Division-Musick | Pellingmans' Saraband (lute/viol duo)

Pellingmans' Saraband (lutenist Jacob Heringman and viol player Susanna Pell) play divisions from Playford’s Division Violin, trebles and grounds originally for 2 lutes and arrangements of sacred vocal music. Lute solos alongside divisions played on treble, tenor and bass viols with improvised lute accompaniments make for a rich palette of aural colours and a vibrant and virtuosic recreation of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century music making in England.

…...these solos and duos are performed with the heavenly mixture of aplomb and breeziness that is such a trademark of these musicians. The arrangements are intelligent, the playing crisp and inventive and it is difficult not to be swept away by the seductive charm of their sound.

Pellingmans’ Saraband are one of very few duos worldwide who are showcasing the unique sonorities of the lute with the viol, close cousins in the renaissance instrumental family tree. Their musical partnership goes back 30 years and over that time they’ve developed a keen understanding of how their instruments combine. With sensitivity and quiet virtuosity they present a varied programme including 16th and 17th century divisions upon ground basses, arrangements of vocal music and popular tunes which all create a vivid glimpse of how music was enjoyed in the home during the Tudor and Stuart periods.

Jacob Heringman and Susanna Pell spent 20 years based in London playing with many of the most successful early music ensembles at the time, recording for film and disc and giving concerts worldwide. In 2007 they relocated to North Yorkshire and redefined their working life. They both made the decision in 2011 to quit flying for work. Jacob gives concerts throughout Europe travelling by train and Susanna is working hard to create a more sustainable, locally based career which sees her teaching at local universities and rarely leaving the UK to perform.

Photo credit: Guy Carpenter