Arranged for string quartet in the 1920s by English composer, Peter Warlock, these anonymous 16th-century dances lend themselves to the double bass (or cello) quartet, offering effective and accessible repertoire for the intermediate quartet.

They were transcribed from a set of part-books which were known to have been in the possession of an English family before 1580, and are now in the British Museum. The manuscript contains 44 dance tunes, alongside a number of Italian songs and are unbarred and without any indications of pace, phrasing or dynamics. They were first published in 1927.

Each dance is short and full of character, with optional repeats and no dynamics, leaving scope for each quartet to personalise the music and create a unique interpretation and performance.

Also available for string quartet (RMS109)

Performance Level: 6;8