The sweet nature of the viol enchanted the court of Henry VIII. From there, the viol became the instrument of choice across England over the next century, from noble manors to humbler households. In particular, the viol seemed perfectly matched to the human voice. Superstar soprano Amanda Forsythe joins Voice of the Viol for an […]

In the 18th century, women-led salons were places of cultural ferment. In these half-public, half-private events, salonnières provided a safe harbor for aesthetic experimentation, as well as a place to showcase their own talents. In Paris, Anne-Louise Boyvin d'Hardancourt Brillon de Jouy (1744–1824) presided over a remarkable salon from the late 1760s up until the […]

Many early music lovers are familiar with the travails of harpsichord transport and tuning. Arranging all of this for one harpsichord is difficult enough, not to mention two, three, or four harpsichords. This salon event features the two extant works in the Baroque repertoire for four harpsichords: Johann Sebastian Bach’s famous arrangement (in A minor) […]