John Dowland: Lady Clifton's Spirit, trans. Christopher Berg (score)

Lady Clifton's Spirit is one of seven galliards included in Robert Dowland's 1610 A Varietie of Lute Lessons, although it's the only galliard that does not contain the word "galliard" in its title. Lady Clifton's Spirit is a vibrant piece, and it exhibits an unusual metric structure: the measures of the A strain (and the measures of A', which is a variation of A) alternate between 6/8 and 3/4. The B and C strains, along with their variations, are entirely in 6/8. Of special interest is the independence of the bass line in the B section and some textures that are atypical of Elizabethan lute music. This is a lively piece!

Included are three pages of performance notes that explore the music and solutions to the technical problems posed by this unusual piece. The file includes a cover page for those who wish to print the music.