Music in anxious times: Hatfield House Music Festival opens with a captivating evening of music from the time the house first opened

Musicians preparing for the opening concert of Hatfield House Music Festival
under the watchful eye of Queen Elizabeth I in the Marble Hall

Music which pleaseth myne ear: Thomas Morley, John Dowland, William Byrd, Tobias Hume, William Lawes, John Coprario; The Sixteen, Fretwork, Joy Smith, Eligio Luis Quinteiro, Harry Christophers; Hatfield House Music Festival in the Marble Hall
Reviewed 8 October 2027

A captivating and enlightening evening of music by Byrd and his contemporaries mixing viol consort, vocal ensemble and instrumental dances complete with pavans for harp consort and some of Byrd's consort songs

When the first Lord Salisbury built Hatfield House (completed in 1611), he employed various musicians including a viol concert to perform in the house. The present Lord Salisbury cannot quite run to that, but this year marks the 15th anniversary of the Hatfield House Music Festival which was founded with cellist Guy Johnston as the artistic director. This year's festival celebrates not just that anniversary, but Lord Salisbury's 80th birthday, and of course the 400th anniversary of the death of John Dowland.

For the opening concert of the festival, at 5pm on Thursday 8 October 2026 in Hatfield House's Marble Hall (one of the first Lord Salisbury's original interiors now presided over by the 'Rainbow Portrait' of Queen Elizabeth I) we returned to the early 17th century for Music which pleaseth myne ear, a programme of music by William Byrd and his contemporaries. Music that would have been around at the time of the house's completion. Harry Christophers and members of The Sixteen (Katy Hill, Alexandra Kidgell, Elisabeth Paul, Mark Dobell, Oscar Golden Lee, Ben Davies, Rob Macdonald) were joined by the viol consort Fretwork (Emilia Benjamin, Christopher Terepin, Joanna Levine, Sam Stadlen, Richard Boothby), harpist Joy Smith, and lutenist Eligio Luis Quinteiro for a programme that moved between unaccompanied part-songs and devotional songs, viol consorts, dances and more concerted pieces.

The music of William Byrd was central to the evening and the sheer variety of his output was apparent. Here was sacred music in Latin and English both liturgical and intended for private devotions, secular music on classical subjects and for pure entertainment, and instrumental music including a pavan in honour of the first Earl of Salisbury. As Stephen Johnson pointed out in his programme notes, the way Byrd wrote to "please the powers at be whilst offering a message of consolation and hope to those with ears to hear it" rather resembles the balancing act the Dmitri Shostakovich had to undertake.

We began with Thomas Morley's lively madrigal I love, alas, I love thee which was full of rhythmic felicity and included a word setting that rather came over as 'I love, a lass, I love thee' which may well have been intentional!. John Dowland's elegant dance, My Lord Willoughby's Welcome Home introduced us to the lovely sound of Eligio Luis Quinteiro's lute and Joy Smith's period harp. This latter had a rather luminous sound which made the music very seductive - what else was welcoming Lord Willoughby home, one wondered. The Sixteen returned with another aspect to the vocal music, something sacred, probably a devotional song designed to be sung at home, Byrd's serious and rather moral Retire my soul.

The final instruments in the mix were the viols. Richard Boothby and Sam Stalen (on bass viols) brought out the plangent quality in Tobias Hume's Sweet musicke with its two interwining lines. Subtitled 'Earle of Salisburies favoret delight', there was a melody line but the piece was all about texture.

Thereafter the various different groupings intertwined in different ways creating a programme that was varied and wonderfully satisfying. The original Lord Salisbury rarely had quite so many people listening to 'his' music but the programme evoked those times. And the acoustics of the Marble Hall are wonderful excellent for 17th century music.

The Sixteen contrasted the outward facing melancholy of Dowland's Weep no more sad fountains with his livelier Up merry mates. There was the elegant melancholy of Byrd's Come woeful Orpheus, very serious in its intent, rather more intimate and personal was the three voice vocal work In winter cold, something to be sung at home. And households like that of the Lord Salisbury would have had singers; servants were often employed for the musical skills and would sing alongside members of the household. Byrd's This sweet and merry month of May was a lively delight full of infectious cross rhythms

Eligio Luis Quinteirio's lute gave us the intimate melancholy of Dowland's Robin, whilst Quinteiro was joined by Joy Smith's harp for Dowland's lively My Lord Chamberlain, his Galliard.

Fretwork's performance of Byrd's In nomine a 5 brought out the distinctive sound of the viols yet this was recognisably the same voice as the other works by the composer in the programme. There was something rather toe-tapping about Byrd's Pauana, The Earle of Salisbury and Galiardo with a dance-inspiring liveliness to it. John Coprario (Cooper) is a composer associated with the first Lord Salisbury's Hatfield, and his Illicita Cosa, a fantasia for five viols, broke no rules yet sounded deliberately (and delightfully) weird.

Of great interest were two pieces by William Lawes for harp consort (harp, lute, treble and bass viols) . Both were pavans, one on a bass theme by J Cormacke and the other on a bass theme by Coprario. Both were rather like sets of variations, where the interplay of voices was paramount. But of significant interest was the way the plangent upper and lower viol lines sat around the luminous infilling of the harp. I was familiar with these harp consort works on disc but this was the first time I had the pleasure of hearing them live.

The Sixteen joined with Fretwork for Byrd's Have mercy upon me O God with the dark, chestnut sound of the viols contrasting with the clarity of the voices (solo alto Elisabeth Paul and then tutti). The piece sets an adaptation of Psalm 51, almost certainly for private devotional use. Like much of the Byrd in the programme this came from Psalmes, songs and sonnets of 1611. Byrd's Ah, silly soul featured a soprano solo (Katy Hill) and viols, her expressive, serious vocal line contrasting with the mobile counterpoint of five interweaving viol lines in striking manner. Consort songs such of this are a rare joy and a neglected part of modern concert repertoire.

We ended with something for everyone. Byrd's consort song O God that guides the cheerful sun with verses sung by soprano solo (Katy Hill), then choral choruses, all accompanied by viols plus harp and lute. It contrasted the serious intent of the soprano solo with the lively counterpoint of the viols, but then rhythmic liveliness crept in and solo soprano and viols echoed each other, passing little rhythmic motifs around. A complete and utter delight, and the sort of work only possible when the right people come together.

This was a captivating and enlightening evening. Hearing the right sort of music in the right performances in the right place. Heaven and a wonderful way to celebrate all those anniversaries. 

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