THE SOUNDS of early and baroque music are set to reverberate around Salisbury later this year.

The inaugural three-day Salisbury Musick festival will take place from October 3 to 5.

During the 18th century the annual three-day music festivals in Salisbury were among the most prominent in the country, attracting some of the leading performers of the day.

A group of four local Salisbury musicians have come together to rekindle this tradition, reinterpreted for current times, by presenting an exciting programme of concerts, talks and workshops spread over three days.

The name of the new festival, Salisbury Musick, is taken from the group of local players who formed the orchestra for the 18th-century festivals.

When John Walsh published Handel’s Twelve Grand Concertos in 1739, one of those who had subscribed to the publication was the Salisbury Society of Musick – with the characteristic 18th-century spelling.

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Festival organisers launched their programme in the King’s Room at The Salisbury Museum on Wednesday (May 21) where they were joined by deputy mayor of Salisbury cllr Alan Bayliss.

The organisers said: “The design of the festival logo is based on that of a lute rose and so it was particularly fitting that local lute player Matt Nisbet entertained the audience with some well-chosen short pieces for theorbo and baroque guitar.”

Alan Bayliss, deputy mayor, with Salisbury Musick trustee Sue Wyatt Picture: Salisbury Musick

On the first two days of the festival, local groups will perform in coffee time and lunchtime concerts, with two concerts featuring professional players each evening.

On October 3 there will be a concert by Sounds Historical and a concert of music for solo violin by Julia Bishop.

On the following evening there will be a concert of music for harpsichord by David Wright followed by a concert of lute songs by Charlotte La Thrope (soprano), Hugo Hymas (tenor) and Sergio Bucheli (lute).

Early Bird – a group featuring local harpsichord player Sharon Gould – will perform in the afternoon of October 5.

The festival will conclude with a performance of Bach’s Mass in B minor featuring leading Salisbury groups the Salisbury Baroque Orchestra (led by Julia Bishop) and The Farrant Singers conducted by Philip Lawson.

The modern festival will feature two elements not present in the 18th-century festivals.

Firstly, there will be talks on the first two afternoons – on October 3 Nigel Wyatt will discuss the history of the 18th-century festivals in Salisbury and the reasons for their rapid decline amidst rancour and controversy in 1780.

Then what promises to be an interesting discussion about preparing for a performance of Bach’s Mass in B minor will take place on October 4, featuring violinist Julia Bishop who will lead the orchestra for the Sunday performance, and Colin Howard who has recently conducted a performance of the work in Dorchester.

Education for young people forms the other new element of the modern festival, with workshops in baroque performance for children at Salisbury Area Young Musicians on October 4 and sessions for tots and their parents/carers on Sunday, led by Alice Poppleton.

Full details and tickets are available on the festival website www.salisburymusick.org.uk.