Manchester Gamba Book C 1660 / Various

The Manchester Gamba Book is the largest extant manuscript of 17th century viol music, now kept in the Watson music collection in Manchester. Different in many regards from the later cello, the secrets of viola da gamba performance style are revealed in this priceless volume, including Gervise Gerrarde's Paven (C2), the most richly ornamented piece in the instrument's literature. Other contributions include settings of popular English songs of the period, and from otherwise unknown musicians such as Stephen Goodall and Richard Sumarte. Dietmar Berger now lives in Cologne and plays the cello as well as the viola da gamba in renowned ensembles such as the Delos Trio Koln (with Gudrun Hobold, violin, and Hubert Koppel, guitar) both in Germany and abroad; he appears as a soloist on numerous television and CD recordings.