Fretwork

Although viol consort music in England might appear to have ceased with Purcell’s last Fantasia on 31st August 1680, the appeal of several viols grouped together was an enduring one. For the most part, however, the viol was seen as a soloist: a virtuoso voice to charm, astonish, move and flatter, used by Bach in his cantatas and passions and seen most often in France.