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1 of 26 tracks have a preview · 26 works · 63:21

1 What if a day or a month or a year Thomas Campion 1:29
2 Fain I would, but oh I dare not Alfonso Ferrabosco 1:00
3 The night watch Anthony Holborne 1:38
4 In darkness let me dwell John Dowland 4:22
5 Pavan Alfonso Ferrabosco 4:57
6 Were every thought an eye John Dowland 1:51
7 Gig Francis Cutting :46
8 Shall I come, sweet love to thee? Thomas Campion 2:05
9 So, so leave off this last lamenting kiss Alfonso Ferrabosco 3:27
10 Shall I seek to ease my grief? Alfonso Ferrabosco 2:38
11 Can she excuse my wrongs? John Dowland 3:09
12 Mrs Anne Markham's pavan Francis Cutting 6:22
13 Sweet, if you like and love me still Robert Jones 1:42
14 Unconstant love Alfonso Ferrabosco 1:58
15 A toy Francis Cutting :42
16 Sorrow, stay John Dowland 3:35
17 Shall I look to ease my grief Robert Jones 1:39
18 Robin Anonymous 2:25
19 I care not for these ladies Thomas Campion 2:33
20 Like hermit poor Alfonso Ferrabosco 1:45
21 Lord Zouch, his march Anonymous 1:12
22 Me, me and none but me John Dowland 3:10
23 It fell on summers day Thomas Campion 2:23
24 The frog galiard John Dowland 1:48
25 Lady, if you so spite me John Dowland 2:21
26 Go to bed sweet muse Robert Jones 2:24

During a career spanning more than forty years, Gerald English enjoyed success as a performer of operatic and concert repertoire. With Jonathan Rubin (lute) and Sharyn Wicks (gamba) he created a fascinating and charming disc of 400-year-old English Ayres by Dowland, Campion, Holborne, Ferrabosco and Cutting.

Recorded in July 1979 at Ormond College Chapel and first issued on CD in 1995, the programme interleaves lute songs with solo lute pieces and two lute and gamba duets.

Reviews

World acclaimed singer and early music specialist, Gerald English, passed away on 6th February 2019. Born in 1925, he started his singing career as a choirboy, then progressed to fame in opera, concert, early music, as recording artist and academic. His achievements are lengthy and may be traced in an on-line search. This CD is a collection of mainly lute songs by Dowland, Campion, Ferrabosco and Jones, with accompaniment by Jonathan Rubin (lute) and Sharyn Wicks (viola da gamba). It is a broad example of the re-emergence of lute song repertoire in the early music style.

— Early Music News

As nearly everyone has said already, English’s voice was a highly individual one; in my mind, it couldn’t be mistaken for any other for its note-centredness, impressive rapidity of negotiation, flawless diction, and unabashedly ‘forward’ projection. As you can hear in this British music, nothing is lost or thrown away as incidental; dealing with works of this transparency, the tenor knew the value of every scrap of music. And the most admirable element – one that distinguishes English from his peers – is the lack of ponderousness, self-importance, or ego. I suppose the intention of this re-release was to summon up the memory of a fine singer who gave a good deal to this country through his teaching and the exercise of his skills. We have few enough records of English’s years in Australia; this disc is a happy demonstration of his craft in a field where he shone – not eclipsing his peers, but standing in their front rank.

— Clive O'Connell, oconnellthemusic.com

English is at the height of his considerable talent and the singing is superb.

— Recorder and Early Music

A radiant collection.

— The Melburnian

Both music and words show that delicacy and powerful delight which is the hallmark of the time.

— New Englander

Gerry was a musician’s musician, with extraordinary intellect. I loved his high, clear voice (sometimes disparaged by others as being secondary to his musical skills, or a “comprimario” voice), and was mesmerised by his ability to deliver text so clearly and affectingly. He had the finest diction of any singer I’ve ever heard. What if a Day or a Month or a Year would seem to be a Lazarus with a triple bypass project. It was recorded in 1979 (just after his arrival in Australia, when English was at the height of his vocal powers), and intended for vinyl release. However, it finally emerged not as an LP, but as a CD, in 1995. The collection is terrifically sequenced, in terms of key relationships, emotional journey, and instrumental insertions. The chief joy of this disc though is Gerry, who delivers these songs with such ease, flourish and musicality.

— Jane Edwards, Music Trust e-zine Loud Mouth

Artists

Gerald English

vocals

Gerald English (1925–2019) enjoyed a long career as a tenor in operatic and concert repertoire, as a recording artist and as an academic. He gave premiere performances of major twentieth-century works, often under the composers’ own direction, and forged close ties with Stravinsky, Henze, Britten, Tippett and Ford.

Jonathan Rubin

lute

Sharyn Wicks

gamba

John Dowland

composer

John Dowland's lute songs and ayres carry a rare, deliberate melancholy: tears that fall in measured pavans, love that stings in galliards, darkness that still sings. His music remains the living heart of the English Renaissance songbook.

Thomas Campion

composer

Francis Cutting

composer

Francis Cutting (c.1550–1595/6) was an English lutenist and composer of the Renaissance. Among the earliest named English lute composers, he left about fifty works of high quality.

Alfonso Ferrabosco

composer

Anthony Holborne

composer

Anthony Holborne (c. 1545–1602) was an English composer of music for lute, cittern and instrumental consort in the reign of Elizabeth I. His printed collections remain among the richest surviving sources of short Elizabethan consort and plucked-string pieces.

Robert Jones

composer

Digital booklet

Digital booklet Notes, texts and credits — read online or download the PDF Download the PDF

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$25.00 AUD

Compact disc

Buywell Music Australian Music Centre

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Also available to download from the iTunes Store.

Performers

Gerald English · vocals · all except tracks 3, 5, 7, 12, 15, 18, 21 and 24
Jonathan Rubin · lute
Sharyn Wicks · gamba · tracks 3, 4, 9–11, 13, 14, 17, 19, 20, 22–26

Technical credits

Recording Engineer Martin Wright
Editing Engineer Martin Wright
Mixing Engineer Martin Wright
Venue Ormond College Chapel

Details

List price: $25.00 AUD
Total playing time: 63 minutes 21 seconds
Release date: 1996
Categories: Classical, Early music, Vocal
Genres: Early Music, Vocal & Opera
Catalogue: MD 3151
EAN: 9314574315127

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