Alfonso Ferrabosco - Music for Lyra Viol from 1609, Volumes 2 & 3 (Richard Boothby)

Information

Composer: Alfonso Ferrabosco

• Lessons for 1, 2 & 3 Viols

Richard Boothby, viol

Sam Stadlen, viol II

Joanna Levine, viol III

Date: 2026

Label: Signum Records

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Music to Hear… Alfonso Ferrabosco: Music for Lyra Viol from 1609, Volumes 2 & 3 continues Richard Boothby’s distinguished survey of early English viol repertoire. Joined by Sam Stadlen and Jo Levine, Boothby performs Ferrabosco’s Lessons for one, two, and three viols, encompassing pavans, almains, galliards, and corantos that exemplify the expressive richness of Jacobean consort music. Composed for Henry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton, these works reveal Ferrabosco’s inventive craftsmanship and refinement at the Jacobean court. Recorded on period instruments with gut strings, the album conveys the music’s intimacy, elegance, and nuanced depth, highlighting its enduring artistic and historical significance.

Alfonso Ferrabosco II (c. 1575–1628) was an English composer, viol player, and lutenist, renowned for his contributions to viol repertoire. The illegitimate son of Alfonso Ferrabosco I, he received a musical education funded by Queen Elizabeth I and remained in royal service throughout his life. Ferrabosco collaborated with Ben Jonson and Inigo Jones on the lavish masques at the court of James I. His fantasies and pavans for viols are celebrated for their elegance and expressive depth, while his Lessons for 1, 2, and 3 Viols and Ayres for voice and lute, published in 1609, exemplify his mastery of both instrumental and vocal music in the early 17th century.

Richard Boothby is a distinguished viol player and educator whose career began in 1977 under the guidance of David Fallows. Following advanced study with Nikolaus Harnoncourt, he co-founded The Purcell Quartet (1984) and Fretwork (1985), ensembles noted for both historically informed performance and commissioning contemporary works from composers including George Benjamin, Alexander Goehr, and Nico Muhly. Boothby has recorded extensively—nearly 50 albums with the Purcell Quartet and over 70 with Fretwork—and has arranged major keyboard works by J. S. Bach for viols, including the Goldberg Variations. He has directed staged Monteverdi productions, performed international recitals, recorded Lyra viol repertoire, and teaches viola da gamba at the Royal College of Music, London.