Samuel Pepys the Guitarist

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At first, Samuel Pepys could see no virtue in the guitar at all and regarded it as a toy or ‘bauble’. Yet he soon changed his mind as he became more interested in Italian music. He arranged for an English merchant in Italy to send him an instrument, and during some of the most troubled periods of his life began to learn it. As a result, we possess from the hands of his house musician, Cesare Morelli, the largest collection of guitar-accompanied song to survive from 17th-century Europe.

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For Courtesan, Queen and Gallant: The Guitar in England from Henry VIII to Samuel Pepys

This event was on Wed, 16 May 2018

Music

Performance

Professor Christopher Page FBA

Professor of Music

Christopher Page is Professor of Medieval Music and Literature, a Fellow of the British Academy and a Fellow at Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge. He is an internationally renowned performer and writer, as well as being an experienced presenter through BBC Radio.

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