Mignarda - The Delight of Solitariness: The Lute Songs of John Dowland (2024) [Hi-Res]

The first track of The Delight of Solitariness was released on July 5th, 2024 on the Prima Classic label in your choice of MP3, Hi-Res Audio (96/24), Apple Digital Master, Amazon Ultimate HD, and Dolby ATMOS formats.

John Dowland’s songs for voice and lute represent the pinnacle of a musical form and tradition that was evident throughout Europe for at least 100 years prior to the publication of Dowland’s First Booke of Songes or Ayres in 1597. Earlier European examples of lute songs essentially represented an arrangement of polyphonic vocal music, assigning the lower parts to be played on the lute, and music for voice and lute in England prior to Dowland’s first fruits mainly consisted of harmonizations of psalms and secular poetry set to well-known ballad and dance tunes. Dowland built upon this foundation and, while retaining the rhythmic vitality of dance forms, added his gift for melody and expressive text setting with a result that is superior to the work of any of his contemporaries.

Having previously recorded two albums of Dowland’s lute songs, we found we were merely peeling away the first layers of the onion with our interpretations of the better-known repertory. The delight of solitariness allowed us the opportunity to explore some lesser-known songs that are every bit as masterful as Dowland’s more familiar chestnuts. The album title is from the song “O sweet woods, the delight of solitariness,” drawn from the posthumously published Arcadia by Sir Philip Sidney. The image of forested solitariness is one that appeals to us as artists who dwell in a quieter aesthetic than is afforded by our mad 21st-century existence. Having lived in the woods in shared solitude for a better part of our collaboration as a duo, the image resonates strongly.