Home Country Hero Mini Challenge

joosje Beautiful performances, as always, Joosje! Your selections seem entirely appropriate to the challenge, since in Belgium you  can lay claim to both Flemish and French musical heritages. (Perhaps an arrangement of Brel's 'Les Flamands" would have been particularly apt!? (Sorry, I don't really mean that, but I couldn't resist.) It's interesting to hear about your connection to van den Hove. He was only a few years younger than John Dowland, but his music (much of ir. at least) belongs to the tonal world of the early baroque, not the renaissance, which seemed to persist longer in England than elsewhere. (Which was a good thing, come to think of it, because it was their one and only 'Golden Age', musically speaking.) Another beautiful song arrangement by van den Hove is 'Windeken' (apparently of French origin, despite the title). There's a wonderful performance of it on YT (from Anthony Bailes) that is worth checking out. It would work perfectly on your 7-string guitar. (Actually, most of van den Hove's music would work well - but I still think you should get a lute!) I'll link the tablature in case you're interested in having a look at it. (You'll be able to sight read it without difficulty.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDUJ7nAr-jU

https://www.lutemusic.org/sources/D-B_berlin_state_library/mus_ms_autogr_Hove1_1615/pdf/035_windeken_hoveJ.pdf

joosje Very lovely, and definitely appropriate for this challenge!  Thank you!  I really enjoyed them.

joosje Brava, Joosje. Those were so beautiful and you played them so well.  I closed my eyes and you took me back to Amsterdam, one of my favorite cities.  Thank you. 

Eric Phillips You're certainly right about the importance of stress in early music and the 'correctness' (in the positive sense!) of joosje 's interpretation. But we probably shouldn't assume that lutenists like van den Hove and Vallet were executing such passages any differently. Given the period they were active (late 16th/early 17th c.) and the kind of lutes they were using (eight courses for the former, ten for the latter ) it is altogether possible that they were employing I-m alternation on at least the treble strings. (Even Dowland who in most respects was a conservative is thought to have adopted this approach mid-career.) While there was no single 'standard' technique at this time, it is clear that p-i alternation gradually fell out of use during the 17th c. Thomas Mace, writing in 1676 recommends p-i alternation (if I recall correctly) only for those with short thumbs! (i.e. for those whose hand span in insufficient to comfortably negotiate all the courses from a single fixed position.)

joosje Those were beautiful, Joosje. I have been avoiding reacquainting myself with the Renaissance until I get a better handle on the ‘guitar’ repertoire ( as if that will ever happen). But your beautiful performance of these is really making me want to play some renaissance pieces. So, Joosje, thanks a lot for complicating my musical life!

David David, I beg to differ on your statement that the Renaissance was England’s ‘one and only golden age of music’.  I think the 1960’s certainly qualifies as a 2nd golden age for England.

Jack Stewart I take it you're thinking of Britten, Walton, and others who worked with Bream. Yes, I suppose a case can be made for a second golden age. Both 'Elizabethan' though!

Jack Stewart Oh, wait, maybe you had something else in mind ... Yes, I agree, that might well constitute a second golden era, even for the long-hairs! (Mind you , I think the early 70's have to be included.)

@David Krupka  To me the early ‘70’s are still the 60’s - because of the slackers.

Btw I have no idea how that middle emoji got there, but I fixed it.

Jack Stewart Some of the slackers are still slacking! (Actually, it's probably not fair to label someone who's managed to slack their way through six decades a 'slacker'!) As for emojis, I frankly can't figure most of them out. Hope you're enjoying Spain!