Details
St Martin's Church
Lewes Road
Brighton
East Sussex
BN2 3HQ
England
Programme
Giovanni Bassano – Selected works
Performers
English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble
Other concerts in this Series (+)
Programme Note
While Tudor monarchs pursued international conflicts abroad, at court immigrant musicians like the Ferraboscos and the Venetian wind-playing Bassano family were still free to arrive and thrive. The Bassanos brought with them the latest dazzling playing techniques and an unrivalled skill in the making of wind instruments. They also performed an international repertoire of music by Italian, Flemish and English composers including William Byrd and John Cooper (such an Italophile he changed his name to Giovanni Coprario!). Politically, England was suspicious of foreigners; the Bassanos were even beaten up in the street for ‘looking a bit Spanish’. Musically, however, there was openness and vibrant exchange between cultures.