Baroque music specialist and period instrument pioneer Christopher Hogwood has died at the age of 73. A multi-faceted musician, he was widely esteemed as a harpsichordist, conductor, musicologist and broadcaster, and as one of the world’s foremost specialists in the music of Handel. He was best known, however as the founder of period instrument orchestra The Academy of Ancient Music.

In a statement, the current Music Director of the AAM, Richard Egarr said: “I am deeply saddened by the news of Christopher’s passing. Christopher provided a fantastic legacy for me to build upon when I joined as Music Director in 2006 and I know he will be greatly missed by all who knew and worked with him.”

Born in Nottingham 1941, Hogwood studied keyboard at Cambridge University with Gustav Leonhardt and Rafael Puyana as well as conducting with Raymond Leppard. After graduating he pursued further harpsichord studies with Zuzana Růžičková in Prague under a British Council scholarship before finding work as a keyboardist and musicologist with the Academy of Saint Martin-in-the-Fields under Sir Neville Marriner.

In 1967 Hogwood founded the Early Music Consort of London along with musicologist David Munrow, and in 1973 founded the period instrument orchestra The Academy of Ancient...