Samuel Scheidt: La Bergamasca, performed by Mark Howard, keyboard

The Bergamasca was a popular Italian Renaissance dance. It was often performed in a circle to a continuously repeating strain and is sometimes said to have originated as an iimmitation of the awkward movements of the people of the town of Bergamo. Samuel Scheidt (1587-1658) was a German composer of church and instrumental music whose suites included late Renaissance and early baroque dance movements that reflect some international influence as dance styles began to migrate through Europe.