After reading advice here and elsewhere, I've decided to put my new book online for free. I wrote and recorded it two years ago, and it has been sitting on a publisher's In-Tray since then. And I just can't be bothered trying to sell it myself (the world's worst businessman, I know ( Read more... )

Some of you will have followed my exploration of Fuenllana's fantasias and tientos on my website. It has been an interesting journey for me, to say the least, and I feel I now know a lot more about both Fuenllana and the vihuela. However, now that I have completed the 13 fantasias from Book 4, and all the tientos from Book 6, I feel I have not done ( Read more... )

The 13 Fantasias from Book 4 by Miguel de Fuenllana are now available for free download: http://www.musicintime.co.uk/Fuenllana.htm MP3 files and the usual tab and basic transcription files.

Happy Christmas!

Rob MacKillop
www.musicintime.co.uk

Had a good evening with members of the Edinburgh Hellenic Society playing traditional Greek music - something I have never done before. I was surprised and pleased that they didn't object to my playing a Turkish oud! It was not a concert, just an in-house party. It is something I hope to find time to do once a month or so. Very interesting music. ( Read more... )

Fantasia ten from book 4, plus the usual scores ( Read more... )

Just got a job of Musician In Residence at a university for nurses! Interesting times ahead...

I'm not doing too well at updating this journal. I just don't have the time, and when I do I'm too tired to think. Might give it up ( Read more... )

After many paths were trodden, (‘to Hell and back’, one might say), I returned to Don Miguel Fuenllana with a report of my journey to the heart of the Orphic legend. I dutifully waited in silence, although my mind was repeatedly going over the things I intended to say ( Read more... )

Today I used my time machine to visit Miguel de Fuenllana. Yes, you did read that correctly. I have a time machine which allows me to make contact with the composers whose works I am presently studying. Don Miguel allowed me to interview him in his apartment in Lisbon, where he is currently employed by Don Sebastian of Portugal. The year is 1574 ( Read more... )

I've been in the Early Music world long enough to know that you can never know anything for sure: interpretation, dynamics, tempo, etc, and of course tone. In describing tone we use subjective terms like 'sweet' or indecisive terms like 'round' or 'sharp'. Almost all of my time on the vihuela is spent in searching for the 'right' tone, a tone that ( Read more... )