The Academy of Ancient Music (AAM) is an orchestra dedicated to researching and performing the music of the past, often on authentic instruments of the time. The original Academy of Ancient Music was founded in London, England in 1726 for the purpose of studying and performing "old" music ? defined initially as anything composed at least a century earlier but soon grew to include more contemporary composers, most notably Handel. In 1973, the Academy of Ancient Music was revived by the British conductor and harpsichordist Christopher Hogwood for the purpose of playing 18th- and early 19th-century music on period instruments. For choral works, it is joined either by The Academy of Ancient Music Chorus or a cathedral or collegiate choir with boys' voices.