Tobias Hume: Loves Farewell; Shirley Edith Hunt, viola da gamba

Shirley Hunt performs the viol solo Loves Farewell by Tobias Hume, on an original viola da gamba by J. C. Hoffmann. Loves Farewell is a serene and elegant blend of two distinct styles: the ricercarfantasia popular in Italy, and the tunesettings for viol, harpsichord and lute from the English tradition. In Hume s composition, the two styles balance perfectly, so that the listener hears both the melodies and the contrapuntal imitation at the same time; full chords provide a counterweight to the flow of musical ideas and mark the transitions between each section. Loves Farewell was printed in Hume s The First Part of Ayres (London, 1605). HD video from the San Francisco based Early Music ensemble Voices of Music.