Fretwork

The internationally renowned viol consort, Fretwork, present an enjoyable concert of early music, including works by Tomkins, Locke and one of Purcell's tutors, Hingston. The years of the English Civil War and the ensuing Commonwealth and Protectorate (1642-1660) are often regarded as a barren time for music in England, yet this turbulent period was fertile ground for some eccentric and innovative composers.

Contrary to popular belief, Oliver Cromwell, ‘God’s Englishman’, was fond of music and kept a remarkably lively musical establishment. Fretwork’s Sheffield concert will provide an illustration of the distracted times with music from before, during and after the conflict, as part of Love and War Music in the Round’s Festival of World Class Chamber Music. Tickets for this concert also include admittance to a post-concert Q&A session with musicians from Fretwork and Music in the Round’s Artistic Director, Angus Smith.