Music for lute and bandora, vol. 1

Lute Music
Anthony pavan
Piece without title
Fantasia n° 2
Pavan n° 3
Pavan n° 4
Pavan n° 12
Pavan n° 14
Pavan n° 15

Bandora Music
A ground
Pavan n° 1
Pavan n° 2
Pavan n° 3
Pavan n° 5
Galliard n° 2

Holborne, Anthony: Music for Lute and Bandora, Volume 1. Realization of tablatures by Oscar Cáceres and Marc Bataïni. 

Anthony Holborne was a courtier; specifically, he was the Gentleman Usher to Her Majesty’s Privy Chamber (“Her Majesty” being Queen Elizabeth I. The Privy Chamber is where her Privy Council [cabinet] met-nothing to do with the other kind of privy.) He was an amateur musician who composed quite a lot of music for the lute, the bandora, and the cittern. Some years ago, Harvard University published his complete works in two volumes (now out of print) introducing Holborne to many in the lute world. His works for lute tend toward the thick-textured and stately. Even his dances that would ordinarily be sprightly  -jigs and galliards-have a majestic feel. He played a lute with at least nine courses. 

To shoehorn this music onto a guitar, Cáceres and Bataïni have used extensive scordatura. Almost every piece has a string or two tuned differently. They have chosen the pieces that work best in transcription and have been quite inventive in making them work. The music is worth learning, but trying to sight- read it is an exercise in humility. Recommended for advanced players. 

Joseph Mayes, Soundboard Vol. 40 No. 2 - page 75