La Volta Singers (madrigal group)
Jane Hobbs
Soprano
Instruments
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Rose Bowen
Alto
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Brian Lavender
Tenor
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Stuart Evans
Bass
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Stringed Instruments
Violin, viol (six stringed instrument with frets), harp, cittern (wire strung instrument played with plectrum), harp, symphony (early kind of hurdy gurdy), rebec (three stringed, pear-shaped instrument making very nasal sound), mediaeval fiddle.
Wind Instruments
Renaissance flute (plain cylindrical wooden tube with six holes), renaissance recorders, shawms (raucous early double reed instruments with conical bore), curtal (precursor of bassoon), bagpipe, pibgorn (early Welsh hornpipe with single reed, pipe and tabor (one -man band combination of three-holed pipe with drum), rauschpfeifen (loud, capped conical bore double reed instruments), crumhorns (cylindrical bore double reed instruments with reed cap, rackett (cylindrical bored double reed instrument)
Percussion
Nakers (pot shaped drums), timbrel (early tambourine) , tabor (large double sided drum), cymbals.
History of Group
Groups of singers from the Dyfed Choir have often sung madrigals at events such as "Behind the Battlements". La Volta arose from concerts of this kind where madrigals were supplemented by instrumental items played on a few early instruments owned by members of the choir. Existing players of early instruments living in the area then joined the group , which started practising on a regular basis under the direction of .Stuart Evans. We now have a large collection of instruments and have performed at a wide range of venues.
Review from the Western Telegraph
Expecting a dry, precious performance, I was pleased to have my prejudices deliciously washed aside by music that, in its a capella form , was sweet and moving, and with the wind instruments firing on all cylinders, was as raucous and loud as a Middle Eastern bazaar.
An object lesson to those who champion world music in their search for the exotic and unusual and ignore the wealth of rootsy early music available, which itself draws upon long-established European and north African traditions.
La Volta unplugged are electrifying.
B.B.Skone
Violin, viol (six stringed instrument with frets), harp, cittern (wire strung instrument played with plectrum), harp, symphony (early kind of hurdy gurdy), rebec (three stringed, pear-shaped instrument making very nasal sound), mediaeval fiddle.
Wind Instruments
Renaissance flute (plain cylindrical wooden tube with six holes), renaissance recorders, shawms (raucous early double reed instruments with conical bore), curtal (precursor of bassoon), bagpipe, pibgorn (early Welsh hornpipe with single reed, pipe and tabor (one -man band combination of three-holed pipe with drum), rauschpfeifen (loud, capped conical bore double reed instruments), crumhorns (cylindrical bore double reed instruments with reed cap, rackett (cylindrical bored double reed instrument)
Percussion
Nakers (pot shaped drums), timbrel (early tambourine) , tabor (large double sided drum), cymbals.
History of Group
Groups of singers from the Dyfed Choir have often sung madrigals at events such as "Behind the Battlements". La Volta arose from concerts of this kind where madrigals were supplemented by instrumental items played on a few early instruments owned by members of the choir. Existing players of early instruments living in the area then joined the group , which started practising on a regular basis under the direction of .Stuart Evans. We now have a large collection of instruments and have performed at a wide range of venues.
Review from the Western Telegraph
Expecting a dry, precious performance, I was pleased to have my prejudices deliciously washed aside by music that, in its a capella form , was sweet and moving, and with the wind instruments firing on all cylinders, was as raucous and loud as a Middle Eastern bazaar.
An object lesson to those who champion world music in their search for the exotic and unusual and ignore the wealth of rootsy early music available, which itself draws upon long-established European and north African traditions.
La Volta unplugged are electrifying.
B.B.Skone
