PROVOCATIVE THOUGHTS: 
The late Patric Standford may have written these short pieces deliberately to provoke our feedback. If so, his success is reflected in the rich range of readers' comments appearing at the foot of most of the pages.
SPONSORED: Ensemble. Unjustly Neglected - In this specially extended feature, Armstrong Gibbs' re-discovered 'Passion according to St Luke' impresses Roderic Dunnett.
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vihuela music
The vihuela, viola de mà, viola da mano or viola de mão is a fifteenth century stringed instrument from Spain, shaped like a guitar - the Spanish equivalent of the lute. It was used in Spain in the fifteenth and sixteenth century. Usually its five or six doubled strings were plucked, but there's also a bowed version, called the vihuela de arco. The vihuela is used for performing some early music, but it's also widespread in Mexican Mariachi music.
A selection of articles about vihuela music
Spotlight. Beautiful Stuff - Gerald Fenech admires vocal music from sixteenth century Guatemala. '... I could not but admire the sheer passion and enthusiasm of the Alvarado and Abramovich duo in their performances of this exceptional and plaintive repertoire ...'
Spotlight. Superb Performances - Amber Lin and Jeffrey Neil investigate Christine Moore Vassallo's journey through Spanish song. 'Christine Moore Vassallo and her ensemble were a delight to experience.'
CD Spotlight. Redefining the Idiomatic - Contemporary music for baroque instruments, heard by John Dante Prevedini. 'I consider the results compelling, and I hope to hear more works for these resurrected instruments in this new idiom.'