On L’Arte dei Piffari, the Ensemble Ventosum introduce a representative overview of Italian music from the ‘golden age’ of cornetts and sackbuts – c. 1580-1650. • It includes works for grand princely weddings and dances as well as instrumental motets and madrigals. • Mssrs. Dongois, Poitrineau and Legée founded the ensemble to perform historically correct interpretations of the music for their instruments. • Enabling the musicians to play freely and creatively, combining musicological knowledge with a zest for improvisation, is the lack of any fixed hierarchical structure within the ensemble.