From the arranger:
“This collection contains twenty melodies from the 1612 Terpsichore collection, arranged for lever harp solo or duo. While the melodies and bass lines are reminiscent of the original dances, no attempt has been made to adhere to a rigid interpretation of late Renaissance harmony. However, the arrangements definitely have a ‘period flavor’ to them and are suitable for actual dancing when repeated.
“So that the entire book can be played as a continuous ‘suite’ of background or concert music, the arrangements are written using only the key signatures of C and G (or their relative minors) and placed in an order that presents varied tempo, tonality, mood and meter. Some of the arrangements were transposed from their original Terpsichore keys in order (1) to be better suited to the range of the harp and (2) to facilitate lever changes on harps employing a C tuning.
“The primo harp part is designed as a complete harp arrangement so that this collection can be used for harp solo as well as harp duet. The primo part, while suitable for harp solo, is intentionally modestly voiced so that the slightly easier secondo part has something to play. Therefore, a soloist may want to ‘fill out’ some of the sparser chord structures for a more satisfying harmonization of the dances.
“Guitar chords are included so that this book can be used to accompany a solo instrumentalist playing the melody line of the primo part.
“Lever changes are indicated between the staves by octave number and diamond-shaped notes, while pedal changes are listed below the bass staff. Some suggested fingerings and dynamics are also included. This book was laid out with each harp score on facing pages so that each harper may follow the opposite part. Measure numbers have been provided to assist duet performance.
“In order to successfully arrange these melodies for lever harp, a few minor concessions in melody or harmony were necessary. If pedal harpists are bothered by these concessions, they should tastefully ‘fill in’ any missing or altered notes.
“The total range needed to play all pieces in the keys indicated is four octaves C2 to C6, although several of the pieces require considerably less range. The harper should feel free to add appropriate ornamentation in order to enhance the selections. Feel free to rearrange the pieces to best facilitate performance, no matter what this book indicates!”
Table of Contents
- Bransle Simple de Novelle (Praetorius) – C Major
- Courante (Praetorius) – A minor
- La Canarie (Praetorius) – C Major
- La Bourée (Praetorius) – A minor
- Ballet des Matelotz (Praetorius) – C Major
- Courante (Praetorius) – A minor
- Ballet des Baccanales (Unknown) – C Major
- Ballet des Amazones (Unknown) – A minor
- Galliarde (Caroubel) – C Major
- Pavane de Spaigne (Caroubel) – A minor
- Volte (Praetorius) – C Major
- Gavottes de Montirande (Caroubel) – G Major
- Galliarde (Unknown) – G Major
- Philov (Praetorius) – G Major
- La Rosette (Unknown) – E minor
- La Bourée (Praetorius) – G Major
- Volte (Praetorius) – G Major
- Ballet de la Royne (Praetorius) – G Major
- Courante (Praetorius) – G Major
- Gavotte & Gilotte (Caroubel) – G Major
