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 ricercar-fantasia popular in Italy, and the tune-settings 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.