Pieter-Jan Belder continues his superb survey of the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book, an extraordinary manuscript compiled in the late 16th century and held in the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. In this, the sixth volume, Belder focuses on the compositions of John Bull, one of the main contributors to the collection. Principally an organist and organ-builder, Bull left behind a variety of attractive pieces whose charm is belied by the way he often presented himself as a Doctor in music, which might suggest a rather scientific approach to composition. Nonetheless, his Ut Re Mi Fa Sol La, one of the longest and most challenging pieces in the manuscript and reminiscent of Tallis, is appropriately complex, beginning with two-part writing and adding additional voices as it progresses, while employing numerous tempo changes and cross-rhythms. In contrast to the prolific Bull, the remainder of the recording features a host of composers who appear only a few times in the manuscript. Other than Orlando Gibbons, one of the most important of all virginalists, the other contributors are less well known, and many have obscure or undocumented lives. The repetition of such forms as the pavan and alman across the set, however, allows the listener to make a number of interesting comparisons. Pieter-Jan Belder is not only a consummate performer but also a serious scholar of keyboard music from the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras. His research on the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book has led to a highly informed performance practice. Belder specializes in performance on historical instruments, and he has carefully selected three period harpsichords for this recording in order to create the most authentic sound possible. The listener is rewarded with a substantial set that highlights the superb achievements of the composers of this era, laying the foundations of keyboard music for centuries to come.

Tracklist:

Galiarda XXI
Alman XIV
Praeludium Cxvii
Christe Redemptor Cxxv
Dr Bulls Juell Cxxxviii
Praeludium Cxv
Galliarda XVII
Prelude And Veni Redemptor Gentium Cvi & Cvii
The Spanish Pavan Cxxxix
Veni Redemptor Gentium XXXVIII
Pavana (Trumpet Pavan) XIII
Galliarda
Praeludium. Dor. Cxvi
Salvator Mundi Xlv
Prelude Cxi
An Almain Cc
Corranto Cci
Alman Ccii
Corranto Cciii
Corranto Cciv
Corranto Ccv
Daunce Ccvi
Ccix
Martin Sayd To His Man Ccxii
Galliard Clxxxv
Praeludium D. Clxxxiv
Ut Re Mi Fa Sol La Ccxv
A Gigge Clxc
A Gigge, Doctor Bulls My Selfe Clxxxvix
Misere In Three Parts Clxxix
Galliard Clxxxvi
Duchess Of Brunswick's Toy Cclxii
The Woods So Wilde Xl
Pavana Xcvii
Galliard Xcviii
Prealudium Xciv
Alman Xc
The Primerose Cclxxi
In Nomine Cxl
Alman Cxlv
Alman Cxlvi
Pavana Ccxx
Almand Ccxiii
Pavana Clement Cottõ Ccxix
Galliarda Ccxcv
Pavana Chromatica Mrs Katherin Tregians Pavan Ccxiv
A Galliard Ground Ccl
Alman Ccxlix
Allemanda Clxxxvii
Galliarda Cclx
Praeludium Xlix
In Nomine L

UPC: 5028421954585
Label: Brilliant Classics
Release Date: 9.7.18
Format: CD

Bull / Belder - Fitzwilliam Virginal Book 6 (CD)