Music for a While

LONDON

Sunday 13 July 2003, 7.30 pm
Troja Chateau, U Trojského zámku 1, Praha 7

Florilegium (Great Britain)
Ashley Solomon – artistic director
Julia Gooding – soprano

In the second half of the 17^th century two prevailing styles called the tune in European music: the French and the Italian style. The difference between the two could be summed up as that the French were dancing while the Italians were mostly singing. English music managed to avoid both these influences for some time and excelled in the polyphonic sacred music and the pieces for viol consorts whose introvert character was an amalgam of the pure English style.  In 1666, the post of the royal maestro di capella was for the first time assigned to a Frenchman, undoubtedly to bring the court violinists to the level of the “Twenty four violins” of the French king. At the same time, however, several “rare Italian voices” were active at the court, including the students of Carrissimi. The programme of the concert acquainted the listeners with the influences of both these national styles.