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Ornamentation and Improvisation Workshop with Pamela Thorby Bianca Brahuja On Wednesday 4 February, the illustrious recorder player Pamela Thorby held a workshop on ornamentation and improvisation in music pre-1750. Having heard much about Pamela's ornaments and improvisatory skills, I was curious to hear her views on the subject. Various people played and sang, illustrating the many styles of so-called 'Baroque' music, covering different nationalities and ranging from the early seventeenth-century to the mid 1750s. The workshop was very small, creating an intimate atmosphere – making it all the more useful and enjoyable. Throughout the session it became clear that Pamela assigns a particular role to ornaments: that of clarification and decoration. However, she was at pains to note that the written music should not be obscured. I had previously heard people talk on this subject, but often their illustrations were simplistic, with minimal embellishments. It was interesting to hear Pamela use more florid ornamentation in the same context, proving such a thing could be done convincingly. She also emphasised the importance of considering the mood of a piece before adding ornaments – something I am wont to forget. I was also intrigued to hear Pamela associate early music (and ornaments to a certain extent) with nature and the golden ratio. In my limited reading I had not come across this. However, it makes a lot of sense and is something to explore further. Pamela also encouraged the performers to improvise ornaments on the spur of the moment, and it was interesting to compare the results with their previously worked out ornamented versions. The spontaneity often resulted in more successful embellishment, strengthening my own sympathies for impulsive ornamentation: it seemed to add freshness and life to the pieces in question. Indeed, the whole process makes performance an adventure; you never know what might come next... Moreover, did not musicians in the 'Baroque' times (as well as before and after) do this?! I would definitely say the workshop was useful, and hope we may have many more like it!