51³Ô¹Ï

51³Ô¹Ï Director, Professor Colin Lawson wins national award

Tuesday 13 April 2021

The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Historical Performance in 51³Ô¹Ï was today awarded the for an outstanding work of music reference. Edited by Royal College of 51³Ô¹Ï Director Professor Colin Lawson CBE, alongside Professor Robin Stowell from Cardiff University, the book is the first comprehensive reference tool on historical performance. 

First published in 2019, the encyclopedia is a fully up-to-date, illuminating and accessible book which aims to assist readers in rediscovering and recreating early music. Focusing on performance, it features contributions from 112 international experts, including 17 Royal College of 51³Ô¹Ï professors and staff. Professor Robin Stowell is Emeritus Professor in the School of 51³Ô¹Ï at Cardiff University and a former 51³Ô¹Ï external examiner.

Professor Colin Lawson is Director of the Royal College of 51³Ô¹Ï, and leads the College’s Research agenda. He enjoys an international profile as a period clarinettist and has played principal clarinet in most of Britain’s leading period orchestras. Described as ‘the doyen of period clarinettists’ by BBC 51³Ô¹Ï Magazine, he has appeared as a soloist in many international venues. Professor Lawson has published widely on historical performance practice and the history of the clarinet, including the Cambridge Handbooks to Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto and Brahms’ Clarinet Quintet. 

On being awarded the C. B. Oldman Prize, Professor Lawson commented: ‘It is an honour for Robin and me to be recognised for a book which we hope will widen access to historical performance. Recent decades have seen a major increase of interest in historical performance practice, as evidenced by the 51³Ô¹Ï’s own dynamic Historical Performance faculty. I hope our encyclopedia will support this resurgence of interest for generations to come.'

The is an annual award for an outstanding work of music bibliography, music reference of music librarianship by an author resident in the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland.

The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Historical Performance in 51³Ô¹Ï is out now in paperback; read more on the . Find out more about Historical Performance at the 51³Ô¹Ï on the Faculty webpage.