...The subtitle of this disc is not correct: the programme comprises much more than just music for viola da gamba. Hamburger Ratsmusik also play sonatas with one or two violins. The three sonatas for violin, viola da gamba and bc on this disc are the only survivals for this scoring from Young's pen. These bear witness to the German manner. The scoring was very common in Germany, and the three sonatas are not that different from the sonatas for the same scoring by, for instance, Buxtehude. Three sonatas are scored for two violins and bc, all from the only collection of music by Young which was printed in his lifetime. These sonatas in particular bear witness to the influence of the Italian style.

The two Fantazies are for three viols which are treated on an equal footing. They are rooted in the English consort music and are stylistically close to Matthew Locke. Here the upper part is played on the violin. This is a legitimate option as consort music from around 1650 left it to the performers to choose either the violin or the treble viol. A Prelude and an Almain are for lyra-viol, or rather the viol 'played the lyra way'. This was a far from exclusively English style of playing. Even so, it was more widespread there than anywhere else....