Our early music publications have expanded from the initial editions which concentrated on works for viols and consort songs for viols and voices. They now include a wide range of chamber music from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Many of the more recent issues are suitable for recorder players and there are editions of early classical repertoire for flute, violin, etc. Please refer also to the Jane Austen connection and related editions of songs which are in preparation. Other editions of interest include the Thomas Moore Songs (1808-1834) Thomas Moore and the project of guitar songs from c.1800 using poems by Johan Wolfgang von Goethe. Goethe and the Guitar
The editions are based on careful study of the original sources and we are proud to list several eminent musicologists and early music specialists amongst our editors. These include Dr Andrew Ashbee, Dr Peter Holman, David Pinto, Dr Ian Payne, Dr Derek McCulloch, Ian Graham-Jones, Alison Crum and Professor Richard Charteris. Our aim is always to provide playing editions with suitable sets of parts.
Of particular importance and interest are the two books by Judy Tarling: Baroque String Playing (with an associated collection of playing examples for the baroque violin) and The Weapons of Rhetoric. These two books give a minutely detailed account of Renaissance and Baroque performance practice. See Judy Tarling
We also publish arrangements of solo or consort music where this meets a demand. When trawling the archives for music of the past it is common to encounter several different sources of the same piece - a lute piece in a version for consort, a song arranged for keyboard, lyra-viol or cittern, etc. The combinations can be multifarious, so we propagate several more in the same vein, always observing the essential elements of form and historical style in the arrangements.
Alison Crum's books for learning the viol can be found at VIOL TECHNIQUE BOOKS. These feature the First Solos series (one book each for Treble, Tenor and Bass), and the Intermediate Solos (also one book each for Treble, Tenor and Bass). There is also a book of tricky excerpts from the solo repertoire (CMP 473 - Pieces de Resistance). Her latest book is The Viol Rules, a comprehensive account of viol playing technique drawing on more than twenty five years' experience of teaching the viol.
We can sometimes offer transpositions of pieces to suit different vocal or instrumental resources - once again a time-honoured practice from the past, but now easier to organise with a computer typesetting. Please contact us for availability.
On-Line EARLY MUSIC Catalogues |
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A variety of catalogue numbers and prefixes are used in the early music list.
Our early music editions have a history - not just in the musicological sense.
CMP
All the editions with CMP
catalogue numbers are typeset by us and have been produced in the
last seven years.
GP and KM
During the 1980s we sold our
early music editions through Golden Phoenix, an organisation run by
the late Joy Dodson who was a professional music calligrapher. When
she died in 1991 we inherited all her calligraphy editions
(beautifully copied in a clear hand) and we have maintained those
editions ever since. Thus all items with GP (Golden
Phoenix) prefixes and KM prefixes refer to Joy
Dodson's calligraphy editions.
CMM
We also stock the five part
consort music of Giovanni Coprario which is prefixed CMM.
The first two of these editions by Professor Richard Charteris were
copied by Joy Dodson and the third volume was completed in typeset
form by Fretwork Editions after Joy died.
OUP
A further addition to our
catalogue came with the acquisition from Oxford University Press of
First Solos for the Viol by Alison Crum (the books were about to be
deleted from their catalogue). These have now been re-issued in a
Corda Music edition, newly typeset with additional pieces in the
appendix of each one. The series has been expanded with the
Intermediate Solos - a book for each size of instrument, featuring
works for viol and continuo covering all the major styles of the
16th - 18th centuries. There is also a book of excerpts from tricky
passages in the bass viol repertoire, with advice about fingering
and bowing techniques for advanced players.
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Last updated 28th September 2007