Dances from Terpsichore

Philip Pickett and his ensemble the New London Consort perform a collection of Dances from Terpsichore, by Michael Praetorius.

One of the most prolific German composers of the 17th century, the majority of Praetorius' output was church music. Terpsichore, from 1612, is the only series of secular and instrumental collections that form part of his vast volume of compositions, published in his Syntagma Musicum.

An impressive array of authentic instruments are employed on this recording, details and drawings of which are to be found in the Syntagma Musicum. These range from lutes, theorbos, cornets and sackbuts, to shawms, rackets, curtals and sorduns, as well as percussion instruments such as tabors, dulcimers, tambourines and timpani.
These Dances are written around French melodies and airs, however the dances themselves come from numerous geographical origins, including England (Bransle), Latin-America (Sarabande), Netherlands (Spagnoletta) and Italy (Passamezzo).
The instrumentation on this recording is based upon knowledge of the instruments available in Germany at the time of composition. Complete instrumental listings for each Dance are detailed in the booklet, which also features drawings of some of the instruments. All performing versions are prepared by Philip Pickett.

Originally released in the 1980s on Decca's L'Oiseau Lyre label, this recording makes a welcome return to the catalogue. One of today's most eminent advocates of period performance, Philip Pickett founded the New London Consort in the 1980s.

Original review
'Philip Pickett's instrumentation (based on the illustrations which act as an appendix to the maestro's second volume of Syntagnma Musicum of 1619) is sometimes less exuberant than that of David Munrow before him; but many will like the refinement of his approach, with small instrumental groups, lute pieces and even what seems like an early xylophone! The recording is splendid.' *** Penguin Guide to Compact Disc