Rondo Publishing was founded by viol player and teacher Jacqui Robertson-Wade in 2005 with the publication of Jacqui’s first viol tutor, Viol Player Book 1. Books 2 and 3 have also been published for treble, tenor and bass viols and have received international acclaim. In 2011 Michael Williamson, Jacqui’s husband, joined Rondo Publishing as General Editor.
After relocating to Devon in 2016 Rondo Publishing has published more volumes of period music edited by Tamsin Lewis, Good Morrow Valentine, London Mourning in Ashes and The Happy Couple. Also, a new edition of Holborne, for solo treble instrument and keyboard, edited by recorder player Manfred Harras, which includes two keyboard parts, one edited by Sally Fortino and an easier version edited by Rosemary Robinson. Manfred’s latest edition of Telemann for Rondo, a duet from Getrue Musikmeister, features a play along CD and is for descant and treble recorder. Lollipops for Gambas features arrangements of keyboard and baryton music for two bass viols and is edited by Jacqui Robertson-Wade
Jacqui started teaching the viol in schools in 1998 and in 2016 her viol students from Gutted County Youth Viol Consort from Warwickshire Music, were awarded the Partnership Award by the Festival of Music for Youth. This enabled them to make a CD and selected tracks can be heard while viewing the Gallery by clicking here. To read about this remarkable project and Music Service, click here.
As Head of Strings for Warwickshire County Music Service, Michael Williamson played a part in developing viol teaching towards the end of the 1990s and has helped to build up the Rondo portfolio which consists mostly, but not entirely, of period music for strings, voices and recorders. Recently, he has widened his own string playing skills as a baroque violinist and orchestral director by taking up the bass viol.
Music playing: Selected tracks from students’ CD ‘Gambists in the Making’ and can be heard on the Gallery page.