Those who made the effort to attend last Saturday's Baroque Concert by the Saltus Concert Society were rewarded with an evening of outstanding musicianship.

Founded some years ago by Bill Duncan, the Society has now come into its own.

It is not, as the title may imply, a school group but, rather, a collection of musicians who, in the early days at least, gathered at the Saltus hall under Mr. Duncan's direction, welcoming the opportunity to play music together.

Students of promise, however, have participated, as was the case on Saturday.

For this particular concert, the orchestra of 15 string players and a harpsichord, reached new heights of excellence, with some of the Island's most gifted artists playing together, and as soloists, in a programme of music that they obviously found extremely satisfying to play. The chamber spirit prevailed, too, in that with no overall director, various musicians took it in turns to preside over a particular piece.

Baroque which covers roughly the period from 1600 to 1750, is a handy and perhaps over-used label for that period's rich panoply of the arts, exemplified in music by Vivaldi, Handel and Bach. If the identifying sound of baroque music, with its continuo basso , is that of regal courtliness, this is probably because the European courts were, at that time, the great patrons of music.

The Saltus programme commenced with English composer William Boyce's Symphony No. 1 in B flat major. The excellent acoustics of St. John's Church made this just about the perfect setting for the lightly graceful and melodic strains of this piece, underpinned by the continuo of Ruth Henderson on the harpsichord.

There was an unusual opportunity to hear the solo bassoon in Galliard's Concerto for Bassoon and Strings. Arranged, orchestrated and conducted by Jonathan Palmer, this is a melodic, three-movement work. Soloist Mary Palmer revealed fully the sonorous richness of this instrument, particularly in the lovely final movement, opening with a difficult scale sequence leading into a rather jolly, dance-like melody.

The Furness Line has become quite a feature of the Saltus concerts, with brass teacher Alan, his wife Lesley and sons Danny and Tom forming a lively, family quartet, playing four pieces by baroque composers Johann Schein, C.P.E. Bach (Johann's fifth child) and Samuel Scheidt.

Fifteen-year old Saltus student Hywel Brown was the highly gifted soloist in Giuseppe Tartini's Concertino for Clarinet and Strings. Displaying a sensitivity and maturity far beyond his years, he achieved a marvellous clarity of sound and, with seemingly effortlessly ease, coped fluently with the complicated phrasing, so that it seemed that he was, indeed, having a musical `conversation' with his string accompanists. A wonderful effort. He was sympathetically conducted by his clarinet teacher, Lisa Wyatt.

The evening came to a celebratory close with the popular Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 4. There was a welcome chance here, to hear Suzanne Dunkerley, leader of the Bermuda Philharmonic Orchestra, directing and playing, with deceptively effortless grace, the solo violin to the two recorders of Adrian Hall and Susan Hall. This is Bach at his most lighthearted, following the principle of the baroque concerto in that a group of solo instruments rather than a single player is featured.

The trio achieved a bright, yet delicate sound as they launched into the familiar melody of the first movement. It was interesting to hear the beautifully played recorders instead of the, nowadays, more usual flutes.

Hopefully, as news of the Saltus group, with its nucleus of professional players, spreads, they will attract the full audiences they so richly deserve.

Music lovers should be queuing up for their next appearance.

PATRICIA CALNAN