The Queenes Alman - William Byrd on virginal

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2011May 6

from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book. Also know as la Monica or "Une jeune fillette" or la Nonette. Here in an anonymous version from a Dutch collection: • Vermeer: the music lesson (almande de... ernst stolz AMG AllMusic Guide to Classical Music: Alman (The Queen's Alman), for keyboard,

Date: ca. 1590
Composer: William Byrd
Period: Renaissance (1450-1599)

Review The Alman is a dance that became popular in the English courts in the 1560s and which composers would arrange for other instruments, popularly keyboard. The English composer William Byrd (1543-1623) arranged several examples of this form for keyboard, utilising a similar procedure to that used in his variation sets. The Queen's Alman contains three variations. The source tune was well known, and Byrd adopts a standard harmony. These three variations are probably the most interesting of his nine almans, as Byrd uses a more personal voice and greater artistry of technique than his other assays in this genre. This charming work is often overlooked in preference to Byrd's more showy works. ~ David Cashman, Rovi source; http://www.answers.com/topic/alman-th...