BRATTLEBORO — Boston-based early music ensemble In Stile Moderno returns to town on Friday, Oct. 22, at 7:30 p.m., for the first concert of its 2021–22 season, “Faithful and Pious Heart: Devotional Music in Seventeenth-Century Italy.”
In Stile Moderno, founded in 2012, makes rarely-heard works of the 17th century accessible and relevant to modern audiences.
The BMC concert features Brattleboro native Nathaniel Cox (cornetto, guitar, and theorbo), Agnes Coakley Cox (soprano), Parker Ramsay (Baroque harp), and Hideki Yamaya (guitar and theorbo), performing music from 17th-century Italy which “brings together the lightness of secular song with the gravity of religious themes,” as described in a news release for the event.
“These little-heard pieces from the genre of canzonette spirituali were often inspired by, or even parodied, the popular songs of the day - but together with the catchy bass lines and hummable melodies came texts that described the passion of Christ, the nature of the Trinity, or the path to Heaven.
“Accompanied by the magical timbre of theorbo and baroque harp, and complemented by instrumental works for cornetto, harp, and theorbo, these 'spiritual songs' will make for an enchanting and unforgettable evening,” according to the news release.