Raise your glass to the viol 31.10.2016

In a public house, one may find oneself in the company of rowdy sailors and coquettish harlots. If you wish to avoid trouble, it is best to stay out of the way of drunken soldiers and hot-headed brawlers. Of course, one must be watchful of pickpockets, beggars and tricksters, too.

Respected musicians held different sorts of soirées in urban taverns. Playing host to a new sort of entertainment – the public concert – such as The Mitre Inn in London and Zimmermann’s Coffee House in Leipzig were zones free from the influence of the clergy and the court.

This was life in the 17th century, the golden age of the viol.

In October, we will take our viols to the familiar scene of their ancestors: the pub. Where we go from there – let that be determined by the clientele and the atmosphere!