For William Shakespeare's plays were performed entirely void of any orchestra pit but we do know that Shakespeare’s plays included music with works like Hamlet calling for Ophelia to sing a song, and also flourishes that signal entrances or exits. Plays also include popular ballads and even a few songs we believe Shakespeare wrote himself.

Our guest this week, Catherine Loomis, is here to help us explore the role of music in early modern theater, and the songs that survive from Shakespeare’s lifetim