To Honour the Cittie

The Waits were the official civic ensemble for the City of London and the Lord Mayor. Their heyday was in the late 16th and first half of the 17th centuries, when they could boast a highly skilled and versatile membership of multi-instrumentalists and singers who were much in demand for civic processions, celebrations, and private music in taverns and households. They were also the theatre band for Shakespeare’s company, The King’s Men.

This concert by The City Musick provides a glimpse into the busy working life of a Wait, with diverse music for civic ceremony, the playhouse, the dance hall, the tavern, and the chapel.