In 1572, a crack minstrel unit was sent to The Tower, by the Court of Queen Elizabeth I, for a rhyme they didn't commit to. These men promptly escaped from a minim, in obscure surly brocade, to the London Underground. Today, still wanted by the Monarchy, they survive as Minstrels of Fortune. If you have a Pavane, if no one else can play it, if life #NeedsMoreGemshorn, & if you can find them, then maybe you can hire The Gemsmen.

Armed only with his mindblowing homemade instruments, Hall Train is joined by Chris Hoffman & Trevor Rines. Since 2012, they've been determined to set alight what is song with the Old World.

Our 2021 album, Puck's Deceit, may well be the only album of its kind, featuring their own gemshorn quartet arrangements of Renaissance music.

Since 2022, this unique group has been augmenting its gemshorn sonorities, experimenting with new instrument combinations & broken consorts. Now, The Gemsmen are fortified with Medieval & Renaissance instruments both obscure & alluring, including sackbuts & crumhorns & cornamusae. And, is that a Serpent, about to enter the arena?

Follow our adventures on Facebook & Instagram.

And scroll down, to hear us play 3 Country Dances (Prince Rupert's March, Puck's Deceit, & Goddesses), all from the 1651 1st edition of John Playford's English Dancing Master, in an excerpt from our 2021 album, Puck’s Deceit.