Curtals and Continuo: A Rare Early Music Experience in Daylesford

Daylesford audiences are in for a musical treat on Saturday, July 5, when early music specialists Unholy Rackett join forces with Ensemble 642 for a unique concert of rarely heard 17th-century repertoire. The performance, starting at 2.30pm at Christ Church, will highlight the curtal, a family of instruments unfamiliar to most modern ears and the Renaissance ancestor of the bassoon.

Known in Germany as the dulcian, the curtal was a favourite of early baroque composers. Despite its odd appearance and construction—it’s carved from a single block of wood with a conical bore folded in half inside the body—the curtal produces a warm, expressive, nutty tone. The Daylesford concert will be the first in Australia to feature all six sizes of the curtal family, from soprano to octave bass.

This performance promises to be a rich sonic experience, evoking a sound world that has largely disappeared from modern concert halls. For early music lovers—and anyone curious about the expressive range of these rare instruments—this will be a rare chance to hear the curtal family in full flight.

Date: Saturday 5 July
Time: 2.30pm
Venue: Christ Church, 54 Central Springs Road, Daylesford
Bookings: trybooking.com
More information: Daylesford – Christ Church Concerts on Facebook.
Inquiries: Frank Page  e:frank@pagebell.com, m:0417 010 817