Search - Musicians of Swanne Alley :: As I Went to Walsingham

The music on this recording explores instrumental works and songs associated with the name Walsingham--one of Elizabethan England's most famous families, whose most esteemed member, Sir Francis, was Queen Elizabeth's chief administrator and secretary of state--also an important patron of the arts. A famous ballad tune bears his name, and it appears in several different versions here. The poetry of Sir Francis's protégé, Sir Philip Sidney, was set by many composers of the day, including William Byrd, and three of these songs are presented here, sung in a kind of nervous, overly stylized soprano by Emily van Evera. The instrumental playing featured on most of the tracks is outstanding, and includes pieces for English Consort (violin, flute, lute, cittern, bandore, and viol), lute solo, and lute duet. --David Vernier