Output details

CD recording of early 17th century English lute repertoire

This CD presents a programme of important early 17th-century English lute repertoire. Whilst including the prolific virtuosi of the Jacobean Age, it aims to show the varied repertoire in manuscripts and printed books from this period. An original lute from c.1590 strung in gut was played with historically-informed technique. The manuscripts contain signs for grace notes of different kinds and a revaluation of their meaning forms a basis of the renditions. Thomas Robinson’s printed book The Schoole of Musicke, dedicated to James I (London, 1603) contains important information on performance practice. I was able to consult the copy housed in the RCM Library (shelfmark D110 ), as Robinson’s instructions were crucial in shaping my interpretations.

The repertoire was gathered and edited from the original sources. Grace notes were added to the printed versions. In some cases sections of the original tabulature was reconstructed. The abundance of French music in the sources led to the decision to include music by Jacques Gaultier, “the English Gaultier” to make a fair representation of the repertoire that excited the Jacobeans. Anonymous pieces were also included as were settings of Scottish tunes, an attractive part of the lute repertoire from this period.

The outcome is much enhanced by a very rare original lute by Sixus Rauwolf, Augsburg c. 1590. There is a variety of repertoire, from short simple Scottish tunes to long, virtuosic sets of variations, illustrating the wide range of music in these Jacobean sources. The use of grace notes and dynamics as described by Thomas Robinson (who uses the expression “pashionate play”) was applied throughout.

This recording complements the current discography of English music and demonstrates the continued high artistic level of lute music after the Elizabethan Era. It benefits from BIS’s distribution network and is available worldwide.