- The Pavan [or pavane] is a 16th-century court dance, originally from Italy. It is slow, processional, and stately.[1]
- By Byrd’s time, the pavan was falling out of favor as a court dance. It became a stylized musical form used by Byrd, Gibbons, and other English composers, especially in compositions for the virginals (a small harpsichord).1
- This Pavan is written for six voices. Though it’s played here by viols, consort music like this piece could be played by any combination of six melody instruments.2
Sources
- Harvard Dictionary of Music, 4th ed., s.v. “Pavana” (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2003).
- Joseph Kerman and Kerry McCarthy, “Byrd, William,” Grove Music Online (2014), accessed August 14, 2019, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000004487.
Cut IDs
45674