6 Madrigals for 3 voices - Thomas Bateson c. 1570 - 1630

[Andy Boden]

Thomas Bateson was a Tudor madrigal composer and sometime organist of Chester Cathedral

These are six madrigals for 3 voices from his First Book of Madrigals (1604)

The words display the typical themes of wildlife, nymphs and shepherds and the anguish of love (sigh !) but,as with much music of the time, they were considered 'apt for voyces or viols' - i.e. they are equally suited to singing, playing or both.

These arrangements are for 3 mandolins. All of them have been transposed and/or modified (as little as possible) to allow the 3rd part to be played on a mandolin, though it would be fine on a mandola, guitar or even mandocello/bass

The notes are quite simple to play, but I feel thy make ecellent exercises for timing (counting) and developing good ensemble.



Score attached ........ separate parts available on request.

Andy

[Martin Jonas]

We've been sight-reading the sixth (and I think most famous) of these Bateson madrigals, "Your Shining Eyes and Golden Hair" in Andy's arrangement at our ensemble rehearsals a few times, and it's very nice as well as pretty straightforward to play. Good reading and timing practice, as Andy has said.

Here is a recording of this piece I made today. I'm doubling the first mandolin on both nylon-strung and steel-strung mandolin for a warmer and more lute-like tone.

"Baroq-ulele" nylon-strung mandolin
1890s Umberto Ceccherini mandolin
1915 Luigi Embergher mandolin
Mid-Missouri M-0W mandolin



Martin

[Martin Jonas]

I've been revisiting some of my old recordings this year, with a different recording technique better reflecting the live performance. "Your Shining Eyes And Golden Hair" has been a favourite of mine ever since I first recorded it in 2014, and we are playing Andy's arrangement frequently when we get together with our mandolin group (sadly suspended for most of this year).

Here is my new recording on "Baroq-ulele", tenor guitar and mandocello.

I'm playing the high part on my "Baroq-ulele" - a chance to show this instrument in a video. It's a small four-string nylon-strung bowlback instrument, styled after a baroque-era soprano lute (or mandora). It was sold with soprano ukulele tuning, but I have set it up in mandolin/violin tuning in fifths (GDAE), which I think suits it much better. So, it's probably best described as a nylgut-strung mandolin. Whatever one calls it, it's a fun instrument to play, and a distinctly different voice from either a mandolin or a ukulele.

I'm holding the instrument up to the camera at the end, for a closer look.

"Baroq-ulele" nylgut-strung bowlback mandolin (GDAE)
Vintage Viaten tenor guitar (GDAE)
Suzuki MC-815 mandocello



Martin