The Italian composer Giovanni Antonio Guido remains a mysterious figure. The lack of information concerning his life has been attributed to his habit of using both ‘Antonio’ and ‘Guido’ as surnames. HHis origins appear to be Genoese, where he was born in about 1675.

The date for the writing of Guido’s Scherzi armonici sopra le quattro stagioni dell’anno (‘Musical divertissements on the four seasons of the year’) is unknown. The work survives in a set of undated printed parts that were published at Versailles, supposedly at the composer’s own expense, and listed as Opus 3.

The edition contains a complete cycle of poems, Les caractères des Saisons, printed anonymously in the front of the score. Each movement draws on these poems, and phrases from them are placed at crucial points in the music, where particular musical ideas illuminate the sentiments of the text. Partly because of this, the forms of the movements have more in common with the French suite than with the Italian concerto. As an Italian musician accepted in French circles, it comes as no surprise that Guido had the ability to adapt his own Italian style in a way that was palatable to his French patrons.

The Band of Instruments is a versatile ensemble of musicians based in Oxford, well known for its imaginative programmes and persuasive performances. It was formed in 1995 by Gary Cooper, and its musical director is now Roger Hamilton. The Ensemble comprises Caroline Balding, Matthew Truscott and Sarah Moffat (violins); Alison McGillivray (cello); Peter McCarthy (bass) and Roger Hamilton (harpsichord).

The Band has been funded by the Arts Council of Great Britain and the National Lottery, and has been Early Music Ensemble in Residence at the Faculty of Music in the University of Oxford. It gives regular concerts at many venues in Oxford, including one for the recent inauguration of the redevelopment of the Ashmolean Museum.