Robin Sherwood (1949)
Musician, composer, craftsman and computer nerd. Robin grew up in Berlin, Germany and performed classical guitar in
the New York City area. He was the first modern musician to direct small folk style
singing groups using guitar and recorder, other than the traditional church organ, for
Mass and other sacred Services. Inspired by his friend Arthur P.H. Kirmss, who
studied the recorder under the guidance of Bernard Krainis, founding member of the
"New York Pro Musica" of N.Y.C., Robin and Arthur performed together many
years, sharing innumerable moments of joy with all who love Renaissance music....
- Byrd, William (1543? - 1623)
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- One of England's greatest composers, he is here
represented by two works, one familiar and one little known. Taken from the
"Fitzwilliam Virginal Book" of keyboard music, they consist of four to five
voice contrapuntal writing using two dance forms of the High Renaissance, the Almain and
the Galliard. Byrd's compositions here take the form of theme - and - variation,
which was a very well known musical art in the Elizabethan era.
- Praetorius,
Michael (1571 - 1621)
-
- Michael Schultheiss, whose name
was latinized to "Praetorius" as was common in the early to late Renaissance,
was all of these: composer, choirmaster, organist and instrumentalist. His
collection "Terpsichore" contains four and five voice dance music, written by
himself and in collabroration with Pierre Caroubel, the French Court composer and
violinst. The dances presented here are works of Praetorius, including works of
Pierre Caroubel.
- Lublin, Jan of
(circa 1520 - 1540)
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- Jan, an early to mid sixteenth
century Polish keyboard master, is named for Lublin, a noted city of Poland. His was
the music of Copernicus' era, yet it is largely forgotten. These works are in the
form of dances with cheerful "one-two" Slavic melodies set to the Renaissance
harmony by the composer. The same tunes are then repeated in triple time. They
are advanced in their use of climatic endings on full chords with thirds. Written
for harpsichord or organ, they are found in a set of volumes entitled "Corpus of
Early Keyboard Music"
- Ballard, Robert
(early 17th cent.)
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- A music printer to Henri II in
partnership with his cousin and composer Adrian le Roy. "Entre'e De Luth",
a Lute composition rearranged for harpsichord, is a magnificent piece of music that will
let you experience the richness of interwoven parts.
- Weck, Hans (circa
1510)
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- A lively early German Renaissance
keyboard work, this is contemporary with Albrecht Duerer, one of Germany's geniuses of
visual art.
- de la Torre,
Fransisco (circa 1470/80)
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- Entitled "(Danza) Alta"
by the composer, the word "Alta" means "high or loud". Dela
Torre originally used shawms and sackbuts for this work. The ornamental dance music
has a dramatic quality uniquely Spanish. It was written for the courts of the
Catholic Kings, Fernando and Isabella, and was found in "Cancionero del Palicio"
published in two volumes.
- Brabantse Dragonders
Mars (Anon. circa early 1600)
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- Published in England by a
prominent British Scholar, it was stated that the original source for this keyboard music
is the "Camphuysen" manuscript, most probably of Dutch origin. The
"March of the Brabant Dragoons" tells us of those elite troops trained on horse
or foot. Brabant, a province of the Netherlands, saw war with Spain in the siteenth
and seventeenth centuries. This suspensful music, written in a minor key, gives us a
taste of the fighting spirit of those times.
- Attaingnant,
Pierre (1500 - 1552)
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- Publisher of French lute and
keyboard music. One of the oldest dance collections published by Pierre Attaingnant
includes: Pavanes, Basse Dances and Branles. Some of these compositions were
later transcribed for the lute and guitar.
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