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PHOTO: DAVID WHITE |
PHOTO: QUILL CLASSICS |
ideal Renaissance man or woman—a discussion about the best kind of music prompts one of the speakers to declare that singing lyrics to the lute “is more pleasant than the rest, for it addeth to the words such a grace and strength, that it is a great wonder” (English translation, 1561). Throughout the Renaissance, songs with lute accompaniment enjoyed immense popularity, and after the publication of John Dowland’s extraordinary First Book of Songs or Ayres in 1597, composers in England were quick to follow Dowland’s example. Even the prominent composer Thomas Morley, who confessed to being no lute player and could offer many other varieties of music to the public, brought out a collection of exquisite lute songs in 1600. Through live performance and video, we hope to bring our passion for lute songs to listeners coming to this repertoire for the first time as well as those who know and love it as we do. |
COPYRIGHT © 2015 WELL-TUNED WORDS Amanda Sidebottom • Erik Ryding |