Customer Reviews

Popular Tunes in 17th Century England /Broadside Band * Barlow

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The tunes in John Playford's The English Dancing Master have been recorded frequently and are a staple in English country dance circles. Jeremy Barlow and the Broadside Band present here some of the best renditions of these tunes that are currently available on CD. I strongly recommmed this CD for anyone interested in Renaissance music, country dance music, or just plain ole' fun music.

Airs Populaire Anglais du XVIIe Siècle [Popular Tunes in 17th Century England]. Part One: London Tunes - Country Dances - Four Ballads Mentioned by Shakespeare - The 17th Century Top Three - Across the Channel - Across the Border. Part Two: John Playford's English Dancing Master. The new Exchange - The Kettle Drum - A health to Betty - The fine Companion - The healths. The Broadside Band [Jeremy Barlow; Alistair McLachlan; George Weigand; Rosemary Thorndycraft], dir. Jeremy Barlow. Recorded in November 1979 (Part One) and November 1982 (Part Two). Originally published as LPs. This CD compilation published in 1992 as Harmonia Mundi HMA 1901039. Total playing time: 64'28".

This is just one of a number of delightful recordings of this and/or similar repertoire by English and American early music ensembles. The Broadside Band uses a plethora of period instruments and, working from early prints and manuscripts, is not afraid to extemporize. Part One of the disc, recorded in 1979, contains 24 of the most popular and best-loved tunes of 17th century England, including such favourites as "Gray's Inn", "Newcastle", "Jog On", "Greensleeves" (here in a Scottish version which sounds rather different from the version generally heard), "Fortune My Foe", "Packington's Pound", "All in a Garden Green" and "The Miller of the Dee" (here in a version collected by Sir Ralph Vaughn Williams in the 20th century but sounding remarkably like its 17th century predecessors). Part Two, recorded in 1982, sounds rather different, the recording ambience and the microphone placing being considerably better (in my opinion) - the music suddenly "comes alive" and is also quite a lot louder than on Part One. This time you hear a great selection of dance tunes from "John Playford's English Dancing Master", first published in 1651 (during Cromwell's Commonwealth!) and running to 18 editions with some 500 tunes by the third decade of the 18th century. The background to most of the music is given briefly but succinctly in Jeremy Barlow's notes, here in French, English and German.
If this kind of repertoire is for you, then I can recommend some further recordings which will probably also set your foot tapping and maybe bring a smile to your lips: How the World Wags by the City Waits How the World Wags; and Royal Delight by The King's Noyse The King's Noyse, dir. David Douglass: Royal Delight: 17th Century Ballads & Dances - both of these include some sung texts and there is some repetition, but the interpretations are quite different and all well worth hearing. And of course there are the Dorian recordings by the Baltimore Consort which, in part at least, cover much of the same ground. Happy hunting and happy listening!

THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE RECORDINGS.ENGLISH AIRS BY ONE OF THE BEST BANDS.
BEAUTIFULY RECORDED RICH ,DEEP SOUND.I AM GLAD I CHANCED UPON IT.