Suite for Two Lutes - Clive Titmuss, lute and Susan Adams, harpsichord

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Who wrote the music? These delightful pieces are arranged from lute music in the Panmure V manuscript. This Scottish collection exists within a larger set of MS music from before 1675 and was gathered together mainly by Lady Jean Campbell, later 2nd Countess of Panmure, and by her sons James and Harry Maule. The whole Panmure collection is dominated by music for viols, but a significant part is music for 10-course lute from around 1632, and consists of music by French composers, especially Mesangeau. There is an impression of high density, artful counterpoint and unexpected harmony which is consistent with the period around 1630. His music was published in France by Robert Ballard in anthology collections from 1631 and 1638 and some of the Panmure MS pieces come from this printed source. Aside from Mesangeau’s distinction as a composer, he is significant for his agency in exploring what are today referred to as “transitional” tunings, in use before a widespread switch to the “nouveau ton”(new tuning) by the mid-1640s. There was considerable cultural exchange between Scottish land-owning families and the French during this period, united by their Catholic ties and enmity for the English Protestant establishment. Since William Lawes is mainly famous as a composer of music for viols and no other known lute music by him has survived, I’m inclined to think that these pieces began as solo lute pieces by Mesangeau, DuBut, et al., to which “contreparthies” have been added by a capable arranger familiar with lute style and tablature notation. The practice of making a second part to existing pieces was widely practiced in the second half of the 17th C. It should also be noted that misattribution is a common feature of music in manuscript collections throughout the centuries. Here, the style of the “contreparthie” goes well beyond the typical continuo part, creating a three-part texture, often adding doubling in thirds or sixths, imitative statements made at the beginning of sections, and adding “fills”, or rhythmically active material when the solo part is resting. These characteristics confirm for me the idea that the pieces as written are not originally lute duos. This is not to say that the resulting work is in any way inferior—quite the opposite, these pieces fit well within Mezangeau’s known works and style. The melodic content is anthem-like, easy to follow, and is full of genuine inspiration. These pieces have been popular in arrangements for two guitars for at least the last fifty years, and are often played by students of the instrument because of the tight-grained equality of the writing and the originality and strength of the melodic impulse. We have occasionally clarified the text and assimilated features more idiomatic to our respective instruments in our transcription.
Audio is by Chaianne Ellis at SoulTech Audio, video is by Clive Titmuss and video editing is by Susan Adams. Special thanks to production assistant Andrew Nikodym. Please leave us a comment because we love to hear from you!
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