About Us

We are a costumed quire, and there are a number of people with the knowledge and expertise in costume to be able to give guidance as to what to wear at reasonable cost.

Learning the music is done by repetition of the pieces. It is therefore useful, but not essential, to be able to read music, and music is provided, usually downloadable from the Members’ section of this website. We expect member to do some preparation between practices to build confidence.

Instruments used by West Gallery bands would quite often include stringed and woodwind instruments such as fiddles (of all sizes – the ‘bass viol’ often referred to may well have been a spikeless bass violin), flutes and ‘clarionets’ (especially in C), as well as the odd serpent or two, and later on bassoons and concertinas. Heavy brass, chordal and keyboard instruments are not really ‘of the period’. It was not unknown for oboes to be played, and, occasionally small military brass instruments. Good sight-reading is essential and an ability to give a confident lead.