Product Description
This newly revised anthology contains 26 traditional tunes selected from Playfords Dance Master, ONeills Music of Ireland, and The Gow Collection of Scottish Dance Music and arranged by Dorothy van Joolen Barth for two instruments. The tunes are arranged in three "chapters": (1) Castles, (2) Kings, and (3) Courts. This download is for the entire anthology, with title page, table of contents, and preface included (45 pages total). For musicians who would prefer to download a section rather than the complete anthology, three separate sectional downloads are available titled Castles, Kings, Courts. As an audio sample, the Irish tune The King of the Rath is provided here. Ive endeavored to keep the melodies true to their source, though I granted myself liberty to switch the tune between the two instruments, change octaves, and add embellishments on the repeats--something that might also be done in spontaneous performance. These arrangements were conceived for recorder and violin but may also be played on flute and violin or two violins. In this volume, the suggested recorder range is indicated, but the adaptable recorder player may experiment with different ranges. We prefer the soprano recorder (which sounds an octave higher than written) on reels, jigs, and hornpipes and the tenor recorder (or alto recorder depending on range) for slower, lyrical pieces. May Of Castles, Kings, and Courts reign wisely at Renaissance and Celtic Faires and add romance to period or castle weddings. Above all, may this music provide both player and listener with much enjoyment!
NOW AVAILABLE: "Regal Playford". We've recently recorded Of Castles, Kings, and Courts under our Kammeraderie label. Half of the tunes in this anthology are Playford tunes, and it's a common performance practice for Renaissance and English Country Dance music to elaborate the tunes via "divisions." While creating variations for these tunes, it occurred to me that it would be great to share this process; the digital sheet music will be of value to those learning performance practice for this genre. Each Regal Playford tune will be offered as "single" download, along with its ornamented version.
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard's global self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters. ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.