Medieval Music Documentary on the BBC

The Sackbut - a Medieval Trombone

If you have the time listen to this great 30 minute documentary The Topping Tooters of the Town on BBC iplayer.

As the blurb for the programme says: "William Lyons conjures the brash brilliance of the Waits, town musicians at their peak in the 15th and 16th centuries, playing shawms, cornetts and sackbutts."

It is also a reminder of how our culture is rooted in Catholic European traditions, the guilds of Medieval Europe etc.

You'll be pleased to learn the sackbut (pictured here) isn't hessian underwear designed for mortification!