John Dowland - Songs and Ayres (1967) Vinyl and 50 similar items

Catalog Number: H-71167 Condition Details: Vinyl plays with some crackles and a few light-clicks (play-graded). Cover has a few creases near edges; scuffing, (front/back). Inner-sleeve is generic white. Spine is mostly readable with wear and some thatching. Some shelf-wear along top/bottom-edge and corners. Opening is crisp with signs of light use and divots. (Not a cut-out.) Tracks: Songs For Four Voices Were Every Thought An Eye An Heart That's Broken And Contrite Songs For Tenor With Lute Bass Viol Shall I Sue? Go, Crystal Tears Love, Those Beams That Breed Say, Love, If Ever Thou Didst Find Song For Alto With Chorus Lute Welcome, Black Night Song For Alto Bass With Lute Sorrow, Stay! Songs For Four Voices Where Sin, Sore Wounding If That A Sinner's Sighs Songs For Tenor With Lute Bass Viol Lady, If You So Spite Me Weep You No More, Sad Fountains Fine Knacks For Ladies Song For Soprano With Lute Bass Viol Farewell, Unkind, Farewell! Paslms For Four Voices Psalm 51 (O Lord, Consider My Distress) Psalm 100 (All People That On Earth Do Dwell) Song For Soprano With Chorus, Lute Bass Viol Tell Me, True Love Song For Tenor Baritone With Chorus Lute Up, Merry Mates! About The Record: Songs and Ayres, by John Dowland, marks his return to England after years of service abroad at courts in Denmark and Germany. Comprising 21 songs and ayresintimate settings of poetic texts for voice and lutethis publication reflects Dowland's mastery of the English ayre tradition, blending melancholic introspection with intricate lute accompaniment, and it was one of his four major songbooks issued during his lifetime. Historically significant as a cornerstone of Renaissance lute song repertoire, it influenced subsequent English composers and preserved Dowland's innovative approach to word-painting and chromaticism amid the era's shift toward more expressive, personal music. The album's dedication to the "noble and learned society of sober and civil gentlemen" underscores its appeal to cultivated audiences, and its publication coincided with Dowland's appointment as lutenist to King James I, cementing his status as England's preeminent lutenist. Standout pieces like In darkness let me dwell and Flow my tears (from his earlier Lachrimae collection but echoed in style) became enduring favorites, widely performed and anthologized for their emotional depth.