by Amber Moeller
I stumbled into early music quite by accident, and in contrast to Andrew Mayes’ previously recollected experience, it rather was a ‘Road to Damascus’ event. I picked up the piano and (modern) cello first, and music was significant to me from a young age. However, the music played at home was all post-1960s, and not what could be described as classical in any sense of the word. Through piano and cello, I fell into Western Art music in secondary school, a world of the Common Practice greats.
It is amazing how easy it is for music pre-1600 to pass one by – I had never heard a single piece until one fateful day at the beginning of the first lockdown, March 2020. As I remember, I was sitting by the fire in my father’s living room doing schoolwork when I suddenly remembered a strange instrument my teacher had mentioned in class – the crumhorn. A google search led me to this video of ‘Now is the Month of Maying’, and I fell instantly in love. Upon reflection I could not tell you exactly what so enthralled me, but the effect was immediate. A second search led me to the King’s Singers version of the same madrigal, and subsequently to their wider catalogue. Over the next two years, I barely listened to any music other than the King’s Singers (both their close harmony arrangements and Renaissance recordings), and made it into their top 0.05% annual Spotify listeners several times!
At school I was blessed with two enthused and eccentric music teachers, who lent me a number of histories of Renaissance music. I ended up writing an extended essay on the impact of the Reformation on music in England, but at this stage I was not singing much at all. My academic interest led me to seek out a parish choir that specialised in Renaissance music in my home town of Exeter where I met Peter Allsop, a retired music lecturer who became a significant mentor to me. At this time, I also developed a soft spot for the Anglican choral tradition, and started playing the organ.
In 2023 I arrived at the University of Manchester, where my interest in early music took somewhat of a backseat. There were a handful of modules focusing on music pre-1600s (notably one on medieval song run by Prof Barry Cooper, and one on mensural notation taught by Prof Rebecca Herissone), but as can sometimes happen, my three years unfortunately coincided with research leave for the academic staff specialising in early music. However, I found joy with Mahler’s symphonies and Wagner’s operas and Beethoven’s quartets, and enjoyed my time spent with music aesthetics and analysis. I also
benefitted from three years playing the Baroque Cello in the Manchester University Baroque Orchestra, and wrote my dissertation on the music of Ambrosio Cotes, a little-known Spanish composer from the second half of the 16th century. I was lucky enough to have received a couple of choral scholarships through university, first with Salford Cathedral and then with the Diocese of Manchester, which (while not being overly early music-focused) helped me develop as a singer. Two highlights from the latter are featuring in a Gogglebox episode, and a near brush with early music when we sang an arrangement of ‘Wannabe’ by the Spice Girls in the style of an English madrigal…! (Hyperlink for the curious here – spot the ‘Fair Phyllis’ reference.)
I was introduced to NWEMF by Kirsten after joining the choir at Holy Name, and have loved being one of the student representatives. I graduated this summer, and will be leaving the North West for the East Midlands to take up a Choral Scholarship at Lincoln Cathedral. I am grateful to NWEMF for their passion and community, and shall stay in touch!
Amber Moeller
Published in September 2026 Newsletter
