John Dowland: Lute Songs / Alfred Deller, coutnertenor;, Robert Spencer, lute,

Another timely reissue for his centenary, Alfred Deller's Dowland has become part of our history. The most legendary of English countertenors distilled the very essence of the melancholy of the 17th century English song in general and of the composer of the 'Lachrimae' in particular.

First Book: Wilt thou unkind; Come away, come sweet love; Come again sweet love; If my complaints; Can she excuse my wrongs?; Come heavy sleep. Second Book. Flow my tears; Sorrow stay; I saw my lady weep; Shall I sue? Third Book. Weep you no more, sad fountains; Me, me and none but me; What if I never speed; Say, love, if ever thou didst find; Flow not so fast, ye fountains. Pilgrim's Solace. Lasso, vita mia; From silent night; If that a sinner's sighs; Go nightly cares. Musical Banquet. In darkness let me dwell. Consort Pieces. Fortune my foe; The Froag galliard; The Round Battle galliard; Lachrimae pavan; Can she excuse?; Katherine Darcy's galliard. Bandoura Solos. Galliard (The King of Denmark); The Lady Laeton's Lute Solos. The shoemaker's wife; Can she excuse?; Mistress White's thing; Orlando sleepeth; Tarleton's resurrection; Sir John Smith's almain; Mistress White's nothing; Midnight; Mistress Winter's Jump; Melancholy galliard; My Lady Hundsdon's puffe. Lute Duets. My Lord Chamberlain's galliard; My Lord Willoughby's welcome home.

Gramophone reviewing the original LP release
With representative works from all branches of Dowland's output except for vocal ensembles, sacred music and viol consorts, this set bids fair to challenge the L'Oiseau-Lyre 'complete works' project on 20-odd records: it gives a good, broad picture of Dowland's importance, selecting favourite songs from each of the song-books and interspersing them with splendidly performed' instrumental pieces. Each side normally begins with a couple of songs and then has some instrumental pieces before closing with a few more songs.

But perhaps the set's major importance, historically speaking, will be that it contains what 'must presumably be Alfred Deller's last comprehensive statement on Dowland: all 20 songs here are performed by him, and he has recorded many of them before. At the age of 65, and with an enormous career behind him, he is, of course, going to give performances that must be accepted on their own terms. He keeps the voice extremely soft most of the time, almost crooning into the microphone; and his voice often dies away quite unpredictably in a manner that Apparently represents a careful compromise between the way he now thinks about the songs and the need to treat his voice with care. In Sorrow stay at the end of the second side at the words "but down, down" he allows us to hear the full voice for the first time on the set: it seems a curious moment to choose, but once again it should perhaps be understood in the light of the experience of Deller's improbably long career.

If the singing is difficult to judge objectively, the lute playing of Robert Spencer is unquestionably superb: there are players with more agility and players 'purer' in their instruments and technique but none, I think, more musically attuned to Dowland's pieces. Very soon we shall have all Dowland's lute music on record and quite a lot of -it available in several different recordings: when that happens Spencer's performances here will have to be kept close at hand for purposes of comparison.

In the consort pieces, the Consort of Six play fluently and with good balance: as so often, the sound of this instrumental grouping is not caught quite clearly enough by the engineers, but the quality of the sound is in general very pleasing.

BBC Music Magazine, October 2012
Twenty songs, recorded late in Deller's career when his voice had lost a certain bloom but little of its fascination.

Notes & Reviews:

Recording information: Deller Recordings (09/1977).

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Works Details

Dowland, John : Lachrimae or Seaven Teares

Performers: Robert Spencer (Lute); Alfred Deller (Countertenor)
Running Time: 5 min. 18 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance
Written: by 1600

Dowland, John : John Dowland's Galliard, P 21

Performer: Robert Spencer (Bandora)
Period Time: Renaissance

Dowland, John : Lady Laiton's Almain, P 48

Performer: Robert Spencer (Bandora)
Running Time: 1 min. 7 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance
Written: by 1626

Dowland, John : Fortune My Foe, song arranged for lute, P 62

Ensemble: Consort of Six
Running Time: 3 min. 37 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance

Dowland, John : The Frog Galliard, for lute, P 23

Ensemble: Consort of Six
Running Time: 1 min. 51 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance

Dowland, John : Third and Last Booke of Songes

Performers: Alfred Deller (Countertenor); Robert Spencer (Lute)
Running Time: 3 min. 49 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance
Written: by 1603

Dowland, John : Third and Last Booke of Songes

Performers: Alfred Deller (Countertenor); Robert Spencer (Lute)
Running Time: 3 min. 49 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance
Written: 1603

Dowland, John : Third and Last Booke of Songes

Performers: Alfred Deller (Countertenor); Robert Spencer (Lute)
Running Time: 2 min. 13 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance
Written: by 1603

Dowland, John : A Pilgrimes Solace

Performers: Alfred Deller (Countertenor); Robert Spencer (Lute)
Running Time: 4 min. 38 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance
Written: 1612

Dowland, John : The Shoemaker's Wife, a Toy, for lute, P 58

Performer: Robert Spencer (Lute)
Running Time: 1 min. 20 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance
Written: by 1626

Dowland, John : Can she excuse (The Right Honourable Robert, Earl of Essex, his Galliard), galliard for lute, P 42

Performer: Robert Spencer (Lute)
Running Time: 1 min. 46 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance

Dowland, John : Mrs White's Thing (Mrs White's Choice), almain for lute, P 50

Performer: Robert Spencer (Lute)
Running Time: 1 min. 19 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance

Dowland, John : Doulands Rounde Battele Galyard, P 39

Ensemble: Consort of Six
Running Time: 1 min. 36 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance

Dowland, John : Wilt thou unkind thus reave me of my heart, for 4 voices & lute (First Book of Songs)

Performers: Alfred Deller (Countertenor); Robert Spencer (Lute)
Running Time: 1 min. 41 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance
Written: 1597

Dowland, John : Firste Booke of Songes

Performers: Alfred Deller (Countertenor); Robert Spencer (Lute)
Running Time: 2 min. 27 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance
Written: by 1597

Dowland, John : Second Booke of Songes

Performers: Robert Spencer (Lute); Alfred Deller (Countertenor)
Running Time: 4 min. 12 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance
Written: by 1600

Dowland, John : If that a sinner's sighs be angel's food, sacred song for 4 voices & lute (A Pilgrimes Solace)

Performers: Alfred Deller (Countertenor); Robert Spencer (Lute)
Running Time: 3 min. 31 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance
Written: 1612

Dowland, John : Mr Dowland's Midnight, P 99

Performer: Robert Spencer (Lute)
Running Time: 1 min. sec.
Period Time: Renaissance
Written: by 1626

Dowland, John : Say love if ever thou ditst find, D 58

Performers: Robert Spencer (Lute); Alfred Deller (Countertenor)
Running Time: 2 min. 28 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance
Written: by 1603

Dowland, John : Lachrimae Pavan, for keyboard or lute (from "Lachrimae")

Ensemble: Consort of Six
Running Time: 4 min. 36 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance
Written: 1612

Dowland, John : Can she excuse (The Right Honourable Robert, Earl of Essex, his Galliard), galliard for lute, P 42

Ensemble: Consort of Six
Running Time: 1 min. 46 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance

Dowland, John : Firste Booke of Songes

Performers: Robert Spencer (Lute); Alfred Deller (Countertenor)
Running Time: 4 min. 38 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance
Written: 1597

Dowland, John : Queene Elizabeth, her Galliard, P 41

Ensemble: Consort of Six
Running Time: 1 min. 21 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance
Written: by 1626

Dowland, John : Come Again

Performers: Alfred Deller (Countertenor); Robert Spencer (Lute)
Running Time: 2 min. 20 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance
Written: 1597

Dowland, John : Second Book of Songs or Ayres

Performers: Alfred Deller (Countertenor); Robert Spencer (Lute)
Running Time: 3 min. 59 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance
Written: by 1600

Dowland, John : Orlando sleepeth, P 61

Performer: Robert Spencer (Lute)
Running Time: 1 min. 28 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance
Written: by 1626

Dowland, John : Tarletones riserrectione, P 59

Performer: Robert Spencer (Lute)
Running Time: 1 min. 9 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance
Written: by 1626

Dowland, John : Sir John Smith, his Almain, for lute, P 47

Performer: Robert Spencer (Lute)
Running Time: 3 min. 5 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance
Written: by 1626

Dowland, John : Mrs Whittes Nothing, P 56

Performer: Robert Spencer (Lute)
Running Time: 1 min. 13 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance
Written: by 1626

Dowland, John : My Lord Chamberlain his Galliard, for 2 to play on 1 lute, P 37

Performers: Nigel North (Lute); Robert Spencer (Lute)
Running Time: 2 min. 34 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance

Dowland, John : A Pilgrimes Solace

Performers: Robert Spencer (Lute); Alfred Deller (Countertenor)
Running Time: 4 min. 53 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance
Written: 1612

Dowland, John : Third and Last Booke of Songes

Performers: Robert Spencer (Lute); Alfred Deller (Countertenor)
Running Time: 4 min. 14 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance
Written: 1603

Dowland, John : My Lord Willobes Wellcome Home, P 66

Performers: Nigel North (Lute); Robert Spencer (Lute)
Running Time: 2 min. 44 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance
Written: by 1626

Dowland, John : Mrs. Winters Jump, for lute, P 55

Performer: Robert Spencer (Lute)
Period Time: Renaissance

Dowland, John : Melancholy Galliard

Performer: Robert Spencer (Lute)
Running Time: 3 min. 19 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance
Written: by 1626

Dowland, John : My Lady Hunsdon's Allemande, Dowland

Performer: Robert Spencer (Lute)
Running Time: 1 min. 25 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance

Dowland, John : Second Booke of Songes or Ayres

Performer: Robert Spencer (Lute)
Running Time: 2 min. 42 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance
Written: by 1600

Dowland, John : In darkness let mee dwell

Performers: Robert Spencer (Lute); Alfred Deller (Countertenor)
Running Time: 4 min. 38 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance
Written: 1610

Dowland, John : Dowland's First Galliard, for lute, P 22

Ensemble: Consort of Six
Running Time: 1 min. 58 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance

Dowland, John : Can she excuse, P 42

Performers: Robert Spencer (Lute); Alfred Deller (Countertenor)
Running Time: 4 min. 24 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance
Form: Choral
Written: 1597

Dowland, John : Firste Booke of Songes

Performers: Alfred Deller (Countertenor); Robert Spencer (Lute)
Running Time: 5 min. 1 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance
Written: by 1597

Dowland, John : Captain Piper's Pavan and Galliard, for consort (from Morley's Book)

Ensemble: Consort of Six
Running Time: 6 min. 39 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance

Dowland, John : A Pilgrimes Solace

Performers: Robert Spencer (Lute); Alfred Deller (Countertenor)
Running Time: 4 min. 19 sec.
Period Time: Renaissance
Written: 1612

John Dowland: Lute Songs / Alfred Deller, coutnertenor; Robert Spencer, lute

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