> The magnificent mountainside Monastery at Melk maintained an orchestra in > the 18th cen. which played for visitors from a hidden room. (e.g., the > emperor stayed at Melk while travelling). (The sounds issued through a > circle-shaped window above the banquet hall. Otherwise secular music was > apparently prohibited the monks, with one exception. Every year the monks > were bleed, and for a few days thereafter the orchestra was permitted to > play minuets while the monks recuperated..
I'll be playing in Melk in May. There's nothing about hidden rooms or bleeding in my contract, I'd better check! David To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
