Anonymous

Donald Macleod explores a rich and varied body of music gathered under a single name: Anonymous. Bringing together works whose creators were never recorded, later forgotten or deliberately obscured, the podcast traces how music can circulate and endure without a clear author. With contributions from Professor Lisa Colton and Professor Fay Hield, there is a focus on how anonymous works have been preserved, collected and sometimes reshaped over time, from medieval polyphony and early modern song to folk traditions passed down through generations. Along the way, questions emerge about authorship, ownership and how we listen to music when its origins are uncertain or shared.

Music featured includes:

Romance Anonimo (arr. Yepes) from Jeux interdits

Horn Concerto in E flat major

Three Medieval Dances: A que as cousas coitadas; Il Trotto; La Quarte Estampie Royal

Shallow Brown

Dances from Le Concert Royal de la Nuit (1653)

Three Modinhas from 18th Century Portugal

Neapolitan Songs: Barcarola napoletana; La favola dell'uccello grifone

La Messe de Tournai: Gloria; Credo

The Cruel Mother

The Bull Ring