Building on the idea of the “Pre-Digital Virtual” (Ed. Whiteley and Rambarran, 2016) as musicking that involves a “fascination with illusion… and musical performances that bridge both lived and imagined experiences,” performances of past music on historical instruments inevitably involve an element of virtuality in this sense. As a composer-performer who plays “the fortepiano,” I seek to bring such virtuality to the fore through composing music that addresses the instrument’s historicity and idiosyncrasy. 

This presentation explores the issues around defining the “fortepiano” as an instrument, the processes of including historicity and the “imagined past” in composition, and will conclude with a virtual performance of my latest composition Prometheus (2020), for viola da gamba and fortepiano. Performers: Prometheus (2020) for Viola da Gamba and Fortepiano (c. 10’30 min) Liam Byrne – Viola da Gamba Prach Boondiskulchok – Fortepiano