A journey through musical time

17 June 2004

Presented in association with the City of London Festival. Travel through time in the company of two musicians through the Museum of London’s prehistoric and Roman galleries as they play weird and wonderful instruments from the past.

Mon 28, Tues 29, Weds 30 June, 12–2pm

John Kenny and Eugene Skeef combine the sounds of the ancient Celts and Africans on replicas of original instruments to create an extraordinary musical experience.

John Kenny, internationally acclaimed trombone soloist and world’s only player of the great Celtic war horn the carnyx, will be playing a reconstruction of this 2000 year old instrument through the galleries of the Museum of London.

Measuring four metres high when held vertically, this long Celtic trumpet is made of beaten bronze and ends in a dramatically stylised horse’s head. Whilst no complete carnyx had ever been found, John’s reconstruction is based on the most substantial archaeological remains found in Scotland on the shores of Moray Firth in 1816. The instrument was common throughout much of Europe between 300BC and 200 AD.

Eugene Skeef plays pot drums, pieces of animal hide stretched across the top of pots very similar to those on display in the Museum’s London Before London gallery and together the musical pair look set to produce one the most fascinating visual and harmonic experiences the Museum galleries have yet to host.

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