Dear Mark, Re your comment: > 2. Sorry but how ever quaint, Dowlands songs were not designed for singers > sitting around a table. This was a way to publish Dowlands songs, as we now have > songbooks for Metallica. But it does not mean that metallica sit playing > their songs from music stands on stage. Many of the songs were written for court > perormances and would have been performed by trained professionals. So they > were not designed for amateurs, but were published as the metallica songbooks for > amateurs to sing. Even these amateurs would have had some training how ever > that might irritate some modern free spirits.
I don't doubt that you are right about professionals singing Dowland's songs and amateurs having some training. Concerning the matter of singing at the table, surely you must have forgotten the famous introduction to Morley's 'Plaine & Easie Introduction to Practicall Musicke' of 1597? 'But supper being ended and music books (according to the custom) being brought to the table, the mistress of the house presented me with a part earnestly requesting me to sing; but when, after many excuses, I protested unfeignedly that I could not, every one began to wonder; yea, some whispered to others demanding how I was brought up, so that upon shame of mine ignorance I go now to seek out mine old friend Master Gnorimus, to make myself his scholar.' Best wishes, Denys -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.13.4/476 - Release Date: 14/10/2006 To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
