John Dowland (1563-1626) composed the most sophisticated and beautiful music for a fretted string instrument during the renaissance period. Performing this music on the modern classical guitar presents a number of different interpretive dilemmas and performance options. This work illuminates this process for the modern guitarist. I also discuss the life of John Dowland, renaissance ornamentation, and diminution or renaissance improvisation.

For years, classical guitarists have enjoyed playing the lute music of the English composer, John Dowland (1563-1626). Forty of his beautiful compositions are included in this volume. the book is intended for the guitarist with intermediate to advanced fingerstyle technique, and can be played on both nylon and steel string instruments. In order to help capture the unique character of Dowland's music, renaissance lute tuning (capo on the third fret with the G string tuned to F sharp) is used throughout. the pieces progress more or less in order of increasing difficulty, and special care has been taken to be sure any group of consecutive pieces can be played with satisfying results. Standard notation only. Includes FREE downloadable companion audio files.

Ten Songs by English Renaissance composer-lutenist-singer John Dowland, arranged for voice and classical guitar (in standard notation and tablature). Includes: Away with These Self-Loving Lads, Come Again Sweet Love, Come Heavy Sleep, Dear If You Change, Flow My Tears, Go Crystal Tears, If My Complaints, The Lowest Trees Have Tops, Weep You No More, Who Ever Thinks or Hopes. Note: These arrangements have been transposed down from the original keys, and, as such, they are most suitable for soloists with an alto or bass (8vb) range. For sopranos and tenors (8vb), guitarist uses capo to raise pitch a few steps to singer's desired key.

For years, classical guitarists have enjoyed playing the lute music of the English composer, John Dowland (1563-1626). Forty of his beautiful compositions are included in this volume. the book is intended for the guitarist with intermediate to advanced fingerstyle technique, and can be played on both nylon and steel string instruments. In order to help capture the unique character of Dowland's music, renaissance lute tuning (capo on the third fret with the G string tuned to F sharp) is used throughout. the pieces progress more or less in order of increasing difficulty, and special care has been taken to be sure any group of consecutive pieces can be played with satisfying results. Standard notation with TAB. Includes FREE downloadable companion audio files.

For guitar players who want to expand their repertoire: This collection provides a fantastic introduction to the works of John Dowland, containing the easiest of his compositions, arranged in their order of difficulty. Dowland ranks among the outstanding figures in the history of 16th- and 17th-century European lute music. Martin Hegel arranged the works originally composed for lute so that they can now be played on the guitar at an intermediate level. The edition is suited for both teaching and playing in one's spare time. Dowland for Guitar is part of the Schott Guitar Classic series. The editor Martin Hegel is dedicated to expanding the guitar repertoire in a varied and sensible way and making popular works of music history accessible even to guitar players at an intermediate level. His transcriptions, ranging from easy to intermediate, are perfectly adapted to the characteristics of the guitar. They present an opportunity to guitar players to experience classics and masterpieces on their own instrument: be it contrapuntal masterpieces by Johann Sebastian Bach and symphonic music by Mozart – or be it lute music from the Renaissance era.

Robert Johnson (c. 1583 – 1633) was the last of the great English lutenists; he served Prince Henry and was later a prominent figure in the court of Charles I. He wrote music for many plays and masques of the time, including several by Shakespeare. Decades after Johnson’s death, in a “Dialogue between the Author and His Lute” within Musick’s Monument and the persona of the Lute, writer and lutenist Thomas Mace described John Dowland and Robert Johnson as “Two famous men; Great Masters in My Art”. Despite such high praise and the fact that much of Johnson’s music is well-suited to the guitar, few guitarists play it. This comprehensive collection of solo lute works, transcribed for guitar in standard notation, is an attempt to remedy this shortcoming. It includes music for the beginner as well as the advanced player. The book’s 23 pieces range from Johnson’s delightful almains, galliards, masques and a single coranto to the somber intensity of the pavans and a fantasie. Dropped-D and lowered third-string tuning (F#) are frequently used to better approximate the tuning and range of the 9 or 10-course Renaissance lute.