Lute Music Of John Dowland

English Anonymous (Composer), John Dowland (Composer), Karl Hajos (Composer), Al Kasha (Composer), Robert B. Sherman (Composer), Christopher Tye (Composer), Ronn McFarlane (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Ronn McFarlane
• Composer: English Anonymous, John Dowland, Karl Hajos, Al Kasha, Robert B. Sherman, et al.
• Audio CD (August 2, 1993)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Dorian Recordings
• ASIN: B000001Q8W
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #185,622 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Dowland's lute works are among the most beautiful compositions of the Renaissance period. Because so many of his pieces are wistful and sad, he was known as "the melancholy Dowland," although McFarlane's selection offers a fair number of more cheerful pieces. These performances are extremely stylish, alert and expressive in every moment of the music. Paul O'Dette's Dowland recordings for Harmonia Mundi are also very well played and include all of the composer's music on five discs. For a single-disc introduction to the composer, this Dorian CD is ideal. Dowland fanatics will need O'Dette's series, and perhaps McFarlane's also. Dorian's sound is extremely realistic. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb single volume collection of John Dowland's lute music, December 14, 2005

By	M. Levitt - classical music buff (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

I first heard John Dowland's lute music many years ago as a classical guitar student, thought it, the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and the Spanish repertoire the cream of the music for the guitar - and still feel mostly that way. But it was awhile before I was able to find recordings of Dowland's music.

Ronn McFarlane's "Lute Music of Dowland" is a wonderful introduction to John Dowland's lute music. His playing is delightful, the digital recording itself captures his lute beautifully, and the CD offers 28 Dowland compositions, a number well known, some not, all performed stylishly in a way that captures your attention from the very beginning, to the end, of the CD.

Dowland's music represents the very peak of Elizabethan lute music in late sixteenth centry England, a period which began with lutenist John Johnson, and whose music spread in popularity across Europe.

There is an unmistakable melancholy quality about Dowland's music, but it also contains numerous memorable pieces, such as Sir John Smith's Almaine, My Lady Hudson's Puffe, The Earl of Essex Galliard, Melancholy Galliard, Queen Elizabeth's Galliard, Lachrimae, The Frog Galliard etc,; some extraordinary passagework, and appeal that very much transcends time.

Ronn McFarlane's Dowland CD on the Dorian label, along with Jakob Lindberg's Dowland CD on BIS, are the two best single CD collections I know of Dowland's lute music, apart from Paul O'Dette's five volume collection of Dowland which the serious or compleat Dowland collector might prefer. (Julian Bream also offers Dowland on his lute recital CDs, but these include other composers.)

Strongly recommended.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow, October 22, 2002

By A Customer

This one's a winner. The music of Dowland is eternal. The lute playing and recording here is peerless. The Amazon review is right on. I'm not such a lute fan, but I return to this CD often. I want more from lutenist Ronn McFarlane! Bravo to all involved here.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars El Espíritu del Renacimiento, May 24, 2001

By	Daniel Wowczuk (Buenos Aires, Argentina) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Sir John Smith's Almain, pieza con la cual comienza el disco nos resume la idea básica del Renacimiento tanto en Inglaterra como en el resto de Europa. En dicha composición (como en el resto) se encuentran los razgos más característicos: repetición y parafraseo de los motivos en diferentes intesidades y compases. ¡Bienvenidos!