A delightful collection of English songs from the 17th century, constructed around the major influence of the four seasons, and showcasing the great enthusiasm for music, particularly amateur music making, that took place during this era.
During the Commonwealth of England (c.1640–1660), music disappeared almost entirely from religious and court occasions. The use of instruments and music in churches was banned, and organs were destroyed by order of the regime – so the public turned to village and tavern musicians, country dances and new musical clubs for music making. Coinciding with the decline of the Elizabethan madrigal, folk music and settings of the famous poets of the day were popular; similarly, keyboard variations on dance tunes and romantic songs for voice and lute were all the rage, and this continued into the years of the Restoration under Charles II. The monarch’s influence can be detected in the French style of some of the later works, featuring oboe and large groups of strings.
Works:
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anon.: Now ye spring is come
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anon.: The Chestnut / Autumn
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Byrd: The wood so wild
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Byrd: Will yow walke the woods soe wylde
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Croft: Ground
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Eccles, H: A Division on a ground
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Finger: Ciaconna
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Gallot: Chaconne
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Lanier: No more shall meads be deck’d with flowers
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Lawes, W: Can beauty’s spring
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Matteis the Elder: Aria
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Matteis the Elder: Aria amoroso
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Matteis the Elder: Ground after the Scotch Humour
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Morley: O mistress mine
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Playford: Chirping of the lark
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Playford: Cold and Raw - Oyle of Barley (from The English Dancing Master)
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Playford: The English Dancing Master
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Playford: The Glory of the Sun
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Playford: The Glory of the West
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Playford: Virgin Queen / An Italian Rant
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Purcell: Here the deities approve, Z339
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Purcell: Pausanius, the Betrayer of his Country: incidental music, Z585
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Purcell: Sweeter than Roses (from Pausanius, the Betrayer of his Country, Z585)
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Purcell: The Fairy Queen, Z629
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Purcell: Welcome to all the pleasures (from Ode for St Cecilia's Day 1683), Z339
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Purcell: When a cruel long winter (from The Fairy Queen)
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Ravenscroft, T: Remember O thou Man