STING, SONGS FROM THE LABYRINTH, Walsingham. TABLATURE
... From thenc I went to the Landgrave
of Hessen, (who gav me the gretest we1come
that myght be for on of my qualyty) who sent a
ringe into England to my wiff valued at xx £
sterlinge, and gave me a great standing cupe
with a cover of gilt, full of dolers with many
great offers for my service ...
... And from thence I had great desire to
see Italy and cam to Venyce and from thence to
Florence whear I plaid befor the Duke and got
great favors ...
(LETTER TO SIR ROBERT CECIL)
This book is filled with John Dowland's haunting lute songs, as performed by Sting and Edin Karamazov. After his introduction to Dowland's music in the 1980s, Sting has continually returned to the music of this 'original English singer-songwriter' for inspiration, culminating in this spectacular album. Also included in the album and the songbook are excerpts from John Dowland's letters, bringing us even closer to the man behind the masterpieces.
MUSIC BY JOHN DOWLAND PERFORMED BY STING AND EDIN KARAMAZOV
BOOK TO ACCOMPANY STING'S LATEST ALBUM OF LUTE SONGS BY RENAISSANCE COMPOSER JOHN DOWLAND.
ARRANGED FOR GUITAR AND VOICE IN BOTH STANDARD NOTATION AND TABLATURE.
NOTE ON THE GUITAR ARRANGEMENTS.
This songbook aims to present the lute music of Songs From The Labyrinth as faithfully as possible in a version playable on acoustic guitar.
The renaissance lutes used on the recording have bass strings which give them a considerably
larger range than a guitar in standard tuning, and in adapting the music for guitar it has
occasionally been necessary to omit some bass notes or to raise notes by an octave.
Capos and alternate tunings have been used to evoke the resonance of the lute when playing in keys that would otherwise lack resonance and playability on the guitar. Where capos are used in the vocal pieces, or where the whole guitar is to be de-tuned, the standard notation shows the sounding pitch of the Sting recording and therefore matches the key of the vocal parts. However in the instrumental pieces the use of capos or de-tuning has been left optional, with the standard notation written as if no capo or de-tuning is being used.
Originally, lute music was most commonly written in a form of tablature rather than in standard notation, and-just as in modem guitar tablature-the system has limitations in the level of rhythmic detail that it is possible to show. For example, if a melody in semiquavers is played together with a bass note for each four melody notes, lute tablature will commonly only show that the following passage is to be played in emiquavers, with the bass notes shown in the appropriate vertical alignment; the decision as to whether each bass note should ring for a full crotchet or be cut shorter is left to the performer. (Note also that it is standard practice to double the note durations when converting to modem notation, so that modem semiquavers will actually be demi-semiquavers in the original, as in the example below.) The standard notation in this collection should therefore not be seen to represent the original or definitive version of the music and, although it does have the advantage of making the overlapping voices within the guitar part easily distinguishable, the performer is not necessarily obliged to hold all notes for their written durations.
Although the majority of the pieces on Songs From The Labyrinth keep closely to the original versions, some tracks have been creatively arranged, incorporating the performers' original adaptations as well as more standard variations and ornamentation. It should be remembered that the scores in this book are adapted transcriptions of the recorded performances, rather than editions of the original scores, and for in-depth study of this music it may be useful to consult an edition based directly on the original scores, and showing the original notation.
Jonathan Preiss, December 2006
John Dowland, Fantasy, bar 4 Lute (original tablature)
Guitar (standard notation)
Guitar (modem tablature)
Ryght honourable: as I have bin
most bounde unto your honor, so I
most humblie desire your honor to
pardon my boldness, and mak my choic of
your honor to let you understand my
bounden duty and desire of Gods preservation
of my most dear soveraingne Quene
and con try: who I besech God ever to bless
and to confounde all their enemies what and
whomsoever.
Your honors most bounden for ever
John Doulande
(LETTER TO SIR ROBERT CECIL, NUREMBERG, 10 NOVEMBER 1595)
S T I N G
SONGS FROM THE LABYRINTH
Walsingham
Can she excuse my wrongs - 1597
"Ryght honorable ... "
Flow my tears (Lachrimae)
Have you seen the bright lily grow - 1616
"... Then in time passing on ... "
The Battle Galliard
The lowest trees have tops - 1603
"... And accordinge as I desired ther cam a letter ... "
Fine knacks for ladies - 1600
"... From thenc I went to the Landgrave of Hessen ... "
Fantasy
Come, heavy sleep - 1597
Forlorn Hope Fancy
"... And from thence I had great desire to see Italy ... "
Come again - 1597
Wilt thou unkind thus reave me - 1597
"... After my departure I ealed to mynde ... "
Weep you no more, sad fountains - 1600
My Lord Willoughby's Welcome Home
Clear or cloudy - 1600
"... men say that the Kinge of Spain ... "
In darkness let me dwell - 1610
All songs are arranged for Guitar and Voice in both standard notation and tablature.
Can She Excuse My Wrongs
Clear Or Cloudy
Come Again
Come, Heavy Sleep
Fantasy
Fine Knacks For Ladies
Flow My Tears (Lachrimae)
Forlorn Hope Fancy
Have You Seen The Bright Lily Grow
In Darkness Let Me Dwell
My Lord Willoughby's Welcome Home
The Battle Galliard
The Lowest Trees Have Tops
Walsingham
Weep You No More, Sad Fountains
Wilt Thou Unkind Thus Reave Me
Italiano
English
