Review

John Dowland
Come again, sweet love :

Arranged by Jason Beghtol


Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2010
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Primary Genre: Solo Tenor Trombone - with piano

John Dowland (1523–1626) was the greatest lutenist of his age, and the composer of love songs notable for a melancholia that was at the time fashionable. In person he was said to be an affable and mostly cheerful man. His contemporaries included Gabrieli and Monteverdi. Come again, sweet love is one of his most celebrated pieces. It was published in his "First Booke of Songes or Ayres" (1597). Jason Beghtol teaches at Northeast Mississippi Community College in Booneville, MS; and performs extensively as a bass trombonist.

Range is c–d1; this transcription is of only moderate difficulty, requiring an expressive vocal style. To get the feeling of this piece you really do need to know the words, which will totally affect phrasing and expression in lines such as “I sit, I sigh, I weep, I faint, I die.” The indicated tempo of quarter=120 is a bit too fast; 106-112 would be better. Ornamental passing notes added in measures 25, 28, 39 & 40 are unidiomatic. Phrase markings at the ends of lines are broken in the trombone part; they are correct in the score. This is an enjoyable piece that is a little different from familiar repertoire, a good ‘warm up’ at the beginning of a more demanding recital program.

-Keith Davies Jones
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada