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    Samuel Pepys the Guitarist

    Music, musical performance, guitar, samuel pepys, pepys, italian music, instrument, Cesare Morelli, 17th century europe

    The Guitar at the Restoration Court

    When the most famous diarist in English, Samuel Pepys, accompanied Charles II back to London for the Restoration of the monarchy he was given the task of carrying the king’s guitar. From this moment on, the instrument had a the royal seal of approval.

    An Englishman (with a Guitar) Abroad

    In 1643 an English landowner, Sir Ralph Verney, fled to France in the depths of the Civil War. He settled in Blois and, while there, amassed a vast archive that is still unpublished. These records provide a wealth of information about the music they played and the guitars they bought.

    Buying, Selling and Owning Guitars in Elizabethan England

    What kind of people owned a guitar in the London of Elizabeth I and where did they go shopping for one? It is possible to assemble a remarkably full picture of the instrument’s place in the social life and trade and trade of Tudor England.

    The Guitar in Tudor London

    This opening lecture of the series, with musical illustrations, will use documents, poetry and images to bring the instrument to life, with a particular focus on the autobiography of the beguiling Tudor musician Thomas Whythorne.

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