Early English Songs Arranged for Viola da Gamba 04

The selections are as follows: 00:00 Twelfth Eve: refers to Epiphany, the twelfth day of Christmas, a festive occasion marked by revelry, masques, and social dancing. The painting shows a scene from Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night." 01:20 The Indian Queen: a probably reference to the 1664 play of the same title by Sir Robert Howard and John Dryden. In 1695, Henry Purcell wrote a semi-opera based on the play. 02:44 Maid's Morris: a morris is a traditional English dance, popular in the 16th and 17th centuries, this one probably danced by young women. 03:44 Pall Mall: was a fashionable 17th-century lawn game played with mallets and balls, much like croquet. The London street by this name derives from the lane where the game was played. 05:05 Childgrove: an obscure title that may simply refer to a grove where children played. The melody was often used in later centures, including in American contra dances (a kind of line dance). 06:32 The More the Merrier: the title simply quotes the proverb. 07:32 Jamaica: became an English colony in 1655 and was associated with trade, naval power, and exoticism. 08:34 Dunmore Kate: Dunmore is the name of several places in England, and the unidentified Kate may have been a woman of some local or social notoriety. 09:46 The Frolic: simply a light-hearted dance. 11:08 Wimbleton House: (today spelled with a "d" rather than a "t"), is an estate near London, well known in the 17th century and associated with several notable families. If you like this music, you might also enjoy my arrangements of other early English songs or of traditional Irish airs:    • Viola da Gamba  .