A Road Less Travelled - Music of Dowland, Byrd et al

[Walker]

I would like to share a recording of Dowland's music, not frequently played on accordion (by F. Palazzo here). I like it when music calms the spirit, and almost washes over you.

The recording is quite quiet, so may require headphones to get best experience. I almost always listen to recordings that way, or through reasonable quality speakers.

 

[Jim2010]

Very nice. A few lives back (1975-80), I played Dowland on the lute. I am very fond of this piece.

 

[Walker]

Very nice. A few lives back (1975-80), I played Dowland on the lute. I am very fond of this piece.

That's quite something Jim2010. Maybe one day you will play it again...

On the British Isles, and indeed throughout Europe, from the furthest shores of the West of Ireland and Portugal, all across the continent to Russia, there are countless hotspots of antiquity. The music of Dowland is one fine example. We can hear the passing of ages in the authentic lute or the reeds of this modern accordion. I think, in some small way it connects us to those gone before us. We musicians have this special privilege to witness, more clearly than most.

 

[Ffingers]

Very nice. A few lives back (1975-80), I played Dowland on the lute. I am very fond of this piece.

There is a surprising large collection of lute recordings on youtube.

 

[Ffingers]

It seems, Walker, that the continuing development of the sqeezeboxis making it a remarkably suitable instrument for arrangements of a very wide range of diverse music styles and their eras.
The more that I explore the labyrinths on the 'tubes, the more I am a-mazed (pardon the pun) at the immense diversity of music suitable for adapation to this versatile free reed instrument.

 

[Walker]

I agree with you, it is sensational, though often overlooked. So much music just works - the historic & modern, the serious & light, the traditional/folk & pop... If it had been invented and perfected a few centuries earlier, doubtless the accordion would enjoy a position of considerable standing amongst the family of musical instruments.

I believe it will remain the instrument of the people - for fun, light music in stradella form. But I am more certain than ever it will also become respected in academic circles too. I think it already is. I would like it if many accordionists experimented a little with stradella and free bass in light music too - it is possible. We cannot just leave it to the academics... As G.K. Chesterton once said "without education, we are in a horrible and deadly danger of taking educated people seriously.”

 

[aemit]

Absolutely beautiful, and in good company of Bach, Franck, Gubaildulina ...

 

[Walker]

Absolutely beautiful, and in good company of Bach, Franck, Gubaildulina ...

I agree with you. What do you make to these composers works on accordion...

William Byrd (England, 1543 to 1623):


Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (Netherlands, 1562 to 1621):


Girolamo Frescobaldi (Ferrara 1583 to 1643) - I think you will like this performance - the musician is enjoying it too!


If you would like to share any thoughts or recordings of any other composers, I would be delighted to listen.

 

[Ffingers]

Dammit!
I may never again emerge from the warren of music!
Great examples of this topic, Walker; delightful and inspirational.
The instrument played on by van Amsterdam has a particular tonality to it, especially in this other peace by him:




which the youtube algorithm presented to me.

Any idea of is maker?

 

[Siegmund]

The instrument played on by van Amsterdam has a particular tonality to it....Any idea of is maker?

His publicity photos and sponsorship links all feature Bugari. The video you linked is quite dark, but that seems likely to be the little paddle-shaped Bugari logo, in the center of the treble side next to the bellows.

 

[aemit]

I agree with you. What do you make to these composers works on accordion...

William Byrd (England, 1543 to 1623):


Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (Netherlands, 1562 to 1621):


Girolamo Frescobaldi (Ferrara 1583 to 1643) - I think you will like this performance - the musician is enjoying it too!


If you would like to share any thoughts or recordings of any other composers, I would be delighted to listen.

The Byrd piece is very nice, played very subtle, I like it.
The Sweelinck and the Frescobaldi performances don't convince me that much. The music is ok, but I miss something in the performance.
It probably has to do with the tuning of the accordion, it's equal tempered, and these older works sound a lot better with baroque or mean tone temperament (I am used to hearing these on historic instruments).
Monteverdi would probably sound nice on accordion.
It's all new to me, I do not mean these compositions, but the performances on accordion.

 

[saundersbp]

This is a very nice BBC radio drama about Byrd if you live in the UK or you don't and have a VPN:

BBC Radio 3 - To Preserve the Health of Man

David Suchet plays the composer William Byrd in five imagined moments. By DJ Britton

www.bbc.co.uk