"Renaissance Rosettes for Guitar" is a collection of the artist's favorite lute pieces from the latter part of the Renaissance (c. 1550-1625), around the time of Copernicus, Michelangelo, Shakespeare, and Galileo. The music was originally composed for the lute, the Renaissance precursor to the classical guitar. The guitar arrangements on this album are based on lute transcriptions already available in the guitar literature, many by Fredrick Noad (unless noted below), renowned classical guitar and lute performer and educator. “Rosette” has a number of different meanings. For the guitarist or lutenist, a rosette is the circular inlaid artwork surrounding the soundhole of the guitar. In Renaissance times, the lute rosette was often a beautiful wood carving that fit inside the soundhole of the lute. The Music The recital begins with "Suite Italiana", a new arrangement by Steven Beall of a collection of songs and dances from the Italian Renaissance. Six of the seven movements are based on transcriptions from the lute tablature by Oscar Chilesotti ("Six Lute Pieces from the Renaissance"). The opening movement, “Preludio” is an anonymous piece. The second, “Bianco Fiore” ("White Flowers") is attributed to Cesare Negri (c. 1535-1605), an Italian dancer and choreographer. The third, “Italiana”, is a new arrangement by Steven Beall of a traditional Renaissance melody (not in the original collection by Chillesotti). This lovely tune was used by Ottorino Respighi in Ancient Aires & Dances, Suite No.3 (1932). Next are three anonymous pieces: “Danza”, “Gagliarda” and “Canzone”. The last piece is the suite is “Saltarello”, attributed to Vincenzo Galilei (c. 1520-1591), Italian lutenist, composer, and the father of famous scientist Galileo. Note: Although most of the pieces from this suite can also be found in the Christopher Parkening Method Book II, the Beall arrangements are based on the original Chillesotti transcriptions. All of the remaining pieces (except "Le Rossignol") are from the English Renaissance. “Melancholy Galliard” and “The Shoemakers Wife” were written by legendary English lutenist and composer John Dowland (1563-1626). The first piece epitomizes the state of "Melancholia", one of the four temperaments in Renaissance medicine. From Wikipedia: "During the later 16th and early 17th centuries, a curious cultural and literary cult of melancholia arose in England. In music, the post-Elizabethan cult of melancholia is associated with John Dowland, whose motto was Semper Dowland, semper dolens ("Always Dowland, always mourning")." Following a brief intermission are five delightful duets. The first is an anonymous piece, “Lesson for Two Lutes”. Next are three duets from English composer Thomas Robinson (1558-1610): “A Plaine Song”, “Twenty Ways Upon the Bells” and “Toy for Two Lutes”, transcribed by Gerd-Michael Dausend from Robinson's famous instruction book, “Schoole of Musicke." The last duet, “Le Rossignol” (The Nightingale), is a traditional piece from France. The recital concludes with three solo pieces, “Go From My Window” (traditional), and two more masterpieces by John Dowland, “The Frog Galliard” and “Lachrimae”. The first piece tells the story of a young maiden whose last words to the mischievous boy were, "Thou best go from my window before I give thy ladder a gentle push." The second is about a prince whose played the lute and wrote a galliard for a princess, right before he kissed her and turned her into a frog. The final piece on the program, "Flow My Tears" [Lachrimae], "is a lute song (specifically, an "ayre") by John Dowland. Originally composed as an instrumental under the name Lachrimae Pavane in 1596, it is Dowland's most famous ayre, and became his signature song, literally as well as metaphorically: he would occasionally sign his name "Jo. Dolandi de Lachrimae"." (Source: Wikipedia) The Recording Renaissance Rosettes for Guitar is Steven Beall’s first album. The music was recorded, engineered and produced by Be All Guitar, Lake Elmo, MN, USA. All music was performed on a 1998 Stephen Kakos classical guitar. Note: The artist is not a professional musician, and the recordings were made in a home studio. “Although the performance and audio recordings are not without an occasional flaw, I am confident the beauty in the music will shine through and create an enjoyable listening experience.” The Album Art The cover art was created by Giuliana Galant, a graphic arts professional living in New York City.