Twenty Canzonets

or Little Short Songs to Three Voices

Composer Players Instrument Notation Period
Morley, Thomas (c. 1557-1602) solo guitar tablature Renaissance

Thomas Morley (1557-1602) first made his mark with the publication in 1593 of his 'Canzonets or Little Short Songs to Three Voyces'. These polyphonic songs express a wide range of moods using close imitation. Surprisingly for such complex music, they can be played on the lute with very little loss of clarity in the texture. Only a very small number of notes have been omitted and I have been able to intabulate them so that nearly all voice leading is preserved. Although a few pieces offer a greater technical challenge, the majority seem quite idiomatic on the lute. If you favor Francesco da Milano and Simone Molinaro you will enjoy these canzonets immensely.

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