At our most recent workshop in St Mary’s in Sale, 18 singers and 8 viol players come together for a day of wonderful music by Tomkins, Gibbons, Ward, Weelkes and Wilbye, expertly led by Elizabeth Dodd. Thanks to all who attended and made the day so memorable. The sopranos and tenors benefitted from the A=415 pitch, although the basses were put through their paces with the Tomkins’ Sing unto God. Special thanks go to Christine Walsh for baking a delicious pumpkin cake for the occasion. The full review of the workshop will appear in our members’ Newsletter.
Information about the day
Singing with viols and viol playing with singers is a special and unique experience with a particularly English repertoire consisting of madrigals, motets, verse anthems and consort anthems. A number of composers wrote for these combinations, some marking their compositions as “apt for voices and viols”. Most of the music to be covered in this workshop was written after Queen Elizabeth I’s death in 1603, and includes music by Thomas Tomkins, John Ward, Thomas Weelkes, Orlando Gibbons and John Wilbye. On this occasion the workshop is for singers in all voice ranges, and viol players (A=415).
This image is a detail taken from The Portrait of Sir Henry Unton (c. 1558 – 1596) by an unknown artist, which is the only known contemporaneous depiction of an Elizabethan viol consort. You can read more about the portrait itself on the National Portrait Gallery website, and John Bryan of the Rose Consort also wrote a short article outlining its musical significance.
The Tutor
Elizabeth Dodd studied viol and early dance at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She played and danced with a number of early music groups in London before moving North in 1986. She now performs and teaches all over the North of England. She has many years experience of teaching on summer schools; North West Early Music Forum, Norvis and Higham Hall as well as weekend courses currently at Higham Hall.
