“Musick’s Recreation”: At-Home Viol Playing in 17th Century Massachusetts

“Musick’s Recreation:” At-Home Viol Playing in the 17th Century Massachusetts Since the onset of the pandemic, the home has become the center of musical activity for professional and amateur musicians alike. Our performance/lecture will explore at-home music making in 17th century Massachusetts through a historical lens. We will introduce several individuals known to have owned viols, connecting what we can infer about their varied musical experiences to repertoire for solo viol and for voice with bass viol accompaniment. We will make a case for the likely presence of publications by John Playford in 17th century MA and draw our selections from music he published.