ALTERATIONS & ADDITIONAL NOTES

I have previously commented that musicians during the renaissance and baroque periods would fairly freely rearrange existing music for their particular instrument to suit its characteristics, in particular altering the voicing of chords and moving phrases up or down an octave, sometimes rephrasing, altering the harmony and adding their own ‘divisions’. In my arrangements I have tried to stick closely to the originals but I have necessarily made some alterations. These take account of tuning differences (both the third course tuning of the renaissance lute and the radically different tuning of the baroque lute). In addition there are alterations that reflect differences in character between lute and guitar - some lute chords sound better ‘thinned out’ on the guitar and the commonly used octave stringing of lute bass courses means that chord revoicing by putting more of the chord on the treble strings or even moving particular phrases up an octave often gives a better effect. My alterations are, though, mainly confined to revoicing chords, changing octaves and occasionally removing decorations that sound less well on the guitar. I have often (but not always) kept records of alterations made. Some I have mentioned in outline on the music pages and a few more detailed comments are set out below. In some cases I have provided unaltered realisations of the original sources.
(The convention I use is to refer to notes/chords in the score by the bar number followed by a second number derived from counting each note or chord, whatever its time value, as a unit. Notes are expressed in the octave they sound.)

Daniel Bacheler
Galliard 2 1/2:1 E 2 raised 1 octave; 4:1 F sharp 3 raised 1 octave; 10:1 E 2 raised 1 octave; 19:1 D sharp added, F sharp 3 omitted; 22:2 E/D sharp quaver figure raised 1 octave; 24:2 G 3 swapped with G 2 in 24:5 ; 28:2 B1 raised 1 octave; 32;2 G 3 swapped with G 2 in 32:5; 36:2 B 1 raised 1 octave; 49:1 G 3 raised 1 octave; 51; 3/4 E/D sharp figure raised 1 octave.
Galliard 3
16:1 A3 omitted; 17:4/5 G/A quaver figure raised 1 octave; 25:1 G3 omitted; 26:1 G 4 omitted; 27: 1/2 G followed by bass G raised 1 octave; 28:1 G 3 dropped 1 octave; 31;1 E 3 dropped 1 octave; 34:1 G 4 omitted. 35:1/2 G followed by bass G raised 1 octave.

Francis Cutting
Mrs. Anne Markham's Pavan B01
Some bass notes omitted (original 7-course lute)
2:2 F sharp 3 removed; 18:1 E2 raised 1 octave; 18:6 F sharp 3 removed; 37:4 A 3 removed; 39:6 D sharp 3 raised 1 octave; 62:1 B1 raised 1 octave; 63:1 E2 raised 1 octave; 64:1 D2 raised 1 octave; 78:1 B1 raised 1 octave; 79:1 E2 raised 1 octave; 80:1 D2 raised 1 octave.
Pavan Sans Per B13
Elements of two tablature sources combined, some octave transpositions and simplified chords.
Groninge Pavan B18
2:1 chord revoiced; D3 to D4, G3 added, B3 removed; 14:7 B2 for B1; 15:2 F sharp 4 for F sharp 3; 20:10 B 2 added.
Galliard B22
24:3 and 4 raised 1 octave; D sharp in 24:5 raised 1 octave.
Galliard B23
37:5 F sharp raised 1 octave; 45:5 F sharp raised 1 octave.
Galliard B27
This piece is found in two sources, Barley’s
New Booke of Tabliture and the Euing manuscript; my arrangement is mostly from Barley, though bar 28 is from Euing.
Almaine B39
9:4 B2 omitted, 16:10 E2 added.
Woods so Wild B55
53 differs from the versions by North and Dausend; 80: 1-5 descending figure raised 1 octave; 100:7 F sharp 4 dropped 1 octave, 104:7 E 4 dropped 1 octave, 106:3 F sharp 3 omitted, 110:5 F sharp 3 omitted.
Galliard B56
4:2 D2 raised 2 octaves

John Dowland
Dowland’s Bells My guitar arrangement is largely based on the printed version that appears in Robert Dowland’s Varietie of Lute Lessons. In Poulton P43 reproduces the printed version (which she regards as Dowland’s final revision) and P43a the manuscript version. My arrangement is closer to the printed version. For comparison I have reproduced below the scores of arrangements based on both P43 and P43a with the following alterations:
P43
4:2 B1 to B2; 2:1 B1 to B2; 2:6 B1 to B2; 17:2 B1 to B2; 18:2 B1 to B2; 24:2 B1 to B2; 32:1 B1 to B2; 34:1 B1 to B2; 38:1 B1 to B2; 39:4 B1 to B2; 42:1 B1 to B2; 46:1 B1 to B2; 47:7 B1 to B2.
[PDF] [MIDI] [XML]
P43a
4:2 B1 to B2; 7:5 B1 to B2; 17:1 D sharp 2 to D sharp 3; 19:4 to 20:1 phrase beginning on B3 raised 1 octave; 23:4/5 B1 to B2; 32:1 B1 to B2.
[PDF] [MIDI] [XML]


Thomas Robinson
Almayne 23
1:3 G4 omitted; 1:4 E4 omitted; 3:2 C4 added; 7:3 E4 omitted; 8:1 E3 omitted; 9:5 G4 omitted; 10:1 C4 changed to B3 (presumed misprint); 15:3 E4 omitted; 23:4 E4 omitted; 27:3 C4 added; 31:4 E3 dropped 1 octave.
Bell Vedere
16:1 G sharp 3 added
Gigue 22
2;1 G sharp 3 omitted; 10;3 B1 to B2; 18;1 and 18;3 F sharp 2 to F sharp 3; 18;3 B1 to B2; 21;1 D3 to D2; 36;1 D3 to D2; 41;3 G3 to F sharp 3; 45;1 D3 to D2; 45;3 and 46;1 B1 to B2; 46;3 and 47;1 B2 to A2.

Willoughby MS
New Almaine: 19;6, bass dropped 1 octave. 22;8, bass dropped 1 octave. 28;1 D 3 to D 4; F 3 omitted. 35;5, C 3 to C 4. 36;1,3, D 3 to D 4. 36;2, E3 to E4. 68;12 G 3 to G 2.
Hall's Galliard: 6;3 bass and 7;1, 7;3 bass dropped 1 octave. Ditto bars 14,15. Ditto bars 24,25. Ditto bars 36,37. Bass E omitted 17;3 and 29;6. 12;1 bass dropped 1 octave.

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