Ars Antigua Presents: April 2011 edition

Today we’re featuring soft cialis three canzonas of Girolamo Frescobaldi, an Italian composer born in 1583 who spent some time in Antwerp before being named the organist at St. Peter’s Basilica in 1608.

These pieces are played on members of the viola da gamba family, a name that literally translates to “viol of the leg”. Even the smaller instruments are held upright between the knees, in a distinctly different fashion from the violas da braccio, or “viols of the arm”, the predecessors of the modern-day violin. Gambas are fretted and come in various sizes, including the treble and bass versions that we’ll hear today accompanied by the largest member of the gamba family, the violone.

In this performance:

Craig Trompeter and Russell Wagner, gambas

Jerry Fuller, violone

David Schrader, organ

[13:03]