Barthold Kuijken Belgian flautist and recorder Country: Belgium

1. Barthold Kuijken: A Master of Early Music
2. Early Life and Education
3. Mastering the Baroque Flute and Recorder
4. Performance and Orchestras
5. Academic and Teaching Career

Barthold Kuijken: A Master of Early Music

Barthold Kuijken (born 1949) is a renowned Belgian flutist and recorder player known for his innovative interpretations of European Baroque music performed on period instruments.

Early Life and Education

Born in 1949, Kuijken studied modern flute at the Bruges and Royal Conservatories of Brussels and The Hague. Inspired by early music, he began learning to play the recorder.

Mastering the Baroque Flute and Recorder

Kuijken's research on authentic instruments, combining different flutes, and organ works, alongside his in-depth study of 17th and 18th-century music, established him as a master of early instruments.

Performance and Orchestras

Over the years, Kuijken has performed Baroque music with orchestras including Collegium Aureum and La Petite Bande. Expanding his repertoire to include 19th-century works, he has also given chamber music concerts worldwide.

Academic and Teaching Career

In 2007, Kuijken earned a doctoral degree in music from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) in Belgium. His dissertation was titled "The Notation is not the Music - Reflections on more than 40 years' intensive practice of Early Music." He teaches Baroque flute at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels and The Hague.