JOHN DOWLAND (1563–1626)

 

Pavans, Galliards and Almains

 

Lute Music 3

 

Pavan “Solus cum sola”

Melancholy Galliard

Sir John Smith, his Almain

The Lady Russell’s Pavan

Lady Rich, her Galliard

The Lady Laiton’s Almain

Pavan “Solus sine sola”

Mr Knight’s Galliard

Mrs Clifton’s Almain

Dr Case’s Pavan

Sir Robert Sidney, his Galliard

Sir Henry Guilforde, his Almain

“Pavana Doulant”(pub. Mylius, Frankfurt 1622)

The Earl of Derby, his Galliard

Almain, P. 51

Pavan “La mia Barbara”

The Battle Galliard

Almain, P. 49

“Pavana Johan Douland” (Schele ms.)

Galliard on a Galliard of Bachelar

Almain (Margaret Board Lute ms.)

 

Nigel North

 

The pre-eminent lutenist of his day, John Dowland was an almost exact contemporary of William Shakespeare.

 

This third volume of Dowland’s Lute Music explores the three principal dances of the time, Pavans, Galliards and Almains. Of particular note are the strikingly unusual Galliard on a Galliard of Bachelar, which takes the opening four bars of an original dance by Dowland’s contemporary Daniel Bachelar and then branches off into its own world of great variety and fantasy. The beautiful and serious “Pavana Doulant”, is written from the very heart of the composer known as the ‘English Orpheus’.

 

Nigel North is once again the soloist on this, the penultimate issue of a four-CD series.

 

Naxos 8570449