Recorder31 Day 3 | Dowland Minus One Competition

As always, this year's Recorder31 will be full of opportunities for you to share your own playing and be in with a chance of winning some wonderful prizes. Today, we're marking this year's 400th anniversary of the death of John Dowland, by asking you to add the melody line to one of his beautiful lute songs. Read on to find out how to enter...

Dowland Minus One Competition

Our first competition celebrates the 400th anniversary of the death of John Dowland, one of the most famous composers of lute songs in the history of English music. This week, however, we’re asking you to sing with your recorders!

Danny Murphy, recently appointed lute professor at London’s Royal College of Music, has provided us with an accompaniment track for one of Dowland’s best-loved works, ‘Can She Excuse My Wrongs’ – all you need to do is play along and add the melody line.

Feel free to embellish or decorate the melody if you wish, or if you prefer to keep it simple that's fine too. We won't just be judging it based on the virtuosity of your playing, we'll take into account musicality and how well you realised your interpretation.

There's lots of ways you can record your entry – such as filming on a phone while playing along to the recording on your computer, or layering it onto the track in your favourite audio software. Please note that we won't be assessing recording quality – we're interested in the performance. Your recording doesn't need to be high tech!

The Music

Or if you prefer to play along with just the audio, click below (you can also download the audio by clicking on the three dots).

Can She Excuse My Wrongs (with click track):

Can She Excuse My Wrongs (without click track):

Here's the all-important music for you to play along with: click here to download the PDF score.

What’s more, we have a fabulous prize available for the winner of this week’s competition....

The Prize

Courtesy of our friends at Mollenhauer, we’re excited to offer a fabulous Kynseker Soprano Recorder in Plumwood worth £535.00!

The Kynseker range offers a full renaissance sound with much character and depth, baroque fingering, and a range of two octaves. They are suitable for renaissance or early baroque consort music as well as solo music from early and modern periods.

The production of a complete consort of recorders after the design by Hieronymus F. Kynseker (1636-1686), in the German National Museum in Nuremberg, is perhaps one of Mollenhauer’s finest achievements. Faithful to the originals, the instruments have a narrow arched windway, a strong sound that is particularly noteworthy in the lower register and a full two octave range using fingering similar to the baroque system.

Listen to this recorder:

Our heartfelt thanks to Mollenhauer for their support of Recorder31!

Click here to explore the full Mollenhauer Kynseker range at The Early Music Shop.

How to Enter

Simply send us your video before entries close on Sunday 9 August. Send your entry via email to recorder31@earlymusicshop.com or upload it to social media using the hashtag #Recorder31. (If entering on social media, we recommend sending us an email with a link, to make sure we don’t miss it!)

Please see the bottom of this blog page for full terms and conditions.

Need some inspiration? Here's the first of our Recorder31 Playlists!

Each week during Recorder31 we're sharing a playlist of recorder music which is inspiring us at the moment! This week, we've pulled together some wonderful interpretations of Dowland's music featuring the recorder. Check it out and follow our account on Spotify to make sure you don't miss out!

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From the same range as today's star prize instrument is the Mollenhauer Kynseker Sopranino in Plumwood. If you're looking to add a bit of sparkle to the top of your consort, or explore early solo repertoire in higher registers, this could be the recorder for you! Check out the audio clips below or follow this link to find out more about this instrument.

Listen to this recorder! 

Anon La Rotta:

Playford Maiden Lane:

Scale:

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Competition Terms & Conditions

• Entries must be submitted by midnight (BST) on Sunday 9 August 2026
• Judging for all Recorder31 competitions will take place in early September 2026 after which winners will be notified and announced on The Early Music Shop’s website and social media.
• Videos may be submitted by email to recorder31@earlymusicshop.com, or uploaded to social media. If entering via social media, please make sure the account/post is set up for public viewing, and that you tag The Early Music Shop @earlymusicshop using the hashtag #Recorder31 – we recommend sending us the link via email to make sure we don't miss your entry.
• Winning entries may be shared by The Early Music Shop on social media and online at www.earlymusicshop.com
• The prize recorder is available to one winner only, and it is not able to be exchanged for any cash alternative or replacement prize. The judges decide upon the winner, and their decision is final.

Good luck, and thank you for sharing your talents for this year's Recorder31!