Historically informed performance is an approach to the performance of classical music, which aims to be faithful to the approach, manner and style of the musical era in which a work was originally conceived.
Performance on period instruments is a key aspect of HIP, such as this baroque orchestra (Photo: Josetxu Obregón and the Spanish ensemble La Ritirata, 2013).
Historical collections of preserved instruments help researchers (St Cecilia's Hall, Edinburgh)
A Viola da gamba by Thomas Cole (c. 1680)
Countertenor Philippe Jaroussky, accompanied by Christina Pluhar in 2011 (theorbo)
Classical period (music)
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The Classical Period was an era of classical music between roughly 1750 and 1820.
A modern string quartet. In the 2000s, string quartets from the Classical era are the core of the chamber music literature. From left to right: violin 1, violin 2, cello, viola
Gluck, detail of a portrait by Joseph Duplessis, dated 1775 (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna)
Haydn portrait by Thomas Hardy, 1792