Piffaro: The Renaissance Band
“They are four brethren, all excellent and esteemed above all others in this city in their virtue,” was the report from King Henry VIII’s Venetian agent upon hearing the Bassanos. Not long after, many members of this family of wind players moved to Henry VIII’s court, while others remained in Italy as important players in the Venetian musical scene. Over the next few decades, this family extended the frontiers of instrumental music. The wind players of Piffaro, “the nation’s finest Renaissance wind band,” look at one of the most potent examples of musical immigration in 16th century Europe - the story of the Bassano family.