ARIOSO play on period instruments: that is original instruments made at the time or
                modern copies of such. Through this and using historic performance practices written
                about by early musicians, we aim to recapture as closely as possible the sound as
                well as the spirit expected by the original composers and heard by their audiences.

                    As with most instruments, the recorder (Italian flauto) first appeared in a variety of
                sizes, but from the 17th century one size predominated: the 'treble'.  By the 18th century
                the flute most commonly played was the transverse flute (traverso), however the
                recorder continued to find a place and indeed  a special larger recorder, the 'voice flute',
                was developed to play traverso music. To cope with different ranges and keys, various
                sizes of recorders are employed.

                The viola da gamba (also known in England as the Bass Viol) was developed in the
                early 16th century and continued to be widely played throughout the 17th and well into
                the 18th.  It had the reputation as a particularly refined instrument and was not
                the precursor of the violoncello which developed independently  at much the same time.
                The viola da gamba never really died out  (unlike the lute) and  there are records of it being
                played by individuals  throughout the 19th century and, indeed, even up to the days of  the
                modern revival.

                The theorbo (Italian tiorba) was a large lute type instrument developed at the very end
                of the 16th century to provide a strong accompaniment (ie continuo) to the voice and
                upper instruments as required by the exciting new music of the early baroque being
                written by Monteverdi and others. The long open gut bass strings allow very low notes
                to be played.

                The baroque guitar emerged at the very start of the 17th  century and quickly
                became immensely popular, not only in Italy were it was first widely played but also
                across the whole of Europe.  Its chordal style of accompaniment is now recognised as
                being important in  accelerating change from the old musical 'modes' to the new
                dynamic key structures.

                The baroque mandora was developed in central Europe at the start of the 18th century
                as a more accessible lute alternative to the increasingly complex 'baroque' lute proper. 
                It used the newly invented overwound strings to give a strong bass with a relatively short
                string length and was able to provide the sort of arpeggio accompaniments which
                became popular later in the century.

                There were distinctive national styles of harpsichord: principally Italian, Flemish/French,
                English and German.  The Italian instrument was the earliest and remained remarkably
                unchanged  from the early 16th through to its demise in the 19th century; its bright sound
                makes it especially suitable for continuo work.