Each Lovely Grace - William Corkine: The Second Book of Ayres (1612)
Cantar alla Viola
Nadine Balbeisi – soprano
Fernando Marín – viola da gamba, lyra-viol
Label – Destino Classics
Charming songs and beautiful Lyra-viol solos flourishing in England’s Golden Age. William Corkine’s Seconde Booke of Ayres, published in 1612, contains a total of eighteen songs, and the title page interestingly specifies that “Some, (songs are) to Sing and Play to the Base-Violl alone…” in contrast to “others, to be Sung to the Lute and Base Violl.” Looking through the book one finds thirteen songs, which as indicated in the title, have merely a bass line as the sole accompaniment for the vocal line. The other five songs come with Lute tablature accompaniment and provide extra vocal parts. At the end of this second book, Corkine also offers a collection of Lyra Viol lessons - one lesson for two lyra-viols and eleven lessons for solo lyra-viol set in two different tunings. We have decided to focus the present recording on these rare songs accompanied only by a bass viol and the solo lyra-viol lessons.
The songs present a wide variety of moods and colours, some being on the shorter and lighter side, others leaning towards the melancholic.
“They present the rounded and mature resultant blend to us … the intimate relationship between voice and viol, which not only does justice to the textures in which Corkine works, but even enhances his gentle intensity.” – Mark Sealey, MusicWeb International