English (instrumental) Music Collection
(29 titles: Includes 4 volumes of Byrd, and works by Coperario, East, Phillips and others.)
- Browning Fantasy + Hackney
- The tune of this piece was often known as The leaves be green
- The four part consort music
- Byrd’s excellent four-part consort consist of fantasies and plainsong settings, all with impeccable part-writing.
- 9 Pavans (score only)
- Ferrabosco’s pavans are special. You can play through them all, in the way you would with the Dowland Lachryme pans.
- 9 Pavans (parts)
- Ferrabosco’s pavans are special. You can play through them all, in the way you would with the Dowland Lachryme pans.
- 3 Trios from Institution Harmonique
- Peter Phillips (b.1560) was a Catholic. In 1582 he left England, worked a few years in Rome and then moved to Flanders. His double-choir pieces are quite Roman in style, keeping to equal choirs and traditional counterpoint.
- Song called Trumpets
- Robert Parsons was born around 1530. He worked as a singer in the Chapel Royal, and was involved in the development of church music for the new Protestant faith.
- 2 Pieces for 3 instruments
- These fascinating pieces are based on 2 popular melodies, Browning and Coockow as I me walked.
- Quemadmodum
- Taverner’sQuemadmodum is a 6-part plainsong setting in perfect counterpoint.
- 2 Fantasies
- These two fantasies by James Harding (d. 1626), come down only in a keyboard source (British Library, Add. MS 30485). However, the keyboard settings do not seem particularly idiomatic, and as two neighbouring pieces in the source exist also in part books, it seems legitimate to print the pieces in four-part score.
James Harding was a professional wind player who almost certainly moved to England from Holland, Germany or possibly Denmark.
His most well-known piece is a galliard that was arranged for keyboard by no less than William Byrd; a matching pavan by Johann Sommer is included in the Füllsack/Hildebrandt anthology of 1607.
In this edition the original note values have been retained. A few editorial accidentals appear above the stave, applying to the one note only.
Bernard Thomas
- 3 In Nomine settings
- William Mundy spent his life as a singer in London for a time in the Chapel Royal.
- De la court
- Robert Parsons was born around 1530. He worked as a singer in the Chapel Royal, and was involved in the development of church music for the new Protestant faith.
- A sei soprani
- William Daman (or Damon) was a Franco-Flemish wind-player and organist from Liege. This piece is the only piece of its kind in English sources. He also wrote a piece for 6 bass instruments.
- 21 Masque dances
- British Library Add, MS 10444 is a large collection of pieces in treble-and-bass form. Many of the tunes turn out to be from early 17th-century masues.
- 6-part Consort Music
- Contains some seriously good fantasies.
- 5-part consort music, Volume 1
- Includes Byrd’s magnificent Browning fantasy, an unusual piece called Prelude and Ground and another excellent fantasy.
- 5-part Consort music, Volume II
- This volume contains In nomine settings and the 5-part pavane, and galliard.
- The Six-part Consort Music vol I.
- John (Giovanni) Coperario (1570-1626) was originally named Cooper or Cowper, but changed his name to Coperario to appear Italian, as Italian music was all the rage in his time. His music is certainly expressive in an Italian way. He left a large number or madrigal,-like pieces:as these have mostly survived without text, we don’t know if they are really madrigals, or just instrumental pieces composed in an Italian style.
- The Six-part Consort Music vol II
- John (Giovanni) Coperario (1770-1626)was originally named Cooper or Cowper, but changed his name to Coperario to appear Italian, as Italian music was all the rage in his time. His music is certainly expressive in an Italian way. He left a large number or madrigal,-like pieces:as these have mostly survived without text, we don’t know if they are really madrigals, or just instrumental pieces composed in an Italian style.
- 8 Fantasies Vol. I
- Michael East (1580-1648) worked as a singer in the cathedrals of Ely and Lichfield. Handily for him, his uncle Thomas was a publisher in London. These fantasies are his best work.
- 8 Fantasies Vol. II
- Michael East (1580-1648) worked as a singer in the cathedrals of Ely and Lichfield. Handily for him, his uncle Thomas was a publisher in London. These fantasies are his best work.
- 8 5-part pieces
- John (Giovanni) Coperario (1570-1626) was originally named Cooper or Cowper, but changed his name to Coperario to appear Italian, as Italian music was all the rage in his time. His music is certainly expressive in an Italian way. He left a large number or madrigal,-like pieces:as these have mostly survived without text, we don’t know if they are really madrigals, or just instrumental pieces composed in an Italian style.
- Sit fast
- Sit fast is an extraordinary tour de force of rhythmic complexity which remains quite beautiful. Not easy, but worth it.
- Courtly Masquing Ayres, volume 1
- Adson’s Courtly Masquing Ayres of 1621 is the only English printed collection of Jacobean masque music for ensemble, though there other settings in manuscripts and German prints.
- Courtly Masquing Ayres, volume 2
- Adson’s Courtly Masquing Ayres of 1621 is the only English printed collection of Jacobean masque music for ensemble, though there other settings in manuscripts and German prints.
- Courtly Masquing Ayres, volume 3
- Adson’s Courtly Masquing Ayres of 1621 is the only English printed collection of Jacobean masque music for ensemble, though there other settings in manuscripts and German prints.
- 25 Masque dances
- British Library Add, MS 10444 is a large collection of pieces in treble-and-bass form. Many of the tunes turn out to be from early 17th-century masues.
- Pavan Passamezz
- Peter Phillips (b.1560) was a Catholic. In 1582 he left England, worked a few years in Rome and then moved to Flanders. His double-choir pieces are quite Roman in style, keeping to equal choirs and traditional counterpoint.
- Ashton’s Maske
- This remarkable piece is based on a simple tenor, is written in a very distinctive indigenous style around 1550.
- In nomine (c.1570)
- This remarkable In nomine setting is much grander than the normal ones, and is actually twice the usual length.
