David Kinsela
Encyclopedia
David Kinsela is an Australian organist
and musicologist who also specialises in ancient instruments like the clavicytherium and chekker.
Kinsela was born in Sans Souci
, a suburb in Sydney
, Australia
, on 3 June 1941 and raised and schooled at Young in mid-west New South Wales
.
As a fourteen-year-old he had a decisive encounter at the pipe organ with J.S. Bach. He trained in Sydney in English and French schools under Kenneth Long and Norman Johnston and during those early years in Australia he played the Poulenc
Concerto in Sydney Town Hall
on National TV. Kinsela also qualified in civil and traffic engineering and erected the signs on Australia's first expressway.
Kinsela is currently recording a series of CDs featuring the music of Buxtehude. Click here to hear a sample.
under Edward Müller. His experiments with 'paired fingering' in ancient manner informed his playing of early keyboard music.
During this time he created a recital series, 'Organ Landscapes of the Seventeenth Century'.
While living in Canberra, Oxford and London David was instrumental in saving fine organs in Australia, England and Wales. He researched keyboard fingering for three years in the British Library, and was a lecturer in keyboard skills at King's College London
.
.
With David Evans, he recreated the gold-strung medieval clavicytherium upon which he has recorded the earliest surviving keyboard music.
In 1988 Kinsela identified the nature of the first string-keyboard, the 14th-century chekker
In 1998 David acted as consultant for the restoration of the organ at St. Peters, East Maitland.
In 2001 he established the taxonomy of early keyboard compass and launched the label organ.o.
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
and musicologist who also specialises in ancient instruments like the clavicytherium and chekker.
Kinsela was born in Sans Souci
Sans Souci, New South Wales
Sans Souci is a southern Sydney suburb in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Sans Souci is 17 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and lies across the local government areas of the City of Rockdale and the Municipality of Kogarah. It is part of the St George area.Sans...
, a suburb in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, on 3 June 1941 and raised and schooled at Young in mid-west New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
.
As a fourteen-year-old he had a decisive encounter at the pipe organ with J.S. Bach. He trained in Sydney in English and French schools under Kenneth Long and Norman Johnston and during those early years in Australia he played the Poulenc
Francis Poulenc
Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc was a French composer and a member of the French group Les six. He composed solo piano music, chamber music, oratorio, choral music, opera, ballet music, and orchestral music...
Concerto in Sydney Town Hall
Sydney Town Hall
The Sydney Town Hall is a landmark sandstone building located in the heart of Sydney. It stands opposite the Queen Victoria Building and alongside St Andrew's Cathedral...
on National TV. Kinsela also qualified in civil and traffic engineering and erected the signs on Australia's first expressway.
Kinsela is currently recording a series of CDs featuring the music of Buxtehude. Click here to hear a sample.
Middle years in Europe
Kinsela moved to Switzerland in 1967 where he studied for five years at the Schola Cantorum BasiliensisSchola Cantorum Basiliensis
Schola Cantorum Basiliensis is a music academy and research institution located in Basel, Switzerland, and focusing on early music and historically informed performance....
under Edward Müller. His experiments with 'paired fingering' in ancient manner informed his playing of early keyboard music.
During this time he created a recital series, 'Organ Landscapes of the Seventeenth Century'.
While living in Canberra, Oxford and London David was instrumental in saving fine organs in Australia, England and Wales. He researched keyboard fingering for three years in the British Library, and was a lecturer in keyboard skills at King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
.
Later years in Sydney
Kinsela returned to Sydney in 1977 to consolidate discoveries in early performance practice. He established with Greg Young the N.S.W. Heritage Council Pipe Organ Advisory Committee. He published J.S. Bach editions in facsimile and presented two cycles of Bach's organ works. Kinsela is an active promoter of contemporary organ music through commissions and the anthology Organ Australis. In September 1983 gave the first performance of Moya Henderson's work for organ and pre-recorded tape, Sacred Site, marking the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Sydney Opera HouseSydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
.
With David Evans, he recreated the gold-strung medieval clavicytherium upon which he has recorded the earliest surviving keyboard music.
In 1988 Kinsela identified the nature of the first string-keyboard, the 14th-century chekker
In 1998 David acted as consultant for the restoration of the organ at St. Peters, East Maitland.
In 2001 he established the taxonomy of early keyboard compass and launched the label organ.o.