The Lute Society

114 Early to Intermediate Pieces for Renaissance Lute from a Student’s Lute Book of 1603 and other Manuscripts, edited by John Robinson; 36 pieces for 6-course lute, 45 for or playable on 7-course; and 28 pieces for 10-course lute (mostly playable on 7-course with adjustment). The core of the anthology is a complete transcription of a Jena student’s lute book of 1603 (now Dresden MS M 297), plus music from seven other Continental manuscripts of the same period; English, Dutch, French, Italian and German pieces: preludes, ballets, courantes, saltarelli, passamezzi and other grounds, song tunes, and a few fantasias and variant forms of Dowland pieces, 78pp,

158 Early Cinquecento Preludes and Recercars for Renaissance Lute, ed. John H. Robinson. This bumper collection for 6-course lute contains modern French tablature for most of the known examples of these genres, and includes all those by Franciscus Bossinensis, Vicenzo Capirola, Joan Ambrosio Dalza and Francesco Spinacino from the prints of the Venetian printer Octaviano Petrucci, plus further pieces edited and reconstructed from the earliest Italian manuscripts. Plenty of music for players of every standard, from easy, via intermediate to advanced, plus exhaustive concordances and commentary on the sources. 168 pages

19 Easy to Early Intermediate Pieces for Baroque Guitar from French and Iberian Manuscripts edited by Monica Hall; little-known pieces from manuscript sources, addding to the stock of easy and intermediate music available to baroque guitarists. Ten pieces, including works by Le Cocq and Corbetta, are in French tablature, and nine more, all by ’anon’ are in Italian tablature. 24 pages.

19 English Folk Songs edited by Christopher Goodwin, is a collection of new arrangements of English folk songs for voice and 7-course lute (all are playable on a 6-course instrument); the songs are easy, and the accompaniments mostly of early intermediate standard. Some arrangements are by Kristian Buhl Mortensen, or Cecil Sharp (intabulated editorially); most are new arrangements by Chris Goodwin. 44 pages, ISBN 0 905655 57 5

21 Lessons for Beginners by Lynda Sayce. This graded series of lessons first appeared as part of Lynda's series of articles for Lute News but are now fully revised and arranged in an ascending order of difficulty to make a helpful workbook. With two added chapters of advice on tuning and sight reading. Printed on good quality heavyweight paper, designed to easily lay flat on your music stand. 50 A4 pages.

40 Easy to Early Intermediate Pieces for Renaissance Lute edited by Christopher Goodwin, with left-hand fingerings provided by Jessica Gordon, typeset by Peter Lay. A sequel to 58 Very Easy Pieces for Renaissance Lute, containing 40 pieces from Cambridge University Library MS Dd.2.11, Negri’s Le Gratie d’’Amore (1602), and Judenkünig’s Utilis et compenditaria introductio of c.1519, graded according to difficulty with left-hand fingerings throughout. Progresses to barré chords.

57 Easy Pieces in Italian Tablature: Il Manoscritto MBs 1511b edited by Gian Luca Lastraioli and Francesco Tribioli, published by the Italian Societa del Liuto and sold with their kind permission, with introductory essay in Italian; a gentle introduction to playing from Italian tablature. The complete contents of an early 16th century MS for 6-course lute. 48 pages.

58 Very Easy Pieces for Renaissance Lute edited by Christopher Goodwin, John H. Robinson, and Jeanne Fisher, with left-hand fingerings by Lynda Sayce. 58 very easy pieces for 6-course lute, in a variety of styles, chosen from English, and Italian sources, approximately graded in order of difficulty for the beginner, or those wanting something genuinely easy to play, for a change! 40 pages. Also available and often bought in conjunction with this book: Jacob Heringman: Blame Not My Lute - Accompaniment CD for 58 Very Easy Pieces

Anthony Holborne, Music for Lute and Bandora for 6 to 9-course lutes (mostly playable on 6 or 7-course lutes), transcribed and edited in two volumes by Rainer aus dem Spring. Holborne is the second best-represented composer in the sources after John Dowland: volume 1 (218 pages) contains 58 lute solos, plus variant versions, 19 bandora solos, 2 lute songs, 10 appendix items; volume 2 (148 pages) contains full critical commentary, with variant bars fully written out in tablature. This is a comb-bound reprint of the original perfect bound edition.

Bach for Baroque Lute, edited by Wilfred Foxe. Collected together from recent issues of Lute News. The works indicated for or associated with the lute in Bach’s lifetime: BWV 995, 996, 997, 998, 999, 1000 and 1006a, all for 13-course lute in D minor tuning, 12 pages of introduction and examples, 65 pages of French tablature.

Lessons for the Lute intermediate pieces selected and fully fingered by Anthony Bailes and Anne van Royen. First published in 1983, now reprinted with corrections and expanded commentary, 19 pieces, 47 pages, All for 6-course lute.

The Complete Works of John Danyel, Volume 1: Lute Works edited by Martin Shepherd. 7 solos and 2 duets for 6 to 10-course lutes (mostly 7 or 8c) by one of the finest ’Golden Age’ composers,with concordances and critical commentary, 29pages, ISBN 0905655 09 5

Lamentatio Henrici Noel, Psalms and Canticles (c.1596) set by John Dowland edited by Ron Andrico. Scores of the seven psalms set by Dowland for the funeral of his aristocratic patron Sir Henry Noel in early 1597, with transcriptions for 7-course lute and voice. Easy voice parts, early intemediate lute parts. 40 pages,

Francesco da Milano Fantasias in British Sources edited by Gordon Gregory. All the music by Francesco da Milano in British manuscript sources, all 6-course,minimally edited to preserve local variants; 20 pieces of music: 11 fantasias close to the ’canonic’ versions, 3 ornamented or corrupt versions, and 6 pieces of doubtful attribution, 46 pages.

Herbert of Cherbury's Lute Manuscript. A colour facsimile of the last great English lute manuscript, compiled c.1616-1640, with 242 of the highest quality pieces for lutes from 6 to 10 courses, by French, English and Italian composers including Gaultier, Bacheler, Despont, Perrichon, Saman, Robert Johnson, amd Dowland amongst others. Two volumes: 180 pages of tablature, plus introduction volume scholarly introduction with index and concordances by Francois-Pierre Goy, Craig Hartley and John H. Robinson.

25 Easy Lute Pieces by Gilbert Isbin, newly composed for six-course lute, in no more than two-part harmony, in a very accessible modern style. 32 pages.

Jacob Heringman: Blame Not My Lute - Accompaniment CD for 58 Very Easy Pieces

John Wilson, Cheerfull Ayres or Ballads (1659/60) This new edition by Matthew Spring of 69 charming, short and easy songs by a famous 17th century lutenist provides a perfect, gentle introduction to playing from a bass line (with figures added by the editor). These versatile songs (some from Shakespeare plays) can be performed by one, two or three singers or instruments (two trebles and a bass) or indeed for three voices without lute. A PDF of tablature accompaniments of 20 of the easiest songs is also available on request for those who don't want to attempt playing from the bass line. Two volumes, one for solo performance and one for thee voices, xxii + 80pp, iv + 140pp.

Lute Song Arrangements of Scottish Gaelic Airs , arranged by Betsy Small, as they appeard in The Lutezine 142, in a comb-bound performing edition. 39 melodies from Scots and Gaelic songs, newly intabulated for renaissance lute, of 6, 7 or 8 courses, mostly playable on 6 coures, easy or early intermediate standard, 16 pages..

Masque and Stage Music for Renaissance Lute, Masque and Stage Music for Renaissance Lute, ed. John H. Robinson. 169 pieces for renaissance lute of 6 to 10 courses (and a few for 11 course lute but still in renaissance tuning) mostly playable on 7-course lute, mostly early intermediate standard. A bumper collection of lovely tunes, definitely or possibly associated with court masques and stage plays. 124 pp

Preambulum, Preludes and Finales for Renaissance Lute, transcribed from manuscripts in German tablature copied c.1520-c.1620. 138 preludes and 28 little finales or postludes transcribed and edited in French tablature by John H. Robinson mostly for 6-course lute, some for 7 or 8 courses, easy to early intermediate level, also with the merit of being music wholly composed on and native to the lute (rather than arranged from music for other forces), 108 pp.

Renaissance Lute Music from German Sources for 6-course lute, edited and transribed into French tablature by Martin Shepherd. 56 pieces, chosen on grounds of musical quality from 16th century printed sources, and ranging from very easy to fairly hard. 92 pages.

The Collected Lute Music of Marco Dall’Aquila edited by Denys Stephens and John H. Robinson. A much expanded and augmented bound edition of the complete works of one of the great early Italian lutenists, printed over several years in Lute News, with additional information, introduction, inventory, concordances, commentary and bibliography; 32 pages of introduction, and 101 pages of tablature, all for 6-course lute, much of it not too technically demanding.