Not just music but some history too

7:40am Tuesday 19th August 2008

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AS part of Worcester Early Music Weekend, Piva, a group of musicians that specialises in music of the late 16th century brought a wonderful array of period instruments to perform on.

The artistes wore costumes of Tudor-style and throughout the concert we were given snippets of information, which combined with the music we heard, gradually built up a picture of how music in England was transported to Europe and how Italian music brought to England.

English pieces began with a hurdy-gurdy, descant recorder, violin and crumhorn in a jolly delivery of Nobody’s Jig followed by Worster Braules, a kind of canon by Thomas Tomkins who was organist at Worcester Cathedral for 60 years.

Bagpipes and bass recorder played Ham House, a harmonic piece, and three of the gentlemen sang A Round of three Country Dances – each of the singers singing one of the tunes. Hunts Up was a rousing wake-up call from cornett, sackbutt and drum.

Of the Italian music Fortuna Desperata was harmonic and Putta Nero Ballo Furlano was vigorous skipping by a lively consort of crumhorns. In Pavanna all Venetiana beautiful tones of the viol were prevalent.

Rousing compositions by Zanetti for bagpipes and sackbutt were brilliant, a most distinctive timbre of sound. A large audience, many of whom had attended the workshop earlier, were most appreciative.