Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. The Most Sacred Queen Elizabeth, her Galliard (Katherine Darcy's Galliard), for lute, P 41
2. Can she excuse (The Right Honourable Robert, Earl of Essex, his Galliard), galliard for lute, P 42
3. K. Darcy's Spirit (The Right Honourable the Lady Clifton's Spirit), galliard for lute, P 45
4. Sir John Smith, his Almain, for lute, P 47
5. Sir John Langton's Pavan, for lute
6. The King of Denmark, his Galliard, for lute, P 40
7. The Right Honourable Ferdinando Earl of Derby, his Galliard, for lute
8. Sir Henry Guilford his Almain, for lute (probably authentic)
9. The Right Honourable the Lady Rich, her Gaillard (Dowland's Bells), for lute, P 43
10. Fantasia, for lute (from 'A Varietie of Lute-lessons')
11. The Right Honourable Lord Viscount Lisle (Sir Robert Sidney, his galliard), for lute, P 38 (A Musical Banquet)
12. A piece without title, for lute, P 51
13. The Lady Russell's Pavan, for lute, P 17
14. Mr Knight's Galliard, for lute, P 36
15. Pavan, for lute in G minor, P 16
16. Sir John Souch his Galliard, for lute, P 26
17. Mr Giles Hobie's Galliard, for lute, P 29
18. Farewell Fancy (Chromatic fantasia), for lute, P 3
19. Galliard, for lute in F minor, P 27
20. Lady Hunsdon's Almain (Lady Hunsdon's Puffe), for lute, P 54
21. Galliard (on a galliard by Daniel Bacheler), for lute in C minor, P 28
22. Lachrimae, for lute, P 15
23. Galliard to Lachrimae, for lute, P 46 (A Pilgrimes Solace)

Disc 2:

1. Forlorn Hope, fantasie for lute, P 2
2. Walsingham, song arranged for lute, P 67
3. Mrs Vaux Galliard, for lute, P 32
4. Mrs Vaux's Jig, for lute, P 57
5. Fantasia, for lute in G minor, P 7
6. Galliard, for lute in F minor, P 76 (possibly spurious)
7. The Shoemaker's Wife, a Toy, for lute, P 58
8. Fantasia, for lute in G minor, P 6
9. Mrs Brigide Fleetwood's Pavan (Solus sine sola), for lute, P 11
10. Mr Henry Noell his Galliard (Mignarda), for lute, P 34
11. Mr Langton's Galliard, for lute, P 33
12. Loth to depart, song arranged for lute, P 69
13. Fantasia, for lute, P 73 (possibly spurious)
14. Robin (Bonny Sweet Robin), ballad arranged for lute, P 70
15. Pavan, for lute in G minor, P 18
16. Galliard, for lute in C minor, P 35
17. Farewell (on 'In Nomine'), fantasia for lute, P 4
18. Mrs Norrish's Delight, for lute, P 77 (possibly spurious)
19. A Coy Toy, for lute, P 80 (possibly spurious)
20. Fortune My Foe, song arranged for lute, P 62
21. Tarleton's Resurrection, for lute, P 59

Disc 3:

1. Piper's Pavan, for lute, P 8
2. Captain Digorie Piper's Galliard, for lute, P 19
3. Mrs Nichol's Almain, for lute, P 52
4. Mrs White's Thing (Mrs White's Choice), almain for lute, P 50
5. Mrs White's Nothing, for lute, P 56
6. John Dowland's Galliard, for lute, P 21
7. Mounsier's Almain, arranged for lute
8. Mellancoly Galliard, for lute, P 25
9. Lord Strang's March, song arranged for lute, P 65
10. Dr Case's Pavan, for lute, P 12
11. Dowland's First Galliard, for lute, P 22
12. Orlando Sleepeth, arrangement for lute, P 61
13. A Dream, pavan for lute, P 75 (possibly spurious)
14. Galliard (on 'Walsingham'), for lute in G minor, P 31
15. Galliard (on 'Awake sweet love'), for lute in D major, P 24
16. Almain, for lute, P 49
17. Tarleton's Jig, for lute, P 81 (possibly spurious)
18. Complaint, for lute, P 63
19. Galliard, for lute in G minor, P 30
20. Dowland's Galliard, for lute, P 20
21. Semper Dowland semper dolens, pavan for lute, P 9
22. Go from my window, song arranged for lute, P 64
23. Solus cum sola, pavan for lute, P 10
24. Jig, for lute in C minor, P 78 (possibly spurious)
25. Fantasia, for lute in D minor, P 72 (possibly spurious)

Disc 4:

1. My Lord Willoughby's Welcome Home, for lute, P 66
2. What if a day, ballad setting for lute, P 79 (possibly spurious)
3. Mrs Clifton's Almain, for lute, P 53
4. Can she excuse (The Right Honourable Robert, Earl of Essex, his Galliard), galliard for lute, P 42
5. Mrs Winters Jump, fo lute, P 55
6. Round Battle Galliard, for lute, P 39
7. The Frog Galliard, for lute, P 23
8. Fantasia, for lute in D minor, P 5
9. Resolution, pavan for lute, P 13
10. Come away, song arranged for lute, P 60
11. Fantasia, for lute in G minor, P 71 (possibly spurious)
12. Aloe, ballad setting for lute, P 68
13. Preludium, for lute, P 98
14. Almain, for lute, P 96
15. Queene Elizabeth, her Galliard (The Queen's Galliard), for lute, P 97
16. Coranto, for lute, P 100
17. Mr Dowland's Midnight, almain for lute, P 99
18. La mia Barbara, pavan for lute, P 95
19. Lady Laiton's Almain, for lute, P 48
20. Pavana (Pavana Johan Douland), for lute in C minor, P 94
21. Galliard for lute (for The Hainhofer Lute Book)
22. Pavans (2), for lute (for J.D.Mylius' 'Thesaurus gratiarum'): Pavana
23. Pavans (2), for lute (for J.D.Mylius' 'Thesaurus gratiarum'): Pavana

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #108598 in Music
• Released on: 2008-06-10
• Number of discs: 4
• Dimensions: .30 pounds

Customer Reviews

John Dowland's Emotional Rollercoaster
During his lifetime, John Dowland published eighty-eight lute songs, sixteen psalms and spiritual songs and twenty-one dances for viols or violins with lute. All these were carefully prepared for publication by the composer. In stark contrast the majority of his lute solos have survived in much less reliable forms. Apart from the two solos that appeared in "A Pilgrimes Solace" and "A Musicall Banquet" and the nine pieces (or ten if you consider "Sir Henry Guilforde his Almaine" to be by him) that are found in "A Varietie of Lute Lessons" published by his son in 1610, his solo lute music has come down to us in sources from all over Europe with little or no direct involvement by Dowland. It is unfortunate that he never fulfilled the promise he gave in "The First Booke of Songes" to "set forth the choicest of all my Lessons in print."

Dowland's solo lute music is extraordinarily varied. It ranges from light, frivolous pieces such as "Mrs. White's Nothing" and "Lady Hundson's Puffe" to profound works expressing the darkest melancholy ("Forlorn Hope Fancy" and "Semper Dolens Semper Dowland.") His music is characterized by a tunefulness unequalled in contemporary lutenists' output and many of his solos were given texts to become lute songs. One such example is his famous pavane "Lachrimae," which he published in "The Second Booke of Songes" as "Flow my teares."

There are also many galliards which survive both as songs and instrumental pieces, but even those which never had words given to them have melodies that could easily be fitted with texts. Dowland's galliards also show a wonderful diversity. We find extroverted dances inspired by 16th-century "battle pieces" such as Dowland's Galliard [20] and "The Battle" (alias King of Denmark's) Galliard [40] but also sublime, introverted and sweet-sounding galliards like "Mignarda" [34] and "Melancholy Galliard" [25]. When using this dance form, Dowland was able to express a very wide range of emotions. Dowland was a master in the art of writing divisions. This is particularly evident in his pavanes, where the varied repeats are full of invention. A fine example is "Sir John Langton's Pavan" [14] in which he decorates the music with scale passages, arpeggiated figures and repeated notes to marvelous effect. Imaginative lute writing is also found in his sets of variations on popular tunes. He sometimes departs from the tune for expressive purposes. In his most elaborate composition in his genre, "Loth to Depart," [69] the original these is only hinted at as the piece develops and the variations become freer. Recently a work by Dowland belonging to this category was found; in the Biblioteca Universitaria in Genoa there is a copy of J. B. Besard's "Thesaurus Harmonicus" from 1603 in which there are some manuscript additions including an Almande Monsieur Johan. Douland. Angl. The same piece can be found in an English lute manuscript, C. U. L. Ms.Dd.2.11, and those one of the many anonymous lute compositions can be identified with some certainty. On this recording, there is the version from Dd.2.11 which has two variations more than the one in Genoa. Otherwise they are virtually identical.

Perhaps Dowland's most remarkable music is found in his chromatic fantasias. There are found altogether; "Forlorne Hope Fancy" [2], "Farewell" [3], are certainly by Dowland, whilst the other two, "Fantasia" [17] and "Fancy" [72] are probably by him. "Fantasia" [71] could possibly be by Phillip Rosseter since it appears in J. D. Mylius's "Thesaurus gratarium" of 1622 as "Grammatica Rosideri Angli generosi," but it is not at all typical of his style and I think Dowland is the more likely composer. All found pieces express melancholy in the most sublime way. They often use startling harmonies with the chromatic themes appearing in ingenious guises. "Farewell" [3] is perhaps the best constructed piece. Here the ascending chromatic six-note scale is used fourteen times and although the mood is melancholic there is a feeling of hope. (A similar mood is found in "Lachrimae Verae," the last of the seven pavanes based on "Lachrime" for five viols or violins and lute.) "Forlorn Hope Fancy" [2] is very different. It uses a descending chromatic theme and here the music is full of despair. The following lines from "Flow my teares" come to mind: "where nights black bird hir sad infamy sings, there let mee liue forlorne."

Excellent performances of remarkable repertoire
The review by "a certain bibliophile" provides an admirable level of detail about the pieces' history but does not discuss the performances, which are excellent. Lindberg obviously knows and understands this music, and has ample technique and the musical taste to convey it eloquently.

Knowing these pieces "from the inside," that is, studying them and learning to play them, I find them some of the most remarkable musical achievements of their time. To put it simply, Dowland's pieces unfailingly sound musically compelling, even after hundreds of years, unlike the works of many of his contemporaries. He has one of the strongest gifts for memorable melodies of any composer of his time, but also a very modern-seeming understanding of key changes, development of musical ideas and use of highly chromatic passages. A player needs to know when to be forceful and when to take a more reflective tone to capture the many moods this music conveys. Lindberg does this and makes it seem easy. One advantage of this set is that he plays different lutes with very different sound qualities to fit the pieces (as well as to reflect the evolution of the instrument during Dowland's time), and the changes in timbre bring new dimensions to many compositions. Nigel North recently completed another excellent survey of Downland's lute music, and both have compelling but not identical points to make about the various pieces. Those who know the music well definitely will want both sets, which stand as worthy companions to Julian Bream's earlier, and still exemplary, collections of Dowland's pieces.