Contains 32 "airs," 8 suites, 5 fantasias, and 12 assorted dances.

In the 1530s, five Bassano brothers, who were outstanding wind players and instrument makers, emigrated from Venice to England. Dr Lasocki‘s authoritative new book, the first to be devoted to the family, is a minutely researched account of these brothers, their sons (and a daughter) and their grandsons. The first half of the book discusses the everyday affairs of the family - their relationships, religion, property, law suits, finances, and standing in society. Two chapters, one written by Roger Prior, are devoted to Emilia Bassano, whose identification as thedark lady of Shakespeare‘s sonnets is supported by a wealth of evidence. The second half of the book discusses the family‘s musical activities. At the English Court the Bassanos made up a recorder consort that lasted 90 years; they also played in the flute/cornett and shawm/sackbutt consorts. As instrument makers their fame was spread throughout Europe. The book‘s appendixes present information on the Venetian branch of the family and the musical activities of the English branch since 1665.

This book looks at the work of one of England's finest composers, William Lawes. It provides a contextual examination of music at the court of Charles I, a detailed study of Lawes's autograph sources and an examination of his consort music.

Musical Creativity in Restoration England is the first comprehensive investigation of approaches to creating music in late seventeenth-century England. Understanding creativity during this period is particularly challenging because many of our basic assumptions about composition - such as concepts of originality, inspiration and genius - were not yet fully developed. In adopting a new methodology that takes into account the historical contexts in which sources were produced, Rebecca Herissone challenges current assumptions about compositional processes and offers new interpretations of the relationships between notation, performance, improvisation and musical memory. She uncovers a creative culture that was predominantly communal, and reveals several distinct approaches to composition, determined not by individuals, but by the practical function of the music. Herissone's new and original interpretations pose a fundamental challenge to our preconceptions about what it meant to be a composer in the seventeenth century and raise broader questions about the interpretation of early modern notation.

2023 marks 400 years since the death of English renaissance composer, William Byrd. Byrd's rich musical oeuvre and storied career has long captured the attention of audiences and scholars alike. This all-new collected edition marks his anniversary with thirteen brand-new essays from leading scholars on Byrd's musical life and legacy.

xxxi + 78 pp., plus 3 facsimile pages

First published in 1998, this volume comprises papers given at a conference on Lawes and his music held at Oxford in September 1995 to commemorate the 350th anniversary of his death. They examine not only Lawes’s music but the milieu in which he worked. Part One examines the musical life of the English Court in Lawes’s day, noting his activities there and his involvement with companies of players. Manuscript studies and a detailed account of the fatal battle are also included. Part Two comprises seven essays exploring the wide range of his instrumental and vocal music. William Lawes is acknowledged as the most exciting and innovative composer working in England during the reign of Charles I. His tragic early death at the Siege of Chester in 1645 only served to heighten his reputation among his contemporaries, lending him also the cloak of martyrdom in the service of his king.

The first of two volumes devoted to the evolution of the Allemande, the Balletto, and the Tanz from 1540 to 1750.