Hi Tom,
I don't see any replies to your question --"Have you driven a Ford
discussion lately?"-- so here's what I know.
He certainly doesn't figure prominently in the first string of late
Elizabethan or Jacobean composers but one book of his survives:
Musicke of Sundrie Kindes Set forth in two Bookes. The First Whereof
Are Aries [sic] for 4 Voices to the Lute, Orphorion, or Basse Viol,
with a Dialogue for two Voices, and two Basse Viols in parts, tunde
the Lute way. The Second are Pavens, Galiards, Almaines, Toies,
Iigges, Thumpes and suchlike, for two Basse-Viols, the Lieraway, so
made as the greatest number may serve to play alone, very easie to be
performde. Composed by Thomas Ford ... John Windet ... Fleetstreet 1607.
I wrote out the entire title to give an idea of what was where in his
books. They were printed together and reprinted by Scolar Press in
1978. The pieces you mentioned are in the 2nd Booke and are set for
two bass viols written in lute tablature much like the Tobias Hume
books (1605, 1607). He was no doubt familiar with at least the first
TH book since he also gives the wide option of almost any combination
(or solo). Both are printed by John Windet. Hume takes it one further
by setting his second book for trios, also for viols or nearly any
combination of lutes, viols and/or orpharions. The 'lira-way' tuning
is similar to bandora tuning. You should be able to transcribe the
bandora pieces for lute (something Nancy Carlin has been doing from
the Holmes lutebooks, btw). I haven't tried Fnord's but Hume's viol
music sounds very nice on lute(s) and wires. Two other English
composers included lira-way viol pieces (Corkine, Maynard) so the solo
viol was apparently enjoying a relative popularity at the time.
I'm not sure these would join the Airs de Coeur club as the songs he
wrote are very English in composition (at least the ones I know --I
could be mistaken since it's been a while). I don't know of an on-line
source for these so if you can't find them, let me know and I'll send
you some scans.
best wishes,
Sean
On Feb 24, 2012, at 10:07 AM, t...@heartistrymusic.com wrote:
Dear Lute Friends,
A student of mine heard some Thomas Ford airs de coeur on
public radio performed by Godelieve Monden and Narcisso Yepes.
The selections are:
Allemande
Forget Me Not
A Pavan
A Galliard
The Bagpipes
The Wild Goose Chase
Are these available anywhere in Fronimo or PDF?
Thanks,
Tom
Tom Draughon
Heartistry Music
http://www.heartistrymusic.com/artists/tom.html
714 9th Avenue West
Ashland, WI 54806
715-682-9362
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