Wit & Mirth

The English instrumental music of the late 17th century could be characterised as a mosaic of different, often contradictory, sounds. The long tradition of contrapuntal music from the Elizabethan period is unexpectedly combined with the traditional music of the place: lively country dances as found in Playford’s collections, songs and variations on Scottish and Irish folk tunes.

Music written for the virtuoso violinists of the time includes not only intricate sonatas but also pieces rooted in popular and folk idioms. The divide between elite and lower-class music was less pronounced than it seems today, and performing these works together offers both historical coherence and a vivid portrait of Early Modern England’s rich musical heritage.

In this spirit, Nocturnalia Ensemble will perform 17th-century folk tunes preserved by John Playford, a rarely heard trio sonata by Gottfried Finger, a German composer active in London, and present the world premiere of a violin sonata by William Viner, not performed since the early 18th century. Alongside the refined music of Purcell, Locke, and Matteis these works reveal a lively dialogue between art music and the dance traditions of the time.

The title of this programme, Wit and Mirth, or Pills to Purge Melancholy (1698), borrows from Thomas D’Urfey’s popular song collection, a witty and irreverent antidote to gloom in troubled times. In the same spirit, let this concert serve as a small pill against melancholy.

Performers:
Mojca Jerman historical violin
Alex Mastichiadis historical keyboards (harpsichord and organ)
Pablo Tejedor-Gutiérrez historical cello and viola