capture all the facets of this misshapen pearl and captivate audiences with every story, every intricacy, every note and every detail that defines Baroque music for all of us today.
Georg Muffat
The Muffat Collective’s namesake is the French-born Scot, Georg Muffat (c.1653-1704), a pan-European long before such terms were used. Muffat sought to unite various national musical styles and tastes to “make perfection in music” and placate the quarrelling European nations of the day.
The Muffat Collective aims to continue the philosophy of its namesake by sharing stories of the Baroque and unravelling the intricacies of the music and instruments in every show.
Four Musicians, One Mutual Vision
We are proud to continue the pioneering spirit of the early music movement by performing on original instruments and recreating the sounds of the Baroque.
Our belief is that historical music-making is a process that should be shared. By actively engaging with our audience in concerts, we can all enjoy an enriched understanding and connection in modern Australia to the emotions, historical context and beauty of this music.
