The Early Music Show - Art and Early Music Month - Gainsborough's Georgian England

Catherine Bott presents a series on the links between art and early music, exploring some of the portraits of musicians by Thomas Gainsborough. The painter had a deep love of music and many of his portraits include musical themes. He was himself a keen amateur player of the viola da gamba and had many musicians as friends, some of whom he used as subjects for his portraits. With the help of art historian and author of several books on the artist, Michael Rosenthal of Warwick University, Catherine explores what the Gainsborough portraits tell us about the role of music in the late 18th century. The programme includes comment about his depictions of Karl Friedrich Abel, Johann Christian Bach and the Linley Family, as well as paintings of some notable amateurs from the English gentry such as William Wollaston and Anne Ford. Playlist: John Hebden: Concerto No 3 in E for strings (3 - Gigue) Angus Anderson/Helena Moroney (violins) Cantilena Adrian Shepherd (conductor) CHANDOS CHAN 8339, Tr 3 Thomas Arne: Honour, riches, marriage-blessing Catherine Bott (soprano) Parley of Instruments Peter Holman (director) HYPERION CDA 67450, Tr 21 Handel: Overture (Acis and Galatea) Les Arts Florissants William Christie (director) ERATO 3984-25505-2, Tr 1 Geminiani: Three Scotch Airs with Variations (A Treatise of Good Taste in the Art of Music - No 1 - Auld Bob Morrice) Axel Wolf (lute) Brian Berryman (flute) Eckhart Kuper (harpsichord) MD&G MDG50511272, Tr 6 Joseph Gibbs: Violin Sonata No 1 Locatelli Trio: Elizabeth Wallfisch (violin) Richard Tunnicliffe (cello) Paul Nicholson (harpsichord) HYPERION CDA 66583, Tr 12 Carl Friedrich Abel: Vivace for six string bass viol (abridged) Susanne Heinrich (viol) SIGNUM SIGCD 026, Tr 7 James Oswald: Divertimento No 9 for English Guitar Rob MacKillop (english guitar) ASV CD GAU 221, Tr 9 JC Bach: Keyboard Concerto in F minor (3 - Prestissimo) Anthony Halstead (keyboard) The Hanover Band CPO 999 462-2, Tr 6 Thomas Linley, Jr: Cantata: In Yonder Grove; Air: Tune Philomel Julia Gooding (soprano) The Parley of Instruments Paul Nicholson (director) HYPERION CDA 66767, Tr 16.