Lecture
Early Mediaeval Sounds and Instruments
Speaker: Lucy-Anne Taylor
Tue, 3 Feb 2026
About the lecture:
Sounds and instruments have fascinated humans for millennia, with the oldest instruments dating to over 40,000 years ago. From this time on, they have been found in almost every culture, and the Early Medieval period is no exception.
Starting with a brief overview of instruments prior to this time, the talk will focus on the instruments from the Anglo-Saxon/Early Medieval period. What they were like, how they were made and used and their impact on the world around them will all be explored, along with clips of recreations, showing what life 1000 years ago may have sounded like.
Lucy-Anne Taylor is a music archaeologist who completed her PhD on Early Medieval wind instruments at the University of Southampton, funded by the Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship. During this time, she won international awards for her research, such as the Terrance Pamplin Award for Organology.
Since completing her PhD she has continued researching and publishing, producing a peer-reviewed book which was published last year on the topic. Lucy-Anne currently balances her research with working in museums such as the British Museum and Historic Royal Palaces.