15Aug20: Completed the first 50 pieces from the Eysert Lute Book (c.1600). Thus far, what I have mainly seen are vocal intabulations of choral works (mostly motets) by Giovanni Gabrieli, Hans Leo Hassler, and others. These are many-voiced works (several are 8-voiced!). The unknown intabulator, however, has done a good job of creating playable and decent-sounding lute pieces, though the texture is of necessity rather dense. There is also a smattering of intabulations of madrigals and a few pavanes and galliards. Thanks to John Robinson for directing me to John Ward’s article, JLSA 10 (1977) Appendix S , pp. 138-139, for help in identifying the English pieces in Eysert.
Leave a Reply